scoring a jump in ARHA Little Pack

[Buckeye Bob]

I have been a judge for only a year (after running alongside other judges and asking questions)and have learned alot and am certainly still learning.All I can do is pledge to do my best to keep up with the pack,score it the way I see it and sternly tell myself before every cast not to be influenced by anyone else(even someone who has more experiance than me)and not to favor a particular dog.Had to give second place in a final cast to a dog who I thought was the better dog that day but according to the rules was not.( No,I was'nt by my rookie self in a final cast!the other judge was on the same page)I love judging though,get a huge rush out of it and take it very serious.Big Dog,I would be honored to judge one of your dogs even though you might have to lecture me afterward.LOL,I see stuff now when I run my dogs that pose all sorts of scenarios and I ask other experianced judges how they would score it.Maybe I'll have to bring some here in the future for the panel of experts!

[Big Dog]

To John Maynard and Guest1 You guys did a good job on the cast that day, I was using this as an example and it may not have been the best example so I apologize for that, because both of you do know dogs pretty well, as a matter of fact the dogs that JOhn had their that day were some of the best ones on the ground that day. Guest1 had the scenario almost right but it wasn't quite right. I was making a point about people being influenced(not cheating) as I see both of you as straight shooters. ON this particular cast 2 dogs opened on the rabbit, my dog and one other dog went to them and were going with them but would not open. Myself and several of the other handlers did not feel that the dogs had actually jumped the rabbit. About that time one of the handlers said "there goes the rabbit" we were all within 10 yards of each other and noone other than the handler whose dog happened to have 2 minuses already and whose dog was currently on the clock saw this rabbit. In my opinion I don't think you guys were sure at first about the rabbit being produced, but after someone stated that they saw it then that gave you all of the insurance you needed to give strike points. I probably would have given them to if someone stated that they actually saw the rabbit. I am not calling the guy a liar or saying he tried to cheat, but none of the rest of us saw the rabbit and we were all standing together, within 10 yards of each other. The dogs never even made it up to where he said he saw the rabbit. So dead track was called. I wasn't pissed about it, but I will be frank, I didn't feel like a rabbit had been seen so as you will probably remember I said "since he saw a rabbit right there lets turn out on it". Well we did, and not one dog ever opened, not even the 2 cold nosed dogs that had been opening all morning. I used this example to try to point out how some folks , judges included may be influenced by things that go on in a cast. It was a judgement call and we all have to make them, sometimes we are right and sometimes we are wrong so I wasn't upset about it at all. The folks that I am talking about that don't know dogs weren't judging at this hunt, but at another. I just used this cast as an example so no offense was intended, as a matter of fact I look forward to seeing you both this coming weekend because I will be making the long trip up to vansant. As a matter of fact John you can leave some of the good open potlickers at home so that I can get one or two more of mine qualified(LOL)

Big Dog