2 April 2012
I was at the working ring on Saturday at the V & D Championship show. The working judge was shocking to say the least. Did he know any KUSA rules at all? He made repetitive mistakes when calling in the BOB line up into the ring. The ring steward was inexperienced and that did not help matters. I saw the incident with the Boerboel classes. Funny though the people who own this breed have been showing for some time and should know the KUSA rules regarding the BOB line up at Championship shows. It seems exhibitors knew better that the judge and the ring steward what was going on in the ring at that time.

We eventually called the show manager who explained to the ring steward in layman’s terms the correct way and what to call into to the ring for BOB. The judge still called in to the ring RCC dogs/bitches in certain breeds for the BOB line up even though it had not as yet been awarded. Is this judge qualified to judge at Championship level, does he even know the KUSA rules and regulations or does he even care? Entries for dog shows are expensive and I for one would like to have my dog’s judge by at judge who is honest, knows the breed standard of the dogs he is judging on that particular day and one who knows how to control his ring. I will be this year selecting my judges very carefully as why should I groom and enter my dogs under a judge who has not show ethics at all. Dog shows are getting fewer and fewer entries and incidences like this do nothing to improve the situation.

Anita Bodenstein
Romaniwil Rottweiler and Australian Shepherds

3 April 2012
Dear Show Committees
Is there anyone who can adequately explain why once again the “WORKING” breeds and group have been relegated to the tick infested, over grown, dirty, bumpy parking lots for the recent shows. This seems to happen on a regular basis with the All Breed shows, where the Working breeds and Group who attract some of the highest entries are treated as outcasts and are alienated from the rest of the show. On a positive note, at least the working exhibitors will not be expected to rake up the loose grass before we can actually show, as was the case at the same shows last year!
ADRIAN & CHERYL BATTEY
Foxfire Siberian Huskies

3 April 2012
While all of you younger folk are arguing on about the judging or interfering as it may seem, of the Boerboel breed, I would like to take the time to congratulate the young lady who handled the young brindle Boerboel dog, on bringing a such good quality specimen to the conformation show ring. I was one of the many skeptics when KUSA accepted the breed. My experiences with the breed had always been negative. Last week after reading all of the hullabaloo on this forum, I downloaded the KUSA breed standard for the Boerboel, so that I was informed and knew what to look for, and decided to don on my sun hat, bring out my chair and come and watch the working dogs this weekend, to see what on earth all of this fuss was about. It was such a pleasure to see a Boerboel who was allowed to run loose, and not strung up like a whippet. Although this fellow is a young dog he shows a lot of promise, and I do hope that his young owner continues to show him, and does not become discouraged by the political hype that seems to surround this very new breed at KUSA. I do not believe that there is another Boerboel in the KUSA show ring who has such a good topline, and angulation, as well as such free unhindered movement. As a mastiff should have, he has a strong, prominent head that is free from excess skin. And what a pleasant chap he is. He shows no sign of human aggression at all, unlike many of his breed counterparts. I believed that young dog deserved not only the best junior award on all three days, but I strongly believe that he deserved the CC dog and Best of breed because he stood out head and shoulders above his counterparts in the ring. I was rather chuffed that he was placed second in the junior group on Saturday. This dog should serve as a benchmark for all Boerboel breeders in South Africa who plan to show their dogs in the conformation ring.

Gordon Lambert

3 April 2012
This is not the first time that this nasty untrue rumour, regarding these so called made up places has reared its ugly head. And I would like to know how a certain exhibitor always has classified inside information whether it is about made up group placings (and its always her competition who are awarded made up placings, even though their dogs are really good) or outcomes of disciplinary hearings at KUSA? I have attached a message sent last year May, when the champion Boerboel bitch got a group placing down at the Natal shows. This exhibitor and author of the message could not wait to part with inside knowledge of the placing being made up, after a congratulatory post appeared on a Boerboel forum. I am sure that Royal Canin, the host club as well as KUSA will be less than thrilled to know that they have been tarnished by this person being a sore loser, and her need to spread untrue stories about others when she is beaten in the ring. But then again according to this exhibitor, KUSA and KUSA judges have no how to judge the breed, and in her opinion, the only decent boerboels on show belong to her?

Please see attachment below, dated 2 May 2011

Dean

3 April 2012
While I feel that it is disturbing that Tina Stern can openly make such bold statements about a dog's wins being made up, others are guilty of this too. My dog was in the ring and another exhibitor stood at the ringside, turned to a group of people standing alongside the ring, said something to the tune of how could the judge award that thing BOB? When my bitch got a group placing she started laughing and accused me of being a "Beckmann friend" and that is why we did so well.
In my opinion, exhibitors should decide either they are there to show their dogs, and behave like civilised good sports when they don't win, or they must take their drawn out feud and carry it on away from the shows and leave other exhibitors out of it. We are not interested in your budget soap opera drama. I myself as well as many other exhibitors have actually had quite enough of their tent  hopping to talk nonsense about each other. This is dog showing not who wants to have the biggest ego! And while both of you were trying to out jab each other two up and coming really good dogs have crept into your breeds and show huge potential, a fawn Great Dane bitch, and a brindle Boerboel dog, quietly they have come into the ring, and brought really good quality dogs back into their breeds!
Enough is enough, we do not want to hear about or read about your drama.

Yours Faithfully
Very bored now

3 April 2012
Do Pray tell why Martin Beckmann cannot be banned from KUSA? He was after all found guilty of the charges laid against him, because he admitted to the charges laid against him. Was the first round of his hearing and it's outcome a dummy verdict? A verdict there to appease the complainant? A case of spank Martin Beckmann like a naughty child to keep the unhappy masses quiet, with the promise of kissing it all better once the dust has settled? Only time will tell.

Intrigued

PE was a weird weekend to say the least.

Remember the Irish guy who judged at the Supa 7's - the one with the snazzy shoes? Well he was on the judging panel in PE and I couldn't understand why two ladies dressed up to the nines were frantically brushing a dog in the walk way of the ring within spitting distance of the judges table.

But then one of the other people watching the spectacle helped me to put two and two together and I had to lift my jaw up from the floor. I just realized that I still have a lot to learn in the dog world about how to get on top. But if it takes making a spectacle of yourself to get your wins, then perhaps I'll just continue to takes my chances.

I hope putting the "right" face to the "right" dog worked for the ladies and that they got what they came for by fair means or foul.

What happened to honest wins?

Posting by Cheryl and Adrian Battey regarding the bottom grounds at Goldfields refers.

Why is it that certain people have to rush to Dogworld to voice their opinions. As you have done so on this forum then I will reply to you here. If you had talked to anyone on the grounds committee or the committees of the show holding clubs, then you would have found out that the area you talked about so disparagingly is earmarked to be part of a new look main arena. These things actually take a lot of time especially with limited resources. The Working ring I believe has been situated there so as to give trailers as much space as possible. “Dirty and Tick Infested” - please, what rubbish, I go there often to walk my dogs as do many other people without problems. At least you have now bought a ticket into the 600 Club a good start, all you have to do now is go a step further and donate for a pole and  take an interest in the positive moves made by the grounds committee.

Of course you weren’t expected to rake up grass like last year, hello, there is a grounds committee trying their level best and putting hours of their own time into trying to upgrade and maintain these grounds properly. It just takes time, money and UNDERSTANDING from the showing fraternity.

Treated as ‘outcasts’ – I have no doubt if you were situated anywhere else you would have found something to moan about. There are some of us out there who are actually trying to put something back into dogdom for all the years of enjoyment the grounds have given us, I urge you to try doing the same.

Congratulations to those who are working so hard to make a difference. Changes are happening, well done for all the effort.

Conway Stewart

 6 April 2012
I usually travel to a lot of the away shows and do enjoy them.  For me, it is a nice weekend away and so enjoyable sitting around the ring with friends.  If we win, we win and if we lose, so be it.  To us, it is the fun of being with friends and our dogs.

This weekend in P.E. was a total disaster for the Gundogs.  While I have the utmost respect for all show committees and the people who help to organize the shows, I think that some thought could have gone into this show and the Gundogs.  I cannot complain about any of our judges as I think they all did a great days work under the rain and wet conditions.  Our ring steward, Ian Judd was a star and he is a big help in the ring but the organization……

On the first day, it was stated on the Showdogs website that we would share a ring with the toys and the Gundogs would be in the ring after the Toys.  The total number of dogs in those two groups was 92 so you can imagine what the condition was like around the ring as we fell over each other.  When we arrived, we were told that the website was wrong and the Gundogs were first.  (Who does not check on the information that they place on a website?) Anyway, there were hurried calls to some who lived in P. E. and they were able to arrive on time.

On the second day, we waited around the same ring while the toys were judged in the pouring rain.  This time we were not waiting for a judge but for a ring.  Our judge was sitting around waiting for us.  Meantime the utility ring was empty all morning and they sat around waiting for their judge who was judging toys.  I walked over there and some said why did we not come over there to be judged?  There were so few of us that they could have shared the space and they would have had something to watch which different. What a good idea!  Instead of this simple arrangement, we sat in the pouring rain, trying to remain dry and being rather miserable.

On the third day, we were told to move rings.  We had to move bag and baggage to a different ring.  Now, it was just getting ridiculous but move we all did amid a lot of grumbling.  Years ago, when we all sat under an umbrella, moving was easy and so was sharing a ring but now with gazebos and all the rest, it is a major operation.

I am just writing this, as I think that someone who was showing in this group for the first time would be put off forever and the rest of us may certainly question the organization before entering next year.  One has to wonder if this always being a “second class citizen” has anything to do with the low entries in the Gundogs?

My question would be, is it so difficult for us to have our own ring?  There is plenty of room and if we have to wait for a judge so be it but hopefully, there is a way to overcome that as well.  Last year, a perfectly well qualified gundog judge came and sat with us on one of the days as we waited for another judge and could have judged that day, but once again, we did not have a ring.

A very concerned Gundog exhibitor. 

In response to Conway Stewart

With regards to ‘rushing’ to Dogworld, I would have thought that this forum was the obvious place to air one’s views.

Just to put you in the picture, the question of the Working group being relegated to the veld/parking lot area, and the fact that Working exhibitors have been unhappy about this situation for some time, was brought to the attention of Mr Hugh Tarr last year, and to the attention of Mr Jodie Tarr this year. The fact that the area is earmarked to be part of the ‘new’ main arena, it totally irrelevant at this time, and if this is the case, it is certainly going to require an awful lot of work. I have no doubt that the grounds committee, whoever they are, are doing their best with limited resources, and time will tell if they are able to achieve what they set out to accomplish. In the meantime I ask the committee’s of the clubs involved, why must it always be that the WORKING group are forced to show in the car park, on veld grass?. Is it not reasonable to ask that other groups be assigned this area as well from time to time?

I stand by my statement that this area in particular is tick infested, as without fail, when our dogs are checked on returning home after shows, as they always are, we inevitably find ticks on them. As you freely admit the area where we are expected to show is used to exercise your dogs, as do many others. I am sure that you pick up after your dogs, however many don’t! Therefore I also stand by my statement of the area being foul smelling and dirty. Hence half of the dogs are going around the ring with their noses on the ground, and some even end up limping due to the fact that the harsh newly cut veld grass has gone between their pad’s and is hurting their feet. This was witnessed by us for many of the breed’s particularly the young puppies.

As for the WORKING ring being situated outside the main arena so as to give trailers as much space as possible is a cop out! Any one of the corner rings would have given more than adequate space for trailers, as many All Breed clubs have done in the past.

I strongly object to and take great exception to your statement... ”had we been situated anywhere else, we would have found something to moan about” - I am not in the habit of complaining just for the sake of it, but when I hear many complaints about a certain situation around the Working ring, if I am the one to bring it to light, then so be it!

I applaud the work and effort being put in by the grounds committee, however the clubs ring allocations have little or nothing to do with the grounds committee. Would show committee’s please take note and treat the Working exhibitors the same as everyone else.

ADRIAN BATTEY

25 April 2012

Dear Carol and Gerhard and your hard working Committee.

What a pleasure to be able to travel the 1100 odd km’s for a weekend to enter your show. Affordable entry fees, nice touch of the enjoyable suck sweets and a treats for our dogs entered.

Thanks for considering exhibitors by including all groups in the main arena. Great advertising campaign sending out schedules closer to the show w.r.t. to the extra challenges of the day and how the show will be run. This caught some of the additional exhibitor’s eye’s I’m sure. We could arrange to travel in convoy with an additional exhibitor too. We enjoyed our day and was great to travel again to Gauteng especially when you can include your hobby on one day and get to attend to personal matters the next day.

The prizes sponsored by Royal Canin looked super and I’m sure most people could say … thank you for the fabulous sponsorship. Well done to the hard working Sponsors on the day and the Company should be proud of your efforts. Hat’s off to you.

Positive feedback for consideration is, if you plan to hold a similar show format next year: Wow, you had fabulous entries, perhaps to start at 08:00 in the morning. The format to hold BIS/BPIS worked with the 3 challenges following for the main BIS’s, albeit the challenges for Veteran and S.A. bred - squeezed in ‘just in time’ before Sun set.

The music in the background proved great sociability around the rings too. Your efforts were greatly received in putting on, yet another event for “show goers” to consider. Congratulations. Personally, it was great to travel to a show after a year and a bit for me to enjoy the socialisation with friends and support my better half in showing.

Gerla Anderson [KZN]

30 April 2012

Durban , Saturday
One dog in the ring round and round it goes. Owner outside the ring screaming Go Go Go...

Handler in the showring with the dog shouting ; Go Go Go...

Is it intimidation of the Judge ?

Is this a Circus?

Is it double-handling?

No place for this behaviour

Don't drag the sport any lower

19 May 2012
Aww common you working breeds it's all about consideration and courtesy and good sportsmanship. In fact some terrier people bag a full side as well at some shows and land up in other peoples faces to boot.. We all want to sit ring side, have a nice day with no hassles and maybe win so let's ALL respect each other and stop the nasties. Soooooo not necessary.

Trying to be a good sportsman