Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-04
TOPIC DISCUSSED
BY DOG OWNERS
Looking Forward to the Phila-
deIphia Show at the Close
of the Month.
By James Watson.

Occupying position in comparison to the
other fall shows the counterpart of the
New York show in the spring, the exhibit
ton to be held at the close of the month at
Philadelphia is the one topic of converse
ton among the owners of dogs which are of
the dog show grade. The premium lists
We're distributed at the beginning of the
past week and entries close on November II
with the secretary, ]. Boyd Carrigan, Chest
nut Hill. The complete announcement bears
out to the letter all the early information
regarding the show; indeed the display is
better than even the highly colored posters
of the advance agent The list of nineteen
judges is a record one, topping the last
New York show record by one judge. The
clearly displayed intent and object of the
committee of selection was to secure prac-
teal men who had shown knowledge of the
breed, both from owning good dogs and
from breeding them. TINS, OF course ap-
plies to speciality judges and not to all
round officials who come under a different
category. Specialists are men who have
taken up one breed and confined their edu-
cation to that variety having little or no
knowledge of other breeds. The aM-round
judge comes under a different category alto
gether, being one of the exceptional few
who are gifted with the eye for proportion
and symmetry, which is the foundation of
all sound judging. A qualified all-rounder
OF course has extensive show knowledge
anu IdHlllldTlty Win the best specimens of
al DfeedS, but 1t IS his eye for proportion,
the eye of the artist without his ability to
put on canvas what he knows to be the
right thing, that is the foundation of the
al-round judges ability.
Value of the AlI-round Judge.
1t is this ability which makes the all
round judge SO valuable at times in correct
ing errors of specialists who become faddy
and lay stress upon comparative trivali-
ties, ignoring. other eXcellencies and con-
spicuous faults. There is frequently much
criticism of an ali-rounder who has upset
some specialists decisions and the critics
ask, What does he know about the breed
anyway They did so when Mr. Raper
knocked American bulldog decisions into a
cooked hat at Mineola last summer What
did the EnSlshman know about bulldogs
anyway? Let us have own judges for
bulldogs and we will get them paced right
So they wrote and argued, but all the same
the dogs he put in front have played a con-
spicuous part in the prize lists ever since
The fact is we. by following my leader on
the part of specialists, had gone on the
wrong tack to a degree and Mr.. Raper
opened eyes to what we were doing
Our own ali-round judges are the men upon
whom we have to rely to keep judging in
the right channel, and there is no exhibitor
of experience who will not frankly state
that the lists of speciality judges OF the va
who are by no means competent and that
they have much more confidence in a sound
all-round Judge That there are good spe-
cialist club judges is a statement which
cannot be contradicted, and if any person
said such a thing no bee.er counter sta tie
ment could be made than the production of
this Philadelphia show list of officials
Every one of the eighteen who have special
list assignments has owned the breed he
will judge and has been a prominent ex-
n A hIlt hay al haa loo dow
in breeding these dogs and selecting young
ones which have shown their owners good
judgment by future ring successes And it
is In this direction that the Philadelphia list
of judges Is as much of a record as 1t Is in
the number Of officials.
Oyer 800 Glasses.
There are 81 classes in all, including
four variety classes and the numerous win
ners class which number about sixty, and
this leaves some 250 regular entry classes
for individual breeds. Philadelphia has
never had a five points show, the mark
obtained by every dog given first in a
show which has one thousand entries,
but it does look as If that number
should certainly be, although it will tax
the managers to find room in Horticultural
Hall for such show, Last year the total
Of $50 was barely passed and this made the
dogs to the class is not too much to ex-
pect with all the old unpleasantness wiped
from the Philadelphia Clubs up-to-date
record. One of the breeds provided for at
Philadelphia has been passed by the Ameri
can Kennel Club apparently in error. This
is the Samoyede or the Eskimo of north
western Siberia, the family name for the
entire Russian family being Laika. Three
classes have been opened for them al Phila-
delphia and this has been approved by the
kennel club secretary. 1t looks as though
the secretary will have to fine himself for
making a mistake, as he does every one
outside his office. He seems to have given
no advice to the Philadelphia Club to in
corporate the Samoyede in the list of for
eign dogs entitled to individual classical
ton, and the only way in which they could
be recognized at all is through the resoIu-
ton passed at the May meeting and this
does not allow of individual classification.
Mr.. Mortimer at that meeting recommended
that the Samoyede be accorded that priv
ilege and. continuing his remarks asked
that admission be given to the misceian-
eous class of all breeds named In Count
Bylandt list of breeds. After short dis
cussion as to what the rule then was Mr..
Mortimer proposed this resolution, which
was seconded and carried: II move that