The non-group group
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About the Bloggers
Daily Breeze reporter Donna Littlejohn has shared her homes with a succession of wonderful, funny, and occasionally difficult canines -- Muffin, Fritz, Ellie, Mercy, Pilgrim and now Cowboy, an Australian shepherd-border collie, and Tess, a border collie. From strong-willed terriers to weirdly obsessed Australian shepherds, they've invaded her world with boundless energy, wet noses, muddy paws and soggy tennis balls. But they've really brought so much more than that -- like laughter and joy, some unexpected life lessons, and more than a few tears along the way.
E-mail Donna at donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com.
Josh Grossberg grew up with the usual array of animals: goldfish, dogs, hamsters, parakeets and turtles. He now owns the loudest dog in the South Bay(Video: Rocket the Dog) and is the least popular person on his block. He spends his free time in dog parks, pet shops and always has an extra plastic bag in his pocket just in case. He also has a cat.
E-mail Josh at josh.grossberg@dailybreeze.com.
Thanks for the great background. Here's someone who clearly knows more about the dog show circuit than I do!
So here's a question you may be able to answer: I've often wondered how (of if) judges, especially for the best-in-show category, can set aside any personal preferences for a particular breed or group of dog in making their calls. It strikes me as somewhat subjective?
Any predictions from last night's competition on which dogs would have the best shot at taking the show this year? I'll do some more research today, but has a herding group dog ever one best in show yet? And was this a first for the puli in that group?
The first Dog Shows were held for Sporting Dogs only. As interest in them grew, other breed owners wanted to participate. There were two groups, Sporting and Non Sporting. As the number of Breeds increased, the Non Sporting was divided into Hound, Terrier, Working and Toy. The dogs that did not fit into those categories remained in Non Sporting. The newest Group added was the Herding Group. It was created when the Working Group became too large.
In England, the Non Sporting Group is called the Utility Group and here in the USA, The United Kennel Club calls it The Companion Group.