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Dog Showing in the Digital Age

While COVID-19 was spurring event cancellations of all sorts throughout the US and rest of the world, the rise of digital dog showing is now moving to the forefront. On December 20, 2020, I judged my first digital dog show. The event was for the American Rare Breed Association and we went through about 50 videos and made selections based on what was there. And like most non- AKC events, the handling was…welllllllll…it was “interesting”. In one video, the handler took the dog into a shadow and both of them disappeared. Another left the screen altogether and later got photo-bombed by a rather large lady with a hat and a nearby pigeon. I guess that’s not much different than the average UKC show…anyway… It was fun. Never having judged in that venue, it was a new experience. But most of all, it shows the (slightly off) nature of those of us in the dog sport. Okay, so we can’t necessarily meet in person and stand within six feet of one another in the ring. But, we can send a video of our precious puppies to one of the registries…or all of them, for that matter…and keep on playin’ the game. So, if you’re so inclined, grab that top-winning show prospect in your kennel and get busy with a video camera. Here’s a video of Crustal. It wasn’t quite the way it’s supposed to be, with just the dog and a pattern. So, I dressed it up a bit more than necessary so I could sare it with everyone…enjoy...

Showing During the COVID-19 Crisis

One thing about dog people, we’ll venture into any hazard just for a good conformation or

performance win. While may municipalities have restricted events and plenty of clubs have

curtailed their show schedule during the crisis, there are still those locations out there where

shows are happening.

The problem is, with so few shows, everyone and anyone is showing up at them. Where an AKC conformation event may have 800 dogs normally, 1,500 might show up. And at the UKC shows, where I might judge 50 to 75 entries, there have been as many as 200. So, the competition is feirce and the shows linger well into the afternoon or evening just trying to get through all fo the entries. Not everyone is wearing masks, except when they’re required, but to be honest, having to get in close proximity of the dogs and their handlers makes masks rather pointless. (Because of being a safety professional, I get inside information from the CDC and other health organizations.) While facial coverings and surgical masks make people feel better, they have little effect in stopping disease transmission. But, regardless, they are often required and it’s better to wear one than to argue about it. With a couple of vaccines on the horizon, it won’t be too terribly long before they start vaccinating everyone. Once that begins, the crisis should subside. We’ll be able to venture forth and see one another’s smiles again for a change, and we won’t be berating recirculated halitosis anymore. But more importantly, we’ll all be able to take a deep breath knowing that our loved ones are safe from contracting the disease. Best of all, the shows will go back to normal and we won’t all have to wade through impossible competitive odds to title. Ribbons and rosettes will flourish again and we can mingle with our dog show friends without worrying about their infection status. Yup, 2021 will be a good year, indeed once we’re all back at the shows and enjoying the one thing over which we’re all most passionate… …Our dogs… Prepare to let the brags begin!

Goodbye 2020…!

New Year’s Day always brings a certain hope that the upcoming year will somehow bring good things and a brighter outlook than the previous one. The truth is, it’s really just another mark on the calendar. While we observe days, weeks, months, and more, from one minute to the next, time is just the ticks on a celestial yardstick and in reality, each day is simply a pattern of events from sunup to sundown. There’s really no magic to the milestones we use by which to mark time. So, will this milestone put a cap on the perceived misery 2020 brought to all of us through the COVID-19 crises, a seriously flawed election, looting, shootings, occasional funerals, and plenty of personal grief to go around? New Year’s Day makes for a nice set of bookends, but it doesn’t change the losses suffered or hurts endured. What it does is to at least give us a reference point, an ethereal datum where we can put a stake in the ground and begin to gauge afresh a new start toward perhaps a rosier future. It’s not that anything really changes, but maybe that we have a brief reminder change really happens inside of us and it’s not a matter of chronology but of perspective that counts. Personally, my hope rests in Christ and temporal events are weighed by their effects in eternity. Every day is a fresh chance to positively influence others, forgive trespasses, and to seek the same, and while not always successful, it’s in the moment-by-moment “do overs” where one hopefully achieves more blessings than regrets. Yet, there’s still promise, fueled by faith that in fulfilling His pledge to make a new creation, God isn’t finished. Thus, there’s always at least a little sunshine peeking over the horizon. So, maybe it’s good to have these milestones after all. Perhaps the whole point isn’t that the dates or seasons have any real effect on reality, but rather that in observing them, we give ourselves permission to be better people. Granted, many a New Year’s resolution is long forgotten by spring. But at least we acknowledge and dare to dream just by making them in the first place. And so, we’ll enter 2021 with an eye toward the sunrise. There are, as we all admit, no guarantees. But that’s really not the issue. It’s more about the aspiration, and that’s what really matters when it’s combined with faith, love, and charity. Embrace those simple biblical concepts and who knows what the new year will bring? Thus, we bid you a very Happy New Year. And, as Heaven knows, it may just turn out better than the last… …or at least that’s the expectation, isn’t it?

Puppy News

Soon spring will be on its way, and in preparation for it, we have started the search for the next breeding. We were hoping to finish Crystal’s AKC Grand Championship before breeding her, so we could cut down the hair. However, due to the pandemic, there haven’t been the right shows to get those wins. So, it looks like we’ll be doing puppies in show coat…”UGH!” The last breeding only produced a single puppy, and that pup went to a friend and the owner of the sire. We’re keeping breeding rights on Kylah, and if she’s able, she will help foster the Aircastle line in another year or two. Our litters are planned well in advance, and you can click on the picture above to meet the sires we’re considering. And you’re always welcome to check back to see how the process is coming along.