Dorothy Schneider
1. Ha’Penny, my kennel, has been breeding Bearded Collies for 50 years. When I met my husband, Dick Schneider, in 1985, I entered the world of purebred dogs, and took over his work following his death in 2005. I live in Virginia. I am working with fellow breeders to preserve our breed by using frozen semen from time to time from some wonderful early Beardies and presenting the best specimens possible to this generation. I want to do everything I can to ensure that the dogs I breed, whether or not destined for the show ring, have healthy and long lives.
2. I think we are in fair condition. I would like to see better fronts and rears. Two things of concern are the age of some very good and responsible breeders and the trend to short legs. I worry about the future without the people I respect as we all age. So many Beardies now are short on leg that a correct Beardie can sometimes look out of place. We are a working breed, and the 5 to 4 length to height ratio in the Breed Standard is meant to optimize agility and minimize physical stress while herding sheep in the hills of Scotland. I hope we are educating judges to appreciate this and to reward correct Beardies.
3. I miss a lot of the old all-rounders who knew the breeds and held us all to a high standard. Generally, I think the new judges are doing a decent job. I am worried about the shortage of class dogs and bitches in my breed. We still have a reasonable number of specials, but COVID seems to have wiped out several years of breeding, leaving us with fewer class entries than in prior years.
4. Performance, especially Herding and Agility, are very important to me because we are a working breed and we need to maintain that. Beardies are not about coat; they are about being able to work as intended. The intent of the Standard is that the dog be able to work, and that is always my intent when I choose breeding matches and decide whether to show a dog in Conformation. Alas, my knees aren’t up to exhibiting in Conformation, Agility, Herding, or other performance categories; but, I encourage others to get involved.
5. I am not on social media much, but it does seem to enable more connections between breeders and those interested in the breed. One concern is that it might allow participants to present themselves as more knowledgeable and competent than they might be. But social media is here to stay, so we had better get used to it.
6. The biggest challenge, at least in my breed, is making sure there are good breeders coming along to keep up the quality. Also, we all need to be encouraging people to want to exhibit, whether themselves or with a handler.
7. I think television, and probably social media, has enabled more people to learn about our sport and to enjoy it. I hope that leads to more participation.
