CANADIAN PICKS THE TOP DOG.
On Tuesday, semi-retired Toronto psychiatrist and veteran dog breeder Richard Meen appeared at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City to judge its all-important Best in Show category. Meen picked as top dog a three-year-old German shorthaired pointer named CJ. He later spoke to the National Post’s Brian Hutchinson about his secret appointment, the winning canine, and the darker side of dog show contests.
Q You’re only the third Canadian to have judged Best in Show at the big Westminster Kennel Club event, I understand.
A That’s correct, the third in 140 years. It was a huge honour for me. And for Canada, too, I want to emphasize.
Q According to The New York Times, your appointment was made very quietly and kept secret for about a year, “in order to avoid whispering and influence peddling.” Was that a little tongue-in-cheek?
A Oh no, no, no. It’s serious business. People try to influence judges. There’s influence peddling happening all the time.
Q It sounds like the Olympics.
A Well, it is equivalent. The Westminster Kennel Club show is probably the most prestigious dog show in the world. You’re not allowed to disclose that you’ve got the (Best in Show judging) assignment until they make the announcement. On the weekend of the show, I wasn’t able to go to any of the activities except for the club dinner. I wasn’t able to watch any of the dogs. They picked me up, took me to Madison Square Garden and kept me in a room until 10:34, when they walked me into the ring.
Q You must have been feeling the pressure.
A Only from my own head (laughs). I wasn’t a wreck, but I was a little nervous. You only get one shot at judging Best in Show. Once I got into the ring and was looking at the dogs, I became very focused on my job, without question.
Q Does your training as a psychiatrist ever come into play when evaluating dogs?
A The dogs are not influenced by psychiatry.
Q But I read that you approached the finalists on Tuesday and told them to relax.
A Yes, after I examined each dog individually, I told them to go back to where they were and relax, because I would be busy looking at somebody else. They didn’t have to worry about me paying attention to them.
Q What about the owners and the handlers?
A I try to help them relax a bit as well, by having a sense of humour in the ring and by not being intimidating. I guess that’s where the training as a psychiatrist comes in handy, because I can mask whatever is going on inside me. I’d never thought of that before (laughs).
Q What was it about the shorthaired pointer that appealed to you?
A Well for me, purebred dogs (represent) a history of mankind. Dogs were evolved to help man out, bred for very specific tasks. So when we’re judging dogs, we’re judging against the standard that describes what they were bred to do, in the country and terrain in which they were bred to do it. In my opinion, the German shorthaired pointer came closest to the standard for German shorthaired pointers.
Q Was there anything controversial about your choice?
A Probably, yes. There were seven dogs in the ring, seven very good representatives. Everyone has their own opinion. But I seemed to get pretty good approval from the audience.
Q Have you seen the mockumentary film Best in Show?
A Oh yes, of course. I know a lot of the people in it. It was filmed in Vancouver. I know most of the people who exhibited dogs in that movie.
Q Was it realistic at all?
A Well, it’s a send-up at one level. At another level it’s a great statement about the passion that people have about purebred dogs. So it’s kind of two things at the same time. It’s great fun.
Q What’s next for you?
A I’m showing a Skye terrier this weekend. Her name is Feist, after the Canadian singer. She’s making her debut. She’s only six months old, just a baby.