With 1543 entries, a slight decrease compared to the 1587 last year, it seems that this is the regular number again that this show has used to attract. It is running again on cruise control.
The layout of the show has changed last year and with only a very few changes it looks like the commercial stand holders are happy again as there were many. Instead of putting them all in one hall not close to the main ring, they are now situated around the main ring and the passages from one hall to another. The public is guided this way along most of the stands.
Most foreign exhibitors came from Holland and France, but I was surprised to find out that some came from Britain, Denmark, Poland, Italy, Hungary, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Portugal, Italy and even from Russia, Canada and the USA. Of course this is a small minority but it gives an international aspect to the show, especially when the Best of Breed came from Italy and the 3rd Best of Breed from Germany.
The panel of judges was composed of 10 nationalities and from the 26 judges eleven were Belgians. The average number of dogs to judge was not very high for each of them, except for a few and this was a surprise to me as the best scoring judges were our own ones. Mr. Dewilde had 104 on Saturday and 90 on Sunday. His wife judged only on Sunday and had 73. Mr. Roosenboom had a nice entry on Saturday too with 92, the very same as Mrs. Schaub from Germany who judged Collies, Bobtails , Shelties and Corgies on Sunday. Mr. W.R. Irving from England had 83 Terriers This group he shared with Mrs. M. Van Brempt from Belgium who had 60. Mr. Irving chose the best Yorky who later became Best In Show. He probably remembered this dog from Crufts as he ended 2nd in the Toy group this year. Mrs. C. Rossier from Switzerland had 67 dogs on Sunday and 53 on Saturday. It was her Schnauzer who later became Runner up for Best in Show.
Although the layout of the show has dramatically improved since last year, the main ring still misses some glamour. A little more light in the main ring would be great, especially above the podium and I am still waiting for a better podium which is too small for the large breeds, has an ugly colour and is always stuffed with bags of food , sponsored gifts of all kinds in reflecting plastic bags and carton boxes in front. It would also help if it would not be positioned in front of a concrete pillar with fences around that are crowded with people hanging over it. We have a good example in Luxembourg on how to decorate and position a nice podium for few Euros. A podium should accentuate the beauty of the winners, a dog show is still a beauty contest! I understand that sponsors want their logo visible, but there are much better and eye-catching ways to do this without turning it into chaotic situations. Pictures have to be taken and will be published in many national and international magazines and it is very important to leave a nice impression of a show. But with pleasure I give credit to the organisations of this and other shows to work on this. A good job has been done here and Paris wasn’t built in one day either.
Next edition of this show on 14 and 15 april 2007.
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