ON A PERSONAL NOTE NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS OF A DOG ENTHUSIAST
T ruth be told, I donot usuallymake resolutions at the beginning of a new year. I always fear that I will be unable to keep them and will feel as though I have let myself down. This new year is also the start of a new decade, and, hopefully, the start of new relationships and experi- ences with dogs, as well as continua- tion of the paths I have been on during the past few years. I have always had goals (things I want to accomplish) and options (potential paths to move toward my goals), so those are a little like resolutions anyway. Within the big part of my life that is dedicated to dogs—judging, exhibiting, working with breeders, and caring for the dogs I have at home—there are still many things I want/need to work on, both personally and professionally. Here are my 2020 resolutions within those four groupings:
JUDGING: • Attend the National Specialties for Poodles, CavalierKingCharles Spaniels and Pomeranians. These can be made to fit in my schedule and I do love to attend National Specialties for breeds I am study- ingwhenever it is possible. • Complete my application for the five breeds I am not approved to judge in the Toy Group by the end of May. • Continue to always have my big book of standards at the ready while I am judging. I find that even though I have reviewed the breeds I am judging the night before, I sometimes like to refer to the actual wording of the stan- dard when I am making a deci- sion between two deserving dogs: an essential part of type? a fault vs a serious fault? >
by Dr. Andrea Bradford
40 • T op N otch T oys , F ebruary 2020
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