O Canada

I just returned from a very enjoyable judging assignment in Canada, and I would like to share my experience with you. I think it has been more than 10 years since I last judged in Canada, so it was almost like a brand-new experience. This time I would be judging for the Sporting Dog Club of British Columbia and the Pacific Kennel Club! 

Preparing for my trip, I first checked my passport and realized it had recently expired, so I had to apply for a renewal. Thankfully, there was a local facility connected to a nearby post office to do this, and my passport arrived in plenty of time.

As those of you who are getting to be “quite mature in years” know, there are daily medications to be accounted for, so I checked the requirements for this and found “Keep medicines in their original, labeled containers. Ensure that they are clearly labeled with your full name, health care provider's name, generic and brand name, and exact dosage. Bring copies of all written prescriptions, including the generic names for medicines.” I left a few days dosage of daily medication in their prescription bottles, and dumped and labeled the rest of them into separate plastic baggies. (By the way, none of this was ever checked by customs, but it is better to be safe than sorry).

I flew from Phoenix and connected in Seattle to go to British Columbia. In Seattle, I had to take three “trains” to change terminals for international travel. Huffing and puffing, I made it to the gate on time.

Landing in Canada, I saved a lot of time because I only had carry-on luggage. Going through customs consisted of using an automated kiosk that took a picture of my passport and me, and asked a few questions about what I was carrying into Canada. A “receipt” was printed out, and after showing it to the guard, I was on my way out of the terminal. Interestingly, on the way back, I went through customs in Canada rather than in the U.S. I had booked a very early flight home, and TSA didn’t open until 4 a.m., and customs didn’t open until 4:30 a.m. During that half hour, a huge line had formed, and thankfully I was third in line. This time I showed my passport to a live customs agent, answered the “Do you have anything to declare?” question, and was on my way home.

Communications about my assignment were excellent, and were mostly from what we consider the show superintendent. I guess her official title is event secretary, and her name is Sandi (Classic Show Services). She is a very personable young woman who – with her husband and daughter – does all the work of our superintendents. She did a great job, including going to dinner with us one night and paying the judges in whatever currency we wished. Thank you, Sandi. And who could forget the great photographer, Janine?

The panel was an international one consisting of judges from Canada, South Africa, Sweden and the United States. I was proud to be included. We had some great discussions at dinner, and after the last show we got together at the lovely home of Carmen Haller and her husband for adult refreshments and good company. 

When I landed, I was met by Lorraine Bissett, whose official title was show superintendent, and she was our chauffeur during the entire time in Canada. We had to wait for another judge to arrive in a couple of hours, so Lorraine took three of us to a local Chinese restaurant for lunch. The restaurant only accepted cash, and while we were seated, Lorraine went to get cash from the bank. This was during the time of the IT meltdown, and the bank tellers could not help her. Luckily, she found one machine that was working, and we had a great lunch. Not only did Lorraine ferry us around all weekend, but she also fixed the judges’ lunches for us. She was truly our guardian angel while we were there.

The classes at shows in Canada are a little different than in the United States. They are Junior (Baby) Puppy, Senior Puppy, Canadian Bred, Bred By Exhibitor, Open and Specials. When making placements, the judge awards Best of Breed first, followed by Best of Opposite Sex, Best of Winners, Best Puppy and Select. The groups are Baby Puppy, Puppy, Veteran, Field Class and regular group. Other than the regular groups, there is only a winner in the Puppy and Veteran groups. There is also a Best in Show for each of these categories.

To earn a championship, a dog must have earned at least 10 points under a minimum of three different judges, and have earned at least one two-point win. Although it was a relatively small show by our standards, there were various specialties embedded (congruent) within the all-breed shows, which actually made it a decent-sized show. Included was a fabulous entry of the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever national specialty. It was exciting to see the quality and quantity of this breed. 

On Sunday I awarded Best Baby Puppy to a Pug who marched around the ring like he owned it. My Best Puppy was a Great Dane, whose owner was very excited as she said, “It is very difficult for a Great Dane to beat those little hairy things.” I’ll bet that is true. My Best Veteran was a Rhodesian Ridgeback who I also gave a Group 2nd in the regular group. I later found out that this Ridgeback had won the Canadian national. He is in excellent condition and presented very well by his owner. Reserve Best in Show went to a lovely Irish Setter bitch, who has a beautiful head, good length of rib, and is a wonderful balance of substance and elegance. My Best in Show was a long-haired Dachshund who held a rock-solid topline, has great substance, and a lovely head with a strong upper and lower jaw. I was very pleased with my winners and all the “Best lineups” had very good quality throughout.

If a judge has not judged in Canada within the past three years, he or she is observed. The Canadian observers – who meet certain qualifications – can be judges or exhibitors. This is certainly not like our system, which has become a semi-retirement for professional handlers. 

The grounds were spacious, although the only shade was from the ring tents, so I made every effort to keep the dogs in what little shade there was. The footing was very good, and the ground was some kind of mixture of dirt, sand and cotton. The ground was white and did cause a little glare when looking at the dogs.

Throughout the shows the people were friendly and gracious. It was interesting to talk with them, and hear the same complaints and concerns that we have here in America: immigration, politics and the economy. Housing prices are skyrocketing, while at the same time new immigrants have no trouble getting housing or food.

The breeders are also very concerned about the new CDC rules that will affect dogs crossing the border. At this point there is still a lot of confusion, and changes seem to come every day, but the main concern is importing and exporting puppies across the border. A lot of cooperative breeding is done with some of the breeders in Canada, and the concern is how people are going to keep a litter of puppies until they are six months old before the pups can be transported. There is also a lot of confusion about what paperwork and veterinary input are required. Finally, a lot of the people have heard from customs agents who say they don’t have the time or the knowledge to go through all this paperwork at the border.

I had heard a lot about the Canadian medical system, so I asked how my triple bypass would have been handled in Canada. I was told that it would have been done right away and would not have cost me anything, but if there was an issue that was not an emergency – like a knee replacement – the wait could be up to a year.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my assignment, and I thank all our neighbors to the north for making me feel so welcome and for showing some very fine dogs. As I said when I handed out the Best in Show rosettes, their breeders should be congratulated. 

What do you think?