White Noise

Sunday at the show in Charlottetown was a much better affair than Saturday. Based on the previous show's results I didn't have a lot of hope that the placings would change much so I entered the ring with Archer and Leeloo with a philosophical outlook. At least I knew that my dogs were behaving, well conditioned, and ready for the show ring. All the things I can control I had well in hand.

Archer lost his class again but I suspect very few judges would be able to see Archer past the huge puppy he's competing against. My mom took a video of the two of them moving together and there isn't much difference except size and visual maturity. However, he showed like a little star, stood stock still to be examined and seems very cheerful and up all the time which makes showing him an absolute pleasure. For a 7 month old puppy I am extremely pleased with his progress and looking forward to allowing him to mature into the dog I know he'll become.

Leeloo and I then entered our class and as usual she was a good girl, stood nicely, stacked beautifully and gaited, of course, flawlessly. The judge then awarded us first since we were the only one in our class . Before the ring steward could call us back in for Winners Bitch the judge opened his CKC Book of Standards and flipped through to the Ridgeback. It took me about a millisecond to guess what he was looking up.

I said to the other junior puppy bitch exhibitor that the judge was checking the book ... probably reading up on the amount of acceptable white. After a few moments he called us in. We went through the paces again and what do you know? Leeloo gets the point! The judge was Alan Bennett and must have considered that Leeloo's (exceptionally sound) movement trumped her white enough to award her the point. She didn't get Best of Winners but I'm not complaining!

Rather than be concerned about a judge who checks the standard I appreciate the fact that they are confident enough to look it up. If they like the dog but have questions about finer details I'd rather they double check than guess. The standard is not extremely specific about white, just excessive white on the chest and above the paws is considered undesirable. Leeloo has white feet and although is does slightly extend beyond her paws it does not create a 'sock' effect. Most Ridgebacks today have a white chest patch and it can often make a dog lacking depth and fill in the chest (between the front legs) appear as though it has those virtues. It can also accentuate the fill and depth of a dog that already has it. It's no secret I like the white and think breeders who have none at all or are attempting to eliminate it completely are doing the breed a disservice. It's in the genes for a reason.

If Leeloo was not an exceptionally sound and typey Ridgeback I would not have considered bringing her to Canada but since she is what I consider one of the soundest(and prettiest) Ridgebacks I've ever seen I decided to take a chance. I love that little maniac like the dickens and am confident that she is one of the best and brightest!