Show Dog: An Interview with the Author

For his new book Show Dog: The Charmed Life and Trying Times of a Near-Perfect Purebred (It Books, $24.99) Josh Dean, a self-described “dog person without a dog,” spends a year following Jack, a purebred Australian Shepherd, through the show circuit. The two end up at the granddaddy of all dog shows: Westminster.

Along the way Dean shares the antics, anxieties and idiosyncrasies of a group of humans who are as loyal and devoted to their purebreds as, well, dogs.

Petside: As a veteran journalist with all kinds of experiences to write about, why dog shows?

Josh Dean: I get interested in weird subcultures and end up spending a lot of time immersed in them for research; and if you’re going to spend a year on something, you need to know you won’t get bored. Dogs are great to be around. Plus I wanted to people to care about my subject. Who doesn’t love dogs?

PS: What surprised you most about dog shows?

JD: They are so chaotic. Watching dog shows like Westminster on TV, you don’t see the individual breed judging that takes place during the day, leading up to the big event. There are a million dogs on tables being blow dried. Going backstage at the Madison Square Garden, it was mind-blowing seeing 172 types of dogs being styled in a particular fashion.

PS: What are the judges looking for at dog shows?

JD: You tend to think a dog show is a beauty pageant and the judge is picking the prettiest Poodle. In truth, they are judging each breed against a standard which is an explicit set of indications for what the breed should look like. It’s like taking the Grecian ideal of a dog and comparing each entrant to that perfect dog.

PS: That’s a lot to live up to. Did the dog you followed, Jack, seem different than other dogs?

JD:  He was more intelligent that other dogs I’ve met and bursting with personality, almost to his own detriment. He is so joyful and exuberant and smart that he has trouble chilling out because he gets bored easily, but that’s also why he likes the challenge of showing. Making people happy and performing tasks are two things dogs really love. It’s a game: If they play the game right they get a treat or attention. That is a dog’s idea of a good time.

PS: And what about dog show people? Do they seem different from other people?

JD: The people were as weird as I expected, but not more so. They reminded me of parents at little league games—the way moms and dads care about how coaches perceive their kids and have emotional reactions to that. You can’t watch someone judge your dog and not care.