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Naw, it wouldn't be in line with their image. In fact, they should consider removing their logo of a working setter on point----most of them can't do squat either and replace with with a conformation representative----head strung up, blank look in their eyes, all scissored, chalked & purty.

 

Besides, if they did change the border collie breed representatives on their website to one like the working bc picture, they'd have to do it for all the breeds, and can you imagine the shock of the public when they attend a show and see dogs like in your first picture instead?

 

No, most of those for whom the Garden is an annual event, a goal, would look down at a dog like your working bc picture, just as I'm sure many of them didn't quite know what to make of the 9-11 dogs who were paraded before BIS---now those dogs brought the house down!

 

I've been to Wesminster two or three times as a spectator. I don't regret the experience. I made sure I was there the first year border collies were shown. I was up in the stands passing out literature to spectators on working border collies. Kinda felt like a communist.

 

After that, had no more desire to go.

 

Two totally different worlds.

 

Vicki

 

BTW, now I know why these boards have been so quiet the last couple of days. All of you guys were watching Westminster!! Do we have closet Barbie collie admirers among us?

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I have to say that all the publicity created by the show (ABCNEWS.com ran a story entitled "Westminister Show Thrills Dog Lovers") makes me cringe. It just makes it that much harder to educate people about the evils of conformation as the measure of a breed. The fact that the stories are so fawning and accepting of the premise of dog shows is doubly annoying--a good journalist should know better.

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I'll admit watching it. I wanted to try to figure out how they judge these dogs. so far, i haven't been able to understand how the process works. all I have to say, is these people are all kinds of screwed up. there's just no understanding it. i give up.

 

 

also...it's amazing to me how vastly different a working collie and a show collie look. I definitely like working collies more The show collies look like Bernese mountain dogs (only smaller). While I like BMDs, they aren't BCs, now are they? Why should they look alike?

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I see nothing wrong with breeding good healthy companion dogs & there are a lot of good looking show dogs. The problems becomes---well, it's been rehashed over & over---that companion & show dogs is all they are. The problem becomes when show dog breeders become delusional and claim some sort of working ability---in any breed.

 

Standing with the rabble & watching group judging at the Garden, I thought I was going to hurl when they called Lassie "the shepherd's dog of Scotland", and the barbie collie something to the effect of a true working dog.

 

That must have been my last trip. I couldn't take it anymore.

 

Vicki

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haha they said the same thing about the barbie collie last night too. Granted, the best of breed border collie was cute...it just doesn't seem to represent the breed(but then, it isn't really a BC by the standards of anyone other than show people). do they even allow working dogs into the show ring? anyone know if there are unspoken rules about that? I mean, it seems to me that all the BCs I've seen (rescues and farm dogs, mainly) are a lot rangier (and much less floofy, even those who are rough-coated) than show collies. How can a floofy dog possibly represent a breed it doesn't even closely resemble? I think I'm beginning to understand the frustration w/ the AKC and other show clubs. I'm probably not even coming close to what you all must experience, but I think I've made a dent in my comprehension.

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My wife and I refuse to watch it, since we believe things like it are the cause of many of the problems that affect dogs today. From health problems to pet shops selling the breed of the moment puppies. I don't have a problem with breeding for health and working abilities, but breeding for appearance results in things like bulldogs having 75% chance of HD.

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And if they are prick-eared (or anything other than tipped) you can bet that the owner has tied the ears up (for a better position on the head) and glued them down (to get that tipped look). That's what really kills me--probably many of those show dogs don't even have the conformation du jour, but their owners have altered it to improve their chances in the ring (just in past month or so I have seen several pups with ears as described above--I asked one of the owners what on earth ear set had to do with working ability, and surprise, she had no answer to that....). And being the sweet person that I am, when she tried to explain why tipped ears are so nice, I asked why they wanted to make the border collie look like the rough collie (probably should have said cross between an aussie--body shape--and rough collie--ears).

 

J.

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Julie (or anyone else):

 

I am not sure that I want to know, but...

 

I know what prick-ears are. But what exactly are "tipped ears"? It's a little hard to tell from the picture.

 

I thought there were only 2 basic kinds of ears. The stand-up kind (featured in your dogs) and the floppy kind (my dogs). I guess those aren't the technical terms.

 

In your explanation, please don't use jargon like "brisket" and "withers", or I'll have to post more messages.

 

I can't ask my local dog experts about this because I am trying to maintain a facade of dog knowledge and they will laugh publicly at my ignorance. You people are really just electrons so the derision is more tolerable.

 

charlie

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I just looked at the Westminster site to see the border collie results. They did give a special mention to a dog (4 yrs old) that has his UDX (which is not an easy thing to get) and it also has numerous Herding titles. Which are still AKC titles, but at least the owners work their dog on SOMETHING other then a table and a brush.

 

Doesn't make any of it better, but at least the dog gets to work stock and not just be pretty and poofy all the time. Probably exactly why it didn't win anything.

 

Denise

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the BOB BC this year still looks a tad bit better then last years though, but not much. what horrified me was the HQs of the winning greyhounds

 

look at this:

HM86131803.jpg

um ok the breed is bred to RUN, thats dogs HQs are so weak they would fall apart if it tried to run!

 

and the winning GSD horrified me even more, that dog is discustingly over anglated! I feel down right sorry for that poor dog!

 

DL83251205.jpg

 

now I am not sure WHAT the lab judge was thinking, but the BOB dog should be relaxing by a firepalce NOT at a dogshow, that thing was just horrid! I even heard comment from AKC lab people saying what was that judge thinking? :eek:

SN77628201.jpg

 

I only know this years from the website because they did not show it here, but from the pictures I cant beleive my eyes. :eek:

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too funny, as I was commenting on the Berner-looking BC's around here, I went and looked at the breed results and sure enough, the dog I was referring to won Best of Opposite. Too funny. That dog looks almost exactly like the breed winner and doesn't act like any BC I know. :rolleyes:

 

-LS

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Sorry Julie,

 

not only do I not have a photo of Jasper, I don't have a website to post photos to. :rolleyes:

 

Actually it's too bad I don't have a photo of when we first got him; he's lost muscle mass over the years. A good human comparision would be Jackie Joyner-Kersee vs. a Jordache Model.

 

Mark

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Is the photo of the lab for real? Or did someone superimpose a picture of their overweight pet lab into the background of Westminster?---as a joke.

 

I think I'm serious when I ask this question.

 

And how can anyone compare the BOB GSD to the WTC dogs?

 

As I said earlier---2 totally different worlds.

 

Vicki

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