This little girl and her Old English Sheepdog puppy were just about the same size.  She was handling the pup in the ring at the Bryn Mawr Kennel Club show last weekend and she looked so cute in her seersucker dress that had a big bow in the back.  It’s refreshing to see the young handlers in the ring just having fun with their dogs!  This little girl didn’t even flinch when the sheepdog decided that it was time to “use the restroom” right in the middle of their romp around the ring!

I don’t always think of Saluki’s as being a large dog, but when you see them standing on their back legs – they are tall!  They are also a very elegant and graceful breed.  In this image, the handler is giving a sweet kiss to the dog after they placed in the Hound Group at the Bryn Mawr Kennel Club show in Ludwig’s Corner, Pa. last weekend.

In photography, your eye naturally goes to the brightest part of the image first when viewing a photo.  In the blog image, don’t you first look at the head of the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier and then let your eye roam around the rest of the scene?  This particular handler dressed perfectly to showcase this dog.  Her monotone darker color from the waist down absolutely causes your eye to focus on the dog, not on the handler.  As it should be.  I would think that handlers want the judge to focus on the dog, not on them, but sometimes their attire speaks otherwise.  Flashy dressing in the show ring only distracts the eye away from the dog.  I think it would be wise for handlers to take a look at photographs of themselves with their dogs in the ring to see what the judge sees.  It might cause them to rethink their clothing selection and it could even encourage more wins!  [At least this is my opinion!]  I love the movement in the blog image….the handler’s skirt and the dog’s fur as they are coming “right into your living room” as David Frei would say!  🙂