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THE DOG SHOW - Part 1

On the grounds there is a permanent first-aid building staffed for the day with nurses, a permanent press reporters' building, and two large permanent storage buildings to hold equipment during the year. Permanent ladies' rooms and men's rooms are freshly painted each year, and even telephones are brought into the grounds for the big day. The parking lots will accom­modate 10,000 cars. There are 16 drinking-water fountains all piped underground. The great event is held on a polo field, and the lawn there is manicured to within an inch of its life. Ca­terers are on the grounds with hot lunches as well as sandwiches and soft drinks. Flags fly from the tops of tents and buildings, and little pennants in the club colors of purple and orange run up and down the tent ropes. Electric lights are strung under the tents for the people and dogs who arrive the night before the show, and a dog-food company supplies food for the dogs.

One hundred very polite policemen are hired for the day to act as guards and to help direct traffic on the grounds as well as through the town of Madison. Incidentally, there are so many cars driving into the show that even five entrances into the grounds are not adequate to keep traffic moving completely smoothly. If you are an exhibitor, you are notified in advance which one of the entrances will be closest to where your dog will be shown and where his bench will be located. I will ex­plain all the terms I have used later, such as bench, exhibitor, et cetera, but right now I am trying to give you a mental picture of this one show.

The dog-show catalogue of approximately 375 pages, with a cover in club colors, is sold at each of the entrances as well as on the show field. Each of the four exercise pens is approximately 3,700 square feet and each has electric lights strung for night use. These pens circle groups of trees so that if it is a hot day, there is shade for the dogs. In the exact center of the grounds there is a permanent building for the show superintendent and the show secretary from where they direct the many activities. There are 100 young men hired for the day to act as runners and messengers. There are 42 large show rings roped off and all 42 will be used at one time, each with its judge, stewards (who help the judge), runners (who help locate the dogs), and the many exhibitors and spectators interested in each breed. Each ring will have an umbrella under which the judge will sit to get relief from the sun while waiting for the classes to start. On his table will be a carafe of water in case he gets thirsty, and there will also be many sterling-silver trophies as well as crisp new one-, five-, and ten-dollar bills to be used as prize money. There will also be lots of satin ribbons to be given the lucky winners in the sought-after two colors of purple and gold, red and white, purple and white, blue and white, as well as the single colored ribbons of blue, red, yellow, and white. Around each ring is a row of chairs for the spectators and for the ex­hibitors when they are not in the ring.

Related terms include dog show leads and dog crufts.