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this was crossposted from an agility website i frequent, and thought it
interesting to share here....nancy, hershey and einstein<br>
<br>
<br>
> Subject: Fw: Yesterday At The DogShow<br>
> **crossposted*
<p><wbr>*<br>
><br>
> "Yesterday, I experienced a very unusual thing<br>
> indeed. It might restore someone's faith in humanity! I know it
did <br>
> mine.<br>
> As with all forms of competition, there comes a certain amount of <br>
> ambition,<br>
> goal grabbing, disappointment, anger and even revenge in extreme <br>
> cases.<br>
> Some of it is just the nature of competition, the majority of it
is <br>
> just<br>
> malice. Dog showing is no exception. Unfortunately, all too often
I <br>
> have stood at<br>
> ringside and heard malicious comments, bitching and bickering. Dog
<br>
> show<br>
> people can be very cruel to each other sometimes. I have on <br>
> occasion b een<br>
> the brunt of these comments, but that's another story. Well, <br>
> yesterday I<br>
> had a breath of fresh air, as it were.<br>
><br>
> I was stewarding at the Rough Collie Club of Ireland's
Championship <br>
> show. It's a relatively popular breed here in<br>
> Ireland. Always a big entry. They had a wonderful judge from the <br>
> U.K. This<br>
> lady has been in the breed since 1949. So, it goes without saying,
<br>
> I was<br>
> pretty privileged to steward for her. Anyway, just before the
Novice<br>
> class, one of the club officials came into the ring and, I <br>
> overheard her tell the<br>
> judge about the one entry in the class, I thought it was unusual
that<br>
> there was one entry in the class, but later found out the reason <br>
> why! I called<br>
> the class, and in walked an old man and his Rough Collie. I've <br>
> only ever seen<br>
> this man at our St. Patrick's Day show. He's an old man, rough <br>
> around the<br>
> edges and, well, his dog is really unkempt by show standards. He <br>
> marched<br>
> proudly into the ring with the dog on a great big, thick rope
lead! <br>
> While<br>
> the judge was going over the dog, I was filled in on his story. I <br>
> was told<br>
> that he lives in an old folks home in Galway (the other side of <br>
> Ireland).<br>
> He has no family left living and no visitors at the old folks
home. <br>
> He's been<br>
> showing this dog for eight years only ever on St. Patrick's Day or
<br>
> the<br>
> Club show. He'd traveled 50 miles on a bus yesterday morning,
which <br>
> takes about<br>
> 5 hours in Ireland. The nurses in his home usually phone the club <br>
> to tell of<br>
> his departure, and the club usually phones back when they spot
this <br>
> old<br>
> man at the show. He has only ever shown the dog in Novice, and <br>
> people over the<br>
> years never compete against him. The nurses told the club
officials <br>
> that<br>
> when he wins a rosette at a show, he wears it for weeks at home in
<br>
> the old<br>
> folks home. The dog lives with him at the home and is quite a <br>
> celebrity<br>
> "Show dog" with all the residents. The pride and joy of this man's
<br>
> life.<br>
> He spends half the year telling people about the last dog show and
<br>
> the other<br>
> half of the year looking forward to the next one! Anyway, the
judge <br>
> was so<br>
> considerate to this man. And, boy, was he proud to show his dog <br>
> off. When<br>
> the judge asked could he look at the dog's teeth, "Oh yes," the man<br>
> replied and instructed the dog to "Smile." With that, the dog <br>
> showed off a perfect<br>
> set of choppers! The judge replied, "Aren't you a clever dog?"
With <br>
> that,<br>
> the man said "Oh, he is very clever, he'll shake your hand, too, <br>
> if you<br>
> like." I couldn't help smiling when I heard this, and full credit <br>
> to the<br>
> judge, she shook hands with the dog. The dog won first in the
class <br>
> and<br>
> every exhibitor at the show, gave this old man and his dog a
standing<br>
> ovation. He was cheered and clapped as he did his own lap around <br>
> the ring.<br>
> People came over to the ringside to congratulate him and pat the <br>
> man on<br>
> the back as he left the ring. Talk about Elvis leaving the <br>
> building, this man<br>
> was certainly the king when he won his class. He was just so proud
<br>
> of his<br>
> accomplishment. He lapped up every minute of it. It was the first <br>
> time,<br>
> I'm sad to say, that I've seen people being genuinely nice at a
dog <br>
> show. They<br>
> really made this old man's day. Possibly year! Heaven help the <br>
> residents<br>
> at the old folks home when he returned home last night. Not only <br>
> did he win a<br>
> rosette but also won a great big trophy. I'm sure it will take <br>
> pride of<br>
> place on the mantle piece. Isn't this what dog showing should be <br>
> about?!!<br>
> Giving people like this old man a day out to enjoy the only family
<br>
> he has.<br>
> His best pal, his dog. A memory for an old man to hold on to, to <br>
> brighten<br>
> his day, something to share with his friends at the old folks home?<br>
> Something to be proud of, however small the achievement? Anyway, <br>
> that's<br>
> the story, just a thought, an observation and possibly an <br>
> inspiration to us<br>
> all?<br>
> I know it's one of the happiest memories I have of a dog show."<br>
><br>
> Nancy Conner<br>
> Tainaron Irish Setters, Reg'd., since 1969<br>
> and one Cardigan Welsh20Corgi, since 2001<br>
> and a smattering of English Cockers, too<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
></p>
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