I was delighted to photograph the Gulfstream Rottweiler Club's 2 Specialties this past weekend in Miami. I was also delighted to have the opportunity to show my boy, Rowdy, in what will probably be his last two shows as a Veteran. Rowdy is almost 11 years old and while he gives everything he has every time he goes into the ring, he simply doesn't have as much as he used to. The hardest thing is to stop before they start feeling sorry for you. So, now seems like the best time for Rowdy and I to work in other venues in his (and my) dotage.

Having said that, Rowdy did take an Award Of Merit out of the 9+ Year Veterans class on Friday night. It was my great pleasure -- and challenge -- to show him in Best Of Breed competition and to accept his First Award Of Merit Ribbon. Awards Of Merit are usually given out at Specialties to those dogs that are not eligible for the major prizes (BOB, BOS, BOW) but who have impressed the judge with their abilities in the ring and who, therefore, have earned special recognition by the judge.

Since Rowdy was showing with me, his dad who can't run, he was a bit at a handicap since his skillset is movement but we sucked it up and ran our mutual butts off to show that the only one of the two of us unable to run forever is Mr. Rowdy's dad, Jim. The judge fell in love with him. I've never been more proud. Here are a couple of images I was able to take of him both in the ring with his handler, Kimm, and for formals after the show but also in the ring.



Old dogs aren't supposed to have this kind of reach and drive but Rowdy still moves like a kid. In fact, he could stay with the best dogs in the country competing for Best In Specialty. He's not enough dog to win that title. But he can move with any of them. Here's his formal.



The dog who won Best In Specialty Show was Ch Ravencrest The Alchemist (Burton) who is currently ranked #2 Rottweiler in the country. He's a lovely boy who I was proud to photograph for his BISS. For this shot, I laid on the floor, on my belly, to get an angle that shows this magnificent dog at his most regal. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did capturing the image.



We've discussed small Specialties and the problems associated with trying to make a living photographing them. In short, you can't. But if you're shooting your own breed and showing your own dog(s), it can be a very rewarding experience beyond the revenue potential. Rowdy had fun. We had fun. We were able to capture some nice images that will be used in advertising. All in all, a good weekend.

Jim

Jim, Rowdy sure is a handsome young man.
I really like the low perspective. I do this quite a bit as I think it brings you into their world and also people don't typically get to see them from this angle. Also I have found when they look at you, the photog, they tend to be more curious and that shows which gives some great facial expressions. Nice work.

Bob,
it's one of the reasons I shoot hand-held -- it's the only way to get that really low angle. I agree, it's a point of view most show photographers never capture because they'd prefer to shoot off of a tripod but I think it makes the "big" dogs look even more magnificent. I like to shoot Rotties, Danes and Bullmastiffs from this low angle.

For other breeds, like Dobes, Goldens, Labs, etc., I shoot a bit higher by sitting on the floor. No wonder my legs and butt hurt after a show !

Thanks for the Rowdy compliment. He's resting up now that the shows are over. Last evening we took a walk on our nature trail and spotted 5 white-tailed deer off in the underbrush. He just sat next to me and we watched them hop off with their tails waving at us. I think he's going to enjoy his "retirement".

Jim

Question for you on showing/photographing. Is it allowed to show your dogs, and is allowed to have a handler show your dog at a specialty you are shooting?

Julie,
that depends on how the contract is written. I always stipulate that I can enter my own dogs in Specialties that I shoot although I rarely show them myself. The only times I get brought into service is when my handler wins virtually every class and there are only so many handlers to take in her non-priority dogs. Since Rowdy shows well for me (my knee problems notwithstanding -- I've put a Group 2 on him) we felt he had the best chance with me on him. But that's unusual.

Keep in mind that the only dog we showed in Miami was our Veteran so nobody had a problem with that anyway. If I was showing dogs in every class as well as BOB, that would be a different story and I wouldn't do it. In fact, when Linda was co-Chair for the 2007 Rottie National here in Florida, the only dogs we showed were our two Veterans.

But, there are not rules against it any more than there are rules against Show Chairs showing their dogs. In small Specialties, if the Show Committee didn't enter their dogs, they wouldn't make 2 pts let alone a major.

Jim