I have been very disappointed over time, on the one hand clubs say they want to encourage new comers and to get owners to become more active with their dogs yet on the other they repeatedly demonstrate that they are only happy when the ‘right’ people/dogs achieve things and I have no idea why this is.
I try hard with my dogs, not for anyone else but for myself but if that encourages others too then that’s great, I just don’t profess that this is why I do all that I do because that would be a lie.
Last year the WCGB created their latest year book, the last I shall be part of. I have always supported these things, they are not cheap to support but I think its good to be able to include my dogs and to show that Longhaired Weimaraners can do more than stand in a ring and run a triangle.
Latest year book however, I’ve made no secret that I have been really sad at how its been carried out. There is an awards section for Weimaraners who have received KC awards throughout the year yet obedience and rally were not deemed worthy of inclusion despite the awards that my dogs and the dogs of others received being legitimate KC awards the club refused to acknowledge/include them in the year book….. effectively leading anyone reading that book to believe no obedience or rally titles had been awarded to Weimaraners but also failing to promote that our breed is more than capable of these disciplines. In addition on the clubs FB page it was openly posted that they had reduced the requirements for agility awards accepted in order that those dogs could be included…..why do this for one discipline whilst deliberately excluding another?
Further more the Longhaired article (amongst various other inaccuracies/exclusions) also excluded the obedience awards my girl received along with her other achievement of being the first Weimaraner / Longhaired Weimaraner to compete at the heavily contested and very difficult to qualify for KC GC SPB semi finals held at Discover Dogs. It also excluded all the club awards she has gained which ultimately meant my girl was excluded full stop. When you work so hard to do so many different things with your dogs and they are constantly denied it is disheartening.
I am no longer interested in belonging to a club that decides which KC awards are worthy and which are not based on what I can only see as personal preferences. I’ve spent years hoping attitudes would change but they don’t so I’ve decided to change mine and I no longer want a part of it. We all work hard with our dogs to achieve whatever we can no matter how small but when the breed club isn’t interested in inclusivity then this is not the club either for me or my dogs.
