Aric Bryant | Vormir

Interview with Aric Bryant, Breeder of Vormir

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Where do you live? How many years in dogs? How many years as a breeder? What is your kennel name?
2. In your opinion, is your breed in good condition overall? Any trends that warrant concern?
3. As a Preservation Breeder, can you share your thoughts on the sport today? How’s the judging these days?
4. What are some of the challenges encountered along the road to full AKC recognition? What are some of the challenges as a preservation breeder? As an Exhibitor?
5. In your opinion, is social media good for the sport? Is it harmful?
6. What are the biggest challenges facing the dog show community as a whole today and how can these be addressed?
7. What are some of the positive changes you’ve seen in the sport over the past decade?

Aric Bryant

1. Greetings, I’m Aric Bryant, owner of Vormir Czechoslovakian Vlcak. I reside in Melrose, New York. I’ve owned just pet dogs for the majority of my life. It was about six years ago when I looked into getting a fun sport-dog and imported my first Vlcak from Czechia. I imported another from Slovakia… and yeah, we all know how that goes, once you start getting more! As of right now, I am planning my first breeding at the end of this year.

2. Being the second person from the States who gets the opportunity to show my dogs in Europe, I get to see the good and bad at more of an intimate level than just seeing it on social media. We have a big issue with pedigree integrity. So, of course, it’s important to make sure anyone interested in the breed has a knowledgeable mentor to help make sure they are getting a purebred dog with a stable temperament.

A common trend I see is heavy dogs that have short limbs and not-so-great temperaments. At the end of the day, the breed should resemble the Carpathian wolf that has a fearless and courageous temperament.

3. Specifically, in AKC, we were limited on the shows we could attend while in Foundation Stock Service, but opportunities have opened up for us now that we’ve advanced into the Miscellaneous Class. That being said, I have been fortunate to have judges come into our ring ready to ask questions if they need to and they also bring our breed’s Standard with them.

4. I would say the biggest challenge is getting numbers. Getting people interested in FSS/MISC breeds or exhibiting—we either have people not interested in working with a breed on the path of being recognized or we simply have dogs in pet homes that are not interested in exhibiting, which is fine. Just more work for us!

Specifically, Csv have been accepted into AKC’s FSS program starting back in 2001. It took 20 years after that for people to start showing and earning CMs [Certificates of Merit] on their dogs. The breed effectively moved into Miscellaneous as of June 26 of this year.

5. Social media is going to have the good and bad. It has its usage, such as bringing a community of people together. It is easier to get news within a breed-specific community, but it can be harmful. It’s far too easy to sit behind a keyboard and hurt each other.

6. Acceptance is the biggest challenge. While we (FSS/MISC owners) do have support from other exhibitors, we do see exhibitors and even judges discredit our dogs. Our dogs are just as legitimate as the ones already recognized by AKC. AKC does give us new hurdles when they put out new requirements for breeds getting recognized.

7. I really enjoy seeing AKC rolling out with new companion sports to encourage even pet owners to get out there and be active with their dogs.