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Our Magnificent Seven
A Beautiful sight to start the day. All seven beagles were inside the van, as we took our sweet time cruising the impressive greenery along the road going to the show.
The venue was held in SM Sta Rosa. The area for the event was grand and spacious, and the atmosphere was serene and quiet. The place was very exclusive yet very accessible for the exhibitors. It was air-conditioned, fully carpetted, and well illuminated. One would simply give a sigh of appeasement to this wonderfully planned venue. This was the set to stage the Beagle Nationals 2007.
While we entered the place, friends that I have not seen for a long time greeted me with a warm hug. Other friends who became distant were still snooty and snobbish. New exhibitors as well as the old timers mingled and exchanged pleasantries. Friendly competitors and other enthusiasts met festively talking about their favorite topic – “their dogs”. Ahh - - this has always been a common sight, in a regular routinary ambience of dog showing.
But in any event, such as the National’s, beagle fanatics: owners, exhibitors or breeders would be excited to join this grand show. Exhibitors came in with their best outfits, organizers were formal in their attire, and people all around were so prim and proper. And the dogs were also at their best condition and behavior. Everyone knew this was a special event, a regal one.
Coming up with our line up was not that easy as some of our dogs have grown fat and lazy. The others were shedding as some bitches had just given birth. Some were too young and we were just contemplating which dogs to join and what we would do. A strict and stringent conditioning of these dogs were undeniably followed. Constant care and exercise were given to each and every dog as if they’ve been to a spa. After a total rejuvenation from lazy to quick, makeover from fat to tone, this seemingly disappointing condition became bright and immaculate. We were ready. We had our Magnificent Seven.
Our distinguished judge for this particular show was Mr. David Hiltz from the United States of America. He has been judging the breed for the last ten years. His famous kennel is called Starbucks Kennel. And his vast contribution to the breed gave much impact when he produced numerous quality beagles, and notably Multi Best in Show winner Am Ch Starbuck’s Hang ‘em High who has 137 champions up to date. He was also the judge in the National Beagle Club of America in 2006.
Mr. David Hiltz arrived in a smart and stylish suit and started to judge the baby puppies. After this segment, he judged the Veteran’s dogs. He went on to judging the dogs and bitches in the regular class. Each and every dog was given critiques as these would be given to the exhibitors after the show. Up to today, I have not gotten the critiques for our dogs! A critique should in my point of view, list the dog’s major attributes and its major faults. Of course this has always been a debatable opinion. A critique should reflect how a judge sees the dog at that particular time. And an opinion for the day should not influence the future judges nor a judge should base their opinion by past critiques that they have read. On the other hand, a responsible exhibitor should take the critique in stride. After all this is a part of the never-ending learning process. When the best of winner’s was chosen, Mr. Hiltz started examining the dogs in the championship level.
He was looking for dogs that would fit into the “type” he based on the breed standard. In evaluating any breed, the judge should have a priority list of those elements that are most important in his evaluation of an individual exhibit. A common priority list might be type, balance, soundness, condition and showmanship. Type has to be the single most important element in judging any breed, for it is precisely this quality that distinguishes one breed from another. A dog may be balanced, sound, and in good condition, but if the dog does not look like the breed it has little certainty be included in a breeding program. Since the beagle head should have a gentle and pleading expression, Mr. Hiltz carefully examined them. Then he moved on to checking the movement of each dog. Far reach and a powerful drive while top line remained level were very essential. In the process of segregating and picking the best, he dismissed a group of dogs out of the ring. He was trimming down his picks and would finally be placing them. His last six candidates were the best of the best he could find – and finally awarded the winners. Everybody was delighted and flashes from the cameras continuously went on and off. The organizers had to announce to the exhibitors that stud dog and brood bitch competition will follow immediately. And photo shoots will be done after the last and final competition.
As the excitement escalated to its very peak, with exhibitors laughing joyously and people already congratulating each other, the winners were announced.
1. Phil Hall of Fame Tytus Field Shotoku Spartan – BIS
Owner: Oliver Calanasan
2. Tytus Field Beracah Gambit – WD, BOW, RUBIS
3. Phil Ch Harmony Outshine Them All – BOS
Owner: Alvin De Vera
4. Phil Hall of Fame Eaglbe Warlock – Best in Vet/AOM
5. Phil Ch Tytus Field Joie de Vierenc – AOM
Owner: Nathaniel Cheng
6. Ph Ch Tytus Field Beracah Eragon “ Dragon “
Owner: Gary & Natalie Robite.
I need to mention” Dragon” for this segment because he was included in the top six dogs during the final cut for the breed. Mr Hiltz wanted to give an award to Dragon, but he gave a big handshake to the handler instead. He commented that if there were more trophies, then he could have given him one. With much pride, Dragon and the handler swaggered gracefully out of the scene.
7. Tytus Field Bugle Wind Call - WB
Owner: Art and Raquel Bautista
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In retrospect, I could only smile with full contentment. I remembered when these dogs were still at puppy stage. They were equipped with full potentials for showing. They were “correct” and overflowing with breed type. While some of them were cared for from the rightful and responsible owners, they did train and condition them to the most of their abilities to attain these glorious wins. I salute them for this. These dogs that were chosen had one dog dominantly behind their bloodlines. I am of course referring to “Banjo”. All of these winners were either his sons or daughters. And in some cases his grandchildren. I had never witnessed such an impeccable feat. This was unbelievable! I had the pleasure to speak with David Hiltz after the show in brief and I told him that the winners he put up were all related. He felt good, and I did too.
Over the years that I have experienced, from going to a dog show of only five to six dogs participating, to something like this grand really could take my breath away. I believe there were at least 70 dogs competing and while clapping for all the dogs and the winners to my heart’s delight, one cannot make me stop to think I did something right.
New exhibitors, young breeders or even the sovereign elite of dog showing saw the Beagles that we have today. It is in these events that we could learn more of our beloved breed. We could see how the breed had evolved – be it for the better, or could still need a lot of room for improvements. We could also witness from the many beagles that were presented and discerned its type for our future-breeding program. While type might have evolved and became refined, it is important to recognize the changes, which have taken place and decide whether it represent progress or regression. It is the knowledge of the past that we can use to provide us a foundation for creating the future.
Although personally, my assessment of our beagles now are way better in type than before. Special awareness should be given to the placement of the eyes in the head, which helps create the character of the breed. The distance between the eyes changes the intensity of the look. Eye shape is also very important, as these impressions are what create the expression of the dog. Dentition problem had always been the issue from the past National’s and is still is. The Scissors bite is the desired bite as mentioned in the FCI standard. Even if it’s not written explicitly in the AKC standard regarding dentition, – level bite is permissible. The forequarter for me is the weakest point we have in the many dogs in the ring today. While our breed calls for shoulders to be laid back – I did not see much of this. A number of factors can alter the angle at the point of shoulder. One is the straight shoulder, second is the ratio of length of shoulder blade to the forearm. If length of upper arm is short, the shoulder blade will be pulled toward the rear of the dog, which will cause the angle of the shoulder to open and become greater than the ideal. This will also result in the moving forward of the top of the scapula at the withers. This will move the withers up the neck and make the neck itself appear shorter. This will result in an imbalance in length of neck to both the length of body and the height of the dog. These problems can, therefore not be considered as isolated elements because one problem will affect another area and modify its overall effect. When the shoulders are out of balance, the elbows will be affected and their freedom of action will be restricted. This will cause the dog to move his feet in a non-natural fashion. This will not be typical for the breed and the dog will have lost one element of type. These three aspects are the problems I see our beagles having today.
My overall impression of the beagles I saw in the National’s was a modified version made more compact and refined compared to beagles before. They have better expressions, stronger topline, and nicer rear angulation for better drive. Bone substance was never a problem even before. The color of the beagles varied. I saw more broken tri, and lemon and white in the ring. The dark classic colored beagles are more shaded now, maybe due to pigmentation deficiency. And showmanship both from handlers and dogs improved by a mile.
Having said this, I was overjoyed to see all of the dogs as well as the owners in this event. My blissful years were full of accomplishments. And sincerely, I could not have done all of these alone. I was blessed with good friends, superior mentors, supportive protégé and most of all a little luck.
And at the end of the day before I went to sleep, I thought about everything that had just happened, "A CRYSTAL, TRUE AND WHOLESOME WIN" and believed it was just PERFECT.
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