There's been a lot of fuss in the press over the judging at Crufts because of one of the dogs that won a category. Apparently the Gordon Setter that won Best of Breed was owned and bred by the judge's sister.
Now, I'm not into dog shows and I prefer working dogs, but this doesn't seem very right to me. On the other hand there has to be a small pool of people who know the breed well enough to judge it, so might be kind of understandable, but the breeders have complained about it as well. It kind of makes me glad that mine are a bit too mixed to show!
I'd love to get some other owners opinions on this. I'd have thought she should have disclosed the relationship or stood down, but that's just my view.
Some things are right some of the time but not all things are wrong all the time. On the face of it, there is a conflict of interests. The judge's sister would be expected to step down to avoid bias based on sentiment. However, it is more complex than that. The judge could as well be an independent soul who did the right thing in the wrong circumstances. Impressions can mask reality. At the end of the day, the answer lies with the judges' character and the precedents he has set in the past.
Usually, when it comes to any competition such as this, any judge's immediate family should not be allowed to participate in the contest. That was how it always was at any sort of animal show to me. I have never actually participated in a dog show, but I used to show other animals as a child for 4-H and such and that was always the standard rule for any competition.
To be honest I disagree with whole idea of Crufts anyway. I don't think it's healthy or natural to put dogs through these shows, dogs are dogs, not dolls.
Does anyone here take their dogs to competitions in Dallas? I have a friend and her mother who breed small Yorkies and take them down twice a year for shows.
I've never been with them, but they always post lots of pictures on Facebook.
The dog competition world is very insular and, as such, is ripe for potential opportunities for corruption. The Figure Skating world was very similar in its insularity and only opened up and cleaned itself up a bit after the vote-buying scandal in the Salt Lake City Olympics. However, until something significant occurs, perhaps a more egregious example of favoritism at the Westminster dog show, there will be no impetus to make the recommended rule updates.
I'm not with that dog competition thingy but maybe it is true that it is bias. Just like any other pageant lot of that things happen. That how they are corrupt. If you have a good dog but you are not famous it has a big probability that you will lose the competition.
The rigor attributable to this competition, I think, is too much for dogs to engage in. I think animal right activist should swing into action. I am of the opinion that dog competition should be regulated and erring persons or body should be sanctioned
Wow, her sister shouldn't have been able to join in the first place. Surely there are grounds to rescind the award. That judge shouldn't judge again.