BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER – 03.02.2011

There is a beauty in watching the evolution of a young dog’s mind and body. It’s obvious to anyone who sees Orso in a show ring that he is just a baby and is still far from what he will become, yet it appears that judges he has shown under are experienced enough to recognize a diamond in the rough. This is a refreshing realization for me, as there will exist the occasional exhibitor who would opt to “hide” a young dog from the show ring for fear of others’ opinions – and will go so far as to demand that we do the same with Orso and then openly and harshly chastise us for choosing not to “hide” him.  To them we say that we are sorry if our differences in opinion offend you, but what makes our world interesting is that we all have differing perspectives and as human beings we have a responsibility to respect the views of others without callous and destructive criticism.

I suppose the cliché that says “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” inevitably makes its home in a dog show ring quite often and we are no exception. We believe wholeheartedly that every stage of Orso’s growth is beautiful and we embrace his evolution with pleasure and love. Orso is our pride and joy and we will never hide him from the world!  Do parents hide their children when they go through that awkward, and at times unattractive, stage of puberty?  I should hope not.  Please don’t expect, or worse yet, demand, the same of us.