And once again, that annual bacchanalia of conspicuous consumption known as the Westminster Kennel Club dog show is upon us.
It's time anew to view, for those that have the stomach for it, the malformed, bred for show and not for "go", goo goo dolls of the canine world.. More akin to a freak show than a beauty contest, in my humble opinion.
All the primping and preening will be in evidence, for a trot or two around the ring. Known as the second longest continued running event in the Sports world in the USA, behind the Kentucky Derby, this event has everything to do with appearance, and exactly nothing to do with performance!
Form follows function, but for these exhibitors, the old axiom is completely reversed, and many breeds are showing the harm that can come from this point of view.
However, for a little history on "Sensation," the dog that has become the logo of the Westminster KC,pictured above, and a look at the past, before dog shows were entirely about appearance... when a dog had to perform at it's intended work first, and then look at conformation, read this from the Westminster KC site.
And for those that will tune in to see the harm that the AKC has fostered upon our canine friends, be sure to observe the differences between show bred Setters, and Performance bred Setters.. The differences just might shock you...
For more on the dog show world, be sure to visit our friends at A Piece of the Purest Challenge, the folks that brought their breed back from the brink of extinction as working dogs..
If anyone knows the havoc that can be wrought upon a working breed by conformation breeders, and the ubiquitous AKC, they do!
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