Unsportsmanlike Conduct or Just Plain Bullying?

With regard to bullying and unsportsmanlike conduct:  

It seems like the Topeka show brought out some really bad behavior by more than one ‘couple.’  Unsportsmanlike Conduct does not just refer to your bad conduct on the show grounds.  

A long time breeder/handler really went overboard on a dear friend after returning home from the first Topeka weekend.  Let's refer to this person as 'Platter.'  Platter called up this dear woman at home, at night, and actually yelled at her because she had hired someone other than himself to finish her dog.  This woman is now afraid to attend shows where this man might be present.  Platter had her in tears, afraid of what he would do to her.   

Well, Platter, the handler that she hired, did what they said they would do:   Showed the dog when they said they would, AND finished the championship on her.  Maybe if you had followed through when you had the chance, she wouldn't have hired the new guy.  In fact, YOU still owe her.  Still, IT'S A FREE COUNTRY!!!  Anyone can hire whomever they want.  

We all want to win every time but there is no excuse for this type of behavior.    Platter, this is definitely not behavior that the PHA or the AKC Registered Handlers program emulates...so you big bully remember that.  

If it were me, I would be writing a formal complaint letter to the AKC Registered Hander Program about this behavior.  

Remember, several years ago, when I saved your life at Outback when you were choking on a piece of steak?  Then the next year, or so, we went to dinner at the San Bernardino Show.  I was in a conversation with your partner, asked him a question about a dog that he had bred, at which point you came across the table, steak knife in hand, threatening me, for insulting your dogs!!!  It was a question, not to you, but to your partner, about something that occurred when you were not even present.  Then you came up to me in tears at the show the next day apologizing because you were SO in the wrong.  How soon they forget.

I could go on.  And I think I will...

Remember when you came looking for a really good bitch puppy for one of your clients that was a ‘long time dog show person.’  They have really done a lot in multiple breeds, you said.  You lied.  I trusted you and then found out that you had just finished their first show dog.  A dog that we would have neutered and placed in a pet home.  Long time show dog people, huh?  Then when you couldn’t finish the bitch we sold them, and we did, that really pissed you off.  But I guess when you spend that much time trying to finish a big clunky dog, and telling the judges how good he is, when you bring out a smaller elegant bitch with an awesome coat, now what do you do?  She is definitely not anything like the dog, so if you tell the judges she is good, what does that make the dog?  And what does it say about your ability to evaluate the breed?  

When the bitch came in season at 18 months of age and the owners wanted to breed her to their male, we said “No” for multiple reasons.  One reason was that she was 18 months old!  Not old enough to have all of her OFFA health certifications completed.  Another reason was that they wanted to breed her to their Champion pet dog, that you finished.  The contract required us to choose the stud for the first two breedings, and both must pass all of their health certifications first.  A few months later we received a card from this owner saying that she hoped this news would cheer us up a bit:  “Ally is due in a few weeks with Bandit puppies.”  After discussions with her and why she blatantly broke the contract, she said that YOU had said it would be fine and we couldn’t do anything about it.  You cost her a lot of money and the loss of her dog and the litter.  You talked her into breaking the contract, and then made us out to be the bad guys.  Well, we are not in the business of breeding puppies to sell puppies.  We breed to improve the breed, and abide by the contracts that we sign.  

Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we could all just get along?