On this day the 28th of June 1859 the first inklings that the world had gone completely off its collective chunk surfaced to the delight of some and the perpetual amazement of others. The first ever dog show was held in Newcastle-on-Tyne. Even the concept of what a dog show entails beggars belief. In a dog show, judges who are familiar with specific dog breeds (of which there are over 800) evaluate individual dogs for how well they conform to published breed standards, so a better way to describe a dog show is a conformation show. A dog show is not exactly a comparison of one dog to another, it is a comparison of each dog to a judge’s concept of the ideal specimen of the breed standard; based on this, one dog is placed ahead of another. There are, apparently, all-breed judges. So one person can retain a vast knowledge of the confirmation points of over 800 breeds of dog? What, for example, entails a "full coat" or a "cheerful attitude"? How do you quantify "quantity of wrinkles" or "colour of nose"? These details are, by all accounts, the bread and butter of your all-breed judge. Why would 120,000 people in the UK alone want to get involved in this? Is it the dogs they like or is it something else? Politics in the pure-bred dog world can be vicious I’m told; there have been charges at various times of favouritism, nepotism, bribery and even drugging of competitors’ animals. There is a lot to be said for a goldfish in a bowl.
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