In my relatively large experience, show dog people are pretty normal, just kind of obsessive about their hobby. It is not unusual at all for them to be involved in dog rescue (particularly of their breed of choice). They care about dogs. A lot.
It does tweak me that a lot of the ethos of dog shows is this weird fake Victorian upper class Breed Purity crapola, even though 95% of the hobbyists are ordinary suburban middle class women. I wish they’d just call it a beauty contest and quit making stuff up about it.
As an aside, the film Best In Show wasn’t particularly accurate as to how things are done in the Dog Fancy. There’s lots of real-life nuttiness, like in any other hobby, but the movie did not capture it.
CarnivorousPlant: Mixed breeds? Honestly, mutt isn’t a derogatory term, it simply means a mix or 2 or more breeds.
And Ulfreida…THANK YOU. Best in Show was funny but no, not accurate. Greatly exaggerated. Very few dog show people that I personally know are wealthy. We are struggling to make ends meet and scrimp and save to support our addiction… um, I mean hobby. Maybe we’re obsessive because our hobby involves living, breathing, loving creatures. I would rather be obsessed with dogs than a ship in a bottle of a golf club…
I do see your point, PapSett. I’m sure that there are normal, down to earth people interested in dog shows. When I titled the thread title I didn’t mean for it to be taken 100% seriously, plus I was venting my annoyance at these people. I am a big advocate of animal rescue and I think it’s awful that anyone would try to oppose that.
Viewers were changing the channel when those ads came on. I do whenever I see Sarah McLaughlin weeping about it. I have a shelter-adopted dog, and sad eyes weren’t what made me adopt, it was the promise of happy eyes. Westminster asked Pedigree to stop it with the guilt-tip ads and Pedigree wouldn’t do it.
Sarah McLachlan’s ads were for the ASPCA, not Pedigree. Pedigree featured ads with dogs voiced-over by David Duchovny, who had dogs saying stuff about how they’re good dogs and they need homes. The ASPCA ads are worlds more depressing and horrifying, with photos of injured and scrawny pets; Pedigree would just show a sad dog waiting in a shelter (and a few ads with happy post-adoption scenes).
In the movie, two different dogs played the poodle. This was because the first owners discovered that their dog would not win in the movie and withdrew it.
All the abused animal ads make me do is want to track down the people who did it and kick the living shit out of them. Same with all the people who dump kittens at my farm who are too traumatized to lure into possession before something eats them, they freeze/starve to death or get killed in the road. I swear if I could get my hands on them, I would be on trial for murder. I wold be willing to bet that there would be no jury that would convict me either.
The antiauthoritarian kitty cat in me feels his fur stand on end when the judges come on. There’s a sort of ritual cocking-of-the-snook that you can sense even thru the TV - they’re always Mr. or Mrs. when no one else is, and they tend to look pompous, dress in a sort of half-ass evening attire, and act curt and commanding. If 95% are ordinary, these folks are striving to be recognized as part of the 5%.
I pretty much second most of what PapSett says in defense of the dog fancy. I have participated in showing dogs in sporting events. I have friends who participate in conformation showing (the “beauty pageant”), and friends who participate in both venues. I, and many of these friends, are either active in rescue or donate money/supplies to it.
There are truly odd and unpleasant people involved in showing dogs, but most exhibitors aren’t that way. Of the unpleasant people I’ve met, most of them were professional handlers; but their bad manners are usually explained away as their being stressed out. Anyway, I tell people, both in an out of the fancy, always remember: it’s just a sport, the only thing your entry fee entitles you to is the judge’s opinion, and, there’s always another show next week.
As for the evening gowns and formal attire…we love it! If your cinnamon apple crumble was entered in the Pllsbury bake-off final judging, wouldn’t you dress up for the occasion? Does your choice of attire affect how good your crumble is? No, but you’d still dress up for the judging. The WKC’s February show is one of the most prestigious dog shows in the country. Every dog fancier I know would love to be in the ring handling a top quality dog, and dressed to the nines. Some might think we’re being pretentious, but it’s more like a costume-ball attitude.
@carnivorousplant: Pedigree’s ingredients; it doesn’t have “animal digest”, but it does have “animal fat”.
The dog shows you think of when you think of Dog Shows (confirmation shows, a beauty pageant) are meant to pick the best possible animals to breed, so only purebreds are entered. But, there are other types of dog competitions, like flyball or agility, that are a lot more fun to watch and any dog can compete. You probably have some in your area, go check it out! They are seriously a lot of fun.
I watched the whole thing. How horrible. Then I went upstairs and hubby was watching Westminster. The German Shepherd with the crappy back legs just like those in the video won the shepherding group. :smack:
Oh,that ridiculous BBC video rears its ugly head again. Yes, there ARE unscrupulous breeders but that video is nothing but propaganda, skewed to show ONLY the dark side. It totally ignores the breeders that are doing it RIGHT, the breeders who do health testing, putting thousands of dollars and countless hours into breeding dogs.
People that let their mutts get knocked up sure ain’t doing that.
I am not against mutts/mixes. But I am against those that breed them, either on purpose (designer dogs) or irresponsibility.
Again… there are two sides to the story, and that idiotic video PURPOSELY shows only one side.
If it is only the unscrupulous breeders who make the frog-legged German Shepherds, then why do the froggy German Shepherds keep winning? The entire “sport” needs to take a long look at itself.
