The Newfoundland Club of America and the Art of Sportsmanship

Here is a tale (posted on Facebook) that defies even the ever self-contradicting Newfoundland Club of America:

"I had a disappointing experience at the Ballston Spa dog show last Fri. It started out on a good note when [my dog] won Winner's Dog. I was approached afterwards by one of the other entrants (that I know) and was told it was too bad my dog won and that her dog should have won since he only needed a major to finish. I said well my boy only needs majors to finish too! She then went to the AKC rep and complained about the bad judge and the bad choices he made. It continued on later with her telling everyone there why my boy should not have won. She even posted on FB later about the bad judge, and the "questionable decisions in newf males" he made and the AKC rep being called. But she failed to mention that she was the one that called the rep (verified) because she lost and was not really concerned about the judge being physically ill. What ever happened to good sportsmanship??? What kind of example is this for new show people that were there? We all have shows where we may not agree with the judge’s placement decisions, but we move on to the next show and hope the next judge likes our dog. Very disappointing, especially coming from an NCA breeder/board member. I am not sure what she was trying to accomplish with this behavior. The judge was not going to change his book to make her dog the winner. His other choices for WB and BOB were good. All she accomplished was a display of poor behavior on her part and loss of respect by those that know her. This is supposed to be fun and the bottom line is that it is just a dog show. To me friendships last a lot longer and are more important than the results of one dog show. She did win on Sat and finished her dog, and I congratulated her."

NCA declares as one of its objectives: "to do all in its power to protect and advance the interests of the breed and to encourage sportsmanlike conduct at dog shows, obedience trials, and other events under the rules of the American Kennel Club." So yet again, who is protecting the Newfoundland from the NCA?