Audacious. That’s the word that immediately springs to mind when I consider what Troy Mullins set out to do, and largely accomplished with his North America Rottweiler World Show which was held April 17-19, 2015 in Bel Air Maryland, just outside Baltimore.
The vision for Troy’s show was that it would be the “Superbowl” of North American Rottweiler Sieger shows. A show that would draw champions from the likes of AKC/ARC, RKNA, AIRK, and USRC while avoiding the politics and club drama associated with each. A show grand enough to not only draw champions from North America, but champions from around the world. For months prior to the show, Troy tirelessly promoted the show in print and social media. Slick ads with beautiful graphics…even videos. Promises of spectacular trophies and cash prizes for winners! Clearly Troy promised that his show would be like nothing previously seen in North America….and he largely delivered on that promise.
My decision to attend the show was fairly last minute for me. After a disappointing 3rd place finish for my dog Zeus in the 2015 AIRK Nationals last month, I took a 2nd look at the show. Zeus turns 2 years old May 1st, so this April show would be one of his last to compete as an 18-24 youth male. And my breeder indicated that the scheduled judge (males) Mick Svaljek (FCI -Australia) would like Zeus’s type based on prior experience. So I signed up.
Days before the show I learned that the scheduled judge Mick Svaljek would be unable to attend as planned, and in his place FCI judge (and famous Rottweiler photographer) Sasa Mihajlovic Weisenstadt (Serbia). This was of course a surprise, but not at all a disappointment as I’ve met Sasa at a few shows and knew he’d do a great job. I do look forward to meeting and showing under Mick Svaljek down the road.
Whatever the opinion might be of anyone who attended of the show or the judging, there was simply no denying that that trophies which were given out to the winners am0ng the most extravagant of any awards given out at a Rottweiler Sieger show.
Each entrant also received a free t-shirt which was again among the more attractive show t-shirts I’ve seen. Even the catalog was clearly a step above those given out at most other shows I’ve attended.
In terms of the show grounds and facilities, the site chosen was more than adequate – a horse park located in the Baltimore suburb of Bel Air. There were several covered areas to keep crates, and plenty of parking. Troy also made sure there was a great food vendor, as well as a vendor of dog supplies (WT Metal). The show site had all of the resources needed to put on a successful Sieger show.
My dog Zeus showed on Saturday in the 12-18 month male class which turned out to be one of the most competitive classes in the entire show. The catalog showed 11 entered in the class, one of which didn’t end up showing. There were also two “last minute” entrants bringing the class total to 12 (look for my comments on last minute entries at the end of this article). That’s a very big class. I thought Zeus and I did an excellent job in the initial presentation – thanks to my friend Audra for holding Zeus while I baited him. Here’s a shot of Audra holding Zeus while judge Sasa Mihajlovic Weisenstadt evaluated him.
After the initial critique, I Sasa had me run a lap with Zeus which I thought went well enough. However, when we went back in as a group, Zeus and I experienced problems. The class was so large that running our dogs as a group was problematic – Sasa wanted to avoid dogs getting too close to one another in an uncontrolled manner, so he had us walk several laps:
I’m a relatively short guy, and my dog is near the top of the breed standard for height. Running Zeus fast enough to show his reach can be challenging, but walking him well with my short legs just doesn’t work. So Zeus’s movement suffered, and as a result we only took 4th place. 4th place out of 12 isn’t bad though (particularly at this level of competition), and continues Zeus’s streak of placing at every Sieger show he’s been entered in for over a year. We also received a trophy nicer than some 1st place trophies we’ve received.
Photo by Brad Shifflett
Without a doubt, Troy Mullins put on one heckuva show. Two things could have made it better. Firstly, if Troy’s show would have had better support and presence by the major Rottweiler organizations within North America. There was a modest advertising presence by RKNA in Troy’s catalog. Where was the American Rottweiler Club (ARC)? Where was the Association of Independent Rottweiler Klubs (AIRK)? Where was the the U.S. Rottweiler Club (USRC)? All of these organizations should have made a real contribution to this show for the benefit of the breed as well as their members within the Rottweiler show community. The ARC in particular who has a well deserved reputation for ignoring natural tailed dogs could have at least run an ad in this show’s catalog. The second thing which could have helped this show tremendously is real and timely support from the Rottweiler show community itself. While Troy’s show ended up with roughly 150 entries, he only had about 100 entries the day before the show. This forced Troy into the position of accepting entries the day of the show – which brought him approximately 50 more entries. SHAME ON THOSE PEOPLE THAT WAITED UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO ENTER THEIR DOGS! I actually felt bad about the fact that I registered for the show only 30 days prior and apologized to Troy for entering so late. But the Rottweiler community is notoriously tight-fisted with their money, and tends to wait until the last possible minute to enter their dogs. This trend HAS to change if we are to see more and better Sieger shows in the future. The last two shows I entered, I did so the same day entries opened on Zooza. Please, please consider following my example if you’re planning on entering future Sieger shows. And while you’re at it, consider making a trophy donation and/or buying a catalog ad. Sieger shows are tremendously expensive – if you want to see them continue, you need to do more than simply pay an entry fee.
The North American Rottweiler World Show gave us a glimpse of what could be – a Sieger show of unmatched prestige, competition, and honor which would draw global competition and attention to Rottweilers bred in North America. You simply can’t accomplish such a feat with one show – my hope is this show will continue year after and only get bigger and better with each iteration. Thanks to everyone involved in putting on this show!
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