There were more than 60 Specials. Bravestar passed all the cuts making him eligible to compete for the Best of Breed. There was a lunch break prior to the final line-up. During the final competition, Bravestar’s number was omitted; Number 97 was not called. We quickly approached the Ring Steward, Ms Erika Moreau, who showed us a list pointing to the Number 97 crossed out, saying that the judge had scratched it off. We were assured that there was no mistake and as such we can only assume that this was done during the lunch break but we thought it was against show protocol. We were disheartened.
We found some consolation in the APC Bi-Monthly Publications, the Pomeranian Review(May/June 2008) which featured the critique of Ms Michelle Billings and we are taking the liberty of quoting some of the pertinent portions, which is as follows:
“…The Specials Class of 64, with minimal absentees, was as the young people would say, TOTALLY AWESOME, which necessitated my having to make several cuts……With regards to the Awards of Merit. Dog #97 CANTON BRAVESTAR was a strong contender for the breed from the get-go. Somehow his number did not get transferred from my cut card to my steward’s card and he was not called in for the final minutes of judging. It was an unintentional, unfortunate incident. However the very fact that he remained at the head of the line throughout the lion’s portion of the judging supports my appreciation of his excellence and intentions of a possible placement…..”