News reported today that Mary Wild will be charged with 7 counts of animal cruelty in the deaths of 7 show dogs that she handled. 7/8 dogs died of heatstroke after returning from a show and leaving in a van where they temperatures inside the van were as high as 125 degrees. I'm glad to see that they are pursuing this case!

So sorry for the dogs, but so sorry for her too, poor dear.

You really think that this lady "Mary" went inside and knew these dogs would die. If that was the case then the younger girl that keeps being spoken of is just as guilty. It someone was going to shoot someone and a teeneager saw it and said "oh well ok I guess its ok becasuse she said so" does not make it right. This was a horrible thing to happen to the dogs, owners, the young girl and THE HANDLER! Only an evil person with a stone cold heart would wish worse on that handler. Stop for just two seconds and think about how that lady must feel. I mean really stop put yourself in her shoes and thin about how she must feel.

Just because you feel guilty for killing something, doesn't mean that we should give them our sympathy or worse yet, forgive and forget. She was being lazy and stupid. Plus, she lied to everyone trying to cover her ass! It's hard to over ride a superior's decision, even if you know it might be wrong. Mary was the person in charge and she used poor judgement, even when questioned and is ultimately responsible for killing those dogs! I'm sure she didn't mean to, but neither do drunk drivers! They just use poor judgement and ultimately it is others who have to pay. Thankfully she will have to live with this the rest of her life. Now if that is being cold, so be it-I have no sympathy for people who do this. The poor dogs didn't have a choice.

REALLY?? You're probably one of those people who would send a dog out with a handler known for killing dogs or losing dogs in the past because you feel sorry for them. In 10 years or so, when Mary comes back to the show world, I'm sure you will have no problems hiring her to show your dogs As have been shown over and over again, these handlers continue their careless ways and continue to kill/lose dogs. You just can't fix stupid!

I lost my heart dog the same way. The really hard part was that it was me who forgot he was in the car. I'll never get over it. There is nothing that a court or the AKC could do that will ever match the punishment I do to myself every day. I'm a stupid human who was careless. I hope that nobody ever else has to face their humanity in this way. I was always so careful. I was crazy careful. But that day I got a call while out at the park walking my boy from school that my son was sick. I picked him up and brought him home and forgot that my other boy was still in the car. By the time I got my son settled and realized what I had done it was too late. That was years ago. I still cry about what I did. I didn't get another dog for quite a while after that but finally I decided to trust myself. I'm still crazy careful. And I still live with the guilt of what I did. I'm anonymous because I don't want your sympathy. I want everyone to understand that one distraction could result in a tragedy even if you are the most perfect human in the world so be ultra careful. It could happen to anyone.

I'm sorry you lost your dog in this manner - forgetting because you had an ill child was just that - forgetfulness. In the case in St. Louis, the handler knowingly left the dogs in a hot van during a heat wave with high humidity. I don't know the configuration in the van - sounds like there wasn't through-flow - but there is no excuse for being tired/lazy and going to bed just hoping the dogs make it through the night in a sweltering van!

Don't beat yourself up. Your situation was an accident. You were worried about your child, and got distracted. The handler in this situaton had a choice, and made a decision to put herself above the comfort and safety of dogs in her care. Will she regret it for the rest of her life? Probably. She has hell to pay as I am sure she will never get those poor dogs out of her mind. Sad story no matter how you look at it.

I heard from a source who would be in the know that Mary tried to commit suicide. The whole situation is tragic all the way around.

Yes, you're being cold. Mary made a mistake. You've never made a hasty decision that you regretted? Can't you imagine how this might have happened? It must be nice to be so perfect.

I certainly don't condone what Mary did or what might have been said, but I do feel sorry for her. Accidents happen - horrible, tragic accidents. I don't think it's necessary to charge her with animal cruelty. In my mind, those charges are for long-term abuse or cases of repeated abuse; not for one terrible decision.

Accidents do happen, this was not an accident. She choose to leave the dogs in the heat.

I pulled into my garage late one evening recently when the temp. had been in the upper 90's. The garage was hot and stuffy. When I took my dogs outside to walk them, I was amazed at how much cooler it was outside. It felt great outside.

I can imagine something similar happened that night. It was late. It was cool and dark outside. Dogs sleep in crates all the time. She underestimated how much body heat the dogs would generate and how quickly the temp. would rise in the morning. I want to believe that's what happened -- that there was no doubt in her mind that the dogs would be fine.

I read her website before it was taken down. There were testimonials from some of the dogs' owners. They were very happy with her before this. It's understandable that they would be extremely upset now, who wouldn't be? My heart goes out to them and the poor dogs, but I have just as much compassion for Mary.

Of course, it's easy for me to look at the other side of the situation when it wasn't one of my dogs that was involved.

This young woman was highly regarded, and it appears that one of the dogs was of her own breeding. Mistakes happen. In fact, all handlers make mistakes--sometimes really big ones--but most handlers are able to correct mistakes before the owners discovers them or they go too far south.

People who think that most handlers don't make mistakes have their heads in the sand. Even in hospitals where technology abounds and caretakers are highly trained, every year people die or are made much worse because medical mistakes are made. These mistakes are made despite the fact that hospital are regulated by lots of rules and safeguards and must pass evaluations by governing bodies.

Now really think about what it means that handlers (not especially well-trained in medical areas) who are never evaluated for safety and receive no particular training about how to handle emergencies take
two dozen dogs they don't know very well on the road in a van to hot places. Now imagine that you have to get all those dogs in the ring at the right time, groomed, fed, and bedded while spending all day at a dog show. Are you tired yet just thinking about the work? Well, more medical mistakes are made when people are tired than any other time. Think about it. Really think about it. Take off your blinders.

You are kidding yourself if you think that the dogs sleep with the handlers. In fact, you may be kidding yourself if you think the handlers do most of the caretaking. You are kidding yourself if you think that watching the handlers ringside can prevent mistakes on the road. Heck, hospitals have regular bedside evaluations of patients and mistakes are made.
Lots of people actually hire private duty nurses to watch them at hospitals in addition to all the safeguards.

You can blame this one young woman for her mistakes.
In fact, they were terrible mistakes. But she is not the only one making them. And crucifying her on the Internet is not going to prevent any mistakes from occurring again.

we all "live with" the decisions we make ...............good or bad.............carefully thought out or hastily made.

I am sad for the lost dogs.....the owners and YES for this young woman that has the rest of her life to reflect on what could have been

This whole story has brought tears to my eyes everytime it comes up.
A waive of fear has come over me with just the thought of this happening to dogs in my own care.
I hope we can all learn from this horrible accident and perhaps pay closer attention to the safety of our dogs when we travel, or even at home.
I know I for one, will forever have the image of those dying dogs in my head and will use the lesson here in order to do an ever BETTER job of safeguarding the animals in my care.

3 years ago I sold a puppy to a family that had accidently killed their previous dog by overheating their chilly mudroom where dog stayed when they went out for short periods. I interviewed a reference and after talking with the family again felt the previous death was a terrible mistake. My little girl could not have a better home than she has with that family. They made a terrible mistake also, the kids even cried when they saw my puppies at 7 weeks. The mom went white holding a pup, they really suffered from their mistake. We all make mistakes, I just pray mine won't ever be that serious. And yet as I tell my chidren, even mistakes have consequences. It is a tragic situation.

This past week on a long road trip from Walla Walla to Colorado getting our ailing mother moved, my mother's 2 small dogs, Bear and Jamima came close to losing their lives due to heat exhaustion, being left in a hot vehicle while the drivers ran into the restaurant to eat a meal. The 2nd day of this road trip I decided to ride with my mother and my 20 yr old nephew who was the driver. Every time it was time to go in for a meal, he would only crack the windows a fourth of an inch and I kept telling him you can't leave dogs locked in a car with 100 plus weather with only windows slightly rolled down. My nephew and his parents did raise dogs so they were clueless. They got upset with me about how anal I was being about leaving moms 2 dogs in the car so finally I grabbed mom's spare keys and told them I was going to lock the dogs in Mom's car with the air running while we all went in to grab a meal. Then my brother from Havasu who owns a Labrador told my brother and his wife from Colorado that the weather is way to hot to be leaving the dogs in the car.

While we sat down to eat, I told them about Mary and how she had left a van full of show dogs over night and woke up to 7 dead show dogs. With my nephew getting set to adopt his first puppy, a boxer, I really tried to teach him a valuable lesson on heat exhuastion and leaving dogs in a car even when it is only 75 degrees out.

Then my nephew Mark went on to tell me how he was not a big advocate of vaccinating his new puppy cause of how human babie's have been affected and came down with Autism. His cousin is autistic and the entire family blames the baby innoculations so now Mark doesn't feel safe in vaccinating his new puppy. I told him that he needs to give his new puppy a series of puppy shots and educated him on how deadly Parvo and Distemper is. I shudder to think of his new Boxer puppy surviving his first year with my nephew's naive attitude. I'm going to send him some articles on Heat Exhuastion and articles on the deadly puppy viruses.

perhaps you could obtain the name of his Boxer breeder and warn her????
I know that if someone knew a person getting one of my pups may endanger it and didn't tell me, I'd be livid!!!

My newphew is buying his boxer puppy from a back yard type breeder in Nebraska where he is going to college. His room mate is also adopting a husky X ?? puppy around the same age.

I saw my nephew handle my mom's poodle who is 3 yrs old and totally untrained in obedience during this Colorado trip. He really is a natural at getting into the dog's head and training in basic obedience and manners. I think my nephew and his parents just need a little education on vaccinations and heat exhaustion, like most families who are adopting their very first puppy. My brother and his wife will be the ones who will be taking our mother's poodle and dachshund when she passes on from her illness so it is important to me that they be educated on taking care of mom's dogs.

The dogs who died in this terrible tragedy were mostly those of experienced breeders and owners. These people chose this young woman because they thought their dogs would be safe and they thought their trust in the handler was justified.

The handler industry clearly needs to be better monitored, evaluated and regulated. What safety precautions should be required? Are *any* required? How many dogs can a handler safely handle? Does anyone even know how many dogs a handler is taking in a van? What is the accident record of your handler? Does the handler drink and drive, watch movies or talk on the cell phone and drive? How would you know? How many hours of night driving is considered safe? What happens in emergencies? What is the plan if the van breaks down, the handler gets sick, a auto accident occurs, a dog becomes ill, the rig catches fire, etc. What is the emergency exit plan for the dogs? How will they be caught if lost? Will you be called if your dog needs vet care? Or will the handler decide how to treat the dog without consulting you or a vet? What substances would you be comfortable giving your dog to improve performance? Who decides how much food and when your dog eats? Who checks on them in middle of the night? Etc.

Handling is a financially big industry with few/no regulations or oversight. And dogs can't speak for themselves.

This makes me think about other tragedies. Every once in a while you hear about a child who died as the result of some parents stupid behavior. Can you imagine what it must be like to have your child die? Can you imagine what it must be like to have your child die and YOU were responsible? Then the authorities bring the grieving parent up on charges. That is heaping one cruel thing on top of what must be the most horrible thing that can happen to a person. It is incomprehensible to me.

I think this was an incredibly terrible tragedy, but remember the dog fancy and word of mouth among breeders is the absolute best regulation you will ever need. The fact that we hear about accidents like this so very rarely, speaks volumes about just how well the average successful handler takes care of the dogs they travel with.

You really don't want any regulatory agency, who is absolutely clueless about dog shows, making up regulations to impose on handlers as they go along. Keep in mind, that we, when we show our own dogs, would be classified as "handlers" as well. Would you really want a group of people, who don't know the first thing about dogs or dog shows, telling you how to care for your dogs when taking them to and from shows, and while at the show?

The other thing is that dog shows are all about observation of the dogs AND THEIR HANDLERS. How long do you think a handler lasts in this business when there is even the slightest observation by someone that they are mishandling their dogs? For good or bad, the grapevine among breeders rivals the best electronic communications out there. Let something go south on the West Coast, and within hours the East Coast breeders and everyone in between will know about it. If a handler is identified as someone who mistreats or does not take care of their dogs, that reputation will bring their career to a very quick halt.

I don't know this handler, and I do not know all the specifics surrounding how this terrible accident occurred. Whether it was a very bad error in judgment, or true neglect, the fact it is such an isolated incident should prove that the only oversight handlers will ever need is their own watchful clients base to keep them on their toes.

Just my opinion.

/s/ The Devil's Advocate

In fact, many people do talk about mistakes made by handlers. No one wants to listen until a tragedy occurs. And even then people blame one handler when it is clear that mistakes are occurring all the time with every human being.

And yes, I do want regulation from outsiders
because insiders have a vested interest in not seeing problems with the system--and they have proven over and over again that their bias leads to tragedies.

Would you mind defining what regulation would have kept those dogs alive? A law stating handlers can't be stupid or lazy? There already is a law against intentionally leaving dogs in a hot vehicle and endangering their lives. This woman will be prosecuted for her actions and will likely spend time incarcerated. Somehow that's not enough for you.

A terrible tragedy all around but justice must be seen to be done in this situation. The handler was paid handsomely to provide expert care and attention to her canine charges. It appears that she has failed miserably to do that.

It is no different to any tradesperson who charges for specialised services and then fails to deliver those services adequately. All emotion must be set aside in this case and only the facts dealt with in court.

I feel that professional handlers make a mockery of the "sport" of dog showing. Winning with your dog has become not a matter of the dog's quality and breed type. It has become a matter of who has the biggest bank account to finance a no holds barred campaign. Why not ban professional handlers as is the case in many countries? Make it a level playing field where everybody can compete with the same opportunities.

Right, blaming one woman who made a mistake is not enough. In other industries, a tragedy like this one would cause a wholesale investigation of the industry to find out how many other errors have occurred or could occur.

A lot of things can be done to prevent errors if we know how frequently they occur and why they occur.

As for Mary, I can only begin to imagine the hell in which she is living, but she is charged with a misdemeanor, and punishing her teaches us nothing.

What's wrong, you sore because you can't win with your dogs?
Sour grapes are shining through in your posts.
If you can't beat handlers, either you stink as a handler yourself or your dogs are not good quality.

This is a point...the sport of dog showing has moved very far away from where it was initially intended. The groups are filled with dogs that are bankrolled with big handlers to satisfy egos.

It is no longer about grading breeding stock on correct structure. Heck, half of our judges don't understand correct Lab structure. If an owner is going to send a dog out at this level with confidence in a stranger to take care of their precious animal as their own, then they are willing to take these risks of their dogs well being in order to satisfy their own ego.

When a handler has a string of 8-12 dogs with them, do you really think your dog is going to be getting their undivided attention? Let's be realistic now...these handlers are very busy and work very hard at these shows. They are talented at what they do. I am not taking anything away from this. But, mistakes do happen and if you are willing to send your dog out for the sake of a win, you need to be prepared that you are taking a risk.

I am sure this young lady was diligent with her charges and cared very much for them. I cannot imagine being in her shoes right now. She is young and made a wrong decision that cost the lives of these precious animals. It is a bad situation. Regulation and banning handlers is not the answer. Each owner must take responsiblity for their own dog and understand the risks they are taking. Ultimately, it is the owner's decisions to satisfy their own egos that puts their dogs in these situations.

I have sent dogs out with handlers on occassion and I am fully aware of the risk involved. I am not saying this young lady was not negligent...I am just saying that maybe we should take a closer look at why the dogs were out with a handler in the first place.

You do have options .. take your dog to the shows yourself and have the handler pick them up ringside. That way you know they are getting the care you feel they need AND the expert handling you want.

This young lady made a horrible error in judgement, she will have to live with what she did for the rest of her life. It will prove to be financially ruinous for her, I have no doubt, and she will always be reviled in the dog world. Do I feel sorry for her? On one level, but not nearly as sorry as I am for the poor dogs she killed through neglect.

I do not know the woman responsible for this tragedy. I do not know the people venting within this thread. Therefore, I can only deal in generalizations.

Holding people accountable for their actions does not exclude compassion. Being compassionate does not exclude the desire for justice. There is a big difference between justice and vengeance, however.

Many otherwise responsible people have isolated lapses of bad judgment, sometimes with unlucky and even horrible consequences. It is not unusual for nice people, who usually exhibit understanding and sympathy for the imperfections of others, to still occasionally lash out in anger.

We are all only human.

Yes, we are all only human and we make mistakes. I agree that we need compassion. And we need to address this problem with both compassion and a recognition that people make mistakes.

The handler industry needs to take a long hard look at the way errors occur. Some simple regulations might dramatically decrease the potential for errors.

For example, the number of dogs a handler takes on the road in a van could be limited on a per person basis. If handlers had fewer dogs, they would have more time for each dog, get less tired, and be less likely to make mistakes. As it stands, the more dogs a handler takes on the road, the more money the handler makes and the less the owner pays for travel costs. This creates an incentive for taking a lot of dogs.

Each handler could be required to disclose the number of dogs taken on a trip so that owners could make informed decisions about the risks they are willing to take. As it stands, most owners don't have a clue how many dogs a handler has in the van and for how long.

A certain amount of space could be defined as necessary for each dog, which would limit the number in each van. Crowding is not good for dogs or people and increases the risk of transmitting diseases.

At the first hint of a health problem (diarrhea, coughing, vomiting), the handler could be required to contact the owner and to contact the show superintendents to decrease the risk of transmitting diseases and allow owners to make decisions about their dogs health.

These are just a few suggestions that could decrease the likelihood of error and illness. Even transporting livestock for slaughter has more regulations and safeguards than transporting dogs for shows.

This happened to some dogs/labs in Ca. but I see the handler out there showing and people letting dogs with her. Scares the poop out of me.

'Each handler could be required to disclose the number of dogs taken on a trip so that owners could make informed decisions about the risks they are willing to take. As it stands, most owners don't have a clue how many dogs a handler has in the van and for how long. "

NO- Owners who are spending $2-3K per month on a handler know EXACTLY how many dogs- usually know the dogs that are on that truck. The PHA has regulations, kennel inspection, etc before letting a handler become a member. They do self regulate. Having a handler with no professional affiliation on the other hand, is asking for trouble. Are there many non PHA handlers who are very good? You bet there are, BUT I would rather have someone who went through some type of regimen before asking for my money than not.
It is very hard to put your dog on a truck for the few months it takes to finish. Even harder to put your special on that truck for a year. Until you do it, you have no idea how hard it is. But when you have a dog of the caliber to really become a top ten dog, you do have to give back to the breed. It is about the breeding stock, and the standard. You may have sour grapes over this judge or that, but only the finest dogs really REALLY make it. It takes a special person to be able to handle that too. Not just someone who came up through juniors and then declares himself a "handler" They need to apprentice and have facilities and employees to handle the workload.
The hardest thing is to get a phone call from your handler telling you that your trust was broken. The owners of those poor dogs are absolutely devastated I am sure. That handler deserves to be punished for her thoughtlessness, no matter how tired she was, she made a promise to those owners to care for those animals first and foremost. If she is convicted on animal cruelty charges, she will be banned from the AKC. As it should be.

None of your suggestions would have done a thing to prevent the death of those dogs. You're hell bent on making this incident seem ordinary. It is not.

Top dogs love what they do and it shows. They bond with their handlers and learn to love the attention. They don't get to #1 being stressed and unhappy or kept in poor condition. This is all bunk.

These dogs died because of one individual's bad judgement and she will be punished for it. Trying to capitalize on our feeling of horror at the death of these poor dogs in order to advance some agenda or vendetta against our sport is right out of the AR handbook.

Like in any other line of work in this world
if you cant do it right you will be out of work
to bad the dogs suffered from her poor judgment.

Dear Inconvenient:

If you are correct that MANY people talk about mistakes made by handlers, then doesn’t that
stop people from using those handlers mentioned? Or is it your premise that even if people find
out a handler does a bad job in caring for dogs and puts them in danger, they will still continue
to use that handler. If that’s your conclusion, can you explain why people would under any
circumstances want to send their dogs with a known bad handler who would put their dogs in
danger, because that just does not make sense to me at all. Certainly none of the breeders I know
would ever send their dogs out with anyone about which they had even the slightest doubt.

Then you state that outsiders are needed to regulate the handlers, because “insiders” have a
vested interest in “not seeing problems’. So if I understand this part of your comments, insiders,
who are the breeders, who have spent endless dollars and personal time and care, in breeding the
best dogs they can, have a vested interest in protecting someone who will take their kennel’s best
examples of their breeding program, and in put them in harm’s way.

I admit that sometimes AR Trolls sometimes cruise the Forum and look for a chance to use every
excuse in the book for finding some additional reason breeders and their associated activities
“should be regulated from the outside”. Now I am sure that is not the reason you posted.
However since your comments seem to fly in the face of the facts governing how breeders and
handlers interact and do business with each other, I am sure you will come back on the Forum
and explain the inconsistencies in your bogus, excuse me, “illogical” statements.

/s / The Devil’s Advocate

Dear Not Buying It:

Boy have you hit the nail on the head with your comment. When you read some of the things written in this thread the AR regulation themes really do jump out at you.

It is just a pity that some people will use any tragedy to push their AR agenda. At least we are recognizing them for the type of people they really are.

/s/ The Devil's Advocate

No one talks because then they get labled a gossip REGARDLESS of whether they are right or wrong. So, many people frown upon people who say bad things about others (including this forum), even if what they are talking about is true. Those being talked are used to it and can lie their way out of out. They are very good at covering up their mistakes and playing the "victim"!

I've used several handlers in 25 years. Their error rate has been zero. My dogs have been safe and happy. You have no study, statistical or otherwise to support anything you've claimed.

You claim your dogs have been mistreated by handlers you hired. Did you file charges? Did you sue? Did you do the right thing and prevent these bad apples from handling someone else's dogs? If not, why?

In all of my years in the sport the majority of grumbling about handlers is that they play games, don't stay on the dog in winners, didn't make the ring, etc. The more they win with someone else's dog, the more the gossips talk. The times when the gossip got ugly was when someone didn't want to pay the bills and they were trying to take the handler out.

It's time for 'inconvenient truth' to put up or shut up. These atrocities that you say are running rampant need to have names, dates and times. If you can't or won't, then you have no soap box here. You are a troublemaker as those who know you have said you are.

I will not rise to your bait. I refuse to make this a personal issue. I will not crucify one handler for her sins or the sins of many. Nor will I exonerate the ones you think are so great. I am not going to start another thread to extol the virtues of one handler over another.

This is an industry-wide problem. Commonsense would tell you so. Experience would tell you so. In fact, it is a human problem and occurs in all industries. It occurs because we are human and because we try to do more than we can do well. And we get tired, and we make mistakes. We get greedy, and we promise more than we can deliver. It is a human problem.

Of course, my dogs won't be experiencing handler problems anymore. I finally woke after three dogs involving a total of seven handlers and numerous assistants. I'm a slow learner, but eventually I had to see it.

So now I show my own dogs. If I can't drive there; they aren't going. If I can't find a room that takes dogs, the dogs aren't going to be showing. If that isn't good enough to win, then I so be it.

Totally agree with you 'inconvenient truth' - you put your dogs FIRST - and isn't that what its all about?????

Agreeing with:
"So now I show my own dogs. If I can't drive there; they aren't going. If I can't find a room that takes dogs, the dogs aren't going to be showing. If that isn't good enough to win, then I so be it."

I have sent my dogs out with handlers before and by the grace of God, I have not had any problems. Although, with all of these recent events I am reluctant to ever send my dogs out with any handler again. I too will drive them to the shows myself and will do ring side pick up. It is not worth winning a maybe point or two to lose one of my precious dogs.

Candy coat it all you like, this women was a paid professional and she had a responsibility to provide a service to her clients and the dogs. If your doctor does not give you proper medical care because he has worked double shifts and is fatigue and harms you or your family you sue for malpractice. We can't be selective in such a way to say this is ok for one but not ok for another. Yes we all make mistakes, but do the mistakes we make cost lives? Is it ok to drink and drive kill someone and just skip along with the attitude that we used poor judgment. You decide! We all have to live with ourselves and now this women has to live with herself. She made the choice to put off today what could be done tomorrow. Except tomorrow never came for these dogs.

You will believe what suits you. Regardless of how you twist my words, I will not rise to your bait, name names, and have the entire thread removed because I have "slandered" a handler.

BTW, are you now or have you ever been paid for handling someone else's dog?

I am sorry, but all your comments are innuendo. I asked you to explain your comments aboutwhy any breeder would send their dogs with someone they know to be a bad handler, and also why any breeder would find it in their best interest to protect a handler who would bring harm to their dogs. I have not seen a response from you yet.

Your comments have not been twisted by anyone. The comments themselves are twisted; both being factually baseless and without a shred of logic. This is why you have no way to actually respond. So you keep going on your merry way trying to upset people on this board, with your continued inflammatory comments.

The more you post, the more convinced I am you are an AR Troll on the board. My only question left to ask you, which I doubt you will answer any more than the first two, is how do you look in the mirror after taking what is truly a tragedy for many people, and using it to forward some personal political end. What kind of person are you?

I suspect you are someone who takes delight in seeing discomfort in others, but I will let the other readers on the Forum make up their own minds about your motives after reading all your
posts.

/s/ The Devil’s Advocate

No- I made it my purpose in life to find out who she was travelling with- what dogs, people, how, when where. Yes I did know the details. No way the dog was going anywhere unless I knew. I also had many people out there calling, reporting back what they saw and when. Again, it is very difficult to let the dog go do this. Very difficult. Many sleepless nights. The handler who won't call home after a show won't be getting a check from my wallet. I can't just put the dog on a truck and hope for the best. Everyone needs to know I am watching.

is never considered a gossip. If I saw a dog being mishandled, I would absolutely let my friends know about that handler so they would never use them. And people appreciate your telling them, they don't label you a "gossip". Being labeled a "gossip" comes from spreading unsupported stories about people, not from telling the truth!

I took you at your words. You made sweeping statements that not only are our dogs in danger if they are sent with a handler, but that we breeders knowingly put our dogs at dire risk for the sake of the almighty AKC point. What a judgmental and condescending thing to say. I can't imagine why anyone took offense.

The facts are that thousands of dogs are in the care of professional handlers and trainers every day. Many live with their handlers. Specials and field dogs can be years with a pro. Very few are lost, injured or killed which is why this story was so shocking. Your truth is not only inconvenient it's not true. Your bitterness is showing - better zip up.

methinks you protest a little too much.

You also seem to add a "little more info" each time you post to try to make your points more legitimate.

Sorry, but I am not convinced you don't have a different agenda, having nothing really to do at all with bad handlers at all.

You make me laugh. Your reliance on bait sure does make me suspect that you are handlers.