My breed is the Papillon. It takes, at present, a minimum of 9 entrants of the same sex for a major. For a 5 point (the max points available at a show) win there must be 19 males or 21 females in competition excluding the dogs entered in the “Best of Breed” class. Needless to say, it takes more than entering any dog of that breed “more than once a month” to finish it, at least by the average owner/handler. All bets are off if you’re a judge exhibitor (who can only show his or her own dog) or if you have the disposable income to hire the right professional team.
It currently takes far more Papillons in competition to qualify for a major than it does German Shepherds just for comparison.
The story of this little Shih Tzu rips my heart out. Did the little dog’s owner, after losing his wife to Alzheimer’s, just have no energy left to care for the dogs? Perhaps he was nowhere near as involved as his wife, so he sold to a commercial breeder (the only type liable to purchase a kennel of dogs) out of naivety or out of sheer defeat. Maybe he knew but didn’t care. We’ll never know.
The number of people jumping on the dog show hate bandwagon is somewhat amusing. I have no interest in horse shows or racing, but I sure wouldn’t glom onto a thread to bash everyone who participates in or who watches the sports.
I’ve been involved in dog showing (breed and companion events) for most of my life. I know a whole lot of people who share my interest, because they love their dogs and they’re passionate about their chosen breed. They would NEVER sell their beloved dogs as a group, nor would they sell a finished champion without spaying or neutering the dog prior to offering it to another person.
Are there people involved in every competitive sport imaginable who are less than reputable? Sure, but they are NOT the majority.
I did not mean to offend you. Yes, I’ve no doubt with many dogs it’s trying. And many will never make it except maybe in 10 years a`la Salamander story.
‘Needless to say, it takes more than entering any dog of that breed “more than once a month” to finish it, at least by the average owner/handler.’
Perhaps I should’ve said “once a week” - because most are endlessly shown relentlessly for weeks on end all weekend.
My main point is there are TONS of “champions” every year. Anyone can see them at any given show - you can’t deny that. How often do you go to a show and find no Champions are there in the Specials class?
At any given show, indeed, Champions are a dime a dozen. It’s not as if they’re rare, which is what Joe Schmoe expect on hearing such a word.
“It currently takes far more Papillons in competition to qualify for a major than it does German Shepherds just for comparison.”
GS have been hugely popular for some 7 decades on end, so I’m pretty aware of dogs needing lots of opponents to get points and majors, regardless of Papillon schedules here and now, or whatever division of the country.