His Fifth Show - Another Exemption at Revesby

A Typical Ringfull of Dogs!

Before I report on our day out, I would just like to explain why rosettes vary so much. Until I organized a show, I never gave them a second thought; other than some seemed a bit cheap. What I didn't know is that they are often the largest cost of the show - all unlicensed shows have to donate all profit to charity; half of this can be lost if you buy expensive rosettes. Not all people have this problem, because some shows are sponsored by the benefiting charity; this is usually when the organization is a large national concern; the RSPCA for example. Rosettes won from these shows can be very nice. Barney has now a few of these, so I have reproduced full sized pictures to display them properly.

The venue for the country fair this Sunday was only 25 miles away, and the exemption show didn't start until the afternoon, so getting ready to go was easy for a change. All I had to do was groom Barney, and take a drink for myself, leaving me a normal morning routine.

It was a warm, cloudy day with the odd clear patch of blue sky and sunshine; perfect weather for a day out with a dog. We left in good time and had a steady ride on fairly quiet roads - until we were about 1 1/2 miles from the venue, when we came to the end of a traffic Que. We slowly moved forwards until we finally got there. It took well over half an hour. Usually entrance to dog shows is free, or a minimal charge; this one was �10 ($15) a car. I asked the young man about this, and was told he had no choice, however as I was alone, and he saw my situation he let me in for half price.

It was held in the grounds of a large country house; part of a large estate. There are acres of unfenced grass fields, with trees dotted about, a lovely setting. We slowly made our way across the field to the car parking area. Once there, I quickly got out, as the sun had made a brief appearance, and it had become hot in the van with the slow pace of traveling. The clay pigeon shooting had started, and the sound of gunfire was plainly audible; however Barney had no compunction about getting out, making no sign of wanting to stay in the comparative safety of his 'home' on wheels.

I walked with him into the noise and bustle of the crowds among the trade stalls and sideshows; and still he made no sign of being frightened of the gunfire. I slowly walked round, heading for the end of the field closest to the shooting, also looking for a sign of the dog show. When I came to a small clear area and the sound of the shooting became louder, Barney showed his first sign of unease, although he wasn't shaking with fear as he often does. I headed back to the entrance, and he was pulling ahead a little. I went back to the van and put him in, so starting again. I retraced my steps, and this time he hardly took any notice, so I continued and found the show-ring - closest to the shooting - wonderful!

A lot of the people attending had a dog with them, surely they couldn't all be entering the show. Other than at a dog show, this is unusual. At the ringside I found a large number of dogs and people booking in for the show; so all the others were simply here with their dog. Booking in took a long time; in fact I think the organizers had underestimated the numbers attending. I chatted to one or two people while waiting, and noticed Barney seemed quite relaxed about the gunfire; in fact after we had been waiting for some time he lay down - what a good sign.

On booking in I found we were only eligible for 2 classes, nearly at the end. There were only pedigree classes until class 7 Best Condition, and class 9 Dog The Judge Would Like To Take Home. After booking in with a total cost of �1, I walked back to the van to get a drink. Half way back I was hailed by someone I know. He has a Lurcher, in fact he told me of Barney's history, living on the same estate. He did not have his dogs with him, but did comment how well Barney looked. I have only seen him at the local Country Fair twice, despite him living locally. After a few minutes chatting I went back to the van, and slowly returned to the show-ring. Upon asking I was told the first class was only half way through; it was going to be a long wait. I sat down and Barney lay down and went to sleep. I was overjoyed; he didn't notice the gunfire at all.

After a while I had another walk round the show. We stood at the side of the main ring, looking at a horse and carriage display, and looked on some of the many stalls selling outdoor clothing, horse and dog wares, and all the other items usually found at these fairs. Returning once more to the show, we found class 3 was in the ring; still a long wait. The other contestants were mainly show people with pedigree dogs. I think a pedigree is simply a mongrel with both parents of the same type, but sadly the majority does not share this opinion. This is a main cause of the overproduction of dogs, giving rise to the vast numbers of unwanted dogs.

At this point I actually thought about not bothering to enter. Instead of waiting there I might as well go and look at the activities in the ring, or have a walk around. I walked back to the van again, and got a drink, slowly walked back and then found it was nearly our class. With it being Best Condition I wouldn't get a chance to show him properly. Nearly all the other dogs were eligible for a class, where they had been called individually, giving the judge the chance to see them move, and have a thorough examination.

I walked into the ring and took a place in the line. I decided to move to the corner, and tried to walk Barney properly, hoping the Judge may get a glance. It had been quite a long day with large numbers of dogs in every class. To my surprise and delight, several people who knew me had walked up and said hello while I had been waiting. I had said we wouldn't get anything today, so wasn't going to be disappointed to be going home empty-handed. The judge walked round having a look at all the dogs, there were a lot in this class, mainly pedigree dogs that regularly enter shows. After looking at the last dog she quickly walked to the far end and called a dog out. The steward who was asking the people the judge had picked to come forward, pointed in our direction. I thought she meant the dog next to us, and was amazed when she called me again, beckoning me when I held my hand up. We joined the final group, and the judge awarded Barney second place. He got a large rosette, a book and box of biscuits.

I left the ring, going back to a woman we had befriended, and who was showing several dogs. The sedate pace had suddenly quickened, and everyone was rushing about. The next class was quickly over and we went in again. The judge, as is her right picked the dogs she would like to take home, six little yorkies. Barney must have impressed her all the more to have been awarded a high place, amongst so many show dogs.

After taking the prizes and rosette back to the van, I returned to the main ring and watched a dog display team, Barney didn't seem very impressed, in fact he didn't take much notice at all. Walking round he found another admirer; I had lost count of the number of people who had commented on him during the afternoon. While we were talking, a marching band came on. The enthusiastic drummer was loud and, looking down saw Barney was shaking, and a little distressed. Loud bangs must hurt his ears, and from my previous experience with Jessie, know dogs learn to anticipate this, adding to the problem. However I didn't make a fuss, ignoring him totally, not wanting to reward him for being frightened.

After a short while he settled and while the band were still performing, albeit a little farther away, I showed his heelwork to the people I was talking to. I managed to take his mind off the noise, which is sometimes almost impossible to achieve when he is stressed; at the Stradsett fair he had no interest in anything. Amazingly, he took an interest in the titbit I was holding, even performing his heelwork quite well. It is unusual for a dog to work properly more than twice, only a few experienced dogs in the higher classes have this attention span. Given his tiredness, and the fact I had shown him off to several others beforehand, he performed well, getting praise from the people watching. I was overjoyed with his show of stamina and at his apparent lack of concern for all the noise and bangs.

I said goodbye, and went back to the van. I had waited until many had left, as it would have been another long, slow crawl to the road and beyond. We arrived home about 8.00 in the evening from another surprisingly successful day. He had almost no problem with the gunfire, and had been awarded second place for Best Condition in a ring full of well-groomed pedigrees.

The one small disappointment was there had been no Lurcher racing. A few years ago some men had been fighting, so they had stopped holding it, only having terrier racing, still the lure training had not been in vain, as it had built up his hind leg muscles, something noted by quite a few people, and adding to his good condition.