海角大神

The Dog Show is on TV Monday night, and the humans and canines in our household remain eager to see which breeds win. The hound group leads off the evening, followed by the toy group, the non-sporting group, and the herding group. Best of Show won鈥檛 be crowned until Tuesday night.

Yes, we know we could watch streaming video coverage of breed competitions during the day. But we鈥檙e supposed to be working then 鈥� not wondering how to pronounce 鈥淴oloitzcuintli鈥�. (That鈥檚 recognized by the American Kennel Club and debuting at Westminster this year.)

But there鈥檚 a shadow over the nation鈥檚 preeminent canine competition in 2012, if you haven鈥檛 heard. Well, 鈥渟hadow鈥� may be going too far, but there鈥檚 certainly a controversy. The WKC has dumped long-time show sponsor Pedigree dog food. Club members didn鈥檛 like Pedigree鈥檚 ads, which promoted pet adoption by showing sad-eyed shelter dogs waiting for what rescue groups refer to as their 鈥渇orever homes.鈥�

Long-time show spokesman David Frei told the Associated Press that the Pedigree ads took the wrong approach.

鈥淪how me an ad with a dog with a smile. ,鈥� said Frei. 鈥淲e told [Pedigree] that and they ignored us.鈥�

According to the AP, Frei added that, 鈥淥ur show is a celebration of dogs. We鈥檙e not promoting purebreds at the expense of non-purebreds. We celebrate all dogs. When we鈥檙e seeing puppies behind bars, it takes away from that. Not just because it鈥檚 sad, but it鈥檚 not our message.鈥�

OK, I don鈥檛 think one has to be a PR genius to inform Mr. Frei that he鈥檚 stepped in something. 鈥淪hame?鈥� 鈥淧uppies behind bars . . . not our message?鈥� That鈥檚 going to come across badly, particularly from a club that doesn鈥檛 want just anyone as a member 鈥� as we鈥檝e written before.

Yes, those ads were heart-wrenching. But how many families across America got their family pet by going to a shelter, as opposed to buying a pure-breed that鈥檚 show-ready? The WKC would have been better off just saying it was a business decision, and leave it at that. Now they鈥檝e gotten cross-wise with a substantial presence in the dog world, the rescue and shelter community.

Twitter is aflame with negative comments on this, to the extent that the WKC is the canine one percent, and maybe there should be an Occupy Show Ring movement. If you don鈥檛 believe us, search 鈥淧edigree鈥� on Twitter and stand back.

Can鈥檛 we all get along? Yes, there鈥檚 been some tough media coverage lately of the problems that humans breed into their canine friends in search of a particular appearance. We鈥檙e thinking here of the New York Times Magazine piece from last November, 鈥溾��

But underneath, dogs are mostly the same. That鈥檚 what the most recent research indicates, anyway. Given the vast diversity in size, shape, and coat among dogs, scientists thought their genetics would show similar diversity. But the latest research into their genetic makeup shows they aren鈥檛 that different, according a recent National Geographic cover story. If dogs were cars, they鈥檇 be different bits of sheet metal tacked over remarkably similar chassis.

鈥淭he difference between the dachshund鈥檚 diminutive body and the Rottweiler鈥檚 massive one hangs on the sequence of a single gene,鈥� in NatGeo.

Maybe we should remember that while watching the Russian Wolfhound, say, in its flowing trot around the WKC show ring. Underneath, he鈥檚 just a pound puppy with long hair.