Better in N.Z. —“but not for long”

Press, 24 August 1976, Page 17

Better in N.Z. —“but not for long”

By

JILL AICKIN

Dog shows in New Zealand are getting bigger and bigger every year. In 1975, entries in the National Dog Show totall J 1883; the entry to this year’s show, which is being held at Wellington this week, has increased by more than 1000. The Canterbury Kennel Club alone has 43 allbreeds clubs and 156 other groups associated with it. Ten acres of land is being developed on McLeans Island to become the Canterbury Kennel Centre and the future site for dog shows. It will be the largest dog complex in New Zealand.

However, despite the increasing interest and competition in dogs, it is still possible in New Zealand, if not in England, to go to a show and “have a nice day.” The question being asked is: “How long will that last?” One person who says it will not be for much longer is a "woman who breeds a type of toy dog. She says that New Zealand might well be heading into the same kind of strained competitive atmosphere as England is now experiencing. “The local judges won’t have it said, but it is true that judging is biased,” she says- “I always check to see who the judges are before entering my dogs in a show.”

She claims that many judges do not judge totally on the quality of the dogs being shown, but tend to favour their friends with the ribbons. “It is who you know, not how good your dog is, these days,” she says. “We all know who the good and bad judges are.” A breeder for five years, she says that her dogs have won numerous ribbons and points at shows.

I asked her if she had ever received harsh words from the owners of the losing dogs in a class won by her animal. She replied that although she had not been told directly that her dog was inferior and should not have won, she had had it "inferred.” “If tneir dog does not win, people get very ’’set.” All pedigree dogs have to be registered with the New Zealand Kennel Club should the owner wish to show them: if not registered, the dog is automatically disqualified. This club is respo.isible for the organisation of shows, and issues the challenge points, ribbons, cups, and certificates. Also it has the right to expel from the association “any member proved to their satisfaction to have been guilty of dishonour..hie conduct or breach of the rules.”

Some of the rules laid down by the club include:— all dogs must be registered with the New Zealand Kennel Club; spayed, castrated, monorchid or cryptorchid dogs may not be shown; vicious dogs are not eligible; and nobody should be allowed to interfere with the dog once it is on the show ring.

Any person accused of making false statements regarding the name, age, pedigree, or description of a dog must go before a committee of the club. If found "guilty,” the person may be disqualified. The committee may report any person (registered with the club or not) to the kennel club for what it may consider “discreditable conduct at a show.”

Mr T. R. Rusbridge, senior vice-president of the New Zealand Kennel Club, and president of the

Canterbury Kennel Club, says that the “dog world” in New Zealand is a relatively honest one compared to overseas. He knows of only one case in this country where a person was expelled from the kennel club for any period of time. Although he could not remember all the details, he says the case resulted from an argument outside the show ring and ended in the “guilty party” being disqualified from the club for a year.

“Double-handling,” says Mr Rusbridge. is the form of cheating most common at New Zealand shows. This involves an owner attracting a dog’s attention from outside the ring, causing the animal to keep its ears alert — a feature looked for when

dogs are judged. “Most judges watch for the offence and when a dog is detected to have been double-handled it is usually disqualified.” However, Mr Rusbridge admits that dog owners are rarely brought before the association’s council for double-handling because the “charge” would be too difficult to prove. "We must have pretty substantial proof and officials acting at the show would need to have seen double-handling going on.” Mr Rusbridge describes “back-yard breeders” as the main curse of the kennel club — “people who breed dogs purely for the money and not for any love of animals.” Dogs are subject to the fashion whims of buyers, just like clothes, and “back-yard breeders” take advantage of this fact.

They flood the market with. puppies bred from

the particular type of dog currently in fashion. People might pay anything from $6O to SIIJ for a pedigree pup, and for some of the larger breeds, such as the Old English Sheep Dog, puppies are being sold for a. jut $2OO. Miss Jean Wiffin is a qualified judge for all breeds of dogs and is the vice-president of the Canterbury Kennel Club. She agrees with Mr Rusbridge that very little cheating goes on at dog shows in New Zealand. She says that although there have been d.ubtful cases, she does not think there has been a case of cheating proven against anybody for years. But although the shows are fairly honest, Miss Wiffin admits that some

misrepresentation does go on in the breeding business. Many years ago, when she bred spaniels, Miss Wiffin answered an advertisement for spaniel puppies being sold. After inspecting the litter, she asked to see their pedigree. The one she was shown named one of her own dogs which not only was dead, but ’■'.d never had a litter.

She agrees that doublehandling is fairly common. “I have left the ring when judging and told people to stop attracting their dogs’ attention.”

Although Miss Wiffin says that she has never had harsh words spoken to her as a judge, she has frequently heard bitter words spoken outsiu- the ring between competitors. She also agrees that there are too many “backyard breeders” looking for a “quick sale” of the puppies most sought after,,

For this reason, she says, it is not the high-priced puppies which are necessarily the best dogs to buy.’ When buying a dog she warns people always to ask to see the pedigrcz and to have it checked before paying large sums of money.

One of the leading judges in New Zealand is Mrs Hazel Ridgen. Also approved for judging all breeds of dogs in any part of the world, she has been judging at championship shows for more than 25 years. Her overseas appointments include Australia, the United States, England, Rhodesia, Sweden, and the Netherlands. A regular visitor to England to judge in shows, Mrs Ridgen says that shows in New Zealand are not such big affairs because there is not as much money at stake. Breeding and showing

dogs is more of a hobby in New Zealand as it is impossible to make a living out of them. England is the leading country in dog breeding and top quality animals fetch very high prices. Although she criticizes the above article by Peter Dunn as being exaggerated, Mrs Ridgen admits that cheating does go on. She cites the example of her sister who attended an English dog show a few years ago. A veterinary surgeon was checking over a poodle before it was due to go in the ring. He found the dog sound and gave it a friendly pat on the back before letting the dog go. As he took his hand away, the dog’s tail went with it. They never did find out if the owner had any “spares.”

‘We would never experience that sort of thing in New Zealand because

there is not so much at stake,” Mrs Ridgen says. To enter a dog show in England an owner might expect to. pay from $9 upwards for one class. In New Zealand, the charges range from about 75c to $3.

Large monetary prizes are another feature of English dog shows which New Zealand does not have. Apart from a few $lO, $3O, and $4O prizes for such things as “best in show,” most dog winners take home only trophies or sashes for their owners. Stud fees also are much higher in England. Although dog breeding and showing is rapidly becoming more popular in this country, it is still very much an “amateurish hobby,” Mrs Ridgen says. The shows are smaller and the dogs are not of such high quality — although the quality is improving, she adds.

Mrs Ridgen does not believe this is altogether a bad situation. In America, dog shows are monopolised by “professional” dog handlers who charge high prices for their services. They train and" look after the dogs for the owners and handle the dogs in the shows. This high degree of competitiveness is something Mrs Ridgen would not like to see introduced into New Zealand.

The only thing New Zealand needs is to improve the over-all quality of its dogs, she says. Backyard breeding and bad judging dead to the mating of inferior dogs and the quality of a certain breed is destroyed. However, now that more dogs are being imported from England, the bloodlines are rapidly improving, Mrs Ridgen says.