The Aussie - Spring 2019

It’s Party in the Park time
It’s that ?me of year again - the ?me when we can celebrate
the pleasure we get from our Aussies at the Annual Party in
the Park. Held, as always, in Windsor Home Park as part of
the Windsor Championship Dog Show.
Each year we are delighted to welcome all Aussies, be they
companions, agility dogs, obedience, PAT dogs, scentwork
dogs or show dogs. Or perhaps all of those!!
The Windsor Show site is a great loca?on and has a fun
atmosphere, everyone smiles as the photos show. And it's
not just the Pimms that our members enjoy that makes
them smile.
There is a-lot to see - and the trade stands are a must. The
range of items and fair prices means that you can spoil your
Aussies without breaking the bank too much.
What is a dog show all about?
That is a ques?on we are o\en asked.
The first modern dog show, on 28–29 June 1859 in
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, was an added aUrac?on to the annual
caUle show. Its country character was clear, as only seUers
and pointers – spor?ng breeds – were shown and the prizes
were guns. It was a low key start to what would be, by the
end of the century, a hugely popular pas?me, with dog
owning fashionable among all classes of society, and which
had huge implica?ons for canine breeding.
The first show to include non-spor?ng breeds was held in
Birmingham later in 1859 and was such a success that a year
later, the Birmingham Dog Show Society ran the first
Na?onal Dog Show, for which there were 267 entries, with
30 breeds, judged in 42 classes.
By the end of the 1860s, the Na?onal Dog Show was
aUrac?ng over 700 dogs and 20,000 paying visitors.
The Kennel Club (KC) was founded on 4th April 1873 by
S.E. Shirley and twelve other gentlemen. They wanted to
have a consistent set of rules for governing the popular
new ac?vi?es of dog showing and field trials. It was the
first na?onal Kennel Club in the world. Today, the Kennel
Club con?nues to oversee all aspects of the dog shows to
ensure fairness and high standards.
It can be a Hobby
As an exhibitor, there is a large con?ngent who regard dog
showing as a good hobby. A break from their normal lives.
A chance to meet up with other like minded people. You
get an opportunity to visit new places, meet new people,
make new friends and have a different aspect to your social
life. Friendships are not just limited to the UK, with
technology the whole world can be open to you and you
can even travel to these countries to meet your new found
friends.
A dog show provides the window for the dog world and
helps to encourage the improvement of the breeds in all
areas. For some people, dog showing can be quite
addic?ve – with many travelling the length and breadth of
the country to go to shows. For others, it is something that
is done a few ?mes to meet up with friends or other dogs
from the same breed, or some?mes it can be for charitable
causes. Whatever the reason, dog showing has many
benefits and enthusiasts.
Understanding how the shows work
This tends to confuse first ?me visitors to a show. Quite
simply shows work on a knock out compe??on basis. You
enter a class with your dog that either relates to age or
previous success in shows. The goal being to give every dog
an even playing field.