Six years into writing this blog, we are more encouraged
than ever about the state of our sport. This
year is turning out to be one of the most remarkable in recent memory. We thought that we would give you a status
report on the show season’s first 100 days.
Already this year we have seen two major records
broken. First the Portuguese Water Dog,
GCH CH Clair Creek’s Impression de Matisse, set a new record for career BIS won
by a Working Dog. To date, Matisse has
gathered 127 all-breed titles. The
Miniature Pinscher, GCH CH Marlex Classic Red Glare, followed, establishing a
record for Toy Dogs with 130 Bests In Show.
Much of our focus this year has been on the remarkable race
between Matisse, our current Number One Dog, and the Number Two Dog, the Old
English Sheepdog, GCH CH Bugaboo’s Picture Perfect. The two have given us a dazzling display of
showmanship this year, racking up BIS at a rate unprecedented in out tenure. Matisse has been awarded the big rosette 32
of the 44 times he has stepped into the final ring. The OES, Swagger, started his career in 2013
by taking the very first Reserve Best In Show offered by the Westminster Kennel
Club. This year Swagger leads our “With
RBIS” rankings with a record of 19 BIS, nine RBIS, and 40 Herding Groups.
The above chart shows the Top Twenty Dogs All Breeds as of
07 April 2014. As much fun as it is
watching our Top two Dogs, the most satisfying thing we have witnessed this
year is the overall level of competition.
A look at the above chart shows that the balance of our Top Twenty are
incredibly close to one another, with only a few points separating each dog
from the dog in front of him and her. At
this point in the season less than 1000 points separate the Number Ten Dog,
the English Springer Spaniel, GCH CH
Telltale American Ride , and the Number Twenty Dog, the Chinese Shar-Pei, GCH
CH Shine’s Deck the Halls. While the
Working and Herding Group leaders may be difficult to catch, we expect the rest
of the groups to be highly competitive throughout the year.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the call names of our
current Top Twenty Dogs, we provide the below crib sheet.
We have seen most of these dogs multiple times. Some are excellent examples of their respective breeds, some are not. It would be interesting to note how much money is behind each of these big winners. The playing field is less level than ever before. I think the sport is headed for a correction. As the gulf between those people with huge bankrolls and the rest of us grows the discontent gets a little louder. Eventually we will be heard.
ReplyDeleteSomething is going to have to change. I understand the Professional Handlers need to make a living. My problem is this is no longer about the dogs. After 40 years in dogs it is hard to watch any more. I shaved all 3 of my dogs down and I am taking a break.
ReplyDelete