She runs around the ring, her gait perfect, her movements smooth and fluid. She stands at attention when required, tail wagging, eyes bright, waiting expectantly for the judge to run her hands over her head and down her body. Then she’s off again, pure joy on four legs, running around the ring, self-assured, happy, blissful.
Penny has repeated this scenario over and over again for more than 12 months and she’s only earned one point (out of the required 15) for her efforts.
And I’m kind of pissed off on her behalf.
I know—it’s a dog show and it doesn’t change the fact that she is one of the sweetest, most gentle dogs you’ll meet. But a dog like her getting passed over is exactly what I hate about dog shows. The right dog doesn’t always win. Yeah, she’s mine so I’m a little biased, but I do feel like Penny gets ignored by judges a lot. The judges are supposed to be looking for sturdy structure, a fluid gait (power, alignment and smoothness when she moves), health (that’s why they check their teeth), a shiny coat (one that’s not hair sprayed or powdered like a beauty pageant contestant’s), and obviously they needed to be groomed immaculately (no tangles, clean ears).
Penny has all of these things, but she doesn’t have what’s considered a “cute” face. She has strong, sturdy head so the judges don’t think she’s as adorable, so they dismiss her quickly. (Girls like this are nicknamed “Doggie Bitches”—they’re female dogs that look a little masculine.) Even judges who are considered “movement” judges look like they want to give her the win—they keep going back to her, scrutinizing, watching—but ultimately they go for a more type-y look and pass her over. She’s also at the top end of the approved height, so she looks kind of like Baby Huey next to some of the girls—kind of like those girls in 4th grade who tower over the boys but who you know will be supermodels one day.
Penny doing her thing
A few weeks ago we did a show and the judge almost went out of her way to prove how much she hated Penny. When the dogs and handlers enter the ring they’re lined up in numerical order (each dog gets a number when you register). Then the judge moves all the dogs around the ring as a group. After that, the judge goes over each dog one by one—still in numerical order—examining them by hand and then having them run around the ring again so she can watch them move them individually. Then the judge has the dog run away from him or her, usually diagonally across the ring. After the judge has done that with each dog she’ll then start shuffling them around—she may move a dog forward in the line and view it next to the one she moved it next to. She may run the dogs in a different order to see who stands out.
At this show Penny was lined up second when she went in. When it was time to examine Penny the judge did a cursory exam and sent her around. She turned her back to Penny to look at the third dog when she should have been watching Penny. After the judge examined all the dogs, she moved the dogs around the ring again as a group. Then she moved Penny back one position, moved the dogs around again, and moved Penny back another position and repeated this until she moved her to last position. It was shitty.
I get it—Penny wasn’t her thing. But she should have moved her back immediately and called it a day. Don’t humiliate the handler and owner. We know exactly what you’re going.
The annoying thing was, the dogs she put up over Penny were cute, but not great movers—not what dogs in the working group should be.
This past weekend Penny competed again. On Saturday she won her class, but when she moved forward to the next stage she didn’t get any points. I was happy with that result because the judge really looked at her and seemed to like her. On Sunday we weren’t so lucky. I’m pretty sure the judge had no idea what she was looking for—her choices were wildly all over the place.
So there’s that.
I’m going to Utah with her next month for the breed specialty—hundreds of Samoyeds in one place! White! Hair! Everywhere!—but then I think I’m going to pull her from shows for the rest of the year. I take the whole thing too personally.
It’s frustrating because she’s a great little girl. I’m hoping that one day she’ll sort of grow into herself a little more and start kicking some Bitch Ass.
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PS: I had to show you these. These are some of the items being given away with the awards at the breed Specialty this year. They’ve been knitted with Samoyed hair. They’re absolutely beautiful, but as much as I love my dogs I’m not sure I could wear them around my neck or on my head.
This scarf was knitted using Samoyed hair
I kind of adore the mini Samoyeds made out of...Samoyeds
Hats and matching scarves
Does she have to compete as a pure-bred? Is that why she needs points? I’m sorry she’s not as “cute” as the other Sammy’s. But she’s still better. Those judges might need a Chibi-smash…
Part of my contract with the breeder is to have her compete, so we do. Overall, it’s a fun hobby, but when I see dogs winning because their owners spend thousands of dollars a month on advertising, it’s frustrating. The judges aren’t really trusting their own judgment—they remember the pretty ads. Which is annoying because I work in marketing yet I fail to see the point in marketing my dog.
Personally, I think she’s just as cute—but she looks more wolfish and I guess that look isn’t in.
Is there any pattern to this doggie discrimination? That is, is Penny overlooked at all shows, or only at certain types? Any sense that she might compete better on other circuits or in other regions?
I know exactly zippo about dog shows—I haven’t even seen “Best in Show—but I wonder if there are “types” that are preferred in some contests but not in others. If so, perhaps you could use this to your advantage by finding those contests where the Penny-type would be favored.
Regardless, she’s gorgeous in that shot.
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It all depends on the judge and how familiar he or she is with the breed. Judges aren’t necessarily experts in all of the breeds they’re judging, which is the problem. To judge in the various groups—working, toy, etc.—they need to be familiar enough with all of the breeds in the groups, but they’re rarely familiar enough. Couple that with the fact that the average age of judges is 105, and well, dogs like Penny don’t do well. Over the years, handlers learn which judges to show under and which ones to avoid.
my husband and I have decided that our kids aren’t allowed to compete in any sports that involve judges for these same reasons. I had a lot of bad experiences with judges as a gymnast, and it can be really stressful and painful when you are the subject of personal dislike rather than simply ranked on your merits. At least Penny doesn’t understand, although that doesn’t make it easier for you to watch. I think she is gorgeous!!
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I could never have kids in organized sports. I’d totally be the parent out there on the field yelling at the coaches and the umpires, accusing them of being unfair!
It’s funny you mention gymnastics, Penny’s handler competed in it for years—she was even trying for a spot on the ’88 Olympic team when she broke her back. Because of that she’s able to put this whole thing in perspective for me!
I think she’s adorable, but what do I know since I’m not a 105 year old dog show judge? I have noticed though that Samoyeds rarely get the love they deserve in the big, televised dog shows too. I don’t really understand the whole dog show thing, so I just figured this was some kind of long standing prejudice against the breed as a whole. I showed horses and sheep growing up and there were certainly some breeds or colors that weren’t as likely to win just because of those factors. When I was in 4H my sheep were not the popular breed in our area and I really had to work extra hard to get any attention from the judges and sometimes it still didn’t pan out. That was a good, if hard, lesson to learn early in life I think. Sometimes you can’t control what other people think or do, no matter how impartial they are supposed to be.
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