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Requested to address this issue, I decided to take time to sit back and see the “big picture.” The “big picture” is upon us, folks, and it is not pretty! My reason to become a judge was the challenge to select the best of the best according to a written standard. I love dogs! I love SOUND dogs with BREED TYPE! Both virtues, believe it or not, can be present in the same animal! Through combined efforts and a willingness to call “a spade a spade”, our breeds WILL survive. Breeding for the sake of winning is a downhill slide. This alone assures the future of our breeds. Turning things around will take dedicated breeders and judges, critical handler selection, and educated exhibitors. Our sport deserves nothing less than the best of our intentions.
ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS.
ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS.
1. Why do breeder judges “put dogs with handlers when they know the animal does not represent breed excellence?
2. Why do handlers accept such dogs knowing once they finish, they will be “petted out”?
3. Are you kennel blind and do you breed to standard?
4. Should breeders and newcomers read the standard prior to stud and bitch selection?
5. When will more mentors open up to newcomers?
6. And lastly, are “gas money” and “filler” dogs destroying our sport?
Putting a breed back on track requires ETHICAL HANDLERS, DEDICATED BREEDERS, AN UNDERSTANDING OF BREED STANDARDS and KNOWLEDGEABLE JUDGES WITH THE COURAGE TO MAKE RESPONSIBLE SELECTIONS. Being a judge is not for the faint of heart. Sending the best dog to the next level and being a part of its journey to the pinnacle of success is a thrill of a lifetime.
There is but ONE standard. “Preferred breed type” is like a flavor of the month, very fleeting!
BREEDERS, JUDGES AND EXHIBITORS HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT THEIR BREED STANDARDS. CURRENT FADS AND PERSONAL OPINIONS ARE FLEETING AND DESTRUCTIVE.
- E. K. (Katie) Gammill
"Winning because of an exceptional breeding program takes the breed and breeders toward breed excellence. That should be the goal yesterday, and today."
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Reprinted courtesy of NetPlaces, Inc. www.TheDogPlace.org
