Judge for Specialty Dogs and Stud Dogs

I truly enjoyed my judging assignment at the 1999 ABC National Specialty. The hospitality, trophies, friendship, sportsmanship, location and overall breed quality were all great. I want to give my appreciation to my ring stewards, who certainly made my job easier: Salli Moore, Tom Fuson, and Loretta Parolisi. A special thanks also to Bobbi Wagner for her outstanding job as Show Chairperson. I think her role is taken for granted by most people, but believe me, her efficiency and outstanding performance are second to none.

My assignment started on May 12, and consisted of judging Specialty Dog Classes and Stud Dogs. The exceptions were 9-12 Months Fawn Dogs and Veteran Dogs, due to an overload. The overall quality was good, but we still need to improve in certain areas. There were many wry mouths, and some lacking underjaw. Another problem was cheeky heads. In structure, we have problems with straight shoulders, bad feet, and movement down and back. On a good note, it is my opinion that we have been improving and that the number of boxers with these problems is decreasing every year. During my examination throughout the classes, I was always able to find good representatives of our breed.

I was pleased with my winners class lineup and dare to say that there were some potential specials here and some potential specials in some that did not make it this far. My Winners Dog was what I consider my best all around boxer that day. He came from the 12-18 Month Brindle Dog Class, and caught my eye early during the class judging. Later on, looking at the catalog, I found out that he is only 13 months old and looks just right for his age. He has a really nice head with beautiful dark eyes, great expression, square body, good movement, and great temperament. This young dog was shown to perfection and responded really nicely to his handler. I expect this dog to get even better with age.

My Reserve Dog came from the 9-12 Brindle Class, and also caught my eye early. He has a really nice head with a true square body, good topline and movement. He was a good representative of the breed and should get better with age.