Tuesday, December 16, 2008

TO RANK OR NOT TO RANK

We just got this “anonymous” comment in and we thought we would share it prominently with all of you.

“In my opinion, you really shouldn't be calling Holly the #1 dog since, according to all the official counts, Spirit is still #1. When the official stats come out, then you have a point. But the race is still on my friends, and to call Holly #1 when she technically isn't, is kind of being rude to the hard effort Taffe McFadden has done to retain that position.”

Well, we have said from the beginning, that these numbers are our numbers and ours alone. We will make these observations:

Nothing we have posted should be construed as diminishing the efforts of the dedicated and hard working people behind any of these dogs. Having shown against them in the 1980s, we have the greatest respect for Taffe and Bill McFadden and what they have brought to this sport to which these pages are dedicated. We applaud them and all the other hard working pros that handle the dogs we promote here. We have been around this sport long enough to know what it takes to campaign a dog at this level. Make no mistake, we started this blog to pay homage to all AKC dog breeders, owners, handlers, and lovers.

We’re not sure what Anonymous means by “official” or “technically”, but we do know this, CH Cookieland Seasyde Hollyberry, has defeated more dogs that CH Galilee's Pure Of Spirit has this year and we think that everyone in the game appreciates knowing that as soon as possible. If those competing waited for the “official” results it would be too late to do anything about it.

And that’s OUR opinion. As always, we welcome yours.

5 comments:

  1. Do NOT take that one individual's viewpoint to be that of the majority. Your blog and your reports are YOURS. You need not apologize for reporting the facts as you see them. If that person does not like what they are reading, they can go elsewhere for information.

    I have not seen anything questionable reported here regarding any exhibit. Nor have I felt anything was written that was less than respectful or which noted any favoritism toward any one dog over any others. If anything, I would say you have been appreciative of ALL the exhibits, handlers and even their owners EQUALLY.

    ALL of us in this Sport dream of being connected to animals of this quality (breeders,owners,judges,and handlers). No one dreams or campaigns to be # 2 ... but usually there is only ONE # 1. Yes this is a horse race to the finish this year but which ever one ends up on top HAS to feel like they have really won something when it is all over and this type of competition makes the dogs even MORE memorable for the ages. Of course we all want our own dog to be the top, or our favorite breed, or our friend or handler etc. ... it's human nature.

    Whomever your complainer is clearly has some emotional attachment to the McFaddens that is clouding their opinion of your reporting. How can they think that the Scotts have worked any less hard campaigning Holly than the McFaddens have done with Spirit? THAT is unfair!

    PLEASE go right on with your reports and statistics. I know I am hoping for coverage of the San Mateo shows here and I suspect I am not alone! That other person can wait until January 15th or later to find out who won in one of the magazine systems, if they want to ... but I'm a typical internet news junkie who wants everything as fast as possible! I suspect the McFaddens and the Scotts and their clients won't be waiting for those magazine statistics.
    I can't be alone wondering will Holly go to San Mateo? WHO will win if they show down every day? It's WAY better than anything the tv has to offer this time of year!

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  2. Anonymous at 4:52 took the words right out of my mouth- but probably said it more eloquently.

    It has been so much fun watching Spirit and Holly fight for the number one ranking. Without your blog I wouldn't have been able to follow this as I have. Dog News online shows October's results.

    I love coming here and learning more about the dog show world and seeing breeds that are new to me. It is very obvious in your posts that you respect all the competitors.

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  3. I agree, I like the up-to-date reporting! I am just an occasional exhibitor, but it is so fun learning about the top dogs in this sport! As I told a friend (after reading your blog), these people are playing a whole different game than we are! As someone who attends local shows trying to finish their dog, some of these concepts seem foreign to me (jet setting from CA to PA!), but it is great reading! My favorite part is when you report the underdogs that beat the top dogs!

    Keep up the good work!

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  4. Rank away! We appreciate the up to date rankings and have never seen anything questionable about your show reports.

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