The Bubble: Newcomers Benefit From Mentors’ Knowledge

The Bubble: Newcomers Benefit From Mentors’ Knowledge

I was thinking about the fact that we have been talking a lot about mentors, but there is one thing that is worth considering. Newcomers are told to find a mentor, but many are unable to find one. There can be many reasons for this. Perhaps it is a new breed, or an established one with very low numbers, and people with experience are scattered around the country. Some experienced breeders are already overtaxed with work and/or family issues, and some are simply unwilling. For whatever reason, there are not enough mentors around. It came to me that we have forgotten a whole pool of potential mentors with relevant qualifications, people who have had experience as breeders, exhibitors, handlers, trainers, and groomers in one or more breeds but are no longer active. They will have gained a lot of knowledge along the way, but two or three decades later they are often forgotten in their breeds.

I am thinking of those people who started to show dogs in the past and then began breeding, gradually gaining experience and knowledge. Some became successful breeders and others became handlers and trainers. Some succeeded in their goals or their goals changed, or due to personal circumstances they retired from the dog show world. How many of these people with knowledge and experience have been adequately remembered, and how many have been ignored and forgotten? Just because someone had to stop breeding and showing dogs due to accident, injury, or bad health does not mean that they cannot teach and advise people and pass on the knowledge they have. Many who retired due to age and have no other commitments would be able to contribute to a mentorship program—and enjoy doing so!

They could also share their experiences gained over the years, telling of life as a show dog breeder and exhibitor when things were very different to what they are today. These were breeders who were able to breed at least one or more litters a year without being called a puppy mill. There were breeders who may have owned, shown, and won with more than one breed. In earlier decades, they may have kept two, three, or more breeds over the years and this was accepted. Some will still be living in their original homes, but many have moved into condominiums, apartments, or even retirement complexes. Today’s newcomers will often not know their names. People in every breed should look back and ask, “Who were the people who were always willing to provide help and advice? Who was that person who provided that one word of encouragement that changed everything? Where are they now?” We have already lost so much history which could have been recorded because the breeders who came before were forgotten—and so was their knowledge.

I remember being introduced to a famous breeder from the early days of my breed at a show in London, I think it was Crufts, and I was still a teenager with a lot to learn. I had no idea that, many years later, I would wish I could go back in time and talk to this woman and learn about the dogs that she knew personally, both of her own breeding and of others. Now, to us, they are just names on a piece of paper with a sparse selection of poor-quality photos to go by. I think of all the breeders around the world who have already passed on, taking their knowledge—and secrets—with them.

How many breeders can you think of who were revered when you first joined the dog world 20, 30, 40 years ago? Many will be long gone. How many will have been asked to impart their stories to a scribe?

Across America and around the world, there is a vast pool of knowledge sitting out there waiting to be remembered, recorded, and utilized. There are people who would love to sit down and talk to some newcomers and give them an idea of what it was like back then. When combined with new discoveries, this will give the listeners a greater depth of knowledge and the ability to make their own decisions as to what they think is the way forward.

Across America and around the world, there is a vast pool of knowledge sitting out there waiting to be remembered, recorded, and utilized. There are people who would love to sit down and talk to some newcomers and give them an idea of what it was like back then.

So many of the things that we’ve talked about or discussed recently have been about the problems the show dog and purebred dog world in general have faced in recent years, as well as possible solutions. Why not talk to some of the people who understand the trials and tribulations of being part of the dog show community but who can provide a dispassionate opinion? Let some of them be the mentors, the teachers. Not all will be willing or able, but if just a few of the remaining respected elders of the dog world in every single breed (who might otherwise be forgotten) become participants, newcomers would be able to learn and knowledge would be preserved.