From: "Pat Hastings" Sure, cross post it as much as they want. The grass roots sector of the dog world can accomplish great things if they put some effort into it. Pat
Pat's Quoted post. "Another response a week late but a thought your readers might enjoy. What one change would I make to improve dog shows? That one is very easy for me. It is a thought I have been working on and promoting for years. I think I am getting close enough where if a club went to the board for approval, they just might allow it on a trial basis. I think it is sure worth a try. I personally do not like what is happening to Dog Shows. I do not like the fact that money has taken over in such an enormous way, that dogs are being drug to 150 and even more shows a year, that dogs spend half of their lives in crates on the road or go through the stress of constant airline travel, that records are so out of sight they are almost absurd and that the importance of a dog shows has become the Groups and BIS. I think the importance of a dog show should be at the BREED level. I think that Groups and BIS should be the icing on the cake not the purpose of the show. I think the most negative part of a show is when the catalogs come out in the morning and people start talking about who is going Best In Show. A judge can not win, when a dog flies in to them. If they happen to believe that is the best dog of that breed in the country and they do not put them up - they are not judging dogs. But if they do put it up - they are a crook. It puts the judge in a situation that there is no way he can be correct. I would like to see some fun put back into shows, level the playing field, equalize the importance of money and give everyone a chance to enjoy it more. I think this could be accomplished in a very simple fashion with just one major rule change. Require clubs to hire judges just like they do now. Make sure they cover all bases when they are putting their slates together, just as they currently do. BUT only hire the judges THROUGH the BREED level. AFTER the Sporting Group goes into the ring, have all of the names of every judge who is on the slate, who is eligible to judge that group, in a hat and draw for the judge. Do the entire groups in that fashion and do exactly the same thing for BIS. Do you think people would be dragging their dogs from here to there if they only had a one in three (or whatever) chance to have their right judge? I don't think so! It would create a lot more opportunities for everyone to have a shot at winning, both at the breed and the group level. The top dogs are all going to continue to go to all of the big shows, because in order to be a top dog you have to have big numbers, but after they get there, they will have the same odds as everyone else. I really can not see any down side to this proposal. Lets give it a try. Pat Hastings ========================================================= "Magic Commands": to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL to start it up gain click here: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author.
