Last word from Ireland-Munster Circuit shows

BRAVO to Tanya and Kieran's cousin in Ireland Jacqueline Boohan who today won BIS at Tralee with her OES IR/GB/INT. CH BAHLAMB'S BEAMING BLUE BEARD (judge Mme S Sesserne -France) !!!! :5537:

We decided some time ago not to do the last Irish show at Tralee today as we are off to Scandinavia next week and then have other Ch shows before the end of September.

Hannah Mcnamara Tanya's 14 year old cousin (by marriage) is a new handler/exhibitor in Ireland and we wish her well with Inari's young son Bailey, she needs every encouragement. The breed so urgently needs new and sporting young people who are there to enjoy and have fun and they should not be put off by bad behaviour.
So it is very sad to report that at her first 2 shows on the Irish Circuit this week, at All Terrier and Clonmel Ch shows there was some very very unsporting behaviour aimed directly at her, from people who should know better. These other exhibitors placed themselves and their dogs right by the judges table and deliberately tried to put her off. To happen at one show maybe one could say it was a mistake but 2 shows ? This was witnessed by several other exhibitors and widely commented upon and it was brought to the attention of one of the circuit show secretaries. Maybe she said something ? anyway at the next show it did not happen again. In Ireland it seems people can get away with doing things like that but under UK Kennel Club you would never do so.

What makes us laugh is that the same people who behaved like this (and they cannot deny it because too many people saw what happened) have written an article in the latest issue of ShowdogsIreland which is so obviously aimed at the rest of the AST exhibitors in Ireland and actually describes the very behaviour that they are and have been guilty of. We have a saying in the UK "Pot calling the kettle black". In other words they are simply accusing others of what they have been doing themsleves. We have never ever put anyone off at the ringside, in fact I personally more often than not deliberately stay away from breed rings, yet these people try to do it all the time by intimidation, and usually by stationing themselves right by the judge and by bullying and even stalking some of the AST exhibitors and their connections, and taking photos without permission etc.

It isn’t all about winning and losing it is about manners, etiquette, and fairness. We will continue to criticise others whose conduct is wrong, bad manners and out of line and we will defend ourselves and our behaviour if it is challenged.

So it is time to put the record straight openly once and for all, as I know many people wonder and keep asking why there is so much trouble in Ireland. The animosity in AST’s was never started in Ireland by established breeders . It all began when Kathleen Whiteford the oldest established breeder of AST’s in Ireland (24 years) was asked to present a seminar on AST’s in April 2007 by the All Terrier Club of Ireland. This was was at the same time the AST’s went from Toy Group (under the old system) to Group 3 (Terrier). Just 3 weeks before the event after many months of detailed preparation in which she took great pride, she learned 2nd hand that she had been replaced by ambitious newcomers to the breed who had not bred any AST’s let alone any Champions. Terhi and I attended the seminar and we were quite shocked when the replacement AST presenters produced 2 Imported Ch ASTs stating out loud to all who attended “these are excellent examples of the breed” and then these 2 dogs were paraded up and down as if on show by the daughter of the presenter. A deliberate advertising display because many of the people attending the seminar were judges at forthcoming shows. Both these dogs were being campaigned and shown extensively in Ireland at that time. Considering the seminar was about judging, and was attended by many Terrier judges it was the perfect opportunity for someone to take advantage of and to promote and show off such exhibits by the same handler who would handle them all that year. However it is absolutely totally incorrect and unethical to do that and to use 2 dogs that are being actively exhibited as examples at a breed seminar or to use a breed seminar for such purposes. Even the other 2 breed seminar presenters stated that the dogs and examples of their breeds at the same seminar were NOT being shown any longer. At the seminar the presenters of the AST seminar were unable to answer many of the questions being asked by the audience, and both Terhi and I had to answer some of the questions ourselves. From that day relations soured very much between some of the AST exhibitors in Ireland. No apology was ever to offered to Kathleen Whiteford, and we were shocked at that. Of course it was no surprise that the 2 ASTs used at the breed seminar had a very successful show career as a result of their exposition at the breed seminar. Is it no wonder that this has upset and angered so many people and not just exhibitors in Ireland but also judges and exhibitors in the UK and all over the world. Things have only gone from bad to worse since then with a host of other things that have happened, too many to list and they continue to occur. When will they stop ?
Sadly it reflects on all of us who show in Ireland as people from outside that country often laugh and say well what do you expect "it is Ireland" and that is not a good thing either for any of us, as many people now just dont respect the shows there.

For ourselves-
We have nothing to prove, we stand up for fairness and etiquette, we dont need to bring in Champion after Champion from overseas to collect titles, anyone with the money can do this and it takes very little skill to exhibit a seasoned show dog. We do not need to resort to such unethical tactics to promote our show dogs. We pride ourselves that with our team of friends which stretches from Limartine, Bombix Moren, Crestford, to top USA Kennels etc. we are capable of breeding and above all SHARING the best, and there is no greater satisfaction than breeding a good dog and winning with it and sharing the pleasure with your friends.

Thank you for writing here the facts as they are for people to read both people on this forum and those on the other, as the whole situation is getting ridiculous and it is about time that the record was set straight!

I am only too glad that I was not present at the All Terrier Show and Clonmel to witness the unsporting, unfair, nasty behaviour that was directed at my cousin Hannah, such an act to a member of my family is taking it too far and too personal, had I been there, I doubt very much I would be allowed back to another Irish show, I doubt very much those involved will have any remorse for their wicked behaviour, and achieved what they set out to do in upsetting an innocent 14 year old girl.

I am sick and tired of the stories of woe about the poor young Irish handler being victimised, when she is well able to dish it out to people and to look after herself, she has no trouble in looking down her nose at her elders and being spiteful and vicious. I have never behaved in this manner in or around the ring, I have never set my dogs up outside the ring, and taunted others whilst they are in the ring, or double handled in or around the ring. I have never been rude to this handler and have always congratulated her, even stupidly at one point offered to help her, if my mother or I are gulity of anything it is that we defend ourselves when lies are being told about us or when we stand up against the unfair behaviour being carried out, that is not bullying that is called self respect and it would be worth the while of others to take a leaf out of our book!!

The animosity is there because people continously behave badly and cause the problems, with the lies, malicious tactics and unsporting behaviour, I have no desire to compete in Ireland now a days, hence my abscence from Irish shows of late, the article in the Show Dogs Ireland, lasted edition completely epitomizes how these people have behaved and the feelings they write about are how I feel, not how they can honestly feel if they are still going to the shows and behaving like this, complete load of pigs trotters, otherwise they wouldn't be there!?!?!?!

There was never any animosity before the breed seminar, before the imports came in, it all began there and as time has gone on and more dogs have been imported, friendships forged with scruplious kennels, things have gone from bad to worse, I guess a lot of it too is jealously, what silkies have been bred from these exhibitors, it is glorious to go ribbon hunting and title chasing, with seasoned dogs, but the real achievement is in the breeding and achieving great success with those dogs that you have worked hard to breed that you have chosen with your eye and knowledge from a litter, that you have trained and persevered with, trimmed and campaigned successfully and fairly and it's qualites being appreciated by others that have a clear understanding and knowledge for the breed. We have achieved what they can only hope to achieve, is the only reasoning I can put to this ridiculous behaviour, it would be so nice to go to a show and enjoy each others company, there was a small glimmer of hope of this at Irish Pup of the Year, but then before long they were back to the old tricks.

My one wish would be that we could all get along for the sake of our beautiful breed, to share in our ideas, views, and passion instead of people trying to turn it into a nasty battlefield, because that alone does more damage to our breed than it does to our egos, and it is the love of our breed that we are in this for. Maybe one day my wish will come true.

congratulations