[lbbuckler]

Is there some unwritten rule that barring some major catastrophe that when you accept a judging assignment, you keep your word? Clubs depend upon those who accept assignments to keep them even if something better comes up. I appreciate every judge who gives up his or her weekend so we can run our dogs and I know there are some occasions when circumstances arise that prevent someone from carrying out their judging assignment but it is very difficult to find replacements at the last minute. It just seems to me like it is happening more frequently. It puts a real strain on the chairman, the club, and the other judge.

 

[John Kelder]

I was asked and accepted ..The club changed the date , which then conflicted with my home club ,where I had also committed to work .So I had to withdraw from the assignment .Which meant I didn't get to judge with my friend ....On the other hand , I have accepted on 48 hours notice due to illness..So assignments are like life..things happen regards .....

 

[Dman]

What John said. I have only had to cancel 1 assignment in about 10 years judging on average 8 time a year.

 

[djansma]

i too have filled in on short notice this year our flight was cancelled and we were a day late and they had to swap judges around that is a first for me
if i accept a judging assignment I wll do my best to be there


David Jansma

 

[DoubleHaul]

Yes. I think most judges follow it. Things happen, though. Especially this spring, it seems. Lots of clubs seem to have had to scramble to fill cancellations.

 

[John Montenieri]

I don't cancel unless something extreme has happened, which did this year. I had an assignment in early may but 2 months ago I snapped my achilles tendon. I just started walking, no way I could physically spend the weekend judging. When I did cancel I offered my services for any upcoming trials for this club when I'm healthy again. Hated to do it but really no choice.

 

[Mike Peters-labguy23]

Last year as HT secretary I had two judges bale on an assignment that they offered to do without me asking! One baled just before the even closed so he could judge a all age field trial and the other baled early because he had a litter due that was the same as our HT. Both offered to find replacements but neither found their replacements. Luckily I found replacements but it added a bunch of stress that I didn't need. I know stuff comes up but if I ever bale on an assignment I will be sure to do my best to replace myself and not leave the club out to dry.

 

[22899]

I don't cancel unless something extreme has happened, which did this year. I had an assignment in early may but 2 months ago I snapped my achilles tendon. I just started walking, no way I could physically spend the weekend judging. When I did cancel I offered my services for any upcoming trials for this club when I'm healthy again. Hated to do it but really no choice.

First of all, you have to have feelings to feel pain!
and healthy means physical AND Mental, so in your case peeps is gonna wait a while!

crazy knows crazy!

 

[John Montenieri]

John, that's a BULLSHIT excuse. No excuse what so ever to miss your assignment for something that creates such little pain as an Achilles. LOL

Your right I could have been a bigger pain in the ass, which is possible

First of all, you have to have feelings to feel pain!
and healthy means physical AND Mental, so in your case peeps is gonna wait a while!

crazy knows crazy!

Gooser I do have feelings, like I'm gonna hurl when you show up...................or have a pain somewhere that can't be alleviated without drinking when your talking. Or like when you wear your Diva lanyard. Too many feelings and yes you know crazy, I've seen it first hand

 

[i_willie12]

We had one flat no show!! Said he misread email and thought it was june not may Said he wondered why we were calling to double check with him so far out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That was a fun weekend of trying to make a double finish season started test happen that day Didnt get started with flight b till almost 10am!!!!!!! Think a couple of us together drank a 60 pack that night!! Lots of moving people flights, getting new numbers, moving judges...
Then add to that we only had 8 bird boys show instead of the 20 we were promised!!!! Made for a weekend from hell!

 

[firehouselabs]

^^^I remember that test! Yes, it got pretty interesting! But you guys pulled it off!

 

[Handler in Training]

Stuff like this^^^^^^ always seems to happen. That's why as HT chairman, I find it amusing when newer people always want to add more stakes and so on. Saying things like, we'll have plenty of help, and I know I can get like 10 kids to help... Like I told them at our last meeting, "I have never been to one of our hunt tests or field trials and looked around and thought, hmmm, we just have too much help here....."

 

[3blackdogs]

I think there definitely is an etiquette to making a commitment. In any aspect of life. And in FTs, particularly when clubs have requested you to be a judge a year in advance.

I did have a situation where I had to back out of an assignment due to a serious situation at home: Blaze's disease had spread and he started to fail last summer. I had a gut feeling that he was not going to bounce back like he had in the past, and I needed to stay behind. Sadly, I was right: he became critically ill the very weekend the field trial was held, and I made the decision to put him to sleep a day later.

I felt terrible, to the point that I was losing sleep over making the decision to cancel. But ultimately I knew I had to do what I did so I could care for Blaze to the end.

HOWEVER, I made sure to find a replacement judge who said he could and would take the assignment - it was about a month out from the trial date and there was travel involved. The FT committee was very understanding, and I think they appreciated that I took the initiative to make calls and find someone suitable. I'm sure they would probably have had to put up one of their members to judge, and it would have been a big inconvenience.



Life happens. I think what matters is how you handle the situation, and what you try to do to mitigate the problems your situation creates.

 

[Ted Shih]

In my 15 years - or more - I can only recall less than a handful of times that a judge has cancelled on short notice without cause.

One made me very angry - I called to remind the person that our trial was 3 months away and he said "I can't make it." No explanation. No apology. Nothing

However, I have overwhelmingly found that people who participate in this sport understand how difficult it is to find judges and honor their commitment

When Lydia (3Blackdogs) had to cancel to care for a sick dog, she sent a letter of apology and a check to cover increased costs of replacement (which we returned) - a very classy move

Last year, I had to cancel an assignment with the Memphis Club on very short notice because my wife developed a tumor that required surgery. Robbie Bickley stepped in to cover for me, and I agreed to judge this year for the club.

On the other hand, I find it very frustrating when people ask me to judge, I agree for an assignment two or three years out and they send no letter of confirmation.

If a club cannot be bothered to send me a letter (or email) of confirmation, I don't know why I should be under any obligation to judge for them

 

[Laird's Retrievers]

I believe it comes down to a persons ethics and morals. I agree to judge 1 event a year, now that I have a daughter and as Ted states, we agree a couple years out.

Life does change in that time but a club should send out reminder letters and if you have to change helping find a replacement judge is a class act.

My one experience in canceling, a club signed me up to judge without truly asking and never sending me a assignment form. I found out via entry express and I was furious as I was teaching a class in Belize. The person running the club said I talked to you about judging for the club and I had said sure just ask about the date so I can look at my schedule. He interpreted my response very differently. I then actually found him a replacement because I felt guilty about putting the club in a bind, the guy actually used my judge and never thanked me.

Some folks just don't live life with a handshake.

Cheers

Chris

 

[Sundown49 aka Otey B]

Knock on wood I have never had to cancel a judging assignment. I am getting up in age and it seems like just doing my job on a weekend and judging makes me actually FEEL better. The excitement of seeing good dogs, good friends and having some fun doing it makes it all worthwhile. I get to see some first time handlers who are so nervous that they can't remember who they are and much less what their dog's name is learn that a HT is NOT a life or death experience...LOL. I appreciate all the clubs and their membership that have made all my past assignments PURE pleasure.... THANK YOU.

 

[Golddogs]

Is there some unwritten rule that barring some major catastrophe that when you accept a judging assignment, you keep your word? Clubs depend upon those who accept assignments to keep them even if something better comes up. I appreciate every judge who gives up his or her weekend so we can run our dogs and I know there are some occasions when circumstances arise that prevent someone from carrying out their judging assignment but it is very difficult to find replacements at the last minute. It just seems to me like it is happening more frequently. It puts a real strain on the chairman, the club, and the other judge.

Yes. Nothing worse than bailing and going back on your word. Nothing! ( unless it is an emergency or family issue )

Had to ask to be replaced once in 14 years because of a last minute family event. Called and found my replacement.

 

[Chris Atkinson]

This commitment and consideration thing goes both ways:

I had a local hunt test club ask me repeatedly to judge a local HRC event. I had to turn him down a couple years in a row, because I was already booked for the year, but suggested we plan a date a couple years out so I could actually put it on the calendar and commit to it. We committed to a date and I stuck to it.

I made contact with him a couple times and all was set. I confirmed I was judging and I even went and recruited a co-judge, coming in from a few hundred miles away. He was an RTF person whom I'd never met in person, but seemed to have similar philosophies to myself. I figured we would have a nice time and probably put on a good stake for the local club.

I learned shortly before the committed HT judging date, that a local Field Trial was a conflict, and I'd really have loved to run my own dog in it. But, I made a commitment and as such, I kept it. Then after the local trial entry deadline was closed, the HRC club rep called and told me that due to low entries, they were cancelling a flight. They kept my co-judge, whom I had recruited, and covered his expenses while dropping a local judge (me).

I have heard rumors that there was local scuttlebut that since my current lab was running Field Trials and not HRC, I was not a desirable judge. It was therefore suggested that they drop me and keep only judges perceived to be more loyal to the HRC program, to right-size their judging panel. This sort of small-minded, "us versus them" mentality is very bad for organizations and propogates the nonsense that those who run another venue must be somehow undesirable.

Since then, I've judged AKC Field Trials only and have let my HRC judging seminar and written test currency lapse. I do pay dues to HRC, and I'm a "never say 'never'" sort of guy. But for now, there are no HRC plans on my calendar through Fall 2017.

For those of you who get a judge to commit for a long time period out: When you need to cut a flight - please think seriously about the commitment that the person you're cutting had made to you.

Thanks, Chris

****************************************************

 

[DarrinGreene]

We can all talk about our personal experiences but this comes down, at the end of the day to... what kind of person are you? there are those who do what they say they're going to do as a matter of table stakes and those who... well... have other ideas about what constitutes good behavior.

We all get to choose, once we have experience with a person, whom we associate ourselves with.

 

[Margo Ellis]

Chris it was as always a pleasure to chat with you. I will be curious to hear what you find out. We have had some emergency issues crop up at our hunts one here we had 4-5 judges back out due to personal family matters and or their truck died. We had to do some scrabbling over the two weekend back to back hunts but we got it done. We did have one judge hit us with a $800 fuel bill which took us a little by surprise. He won't be invited back That judge was one of our emergency judges and knew the plight we were in too. :/