The Westminster Dog Show starts today, so it is appropriate that today's
Cranky Monday Re-run is:
From February 2012
THE DOG SHOW
I
am a dog lover. I have shared my home
with a Cocker Spaniel, a Boxer, a Beagle, a mutt, a Labrador, and a Corgi. All had different personalities, all had
different needs, all wanted to please. I
loved them all. Every child should have
a dog in their life. I have a theory; a
child raised with a dog in the family never does
drugs.
A
dog is a member of the family. They are
the neediest yet most loyal member of the family. They are at the bottom of the family totem
pole. A child never feels neglected in a
family with a dog. With a dog, there is
always a family member that though loved is not as important as the child…the
dog.
Children learn loyalty from the dog. They learn of the importance of discipline
from the dog. They learn responsibility
from the dog. They learn about
unconditional love from the dog. Every
family should have a dog.
I
just finished watching this year’s Westminster Dog Show. I love this show because I love dogs. It is a stupid expensive display of dog
opulence. I love the dog
show.
My
only objection to the dog show is it is the most subjective contest in the
world. The winner of every category and
the eventual “Best in Show” is based on the judge’s “mental image of the
‘perfect’ dog described in the breed’s Official
Standard.”
OH
come-on now!!
There are 150 different breeds at the show. The winner of each breed, the dog which most perfectly meets the standard of that breed, competes in one of
several categories. There are working
breeds, sporting breeds, toy breeds, terriers and more. The winner of each group, the dog that is the
most perfect to the standard of its breed compared to the other dog breeds,
advances to “Best in Show” judging.
In
this grand finale of judging, one judge apparently expert in the standards of
all 150 breeds, takes about one minute to check the teeth, musculature, coat and
gait of each of seven dogs and awards a ribbon to the “Best in
Show.”
Each dog in this finale has twice been judged to be
closest to perfection of the standard of its breed. “Best in Show” really boils down to the dog
one judge just happens to like. It is
totally subjective at this point.
This year’s winner was the Pekinese. It is a little fur ball which waddles, cannot
run and looks like a giant furry spider.
It is bred to sit on peoples laps.
It does not hunt. It does not
pull stuff. It does not capture and kill
rats. It does not guard the house. It sits on laps. The standard for this dog which best meets
the needs for which it was bred is it must have an ass with which to
sit.
Except for last year when the “Best in Show” was a
Deerhound, perhaps the ugliest dog ever, the winner of “Best in Show” is
invariably a cutesy little sissy lap dog.
For over twenty years now, the most popular breed
in this country has been the Labrador Retriever, followed by the Golden
Retriever. Both are in the sporting
category. They are beautiful, gentle,
loyal, family dogs, which are also bred to hunt and retrieve
game.
A
Labrador or a Golden has never won “Best in Show.” They rarely win the sporting dog
category. It is hard to believe that in
the 100+ years of this dog show, one of these retriever breeds has never been
bred to exhibit the most perfection for the standard which that breed
demands.
I
love the dog show, but they need a new category. After “Best in Show” they should choose the
“Poofiest, Puffiest, Cutest, Little Fur-ball Woosey Dog in
Show.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of “Best in Show”
is….The LABRADOR!!”
“And now Ladies and gentlemen, for all you non
real-dog lovers, the winner of the “Poofiest, Puffiest, Cutest, Little Fur-ball
Woosey Dog in Show” is….The TOY
POODLE!!
Maybe that would satisfy all the elite snothead dog
owners of the world.
Either way, I still love The Dog Show.
I so agree - with families needing dogs and with the need for proper dogs instead of dish cloths!
ReplyDeleteI love dogs too, but the little poodle looks hideous. I can understanding grooming your dog but there are / should be limits.
ReplyDeleteI saw a Lab, yesterday, that is one of the best specimens of the breed I (IMHO) have ever seen... well, maybe he was a little bigger than most Labs.
ReplyDeleteHe even barked like a a real dog should.
Then he shut up.
Mrs. Chatterbox and I love the dog shows and always root for the corgis. We lived with a delightful corgi for ten years and still miss her.
ReplyDeleteI love the dog show, too, and I'll definitely be watching. I just hope they took out last year's "Best In Show" judge and had him drawn and quartered to show all the other up-and-coming new judges how it's NOT to be done!
ReplyDeleteS
When I was a kid we had a border collie/ lab mix. She was THE BEST DOG. She was chocolate colored with white markings and just the smartest dog, but so loving and eager to please. We had several other dogs as I grew up, but none compared to her. And we now have three dogs, who I love very much, but I can't say any are the "total package" the way that my childhood dog was. In fact, when my family gets together, the one thing that will elicit tears from all is discussing the death of the family dog. No one can make it through that story without breaking down.
ReplyDeleteLet's not forget that in 2008, a St. Louis area Beagle won Best in Show at Westminster. The first time ever, in 100 years.
ReplyDeleteDang! Don't make me the judge. I would appoint Robin above as my assistant, and together we would announce the Best in Show to be a Borador. That's a border collie/lab mix. Not recognized by the AKC.
I have one that I rescued from my mom's doorstep last year, where she had been abandoned by a rural puppy-dumper. Loving and eager to please and smart. That's the perfect description. And playful.