Mrs Bucket

I grumble and laugh about dog shows.

How can it NOT be laughable?
The seriousness that dog show people put on about dog shows is funny to me. To listen to people quote their dog's great-great-great-grandpa's show history is funny to me. It's like that Mrs Bucket (I mean Bouquet).

I want to say "Relax a little, your taking the dog's pedigree a bit too seriously".

Sometimes I even want to say "Tell me that you don't really believe in this dog show stuff!"
But I can't say that at a show, so I smile and nod.

How can it NOT cause me to grumble?
I like dogs. It is that simple. I like dogs.

I don't like it when somebody tells me that they raise dogs, and then they say that they don't like dogs, they wouldn't have a dog, except they needed the tax write off.

I like to talk with people, but I don't like to hear about how to put all your dogs in cages stacked in one room where they will be out of the way.

I like dogs. I don't want to raise dogs as genetic experiments. I don't want to raise dogs as objects to enter into shows. I don't want to raise dogs for money.

When I go to dog shows, I am looking for other dog lovers, who also like people.
Gotta find better place to shop for friends.
It is stupid to go to a tropical island to look for polar bears, or to the arctic to look for macaws.

Die Loser Die!

The thing I dislike most about sled dog races, greyhound races, dog shows, and all other competitive events using dogs are "What do you do with all the losers?".

"What do you do with all those puppies who you know will never become winners in the sport?"

Many breeds of dogs have been bred to be a specialist at a specific job,
if they are NOT good at that job, what happens to them?

Racing greyhounds who try to win, but can't, have very little value.

Years ago, a breeder of these dogs told me she had the losers "put to sleep" (humanly killed) so that they would not end up being used in medical research or product testing.

Some losers are adopted, but many losers are killed. I believe it would be better if dog tracks became casinos.

In the Vick case, we all read about how the losers were killed for "underperforming".
But dog fights aren't the only dog competition where the losers die.

Dog shows are just another competitive event using dogs.

I have talked with many many show dog breeders.
What value does a dog have if the whole point of keeping him has been to own and show a winner, but the pup turns out to be a loser?

He is useless as a show dog because he doesn't win, and he is usually useless for breeding because he hasn't won.

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