of dog showings leading to worn out dogs (and people) if one attends all five days but five days of moving to various sites as well!!! When is enough enough one must ask of even the most fervent of the dog show goers. The first day belonged to the Wire mentioned above as it made an auspicious debut in America by being awarded Best. It was a surprise to many that he was entered for these shows but it certainly seemed not to disappoint its supporters with this win. The day itself was comparatively uneventful and pretty much held to form with no real major traumas nor upsets involved although there were mutterings of complaints about a foreign judge or two which grew louder as the weekend lengthened to the point that I understand that Field Reps were called in to observe some of their every moves--to little avail one may add. When these kinds of incidents occur one hopes usually with little success that future assignments will be reconsidered but they rarely are. There was a lovely tribute to Bob Black who is retiring as Show Chairman after all these years and who will undoubtedly be terribly missed. He certainly was the major force in the development of Hatboro as the force on the show circuit it has become that’s for sure. This same Wire was awarded the Terrier Group and it seemed unbeatable but lo and behold in came the PWD for Best and under a
respected breeder/judge of Porties beat the Wire which went Reserve. A reverse of the previous days results as I recall. Devon bloomed rainy early on but eventually turned out weather ways to be fine. I have always been a fan of Devon and while the Robsons--certainly Mrs. Robson is sadly missed there are those who would like to see the show held at the Hatboro grounds. Not me-I opt for Ludwig’s Corners as despite its inconveniences it still has an aura of
grandness about the venue certainly lacking at Hatboro. Terrier ways the Skye Terrier won the Group with the Portie going Best and a Wirehaired Dachshund being Reserve. Perhaps Best was watched by 10 people all of whom were exhibitorsCan’t something be done to rev up the concept of staying on to watch the finale although I must admit the rain of early on took a lot out of the exhibitors themselves. Can you imagine what would happen in 2015 with an extra day and if the weather is bad--watch out!! Continued on page 64
THE FUTURE OF OUR SPORT...
Dog News 49