GARDEN PARTY

We showed Maltese for several years and I always poke fun at myself for going from a big, slobbery Saint ( a dog very much like me) to a immaculate little white dog with bows on its head (a dog nothing like me), but they were wonderful pets and the people that own them were as nice as they could be to two newbies, my wife and myself. One of our fond memories of those days was the Toys only Progressive Dog Club show, more like a high tea than a sporting event, it took place in a hotel ball room with boiserie (yeah, I read Architectural Digest) and lit by crystal chandliers. And the best Toy Dogs from everywhere came.

Today a Toy Dog even I can identify with, the Pug, CH Tupelo Shoboat Tu China Tu, won the all Toy Westminster warm up at the New York Pennsylvania Hotel (Mezzanine Level), the official hotel for Westminster. Judge Shirley Limoges selected "Boo" as her BIS/Group One. The remaining rosettes went to the Toy Poodle, CH Smash JP Moon Walk, the Brussels Griffon, CH Cilleine Masquerade, and the Pomeranian, CH Velocity's Shake Ur Bon Bon. While these pre Garden garden parties are always interesting, don’t bet your lunch money that these wins will be repeated come Tuesday night. But you can enjoy the Boo Vanity video above.

BRITISH KENNEL CLUB CAVES

The British Kennel Club has succumbed to months of pressure and announced the review of all dog breed standards. The review follows a anti-breeder BBC documentary which accused the Kennel Club of supporting the breeding of deformed animals through its standards. The documentary, titled "Pedigreed Dogs Exposed”, showed a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with syringomyelia, a condition which occurs when a dog's skull is too small for its brain. It also singled out Boxers, Pugs, and Bulldogs for criticism.

Top US Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
CH Mondrian V H Lamslag, RE

Citing increasing public pressure, the Kennel Club stated that it was pushing through its review of all breed standards, “…with added urgency.” The RSPCA, which announced last month that it was pulling out of Crufts over concerns about the welfare of pedigree dogs, responded with this statement: "We welcome the (Kennel Club) review of breed standards and hope it will make a difference for pedigree dog health and welfare in the future."

Top US Boxer
CH Ein-Von's Just A Rumor

The Kennel Club also issued a statement against the action of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel national breed club for ousting a member that had appeared in the BBC documentary and criticized her fellow breeders. However, all of this did not placate the Kennel Club’s critics. The Veterinarian Director of the Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog charity, sniped, “We are saying that the Kennel Club should look at the consequence of what it hasn’t done in the past 50 years. We are more than happy to help in every way to resolve the situation, but doing it at a snail’s pace is just not good enough.”

Top US Pug

CH Tupelo Shoboat Tu China Tu

The Kennel Club, determined to make the most of a bad situation, is asking that it be given the legal power to make its Accredited Breeder Scheme compulsory throughout the country, which would allow only Kennel Club members to produce or sell puppies.

Top US Bulldog

CH Cherokee Legend Rock

All of this bolsters two of my core beliefs.

1. Never give an inch to the animal rights wackos. I’m astonished that the British, of all people, fail to grasp the ramifications of appeasement, it didn’t work with the Third Reich and it won’t work with the RSPCA.
2. We have an obligation to police ourselves. If national breed clubs don’t take action to assure their breeds are protected, they risk having outsiders, who neither appreciate the breed or breeders, dictating to them.
   

Finally, take a look at these beautiful animals I have included in this post and imagine a world without them. How sad would that be?

TOP TEN UPDATE

For the most part, I am a fan of show dog rankings. I am one of those people that likes to do things by the numbers…it just sort of appeals to my sense of order. As I have written here before, I believe that the rankings are open to interpretation. However, they are a good place to start when looking for this country’s outstanding dogs. Based on show results through the August 31, I have updated the top ten dogs pictured on the left.

CH Efbe's Hidalgo At Goodspice

The only dog to move up in the standings is the Sealyham Terrier, CH Efbe's Hidalgo At Goodspice. Charmin moved up two spots to the number three position. The top two are likely to hold their respective spots through the rest of the year. The number one dog, the Giant Schnauzer, CH Galilee's Pure Of Spirit ended the month with 80,809 points, while the number two dog, the Pointer, CH Cookieland Seasyde Hollyberry, has 70,888. By contrast, the next four dogs trail by more than 20,000 points and are bunched together with a little over 3,000 points separating the number three dog from the number six dog, the Affenpinscher, CH Tamarin’s Tug. Taser is likely to move up, having picked up four BIS in the last two weeks.

CH Tupelo Shoboat Tu China Tu

The remaining dogs have a shaky hold on the their top ten ranking. Only the number ten dog, the Scottish Deerhound, CH Jaraluv Ouija, has been a consistent BIS threat. Two dogs that are likely to move into the top ten are the Pug, CH Tupelo Shoboat Tu China Tu, currently ranked number eleven and the German Shepherd Dog, CH Woodsides Pacino, who debuts in the top twenty at the number 15 spot. (see our September 6 post, Rin Tin Redux) A lot can happen in four months.