Well, I guess it's just like anything thing else, you have the good handlers and the ones that make the rest of them look bad, for one reason or another. Sometimes they are in both categories, it just depends who you ask. But I think this latest stunt just put Handler X onto my 'Naughty' list.
Hander 'X' has been showing for Owner 'A' for several years. She has good dogs. X has won at multiple National Specialties & Eukanuba with her dogs. My husband actually referred her to him when she was looking for a handler in her area of the country. Owner A has contracted with X to show her bitch this year and he has been doing so. Last weekend or so a really 'bad' handler, let's call her 'YYY' (because that is what most people thought when they would see her, for one reason or another) was suspended from the AKC. The reason at this point is not the issue, but it was a big suspension, which generally means that is wasn't a first offense. YYY was handling a decent dog for Owner B. Since that YYY is suspended, she cannot go to shows. I do not know who approached who, (or is it whom?) but now Handler X is showing the dog for Owner B. Did X approach B because he heard about the suspension and saw more $$$. Did Owner B approach Handler X because she didn't know better and knew that he showed that breed? Did B have an ulterior motive to lure X away from A to better her chances in the ring? Who knows? That is not the point right now.
But now X has dumped A as a client and taken on the dog from B. How much notice? Last weekend, the day A was supposed to bring her bitch to X, so that he would have her to bring to this weekend's show that started yesterday. He just dumped her and left her high and dry. No transportation to the show for her dog, no handler for her dog.
THIS IS JUST NOT RIGHT. If it were the other way around, and A wanted a new handler, she would have to give notice to X, or be liable for the handling fees for the shows already contracted. At the very least X should have transported A's bitch to the show and found another handler to take the bitch in the ring, if that is what A wanted.
When X was asked why the bitch was not in the ring, his response was 'She is being bred.' After discussions with Owner A, the bitch is entered and was to be shown by X, at this show. She is NOT in season. X said that she was 'flagging' while on the Florida Circuit. This handler has bred dogs for over 20 years, he knows that means that she was ready to be bred. X knew that A wanted to breed her, but it would appear that he knew she was in season but wasn't willing to give up the money or the ring exposure and send her home. Owner A would still have been responsible for the handling fees for the shows that were contracted, whether the bitch was shown or not, if she brought her home for breeding. Now, Owner A did not only probably miss a chance to breed her bitch, but has been left out in the cold by a handler to whom she has been dedicated for at least 4 or 5 years (by my count, but it could be longer).
When handlers do crap like this, it makes the rest of them look bad. At the very least, X should have had an in depth conversation with A, and come to a mutual agreement about what is fair. X should have tried to get her another handler. What about X's wife? Or is she already showing another special in that breed? They regularly take dogs in direct competition with each other. At least A's bitch would be in the ring. Are they now at least reimbursing A for her entries? The money isn't the point, it's about what is professional, and what is right and fair to all parties.
SORRY FOLKS, but it looks like our handling contract will be getting a little longer, to add more protection for the client. Just like our puppy contracts, I can tell you stories about most of the paragraphs, and who got screwed by whom, prompting us to add another protection to the contract, for us and the purchasers.
Everyone who doesn't get exactly what they think they should, tends to remember things from their prospective. Clients do need to remember that this is how the Handlers make their living. This is not their 'weekend away for a dog show.' When an appointment is scheduled you need to be there or we could be with another client. But that also works both ways. If they tell you to be there at 2 and they aren't ready for you, well, I guess it's like going to the doctor, you just hope they are late for a really good reason, but now had better give you all of the attention that you deserve! We have some fabulous clients that understand the heirarchy, the stress, and the schedule They are a joy to be around. On the other hand, many clients that we have had in the past don't take this seriously. Of course they want to win, but will not listen to instructions (don't walk the white dog in the dirt, or on the black parking lot, this is how to brush them, etc) or think that when given a time to arrive to have their dog groomed, is just a suggestion and really means 'sometime that day.' When Dave has 10 dogs to groom for the next day and your time to be there is 2:00 and you don't show up until 7, and the dog is not even dematted, you get what you get. He already has his evening planned out until the building closes and again from the time it opens the next day.
It is a handler's responsibility to present the dog to the best of his/her ability, but it is the client's responsibility to make sure that the dog is not totally trashed when they show up. Giving a dog a bath, means that you must also blow it dry properly. If you can't do that, it makes the handler's job that much harder, and takes more time. Many clients don't want to leave the dog with the handler, however doing so allows the handler to bond with the dog, tweak the grooming bit by bit throughout the weekend, and if the dog needs another bath, it's the handler's fault not the owners.
I could go on, but will probably have to do that in another post.
BIG HUGS TO ALL THE GREAT CLIENTS WE HAVE!!!!
Little Hugs to all of the less that stellar clients we have had, as we definitely learned something from you.
