Best friends on show
by Charlotte Knottenbelt
They
say you are either a cat person or a dog person, and if that’s the case then
there’s no prize for guessing which category Lisa Vann and Margaret Payne
fall into. The two UniSA staffers both love their dogs and they‘ve got the
ribbons to prove it.
Margaret, a payroll officer in the Human Resources Unit, first became involved in show dogs 11 years ago when she bought her first pure bred Schnauzer. “My husband said ‘if you‘re going to pay that amount of money for a dog you are going to show it‘,“ she says. Eight dogs and more than 100 shows later, and Margaret‘s devotion to her growing brood of Schnauzers could fill a room – and then some. “Having no children of my own, my dogs are my children, and believe me having a Schnauzer is almost as big a commitment!“
For Lisa, a business analyst for UniSA‘s International Prospective Students Office, the step from regular dog owner to show-goer took place after the death of her long-time Rottweiler companion. “When he died I looked around for another dog and liked Dalmatians – they are not too big or small and everyone loves them – people don‘t cross the street to get away from you when you take them out for a walk,“ she says. “I spoke to a breeder who was keen to get her kennel name out there, went to have a look at the SA Canine Association and was soon hooked.“
For the uninitiated, dog shows fall into either the ‘open‘ or ‘championship‘ category – open shows are judged by trainees, while the championship shows are adjudicated by fully fledged judges. There are different classes for dogs and bitches, and different categories according to their age. Each canine has to run around the show ring, before lining up to be examined by the judge, who gives them scores on a range of traits, including things like temperament, eyes, ears, mouth, body, tail, feet, gait, coat and ‘faults‘. The winner of each class competes against others of the same breed in the dog (or bitch) challenge – the top dog and bitch then compete for Best of Breed, and the whittling continues – to Group Winner, and then the ultimate, Best In Show.
With a list of wins too long to detail, Margaret‘s dogs have been wowing the judges this year, picking up a bevy of titles including Best of Breed and Reserve Dog Challenge at the Brisbane and Adelaide Royal Shows. Lisa‘s best performer so far is Ryder (show name: Ocnylee Jobie Dajka, after the cyclist) who received first place in his class at this year‘s Adelaide Royal Show.
“My ultimate goal is to take out Best in Show at the Adelaide Royal and the Melbourne Royal,“ says Margaret, and for Lisa, it‘s to have fun. “My aim is for them and me to have as much fun as possible – if we‘re not enjoying it then there‘s not much point really.“