So today was the dog show. I'd never been to one, and having watched many on tv, knew not to expect that, exactly, but didn't know precisely what I should expect.
The show was being held in a big warehouse-like building, and they'd divided it up into rings, with the perimeter being used for grooming, staging, and keeping your dog until it was your turn to show. I was prepared for it to be messy and loud. It was neither. I was really quite astounded by how quite it actually was in there- you'd have the occasional bark or whine, and the murmur of voices was prevalent, but there were probably a thousand dogs there, and it was relatively quiet in the building. They were also very well-trained dogs, as other than the occasional scent of wet dog as someone was groomed, it was also not unpleasant smelling or overly doggy in the building, either.
We got there in time to see the Great Danes- about 35 big, beautiful dogs, all shined up and lined up and looking gorgeous. They competed against each other, and I made predictions to the man as they went along. Sometimes I was right, sometimes I wasn't, but it was nice to see that I was seeing what is considered the best of the breed.
One funny thing that happened- on our walk in from the parking lot, there was a man outside getting his dane ready to show. I know it's fairly common practice to use some type of black- shoe polish, Just for Men, or some other kind of temporary darkening agent on your dog's muzzle before taking him into the ring (obviously this is only true of the dogs who are supposed to have a black muzzle), but it isn't allowed. So I happened to see this man essentially cheating, and made a mental note. It put me off that dog, and especially off that handler (he may or may not have been the owner, I'm not sure). What's really funny though is considering his competition in the class that dog was entered in, the black was totally unnecessary, since his dog was definitely the best of the bunch- however, I didn't like her from the beginning because I knew he'd cheated. I'm sure he wasn't the only one, but he was the only one I saw doing it. He ended up taking second for the breed, which is pretty good, but what really made me smile inwardly was finding out his dog was bred and is co-owned by a breeder whose practices I don't agree with, and who I would steer clear from. The cheating solidified that for me.
There were only two blue danes there- one a natural-eared from a breeder I'd very much like to contact about puppies when it's time for me to start looking for one of my own, and the other with cropped ears from what I'd consider a backyard breeder. He may have been bred by a reputable breeder initially, but his current owners stood beside me during his show, and they clearly are not doing the breeding purely for the betterment of the breed.
It's amazing the things you can pick up if you aren't talking. Because we were there just to observe, I overheard many conversations about certain dogs, certain judges, certain breeders, and certain owners. It was all very informative, and I look forward to going to the next show.
It was a long day, with lots of walking and standing, but if I hadn't been committed to getting a dane, I would be now. I picked up some useful information, enjoying petting quite a few dogs of many different breeds, and generally had a good time. It certainly wasn't a rock concert or anything so exciting, and I don't know if I'd want to show my own dogs, but it was a decent way to spend a Friday.
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