Going for the Blue (9 page)

Next is judging for Best in Show. This is as good as it gets in the dog-show world, winning the red-white-and-blue BIS ribbon
and achieving the top spot of the day, defeating all other show entries. Breeders, owners, and handlers value this award and
feel a great sense of accomplishment when their dog is judged to be the finest dog at either an all-breed or a specialty show.

The interlocking of the dog fancies in the United Kingdom and the United States, something that seems so logical, has remained
a lopsided affair at best. The English, Scotch, Irish, and Welsh have created and maintained some of the best breeds and some
of the finest individual dogs in the world. They are masters of the craft and extremely enthusiastic. Bloodlines from the
British Isles have contributed more to our best dogs than those from any other country. All of the dogs in the Terrier Group,
for example, with the exception of the Miniature Schnauzer, were developed in the United Kingdom, then transported here. No
fewer than thirteen of the Sporting Dog breeds are listed with the British Isles as their country of origin.

It would make sense for the two countries, the United States and the United Kingdom, to exchange dogs, enter into each other’s
most important shows, and cross blood-lines—within the breeds, of course. That is not how it works, however. British breeders
and fanciers can send their dogs here anytime they want with nothing more than a forty-eight-hour-old veterinary health certificate,
but there it stops. Any dog sent to the United Kingdom from here has to go into a usually dreadful six-month quarantine. Not
only are our dogs banned there, but an English owner coming here has to face the same monstrous nonsense when he tries to
take his pet back home. Few owners care to do that to their friend, so relatively few dogs get to enter the United Kingdom
if they have even set paw in the United States.

The fuss is over rabies, and the British are downright paranoid on the subject. The disease has been eradicated in the United
Kingdom, but we still have it here, of course. If dogs are up-to-date on their rabies shots, however, an active infection
is extremely unlikely. It is difficult to imagine a Toy Poodle or a Maltese or a Pekingese living in a Park Avenue penthouse
being exposed at all. Still, the British have not been just firm on this subject, they have been absolutely rigid, and the
wonderful interchange that should exist has never been possible. Just what impact this has all had on the world of purebred
dogs here and in the United Kingdom is difficult to imagine. It is clearly a negative when viewed from any angle.

Dog fanciers on this side of the Atlantic have been just as adamant over the matter and have been demanding new regulations.
The British government has refused to budge an inch. Now, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, dog lovers in many
parts of the world are rejoicing. The quarantine rule is about to be modified. Dogs from some countries will be able to enter
the United Kingdom without quarantine. Unfortunately, North America’s show dogs and pets won’t be set free even under the
new regulations. The exchange will still be one way when it comes to the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Jill and I have
brought two wonderfully bred and cared-for dogs over from England, a Bulldog and a West Highland White Terrier, but when we
moved to London for a while in 1965, none of our dogs came with us. Government bureaucracy has once again managed to create
an unnecessary glitch in the way people and their dogs live. But then, that is why God invented bureaucrats in the first place.
If woman was harvested from man’s body—the ribs—I have a suggestion as to what parts were used to assemble the first bureaucrat.
Not here, however. We should be alone for that discussion.

Over the years, slowly but surely, the breeds recognized by the AKC have grown in number. There is a simple, entry-level procedure
that makes this possible. It is called the Miscellaneous Class. It is a thing apart from the seven regular
groups
, but it has the same long-range purpose and plan. The number of breeds usually included at any one time awaiting recognition
and a chance for their place in the sun is not specified.

The studbook at the AKC is not sitting around wringing its hands waiting for people to come up with ideas for new breeds to
fill the niches and columns in the seven groups. Just the opposite is true. There are no niches, as such. In fact, there is
considerable resistance to new breeds, particularly when they are cutesy home-grown things like Cockapoos, Peekypoos or Poopypekes
and Peekycocks. There are plenty of cute dogs in the appropriate groups already. As random-bred dogs, such critters can be
and frequently are sweet and rewarding pets, but they are not needed and have no possible role to play in the world of purebred
dogs, particularly among show-quality purebred dogs. They cannot be shown, needless to say. They are very often toy-size creations
affectionately known as patio lice. At Thistle Hill Farm half of our dogs are large, but I refer to our smallish herd of small
terriers as army ants. Call them what you will, millions of dogs and puppies every year are killed for the want of suitable
homes. It is cruel to purposely create more of them. Cute won’t always save a dog’s life down at the pound, sad to report.

To get heretofore unrecognized breeds (in the United States) into the Miscellaneous Class, a group of fanciers (enthusiasts)
have to follow the drill. First they have to prove that what they have is indeed a breed unto itself, breeding true. (As far
as I know, the number of generations for breeding true is nowhere specified.) They must offer proof that there is substantial
and widespread interest in the breed and that there is activity surrounding the proposed breed. There has to be an active
club that maintains a breed registry, with the breeding activity expanding over a wide area in the United States.

When the AKC board of directors (collectively, those olde wise men of the hydrant set) decides these conditions have been
met, the breed can be admitted to the Miscellaneous Class. It can now participate in AKC obedience trials and even earn obedience
titles. These breeds are not eligible for championship points, however, although they are shown without points in some conformance
shows. Eventually the AKC board will decide there is enough activity and the new breed will be admitted to one of the seven
regular groups. Once the breed is in a group, it will follow the trail all show dogs follow, developing its own great champions
and legends. It must be understood that the “new” breed may in fact be hundreds or even thousands of years old in other countries
or areas.
New
, as used here, means new to us, and we are not always the first to know.

A case in point is the PBGV. This Basset-size, fuzzy scent hound is run in hunting packs and has been for an estimated four
hundred years in France, Denmark, and the Netherlands. The initials stand for Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen. It is generally
referred to as the happy breed. After nearly four centuries of popularity, it became a recognized breed by the Kennel Club
in Great Britain. In short order it was recognized in Canada, and after building in popularity there, it was moved out of
the Miscellaneous Class into the Hound Group in the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC). That had nothing to do with the AKC, yet.
The PBGV is a hound in a terrier coat, with more than a little terrier in its style and outlook on life. We got our two from
Canada because they were then so hard to find here. That is rapidly changing. After its success in Canada the PBGV repeated
the process in the United States, where it has now moved from the Miscellaneous to the Hound Group. (Having lived with a couple
of PBGVs for years, I am convinced that they are every bit as much Terrier as Hound.)

There are mixed feelings about “new” dogs being accorded AKC recognition. There is frequently a horrendous, vituperative battle
between club factions, those who want recognition and those who do not. It is often said that recognition leads to rapidly
expanding popularity, and that leads to careless breeding practices by puppy mills who supply the pet shops with ghastly,
substandard puppies. There is also an inevitable touch of snobbery: keeping a good thing to ourselves. It is generally felt
by a great many fanciers that they “don’t need” AKC recognition, that it is beneath them and their dogs. This split in opinion
can get nasty at times and may delay a breed’s recognition for years. It is often a very hot issue in the politics of the
dog-show world. It has brought more than a few old friendships tumbling down. Think of it as the Blue and the Gray all over
again, brother against brother, father against son. Dog people have tight collars (their own, not their dogs’), and it can
get a bit on the steamy side when opinions differ.

On the subject of recognition, a lot of dog fanciers are attracted to the concept of ground floor. The thought of being one
of the first in the land to own a newly recognized breed or even a not-yet-recognized breed is adventuresome. These are the
breeders who will eventually determine the breed’s standards.

As of this writing (1999-2000: close to the start of a new millennium) five new breeds have come on line in just one year.
The massive Anatolian Shepherd Dog at 150 pounds is a true giant of the dog world. The Canaan Dog from Israel is unique in
that it existed as a herder in ancient times. Feral examples of the breed lived on in the desert and then, from the 1930s
on, specimens were recaptured as “wild” dogs and redomesticated. It is the only redomestication we know of. Someday, we can
imagine, that could happen with the dingo in Australia.

A lovable companion dog known as the Lowchen will build a solid following in the years ahead, as will the happy little Havanese.
The mighty little Jack Russell Terrier, long a very popular breed in this country and a fixture in stables and at horse shows
but not heretofore recognized, had official recognition as of April 1, 2000. The Black-and-Tan Coonhound has long been the
only one of the Southern coonhounds to have recognition, but the Plott Hound (they are both descended from the Bloodhound)
will soon be attracting attention as well.

That leaves only two other breeds in the Miscellaneous Class, just about an all-time low—the Polish Lowland Sheepdog (called
the Pons by its friends) and an Italian hunting dog that has been very popular in Europe, the Spin-one Italiano.

If anyone is coming into the world of dogs, it might be fun to do it with a breed that is new to almost everyone. Imagine
the thrill of being the first person ever to finish a Spinone Italiano and get it a UD (Utility Dog) obedience title as well.
It would take a lot of hard work and it would be a bit of a long shot to get your name into the history books working with
Poodles and Beagles, but you very well might do that with the Spinone Italiano or the Havanese or Canaan Dog. But first the
breed must appeal to you. If it is a newly recognized or rare breed, so much the better. There is plenty of room for taste
as well as a sense of adventure and exploration in the world of dogs. (Finding a major for the Spinone can be slow going!)

Chapter 4

There Is

a Breed

for You

P
robably the most important decision would-be dog owners and exhibitors have to make concerns the breed selected: what breed
is perfect, or nearly so, for the home they have to offer and the challenges they expect their dog to meet? No question is
more important. It is all about building your family and focusing your love, not to mention committing to the considerable
expenses involved. Like children, pets are an ongoing responsibility, and some are far more costly to keep than others. Still,
love and personal satisfaction matter most. If you pick wisely and well, it almost won’t matter that your friend doesn’t go
BIS every weekend.