Tony,
no offense taken! It's a perfectly logical question if you assume that in the AKC ring, judges actually judge dogs. However, life, politics, religion and dog showing don't work that way. Many judges are strongly influenced by who is on the other end of the leash.

Now, the cynical might say that's a lot of political BS. But the optimists among us would say that certain handlers are well-known for the quality of the dogs they bring to the ring and so the judge can feel fairly comfortable that if they select that handler's dog, they are picking a good representative of the breed.

That said, the handler is a key element in the advertising mix and we try to make sure that judges who read the key publications such as Dog News, The Canine Chronicle, ShowSite Magazine and others always see the combination of dog and handler in the ads. Keep in mind that most judges are not experts in all breeds (especially the all-breed judges rather than the breeder/judges) and one large black & tan dog rather looks like every other large black & tan dog. But if you know that Jeff Brucker is handling Brito, a Hungarian import, and you know that because you saw their ads in the magazines, then maybe you'll pay a little more attention to them in Breed judging.

So, that's a fairly long-winded answer to your question. I trust it satisfies your curiosity.

Jim