Last night my wife, our two year old junior Samoyed bitch, Mira, and I went up to see Nancy Martin, our handler, and her husband, Bryan. It looks like Mira is going to be a showgirl. We’ll take a few pounds off her and Nancy will start to work with her. We’re very excited.
What’s your mental image of a dog show? Gentile aristocrats parading their poodles in elegant surroundings? A group of eccentrics and their neurotic dogs as in the movie Best in Show (IMO a tamed-down version of the truth)? How about a brawl with exhibitors lobbing teargas grenades at each other:
The World Dog Show (FCI) was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina this year and it was a blast…literally! I use the word blast cautiously. Many of you have already heard or read online about the tear gas bomb that was thrown into the Argentina Dogo breed ring on the last day of the show, Sunday, July 10. It really is sad to open this article with news of a bomb thrown into a ring at a dog show because the people of Buenos Aires are warm, friendly people that love dogs.
The Argentina Dogo breeders have had many disputes and confrontations over the years in other areas in South America with regard to their national breed, the Argentina Dogo, a large and dominant white guard dog. I met a breeder from Chaco, Argentina by the name of Lilian Paniagua and he explained the reasons behind the confrontation between breeders. It seems the breed may have originated in Chaco and the breeders there formed a national club that insisted that the breed remain all white without any spots of black on the head or body. However, the Dogo club in Buenos Aires is not the purist that the originators are and wants to change the standard to allow black spots on the Dogo.
At the Saturday show, which was the show for obtaining the International title, the judge was from Argentina, a former member of the Dogo club and he put up a dog with black spots on the head for the breed. Needless to say, that fueled the bitterness between the breeders again and the judge was escorted out of the building with four protective guards as he was being threatened with a knife. Remarks were overheard at ringside that the next judge better not do the same thing or there would be trouble.
Trouble came in the ring on Sunday as dogs with the spots were victorious over the all-white dogs. It was the moment of decision when the judge was readying to point to the dog of his choice when the two contenders for best of breed (one with and one without spots) got into a fight. Within seconds tempers and frustrations raged inside and outside the ring. Suddenly, an unexpected ringsider threw a tear gas bomb into the ring. Chaos and panic prevailed throughout the two halls and people fled to the lobby exits.
While rushing out of the building to safety, they were abruptly stopped because the doors were locked. The glass on the doors and front of the lobby was broken which sent glass flying in all directions. Two German girls in red suits who I met earlier took my arms and pulled me out of the building. I don’t think I would have made the exit otherwise as bodies crushed up against me and I was shoved in different directions.
That’s different, isn’t it? Some people take their dog showing very seriously. Nancy was there and she filled us in on the straight skinny on this while we were visiting. Maybe I’ll share it with you when I know you better.
Good luck with Mira’s showings—she’s a beauty! Ann
RE “A group of eccentrics and their neurotic dogs as in the movie Best in Show (IMO a tamed-down version of the truth)?”
I might have in mentioned in one of my old blogs that for the first few minutes I thought Best in Show was a documentary when I saw it in a theater during its first run. It might as well have been.
I laughed so hard watching that movie I had tears streaming down my face.