Wow, it is 7:00 pm in on the east coast where the National Specialty Show just ended! It started a little after 8 am this morning. All those people there must be so exhausted! I don’t know how some of them do it. The judges probably want to take a hot shower and go to bed! The handler’s body must be just about falling apart. Some of them were in practically every class! I’m tired just watching most of it!
I must say the quality at this year’s National is outstanding. I have to applaud all the dedicated breeders who are doing such a great job of breeding some beautiful animals. Today’s classes were even larger than the last two days. I always enjoy watching the 12-18 class because it seems there is a lot of quality in this young class and today was no exception. The Novice dog and American Bred dog classes were equally outstanding. It was this way in both the male and bitch classes. The judges certainly had their jobs cut out for them. They really took their time in their decisions. Gloria really had some tough decisions going back and forth on some animals that she couldn’t make up her mind about right away. That’s how deep the quality was in the classes. Lee had some gorgeous bitches presented to him.
One of my favorite parts when I attend a National is watching the Stud Dog and Brood Bitch presentation. This is where some of the top producers and their progeny are showcased for breeders to share with the rest of us what these bloodlines are producing. What beautiful quality there was this year. One dog dominated and he was absolutely breathtaking as were his children. What was even more outstanding was that two of the other stud dog classes were his sons.
Today, Lanalee interviewed a few prominent people in the German Shepherd Dog community. Among them was Ed Barrett. He told her how he got started in the breed and some of the important people that helped him. He got a little emotional when he was talking about certain dogs. I’ve known Ed since the 70’s and you can always expect a colorful conversation when talking with him. He is definitely one of the most popular judges in the German Shepherd Dog world. I believe he has judged more National Best of Breed competitions than any other judge. (Correct me if I’m wrong). I guess we like him!
Well that’s about it for today. Once again, the members of the GSDCA who have been instrumental in bringing the streaming video of the National for us to view needs to be applauded for all their hard work so the rest of us can enjoy the show. Tomorrow we’ll get to see the Open Dog and bitch classes and then we'll see who will be awarded Winners Dog and Winners Bitch. Also we'll see the Veteran’s class and the Best Puppy will be chosen.
My rating: judging: (4), quality: (4)
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