A promo from the 2007 Iditarod race
Two very different dog competitions are going on right now. One, the Iditarod, is a 1,150-mile long dog sled run through some of the toughest and most beautiful country on earth.
Powered only by teams of 12 to 16 dogs, the dogs pull the sleds over 100 miles a day, through snow and ice storms, in what is, without a doubt, one of the last great endurance competitions on earth. >> To learn more
On the other end of the world, in more ways than one, is the Crufts dog show -- the dog show started by a man who never owned a dog.
Crufts was originally called the Allied Terrier show, and it was this show, along with the Westminster Dog Show, which sped the destruction of terriers in general and fox-working terriers in particular. >> To read more
What can we learn about dog breeding from looking at the history and current reality of Crufts and the Iditarod? Quite a lot, I suggest, in an earlier post entitled Inbred Thinking.
Crufts at its best -- nonworking crap in a ring.
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2 comments:
Years ago I (with malice aforethought) got myself removed from a list of show-GSD fanciers by pointing out that the dog that won breed at Westminster that year was not only a slinking hock-walking freak, but he failed by the criteria of success for a "show dog." He was scared out of his wits, jumping back in terror when a Sheltie walked by.
In addition to being a curiously-formed specimen of "terrier," the bitch at Crufts crowned the proceedings by taking a dump in the ring and then groveling and cowering. She was also cringing from the judge when on the table.
Failure even by the remedial standards for "temperament" required by the "job" of dog-on-a-string.
Terrier? I don't think so!
I've been reading some of your older blogs and found this. What happened to the day when
'fouling the ring' got a dog excused from the competition? And a shy Terrier is an embarrassment.
It's hard to believe this thing is descended from JRTs.
Debi in Texas
who would love to run 10 Jacks to a sled.
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