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accumulate a total of fifteen points under at least three different judges. Points are earned by beating same-sex competition in the classes. At a specialty show like this one, those classes would be Puppy, 6 to 9 Months old, Puppy 9 to 12 Months old, Dog (or Bitch) 12 to 18 Months, Novice, Bred by Exhibitor, American-Bred, and Open. Once the individual classes have been judged, the class winners return to the ring to compete for the award of Winners Dog or Winners Bitch.
These are the only two who receive points, and the number of points awarded varies from one to five, based on the amount of competition. A win of three, four, or five points is referred to as a major win, and two are required (under two different judges) before a dog can secure the title of champion. Some dogs chase the points needed to attain their championships for a year or two. Others, like Bubba, race through a serendipitous circuit of shows and seem to fulfill the requirements almost overnight.
Under normal circumstances such success, especially with a young puppy, would be considered a blessing. However, when exhibitors are calculating the chances of their dogs securing a coveted BIG WIN at the national specialty, normal is a concept that flies right out the window.
At PCA a puppy like Bubba would be a standout in his age-restricted class. Heâd have a good shot at taking the prestigious blue and perhaps even, as the sisters hoped, going on to Winners Dog or maybe Best Toy Puppy. If, however, he had already finished his championship, Bubba would have to be entered not in the classes, but in the much more rigorous Best of Variety competition.
There heâd be up against more than forty of the top Toy Poodle champions from all over the world. There, a cute silver puppy like Bubba would, most likely, get lost in the shuffle.
Hence the confusion regarding Bubbaâs point total. My guess was that Roger Carew had forgotten to keep count and that the puppy had finished several weeks earlier. No doubt Bubba had been keeping a low profile ever since, biding his time and awaiting his chance to sparkle in the puppy class at PCA.
Other exhibitors might grumble but there wasnât much that could be done to prevent such subterfuge. Truth be told, many had done such a thing themselves. Those who hadnât had probably been guilty of other, similar white lies, such as fudging a puppyâs birth date to keep it eligible for the puppy classes beyond a year of age, or dyeing a Poodleâs coat to enhance its color.
When the stakes were high enough, anything could happen. And for Poodle lovers, PCA was the biggest game around.
3
A fter lunch I got Eve out of her crate and took her for a walk around the equestrian center. The area surrounding the outdoor riding rings was beginning to fill up with big rigs: handlers, and exhibitors from around the country who had found that the easiest way to transport large numbers of dogs in comfort was to pack them into a motor home. Eve tugged at the end of her leash, eager to go exploring. At home, I would have turned her loose to run a little, but PCA had very strict rules about dog control at the specialty. Exercising off-lead at the equestrian center was grounds for expulsion from the show.
âWell, well, well, look whoâs here.â
I turned at the sound of the familiar voice. Terry Denunzio, one of my favorite dog show people, was reclining in a lounge chair set up beside one of the motor homes. The words âBedford Kennelsâ were stenciled discreetly on the cabâs door, identifying the rig as belonging to Crawford Langley, the top professional handler in the Northeast. Terry was his partner and assistant.
Many of the handlers who came to PCA, I saw just once or twice a year. I knew them only by reputation, or from their pictures in the magazines. But Crawford and Terry, who lived half an hour away from my home in Connecticut and showed at most of the same shows I did, were
These are the only two who receive points, and the number of points awarded varies from one to five, based on the amount of competition. A win of three, four, or five points is referred to as a major win, and two are required (under two different judges) before a dog can secure the title of champion. Some dogs chase the points needed to attain their championships for a year or two. Others, like Bubba, race through a serendipitous circuit of shows and seem to fulfill the requirements almost overnight.
Under normal circumstances such success, especially with a young puppy, would be considered a blessing. However, when exhibitors are calculating the chances of their dogs securing a coveted BIG WIN at the national specialty, normal is a concept that flies right out the window.
At PCA a puppy like Bubba would be a standout in his age-restricted class. Heâd have a good shot at taking the prestigious blue and perhaps even, as the sisters hoped, going on to Winners Dog or maybe Best Toy Puppy. If, however, he had already finished his championship, Bubba would have to be entered not in the classes, but in the much more rigorous Best of Variety competition.
There heâd be up against more than forty of the top Toy Poodle champions from all over the world. There, a cute silver puppy like Bubba would, most likely, get lost in the shuffle.
Hence the confusion regarding Bubbaâs point total. My guess was that Roger Carew had forgotten to keep count and that the puppy had finished several weeks earlier. No doubt Bubba had been keeping a low profile ever since, biding his time and awaiting his chance to sparkle in the puppy class at PCA.
Other exhibitors might grumble but there wasnât much that could be done to prevent such subterfuge. Truth be told, many had done such a thing themselves. Those who hadnât had probably been guilty of other, similar white lies, such as fudging a puppyâs birth date to keep it eligible for the puppy classes beyond a year of age, or dyeing a Poodleâs coat to enhance its color.
When the stakes were high enough, anything could happen. And for Poodle lovers, PCA was the biggest game around.
3
A fter lunch I got Eve out of her crate and took her for a walk around the equestrian center. The area surrounding the outdoor riding rings was beginning to fill up with big rigs: handlers, and exhibitors from around the country who had found that the easiest way to transport large numbers of dogs in comfort was to pack them into a motor home. Eve tugged at the end of her leash, eager to go exploring. At home, I would have turned her loose to run a little, but PCA had very strict rules about dog control at the specialty. Exercising off-lead at the equestrian center was grounds for expulsion from the show.
âWell, well, well, look whoâs here.â
I turned at the sound of the familiar voice. Terry Denunzio, one of my favorite dog show people, was reclining in a lounge chair set up beside one of the motor homes. The words âBedford Kennelsâ were stenciled discreetly on the cabâs door, identifying the rig as belonging to Crawford Langley, the top professional handler in the Northeast. Terry was his partner and assistant.
Many of the handlers who came to PCA, I saw just once or twice a year. I knew them only by reputation, or from their pictures in the magazines. But Crawford and Terry, who lived half an hour away from my home in Connecticut and showed at most of the same shows I did, were
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