USA Sieger Show 2007 - Results... - Page 6

Politics are always going to play a part in these types of events. How we change that, is anyone's guess. The judging was interesting this year, and I will leave it at that. I was a volunteer at the Host Hotel and at the Show Grounds. I have to say when I went outside to walk my dogs Friday morning I was disgusted! Outside the main lobby of the hotel, there were empty beer bottles, plastic cups lying around and cigarette butts ground into the carpet. You could see where dogs had marked territory on the carpet and lifted their legs on the entry doors, and corners. Dog waste was not being picked up by the majority. Some people were seen picking up after their dogs, but many didn't. Every day I spent at least an hour in the morning and evening cleaning up after the other participants. You could also see where dogs had relieved themselves on the floor of the lobby, in the elevator, and hallways. I had a 16 week old male pup that I had to rush down from the 8th floor every morning to eliminate. If a 16 week old pup can get down 8 stories, out through a lobby into the parking lot before he relieves himself, I assume other dogs can as well. Beer bottles, paper towels, shavings and such were left lying every where in the parking lot, and on the show grounds. On Saturday night, the regional director with a group of volunteers cleaned up after dogs at the host hotel then went over to the show grounds to clean up over there. Numerous dogs were left in well ventilated vehicles to bark all through the night causing many complaints to be made to the hotel. It is sad that there are always a few that give the rest of us a bad rep at these events. There are always going to be people who don't like the results, for whatever reason. Sadly, there were accidents where young animals paid the price. For other animals they were lucky that there was a handful of concerned volunteers who walked through exhibitor parking and spectator parking making sure dogs were okay. I personally never want to have to run with a bowl of water in my hand, through the woods, and ask a police officer "is the dog alive?" ever again. A VERY Wise man once said to me, "THE DOGS ALWAYS COME FIRST! make sure your dog is taken care of and hydrated."

And dog people wonder why politicians are anxious to stick their noses in our business. Why wouldn't a breeder insist a new owner had adequate conditions for the puppy they just sold? Because they had the money in hand and after all isn't that all that matters? 90% of the breeders should not be and about the same amount of owners have no business being involved. Inhumane treatment, trashing other peoples property, complete irresponsibility and disregard for others; that pretty much sums up these shows year after year. It won't belong before others join California. Now go stick your head back in the sand and don't call each other to task, after all no one wants their feelings hurt.

I have to agree with DeesWolf. I have never seen so much garbage left by participants (there were PLENTY of trash cans everywhere, poop scoops, baggies) or such inconsideration for appearances at a major event before. Its unfortunate that smoking was not allowed in the hotel, and no "out-of-the-way" smoking area to confine smokers, so smokers were obliged to congregate right outside the front door of the place. Most Germans smoke, especially when they drink, so the whole entrance to the place was all-but-blocked by people, many inebriated, a few extremely inconsiderate, and some really piggish. I was the last one off the show grounds on Saturday evening, hanging with friends and walking my pups, cleaning up what they had deposited in the outlying areas during the show so no one would step in anything nasty in the morning, cleaning off my own shoes from stepping in what HAD been left. I was appalled at the MESS! Even after watching the grounds keepers come through, doing a great job of cleaning up after so many poorly-bred humans, people STILL continued to leave their trash right where it fell for everyone to see in the morning, when the just-emptied trash barrels were only a few steps away! I witnessed more than one dog allowed to lift its leg on pillars in the hotel lobby, and the handler clearly noticing but not stopping. I went out to my van and got a rag with Fantastic on it a couple of times to try to clean so EVERY male dog to pass wouldn't be tempted, but it was obvious later that evening it had happened many times since my futile effort and I was out of cleaner. Dogs had been allowed to pee on potted plants in the lobby, furniture in the elevator foeuey's (spelling butchered) sign holders, benches... Crap had been scraped out of trailers and crates in the parking lot and left where it landed on the pavement for the next visitor to step in. The hotel staff tried valiantly to keep up with the a*#^&+'s, but were far out-numbered. I have been on the clean-up crew of a lot of events in my life. NEVER have I seen such a mess, such blatant slovenly behavior, at a German dog event! Its clear that there's more $$$ than ever before in the show circles these days. The scent of freshly minted money in the parking lot is overwhelming for a "normal" person like me. The small, one-or-two dog, one-week-vacation-per-year, wipe-your-feet-because-we-don't-have-a-maid working schlep, proudly maxing out his/her VISA card for a few moments in the sun with his pride-and-joy, is getting harder and harder to find at a Sieger show, like a lone Budweiser can lost in a sea of green-glass, imported beer bottles. I wonder if there's a correlation. I should have been a poet. Think? Bwah ha ha ha ha ha ha Shelley

"Now go stick your head back in the sand and don't call each other to task" Small problem is that even if "we" call each other to task, the organizations seem unwilling, and change will be minimal (if any) until they do. The 'pigs' can laugh about getting away with anything and feel no responsibility to the breed, sport, organization, or public image that they are damaging. Reading about this show makes me ashamed to own a GSD.

Wow. I hope those of you there that witnessed and tried to help clean up will contact those you know did some of the damage and chew some butt. I have seen some of the same and have no problem "asking" somebody to clean up their mess. I've even been known to hand out doggie bags to offenders so they know they were seen and expected to pick up. Some can be shamed into it, some are too far past caring or above the little people to get dirty.

Let's see what we can get done at the annual meeting at the Nationals this year. If people aren't willing to curb this behavior maybe they need to be replaced. A small penalty, like "Dismissal for Unsportsmanlike Conduct" would get the attention of most of these morons. Does anyone have the gonads to post the name of the puppy killer or the accomplice, the breeder?

Shelley, ah, so some of the Germans were pigs too, not just our own American owners? Hmmm. Isn't it enough that many sell us overpriced pups and older dogs with hidden issues, waaaaaay overcharge for handling, and have questionable ethics in their judging? Now we have to deal with them wrecking our public image as well? And we PAY them for it? They fly off to Germany, full of cash after having had a great, responsibility-less vacation....leaving us fighting anti-dog legislation that is largely from irresponsible ownership? I'm sure not all Germans are like that, but I've never understood the phenomenon that just because something or someone is from Germany it GUARANTEES excellence. Ever wonder why we buy all these top "world class" titled imports for breeding, yet we still run back overseas to import puppies and young dogs? They're playing both ends of the stick on that one - but only because we like playing the game so well. After all - an expensive import is soooooooooooo much more valuable, right?

I didn't know any of the offenders I actually saw throwing trash on the ground, knowing full well they had done so, and leaving it there. I DID, at one point, sachet across the path of a departing vehicle who had just thrown their beer bottles and trash on the ground as they closed their car door, (causing them to apply the brakes as not to hit me) to pick it up, GLARE AT THEM briefly in so doing, and march it to the trash can 10' away. They gave me a very dirty look and hit the gas. Another car load saw the incident, got back out of their vehicles, picked up they much smaller amount of trash they had left, and apologized sheepishly for their oversight. That only left about two pickup truck loads of trash in that immediate area. Shameful. SS

I to was appalled at seeing dog crap on the show grounds during the show and watching people throw trash on the ground and just leaving it there. I sat and watched MANY people walk by one pile of dog poop and no one stopped to pick it up. I finally got tired of it and picked it up myself after seeing if anyone else would. That wasn't the only one I picked up during the day. It's a shame when you have to clean up others dog crap as well as your own dogs. There were plenty of bags hanging on the fence every couple of feet as well as pooper scoopers. I brought my own bags from home and kept them in my pocket. I had one woman who made a point to come over to me to thank me for cleaning up after my own dog. I guess some figured that volunteers would come behind them and pick up their or their dogs messes, so why should they. The thing that bothered me the most was hearing about the 5 mo old puppy that died because it was left in a car in the parking lot. Both days I was there, there were several announcements made reminding people to check on their dogs. All day Sunday, volunteers, Police and Animal Control checked vehicles and even tho people knew a puppy had died on Saturday, there were still dogs in vehicles with doors and windows closed. On top of that, someone was going around and closing doors on vehicles. I was one of people who's van doors were CLOSED with two dogs in my van. Thankfully, myself or Claudia were checking on our dogs every 10 to 15 minutes and our dogs were fine. I was so angry and upset. I did report it to the Police so they were aware of what was going on in the parking lots. If things continue like I saw, there will come a day when NO ONE will let us use their property for any dog event and the hotel/motels will refuse to allow dogs. All because of a few who just don't care. Dee, I will never forget what seemed like a long run in the woods with you or the look on your face when you asked the Police Officer if the puppy was still alive. I will also never forget the relief I saw wash over you when that puppy came out of the vehicle and was SOOOOO happy to see us!

"Let's see what we can get done at the annual meeting at the Nationals this year. If people aren't willing to curb this behavior maybe they need to be replaced." (spook101) Can't agree with you more, but if the offenders are the ones voting, nothing's gonna get done. Just like that felon issue. What a no brainer - yet it got tabled. I'm still in shock on that one. And yes, I too want to know who left their pup to die in a closed car, who sold them the dog, and what the organization is going to do about it.