[Mikey T]

Winner is Ch Topfield-Cloverhil Buggybumpers

the actual Best of breed video is on line

Basset Breed Judging Westminster

 

[Lightning&Stomps]

Wow--I actually picked out the first- and second-place finishers! Of course there were only five to choose from, but still... BTW, why were there only five?

 

[Bassets3]

There are numerous reasons why the entry is small. First there are only a certain number of dogs that can enter Westminster and they all have to be champions. First come the invited dogs. Invitations are sent out I think in late fall. The dogs are chosen according to how they do in the standings through out the year. I believe each breed receives a fair amount of invites. Then the space that is left is up for grabs and from what I hear there is only a small window of time to get your entry in and when it's full, it's full. I also imagine the expense of traveling and staying in NYC plays a factor in some people's decision on whether they can go.

 

[Aruuuu]

Yes, entry into the WKC Show is a bit different from most shows, including Eukanuba. Invitations go to the top dogs in every breed, and from there it's a lottery. The basset entry was incredibly small this year, and probably for a lot of reasons. The judge may have played a factor with some people. I know one breeder judged doxies on Saturday, so didn't enter her dogs this year. Some dogs have been retired from showing. Too bad so few showed up, but -----

I'm glad Buggy won. He's a lovely boy, bred by dear friends of mine, and when I spoke with one of his breeders last night -- she was thrilled to tears. Wish I could have been there to give her a big hug in person......

 

[Terry]

They are all so beautiful... it must be incredibly difficult to pick one winner out of the "best of the best". Also, being partial to all short-legged dogs, I got a kick out of the dachshund in the advertisement preceding the Basset clip. :lol:

 

[Houndsong]

Nice dogs, but the word ponderous comes to mind. Is it true that television adds 5-10 lbs to your figure, and does that remain true for streaming media? I guess they are not quite in field trim.

 

[Aruuuu]

Dogs in Conformation, in any breed, do not look at all like the dogs in the field. Pretty standard stuff, and the reason that there's a bit of head butting between the two factions..........

 

[Lightning&Stomps]

I didn't think the features of these bassets were as grossly exaggerated as they have been in the past. They were heavy, but not ridiculously so. I loved, though, how the one handler pulled her dog's skin up toward its head before stacking him. That was hysterical.

 

[Rubydoo]

And his birth father is Topsfield Snickers; same as Ruby's birth father! :lol:

Janice and little Ruby

 

[Dean]

my opinion--- it's a shame that the national breed organizations can't put a higher priority on preserving their breeds as the hunters they should be. Obviously, creating a "pretty" dog is more important than preserving the heritage of the breed.

 

[Houndsong]

I have no dog in this fight and belong to neither field nor show factions. Those were really pretty dogs. It is just my observation that the "standard" for this breed looks somewhat different from the dogs that are doing what the dogs are bred to do, which is funny. Is there another breed where the goal has been to sort of "max out" certain of the dog's natural characteristics? It seems that the standard is more of an exaggeration or caricature of the dog. Now, have a look at the Vizsla and the Weimaraner. Those dogs were lean and mean.

 

[Beverly Anne]

I do have to say that the little beagle that won the show was awfully cute. It was nice to have something other than a darned poodle win.

 

[Houndsong]

I find it surprising that until now a beagle or a basset hasn't been best of show there, especially given the relative popularity of these breeds. Maybe the beagle is (perceived as) too ordinary and the basset (and hounds in general) is too Goober or Gomer. Maybe a lean, mean basset might have a shot, but it would never get out of its breed.

 

[Beverly Anne]

WHAT! Francis too Goober or Gomer? Perish the thought! My Francis is far too regal (in his mind, anyway) to be considered Goober or Gomer-like. ( my nickname for him though is Dooder-Doo or Boodie-Boo)

 

[Aruuuu]

And his birth father is Topsfield Snickers; same as Ruby's birth father! :lol:

Janice and little Ruby[/b]

Rubydoo -- Are you referring to Buggy Bumpers? His father is Topsfield Bumper Cars; his grandfather is Snickers....

 

[Mikey T]

Is there another breed where the goal has been to sort of "max out" certain of the dog's natural characteristics? It seems that the standard is more of an exaggeration or caricature of the dog. Now, have a look at the Vizsla and the Weimaraner. Those dogs were lean and mean.[/b]

It some extent that is the case with all breed because when judging based on appearance only certain traits that have no bearing a suitability for become exageratedly important and those that traits that are important to purpose but are not visually observable play no role what so ever. But since you talk sporting group I note you did not mention "Lab" a conformation Lab must be at least 15lbs overweight to win in the ring. There is quite a disparity between field and conformation beagles as well.

my opinion--- it's a shame that the national breed organizations can't put a higher priority on preserving their breeds as the hunters they should be. Obviously, creating a "pretty" dog is more important than preserving the heritage of the breed.[/b]

Then again the measure the breed club uses to prevserve purpose is more of a test of tracking ability and less of hunting ability. That said if one looks closely of the history of "Basset Hound" the breed and not all short legged french unting dogs. The original purpose of the breeder of the bred apears to be more centered on the conformation ring, what the dog looks like, rather than their ability in the field.
See The Early History of the Basset Hound in England, 1874-1921


So in reality the "basset Hound" was bred as a show dog first and a hunter second.

find it surprising that until now a beagle or a basset hasn't been best of show there, especially given the relative popularity of these breeds. Maybe the beagle is (perceived as) too ordinary and the basset (and hounds in general[/b]

It is very hard to find any very popular breed to Chalk up a lot of BIS. This is because large numbers are actual a detriment to the quality of the gene pool. It is far easier to get consistent high quality with a realitively smaller pool but all of supperior quality.

 

[samandben]

yeah its really super when they yank the dog so much their front paws barely hit the floor.

#10, the first female/ 2nd to last hound... soooo cute. shes all look at my i'm sexy

the shaker, the last male. hes pretty great too

....and the shaker wins!!!!

 

[Don Bullock]

..
#10, the first female/ 2nd to last hound... soooo cute. shes all look at my i'm sexy

...[/b]

As the breeder and owner of #10 I appreciate the remark, but I must add that she is not all looks. Joy (Ch Woebgon's Kickapoo Joy Juice) is a basset that is a bundle of energy. There are some pictures of her aw Westminster on our website http://www.woebgonbassets.com

I wish that here in Southern California that we had the opportunity to take Joy out in the field. Due to the rattlesnake problem we have here our "field trial season" is limited to mostly January which is also our "rainy season." We don't have any grounds appropraite for field trials here either.

As for conformation bassets not doing well in the field that's a myth. I have seen conformation bassets, even ones that had more type than those at Westminster this year, out in the field where they did quite well. Gail Allen and Gil Tankard in Washington have great success with conformation Champions in the field. There are others as well.

 

[Rubydoo]

3rd generation relative of my little Ruby!


Janice and little Ruby