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02/13/2025
John Berman and CNN, shame on you.
We’ve seen your callous comments about Siba the Standard Poodle, and about dog shows in general. Your commentary shows that you’ve never been to a dog show, and have never met a show dog. I’d like to address some of your comments.
1. Siba was not unhappy last night. Her body language showed that she was having a great time. Her tail was up, she was carrying herself proudly, and she was playing with her handler. In fact, all of the dogs in the Best in Show ring were happy and confident.
Show dogs are some of the most well-trained and well-socialized dogs in the country. Did you hear the crowd during Best in Show judging? Most household pets would be frightened out of their minds by the cacophony, but none of the dogs in the ring were bothered.
2. We aren’t elitists. The AKC allows mixed-breed dogs to compete in most of its events, including Agility, Obedience, Rally, Fast CAT, Coursing Ability Tests, Tracking, and Scentwork... just to name a few! Conformation is only for purebred dogs, but that’s because it is an event that compares dogs to their written breed standards. Mixed-breed dogs do not have breed standards. That doesn’t mean they’re not great dogs; it simply means that we have no way of including them in the sport of conformation.
We have breed standards for purebred dogs to ensure our breeds look and act a certain way. Mixed breeds make great pets, but often it’s beneficial for pet owners to have an idea of what their cute puppy is going to be like when it grows up. Choosing the right dog for your lifestyle keeps dogs out of shelters… which is why breed standards (and the responsible breeders who honor and uphold those standards) are SO important. This is a piece of the puzzle that so many people can’t seem to understand.
3. Much like we humans enjoy time at the spa, show dogs usually love their grooming routines. You may think Siba the Standard Poodle has a silly haircut, but Siba doesn’t care what she looks like… because Siba is a dog. Before the show, she probably had a nice relaxing nap on a satin cushion while her handler expertly prepared her coat. It didn’t hurt her, because her coat has been meticulously maintained since she was born. She probably even got a massage, to warm up her muscles before rocking that green carpet.
Regardless of what you may think about their haircuts, show dogs have incredibly healthy skin and coats. They are clean, mat-free, and well cared-for. They receive more skin and coat care than most household pets. If all dogs were given the choice to be groomed like a Poodle, or be matted and have fleas, I bet they’d choose the Poodle hairdo.
4. Siba isn’t in**ed. If you’d bothered to look up her pedigree, you’d know that.
We obsess over pedigrees. We agonize over our breeding decisions. We use software to map out test breedings, analyze COIs, and make long-term breeding plans. We study old publications containing accounts of dogs that have been dead for decades, on the off chance that that knowledge will help us breed a better dog. It keeps us awake at night. Some of that planning is for beauty, yes, but a bigger part of it is to produce sound, healthier, and longer-lived dogs while preserving the essence of each breed.
Every one of those show dogs you saw on the green carpet has a breeder and owners who love them. When they get old and grey, and it’s time for them to leave this world and they lay cradled in their owners’ arms, their fur will be dampened by their owners’ tears. Please don’t denigrate them because you don’t understand their lives.
Please, visit a dog show. Arrive early, and watch. You won’t find snooty mutt-haters. You’re going to see people of all ages, ethnicities, and economic backgrounds having fun with their dogs. You’re going to see professional handlers caring for their client dogs as if they were their own. You’re going to see judges go out of their way to give green puppies (and children!) a great experience. You’re going to see the old dogs in the Veteran classes light up in the ring and remember the good old days, while they amble around the ring to the sound of cheers and applause.
Most of all though, you’re going to see happy, healthy, well-trained, well-socialized, amazing dogs who are having a great time.
The anti-show, anti-breeder, anti-purebred rhetoric is getting old. Before you pass judgement on our world and our dogs, please come to our events and meet us. Meet the dogs. Try to open your mind to the possibility that you might be wrong about us.
Maybe then, you’ll see Siba for what she is, and why you owe her, her owners, her breeders, and the show community in general a profound apology.
Taken from Leah Hartlep. Photo of Ty and his owner handler, Sandra Bell
