Everest - Showing Your Dog: a Beginners Guide

The Power of the Dog

There is sorrow enough in the natural way
From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store,
Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware
Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.

Buy a pup and your money will buy
Love unflinching that cannot lie
Perfect passion and worship fed
By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head.
Nevertheless it is hardly fair
To risk your heart for a dog to tear.

When the fourteen years which Nature permits
Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,
And the vets unspoken prescription runs
To lethal chambers or loaded guns,
Then you will find its your own affair
But youve given your heart for a dog to tear.

When the body that lived at your single will,
With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!);
When the spirit that answered your every mood
Is gone wherever it goes for good,
You will discover how much you care,
And will give your heart for the dog to tear.

Weve sorrow enough in the natural way,
When it comes to burying Christian clay.
Our loves are not given, but only lent,
At compound interest of cent per cent.
Though it is not always the case, I believe,
That the longer weve kept em, the more do we grieve:
For, when debts are payable, right or wrong,
A short-time loan is as bad as a long
So why in Heaven (before we are there)
Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear?

Rudyard Kipling (18651936)

Rudyard Kipling sums up the feelings of a true dog owner perfectly. Puppies are a joy to own, but they grow up far too quickly. The years rush by and theyre suddenly old and ready to say goodbye. Its important to spend our time wisely with our dogs, not just in grooming and feeding but sharing our hobbies as well. Dog showing is an ideal way to do this and to meet some interesting people and make dog-loving friends as well.

The pure breed canine world has taken a lot of flack of late by people who have no proper knowledge of our way of life or our dogs. Breeders and show people are being branded as uncaring and not fit to breed dogs. We have been blamed for every illness and every sick puppy in the land. Sadly those who choose to point the finger never take note of the good breeders, the breed clubs and the Kennel Club who are amongst the top canine enthusiasts in the world and at the forefront of canine care.

Im pleased to see that the dog show fraternity are fighting back and will not tolerate the anti dog brigade who are trying to pull down our sport. Hopefully this will show the difference between decent dog breeders in the dog show world and the backyard breeders and puppy farmers who feed off this nations love of dogs and breed for cash not soundness and temperament. In this book I have tried to convey the importance of buying a puppy wisely and from a respected breeder, where to find such a breeder and how to avoid the type of advertisement that will only lead to heartbreak.

Ive owned dogs all my life. One of my earliest memories is of collecting our crossbreed (or mongrel as they were called back then) in my dolls pram and bringing him home. Butch was a maverick, all the local lady dogs used his services, he ran wild and free, as dogs did then he broke all the rules, jumped fences six times higher than himself and had the most amazing fleas!

As an adult, and newly married, we owned a beautiful black Labrador cross Collie called Sabastian, who shared our lives for 14 years before leaving us and breaking more than a few hearts. My one true love is the Old English Sheepdog commonly called the Bobtail. As I write this I am joined by one of the younger ones who wander in to remind me its time for food or a cuddle. By my desk sit five wooden caskets; Oliver, Hayley, their daughter Gracie and her son Chuckie were all beautiful Bobtails and very much missed. The fifth holds the ashes of Oscar, our Polish Lowland Sheepdog a truly individual dog.