That doesn't mean I don't think they are judging the dogs, it just means it's easy to call politics. And who knows. They DO know each other. But I've beaten people who are known and I'm no one. So, it's not always political.
As for goldens, there's a written standard, but it's open to interpretation. A lot of what you see out there does not fit the standard, so it's possible that when you see a dog that does they look odd to your, OR it's possible that the dogs you were seeing WERE short on leg. I've seen that. A golden should not be very large, however, as they are hunting and water dogs, and they should be able to work tirelessly AND you don't want to lift a 100 lb wet dog into a boat. I cringe when people tell me about the 100 lb goldens they breed. The standard calls for a male to be 23 to 24 inches (at the withers) females 21 1/2 to 22 1/2. My girls generally are about 55 lbs, I think boys about 70 or 75, but I have not lived with a boy in a long time.
This is Pauli, she is currently the only one living with me, altho her sister will be back with me after this summer. Obviously not a show picture, she's just a very expensive, spoiled pet who never went to Westminster.
