Answering in a vacuum about a MATCH begs so many questions. We don't know how badly the club needed entries in order to move onto licensed status perhaps. We don't know if the judge is becoming an AKC judge or even if it was an AKC match. Was the judge just helping out and doesn't have much experience? In a match, I don't see a problem with the friend entering, but the judge was at best naive to put up the dog with her friend as handler for anything more than a token class win. Meanwhile, remember, it was a MATCH, that is all. Wars not won, children not saved, not even a CM point won, as it was just a piddling match. Go beat them in the real ring! Winning well is the best revenge, if that is what you want.
JMO.

Who says the judge has been a paid handler by the exhibitor? Someone needs to get her/his facts straight.

Cant be as bad as what I saw not long ago at a Champ show. A Labrador exhibitor ( and judge ) ran into the ring hugged the judge came out and promptly showed her dogs to that judge, yes she did very well, we just sat there with our jaws hitting the ground !

A match is a match...it's practice. It is a mandatory requirement for clubs to keep up their AKC shows. They are supposed to be run like a real show. The fact that they aren't most of the time isn't a big surprise. Crap like that happens at matches and shows all the time. Life isn't fair. Can't really do anything about it expect plan on not entering when you think that a particular judge is going to attract all of their friends.

So,Mel, you're saying I shouldn't enter the sweepstake classes at Wine Country because the judges, both days, are my friends?

If it looks bad, don't do it. Excellent advice from breeder. It is not the AKC who would look down their noses on this, it is the ring-side critics. Why put yourself into a position where people will talk?

Only if you're doing it looking for favoritism as some DO.

I've heard judges tell their friends not to enter under them many times. They do anyway and then complain to the judge friend that they didn't like anything he or she put up, that their dog or dogs were better examples of the breed.

Why are you acting like favors are not repaid sometimes? We're talking about human beings that judge, not robots and they do -sometimes- favor or repay certain people. They could be handlers, other breeders, judges & occasionally friends.

Don't act as if it never happens, they're human! Hopefully most don't but if you want to put your head in the sand, by all means do so and believe it never happens.

This is a lot of airtime for a match that had 3 Labs entered. This is the nature of matches; they are for fun and practice. People need to lighten up.

The AKC has rules for a reason. Follow the written rules and don't worry about what the profits of the Lab world have to say. You will never make them happy.

They do it all the time in regular shows also. Called POLITICS. Then they do pay back. And some wonder why the entrys are off. It is suppose to be a sport where the best dog that day wins ?

I completely agree with you, Breeder also .