Q. How long have you been judging?
A. Since 1977
Q. How long have you been judging bloodhounds?
A. 11-12 years
Q. Have you ever owned or shown a bloodhound?
A. No
Q.What important attributes of a bloodhound do you look for while judging this breed?
A. The overall picture is most important to me, the
length of leg to length of body, the balance of head to rest of body, how a
Bloodhound carries himself. Parallel planes of head, the ear shape and
carriage, eyes most important, shape, proper colour, no inherited eye
abnormalities, balance foreface to skull, appropriate skin and folds. Good
layback of shoulder with upper arm to match, proper keel, straight back,
balanced rear-quarters with good definition of 1st and 2nd thigh, good feet,
tail set on and carried properly, and good powerful stride. Coming and
going is important but sidegait more important than either of the former.
And, of course, good temperament.
Q. Do you have a preference of color?
A. No
Q. Do you have a preference of size?
A. No
Q. What attributes do you feel breeders have improved on over the years if any?
A.Overall soundness, both in structure and
movement and in temperament. Eye health has improved too. Overall I have
been impressed with the average quality in many areas of the country. This
is a very difficult breed to breed and a breed full of such detail, so much
goes into the making of a good typey sound Bloodhound, as opposed to a
simple traditional 4-square dog.
Q. What attributes do you feel breeders have lost over the years if any?
A. Nothing comes to mind...
Q. Do you prefer to see a bloodhound shown on a loose lead or a tight lead?
A. I prefer a loose lead. This is a tough breed to show...I make allowances and
enjoy the breed as the characters they appear to be. This is not a breed I
expect great showmanship from but when one finds a dog who likes to be in
the ring, as opposed to one who is frightened of the mats, the building,
etc., it is an added bonus and when found on a really good dog, it's great
fun!
Q. Do you prefer a slower or faster gait for judging the bloodhound?
A. I like to see a dog moved at the proper pace for his
breed, and at the pace where the dog shows himself off to advantage.
Q. If you had equal quality bloodhounds in the ring, which attribute would be your decision maker for the win?
A. Who could put everything altogether and exhibit all the
characteristics desirable in the breed when moving as he should to do his
job.
Q. Would you like to see anything in the bloodhound standard changed or clarified?
A. I would like to see the Bloodhound Standard reformatted as
many of the Standards were back in the early 90's. I know it brought huge
amounts of criticism from parent clubs and thus AKC did not enforce this
reformatting, some clubs did it, some did not. I really do think the breeds
who did benefited from it as it was an opportunity to fill in the blanks
so-to-speak. For instance, you do not have down in your Standard the
proportions desired, such as the Golden Retriever which simply states
12:11...your Standard says "stands over more ground than is usual with
hounds of other breeds." Well if you really know dogs then you have a fair
idea of what you are saying here, and it is indeed a judge's obligation to
learn what it says, but let's face facts, not all judges take the time and
some would dismiss your Bloodhounds as not a major member of the Hound Group
so do they all put the same energy into learning about them??? I often
think Standards that are too general in content lay the breed open to mediocre judging.
Q. Are there any common mistakes that bloodhound exhibitors make in the ring that you would like to see improved upon?
A. None that I can think of...
Q. Have you ever attended a Bloodhound judging seminar?
A. Yes
Q. If so, what was your opinion of the seminar? If not, would you like to attend one?
A. I was lucky to attend a Seminar in NY that Jim Edwards did a
few years ago. It was enchanting as he was so in awe of his own breed, so
honored to be connected to them, that he passed his enthusiasm on to many of
us in his audience. He did a beautiful job covering details and I came away
from that Seminar understanding the breed better than when I went into it.
I can't say this about 75% of the seminars I attend on breeds I'm learning
to judge or already have, so many are a total waste of time, but this one
was certainly worth my time. Whenever I step into a Bloodhound ring I
remember the club of america's initial letter to me when they sent out their
breed information and that was to be prepared to get up to my elbows in
slobber and if I wasn't prepared to do that, please don't judge our breed
the letter said. I have never forgotten those words and it is so true...I
detest people who judge a breed they don't really enjoy and I'm sure you get
some of that in your Bloodhounds, it's not everyone's cup-of-tea...and I enjoy good clothes
and certainly start each day trying to look my best and stay that way
through the day but I am also happy to get some "Bloodhound" on me...it
comes with the job!
Q. What size slobber rag do you prefer exhibitors to carry with them in the ring?
Wash cloth, dish towel or beach towel size?
A. Wash cloth
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