Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-07
AMERICAN KENNEL
CLUBS MEETING
Much Excellent Work Done
Analysis of New RuIes-NeW
Castle and York Shows.
By James Watson.


resolution amendment to the rules. Some
| delegate proposes a piece Of legislation
| which, in the language of the show ring. Is
q fiatcatcher, appears to be the right thing.
| but will not stand investigation in the way
of principles. 1t is in this way that much
| of the legislation which has had to be i'm
| mediately corrected at the next meeting
| was passed. and there was every proba-
| bility that at the September meeting OF
the club some such piece of business would
! again be done. 1t is, therefore, with thank
| fulness we find that it was a meeting
| which can be marked as one which did
| such excellent work. The entire details OF
| the meeting not yet public, but suffl-
| Gent is known as to what the actual re-
suits were to justify the foregoing state
ment. The mistake in the omission OF the
| necessity of one score of the ten points Tor
| the title of champion having to be made at
/ a three points show was duly rectihed, and
this rule appears. at it should have done
long time ago, in place OF having the
provisions calling for three separate judges
| opinions and the three points win In diff
ferent rules. The three points enactment
was inserted in the wrong rule
| ~
| The indefensible rule, that wins after en-
tries closed should alter the position Of the
dog was one of the fiatcatcher resolutions
passed some time ago. When delegate
| gets up in meeting and says that it Is alto
| gether wrong for dog to win In more than
one novice class, and it is possible under
| the rules in force for a dog to win IN three
| novice classes, it sounds all right ana When
| he then proposes that IL entries close dur
| ing the progress of show all wins at that
show should be counted. it does look to the
! casual listener as II that might be good.
and through the resolution goes without
| any question and is ordered to be put In
| the rules by the committee and sent In
| for passage as rule. The committee does
| So but a little missionary work with the
| members before the meeting took place
| exploded the specious appearance of the
| proposition, which. by the way. was in
serted in altogether misunderstand ia
the meeting. We are at an age in showing
where care in entering means everything
| to the reputation Of the dog, and the owner
| Puts him Just where he has a chance OF
| first. Now, that rule was applicable to all
| classes, and dog would be forced into
place in which the owner would not waste
money in entering him, such free limit
| to open class. in which might be three or
four champions against which he knew his
dog had no chance. To sum 1t up. the
alteration after closing time was repug-
liant as radically erroneous in all sports
ard was in direct opposition to the change
made specifically in the rules years ago to
stop the very thing then being done, which
the new idea now reverted to.
The third piece Of legislation which was
wisely killed was the call upon the veter-
marian to note his entrance examination OF
each and every dog he passed upon, his
wise being placed upon the identification
ticket, any dog in the show without thus
being passed subjecting the club to a fine
| of s.. This will have to be labeled as one
| of the ridiculous bits of work suggested by
| impractical theorists. OF course, it seems
| that no examination of the dogs could be
| too strict so to avoid contagion. and GER
f6n ole &c
| of strictness which any one could desire as
| a test for admission But scraping off the
theory it was demonstrable by figures that
the New York show would not get SO far as
the judging till about time to shut up shop
and send all the dogs home. Then 1t is not
the dog as he arrives that does the damage,
for l doubt very much If there Is single
exhibitor who would take sick dog to a
show. especially one with distemper. which
vas the aim of this proposed rule. The
dog to be got rid Of is the one that becomes
owner thinks it is Just little Off" That
is the dog that does the damage and sends
distemper home to many kennels. AS it
impossible, owing to judging engage
ments, to attend the meeting, l wrote to
several of the rules committeeman and spe
officially referred to this rule as one that
did no good and suggested in its place a
daily examination by the regular veterinar
ian. whose report should be In writing.
This suggestion was adopted and this third
item ended the legislation that would work
LOT NaTnl III plaCe Ol SOou
There was hardly anything outside of
these three subjects that called for criticism
in the way Of proposed changes made at the
meeting as amendments to the committees
report. One very good thing that was
adopted was the barring of superintendent
or veterinarians as exhibitors at shows
where they officiate. Another one meriting
commentator the removing OF the
further possibility of misconstruing the old
rule as to entering for specials or for ex
hibtion For years exhibitors had ample
permission to enter dogs for specials only
or in any way they wanted to. so long as it
was stated plainly on the entry FORMS The
only change in the rule was made regarding
| the custom of an owner with two dogs ELI
gible for some special. and no outside COM
petition to be feared, to pull out the better
dog and send the poorer one in to have the
credit of being winner OF special for best
terrier in the show" To put stop to this
the rule was altered SO as to make every
eligible dog compete for specials About a
year ago it occurred to the Kennel Club
secretary that a dog was not eligible to
compete for specials unless competitor in
a class and he disqualified special winner
that was entered to compete for specials
only. The reason assigned as appears from
letter sent me on the subject is that the
rules contain no permission for such an en-
| try Rules are not for permission but pro-
| hbition, and what is not prohibited Is per-
| as to whether man has to wear his hat or
| not when he enters the ring or that he may
| bring his dog in a lead in place of the
| chain usually specified as necessary to send
with the dog and found Incorporated In all
| show rules. Under the special prize ruling
| man could be disqualified for showing
| dog on lead. Now we have it plainly stated
| that a dog can be entered for specials or
| exhibition as the owner thinks best. My
| personal opinion is that dog should be
| compelled to compete in class to become
| eligible for specials. Not to do SO leaves
| the way open for wins by an inferior dog
belonging to the same owner, when others
know that the cracks will or may be entered
| and stay out, which they would not do If
| it was known that the dog they feared was
| not a competitor. l did object to the wrong
| Interpretation upon the old rule, however.
! There have been four shows in progress
during the past week, and not having the
omnipresent ability of Sir Boyle Roach's
bird. two We're all 1 could visit, particu-
larly as one was New Castle, Pa, while on
i the same dates the BrocktOn fair show was