FCI World Dog Show photos by Matt Stander, Eugene Zaphiris, and Foto D´Angel
Well, the four days spent in Mexico may have been highlighted by the holding of the so-called
FCI World Dog Show, but the reality of the situation is that a hell of a lot more was going on than that one day. There were three other shows, a Veterinarian conference for 2,000 vets worldwide, outdoor obedience in a racetrack field while horses raced, agility contests, a fabulous art exhibit emphasizing the place of the dog in Mexican history, and over 150,000 spectators in attendance.At times confusing, chaos seemed the norm of the day, but eventually some sort of order prevailed. Basically, the last two days were carnival in atmosphere. Candidly, most of the chaos got straightened out by then. Schedules were adhered to, times kept, and normal dog show procedures followed. With the advantage of time, while the days were long (and when aren't they at any FCI-backed event?), the proceedings ran more smoothly. Perhaps not as smoothly as those us from the U.S. are used to, but smoothly enough. What may have been lacking in efficiency was more than made up for in intent and desire to please. Let's not forget that this very massive undertaking fall on the very broad shoulders of two very unusual and capable dog men—José Luis Payró Dueñas and Juan Luis Martínez Gutiérrez. In addition, earlier in the week, they had the FCI meeting in Acapulco with which to contend. But more on that later.
Wednesday night was the inaugural ceremonies, which, while long, included a terrific
pyrotechnic display using the Aztec Pyramids and Mexican history as its theme. Next day was the International Championship Day. The English Setter from America was BIS. Shown by Jorge Olivera and his wife, Susie, they also won the Working Group with their Affen—yes, Affens are in Working at FCI shows. An American Sealey and Afghan also won their groups that night. Of course, at FCI there are 10 groups, not 7. The day itself was marred by numerous thefts of American pocketbooks andcell phones. It was as though they had earmarked us. The conditions within the arena were fair to mid-level. Clean-up was barely evident; however, this did somewhat improve throughout the proceedings. Schedules were difficult to follow at first, and absentees the first two days were inordinately high. This lessened as the weekend neared. Breed judging was over fairly early, but groups ran late every night due to all the other proceedings—Progeny, Veterans, many puppy BIS's and the like. We also set up the beautiful DOG NEWS booth, provided for us by FCM, which, I may add, sold out early Sunday AM. Such was the demand for both DOG NEWS and “D” that we closed the booth by 4:00 PM each day to ensure we would have enough materials for the following days.
Come Saturday and things were even smoother, insofar as the running of the show was concerned. Thursday and Friday were sort of like practice days, since the hordes of spectators truly did not materialize until Saturday and Sunday. Friday night's Best was an Afghan from Spain or France. That was the only day this dog won the breed, even though, I am told, he is the top-winning dog on the Continent. Certainly not of American type, for sure. Saturday was a Spanish Alaskan Malamute going Best, while Sunday was the Japanese Toy Poodle. This was one of the Smash JP-bred dogs that has such a great tradition of producing top-winning Toys in America. 
Second Best was an incredible Bulldog from Guatemala, from the Working Group. Right again—both the Bulldog and the Affen are in Working at FCI shows. An American Junior, Dillon Kipp, was awarded Best Junior the final night, too.
Some overall comments… With each day, the show improved tremendously.Biggest overall problem was clean-up, so I thought. Biggest disgrace was the crowd booing Carla Molinari for awarding a PWG its group. No one knows this breed better than she does. Most questionable judging: Rufus being put fourth in his class the first day. Most interesting breed I watched: Filas. They were of an unusually high quality. Scottie competition was fascinating. Diversity in Afghan results fascinating, too. The griping of certain American judges about the food (which was delicious) was totally unacceptable. The superior attitude of the FCI judges from mid-Europe equally unacceptable. The quality of the Beagles surprisingly low. The FCI group alignments need to be re-thought! The hard work of Jose and Juan without compare, and the overall results of the proceedings earns a high eight! The success of the DOG NEWS booth and that of the AKC booth “exceeded all expectations.” The high quality of theAmerican dogs was good to see. Breed competition in Shih Tzus was keen, as it was in Rotties. The dog I would have liked to take home with me, if I could have,which I never saw before, was easily the Reserve BIS
Bulldog. Possibly it was from Guatemala but owned in Mexico. The Parsons also impressed. Overall reaction to the four days—high eight. The high points definitely outweighed the low points, unless of course you fall into the category of being a fault judge.Which, unfortunately, is the case with too many of us. How does an American judge get listed as living in Mexico for FCI purposes? Last question to ask. Final and definitive statement is that this was a glorious four- or five-day experience. As for changes to take place in the future for FCI hierarchy—I’ll explain that in another article. It’s just too complicated to get into now. •
