BETWEEN THE LINES
Geography Is Destiny
BO
BENGTSON
14
I
would no doubt drive others to distraction — a few might
magine a small country that’s about the size of Mississippi
even begin to miss the inspiring example of professional
but has almost as many registered purebred dogs as the
handlers, who hardly exist in most breeds at British shows.
entire United States. Got that? Then imagine that in this
That you see pretty much the same people and dogs at every
country there are only about 30 all-breed shows where you can
show might make things feel more predictable than in the US,
win championship points each year, but the shorter distances
where you just drive a little further if you want to encounter
mean that almost everyone can go to all of the shows if they
a totally new group of fanciers. (That is counteracted these
want to. The smallest of these shows are more than twice as
days in the UK by fairly frequent visits of dogs and exhibitors
big as an average AKC all-breed show, and the biggest has more
from the European continent, however.) And there’s frankly
than 20,000 dogs. (That’s compared with more than 1,400 annothing that can compare to our best national specialties for
nual AKC all-breed shows, most of which have anything from
the simple reason that you can’t create that kind of excitea couple of hundred dogs to a couple of thousand.)
ment when there’s always another show with a huge entry
Unimaginable? I can see how the mind boggles trying to
and basically the same participants next week.
visualize such a scenario, but the fact is that it pretty closely
Some American dog show fanciers might find it frustratmirrors the real-life situation in Great Britain. Some of the
ing that there are “only” a limited number of championship
figures are admittedly uncertain: The Kennel Club in the
shows to choose from and really noUK registered about 220,000 dogs last
where to “get away from the competiyear, while AKC has not released any
figures for years after a drastic dropThe natural conditions tion.” There are of course specialties
and Group shows in addition to the alloff that may quite possibly mean that
for a thriving dog
breed events, but even the most heavAKC now registers fewer dogs than
sport aren’t nearly
ily campaigned British dogs probably
they do in Great Britain. Who knows? I
don’t compete more than 50 times in a
understand that this year the drain has
as favorable in the
year — about half or a third as often as
stopped, but as long as AKC persists
US as they are in
our top US dogs. You don’t have to stay
in not making the figures public, your
Great Britain.
home and be bored for lack of shows,
guess is as good as mine.
though: In addition to the championWhat is certain is that there are just a
ship shows, there are more than 500
few shows where you can compete for
“open” shows per year. They don’t offer any opportunity to
championship points, that these shows are much bigger than
make up champions but still attract anything from just a hunours, and that everything takes place within a much smaller
dred to a couple of thousand dogs each. Would an American
area than here. In most cases, we in the US have to drive long
exhibitor go to a show “just for fun,” without the chance of
distances to small shows with little or no competition at the
winning “points” or CCs? I wonder…
breed level to be judged by an all-rounder with little or no perI’m mentioning all this for the simple reason that, as they
sonal experience in our breed. In the UK there are well over 100
say, “geography is destiny.” When you have a moderately
dogs of my breed at most of the big shows, sometimes 200 or
sized and densely populated country with a deep and longeven 300 (Crufts had almost 400). And most of the judges are
established fondness for dogs, that country will eventually
breed specialists; if we have one breeder-judge for every 20 allbecome very strong in dogs. The natural advantages are one
rounders, the figures are pretty much reversed in Great Britain.
reason that Great Britain has been in the forefront of pureNot everything would please American exhibitors, of
bred dogs so long. That the US often matched, and sometimes
course. Would most of us be able to accept the high obstasurpassed, the lead that Great Britain traditionally has had in
cles to make up — never “finish”! — a champion over there?
producing the world’s top purebred dogs is a testament to the
There is no champion class, so to win a Challenge Certificate
talent of the best American breeders. It’s just as well to accept,
(three of which make a dog a champion), an up-and-coming
however, that the natural conditions for a thriving dog sport
youngster must defeat the established champions. Famous
aren’t nearly as favorable in the US as they are in Great Britain.
dogs can go on to collect dozens of CCs (I believe the all-time
record is more than 100), meanwhile preventing all others of
I had ample opportunities to experience all this during
the same breed and sex from becoming champions.
a trip to England this summer. Read more about my trip
The more casual attitude toward handling and presentato Stafford to judge at the Houndshow 2016 on page 56.
tion might be a relief for many American exhibitors but
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