I feel inspired to talk about personal responsibility. We live in a world where all around us people are blaming others for problems in the world. It occurs globally, nationally, and locally. Even within our dog show community, people point to AKC and declare that this is where the problem lies. AKC needs to do this better. AKC needs to do that better. AKC needs to do a better job with the judging approval process. That club shouldn’t hire those judges. The list of accusations goes on. People continually call attention to things and demand that someone or something else change in order to improve things. Nothing gets accomplished when we act this way. It is just a blaming process that doesn’t bring about any change or resolution. This type of thinking breeds anger and hostility and leaves people feeling like victims in their own lives. When we focus our energy thinking that if something or someone outside of ourselves changes, then we will be okay, we simply feel powerless. Nothing gets accomplished. Nothing changes.
I grew up in the dog show community continually listening to exhibitors, handlers, breeders and judges complaining about all the things wrong in the dog show community. In my twenties, as I began handling professionally, I had grand plans for making a difference in this community, but honestly, I never really did or know how to make a difference. However, I haven’t given up. It is still my hope to have a positive impact. I personally have been working on myself and how I respond to situations I face. I am challenging myself to learn new ways of being and responding to actions and behaviors that take place while I am working. I would like to share things I have learned about myself and discuss things that we as individuals can change. I want to talk about how we CAN make a real difference.
Since I have played the role of professional handler for almost thirty years, I would like to discuss the important role that handlers play. Handlers, similar to professional athletes are role models. Handlers are very powerful figures in the dog show world. I often joke that we handlers ARE the ROCK STARS of the dog show world. There are young children, and adolescents that want to be like us. They look up to us. There are even those that attack us and want to defeat us, because we hold power in this world.
As Spider-man’s Uncle Ben said, “With great power, comes great responsibility.”
I ask myself, and I would like to invite other handlers to join me in asking:
“What can we be doing as individuals and collectively to have a positive impact in our work environment?”
“How might we use our power to bring about positive change and serve as beacons of light to others?”
As I challenge myself daily, I encourage others to challenge themselves as well. How might we be the change we are seeking in the world? I would like to begin sharing my experiences, my failures and my successes. One of the greatest lessons I am learning is that as I become more willing to accept my own failings, I have more and more compassion for the failings and struggles of others. I am learning to not blame others for their missteps, instead I focus on my own missteps, and seek to change that which is in my own control.
Published in Dog News Magazine, July 27, 2018, page 38