beautyvsconfirmation

The Chase
September, 1950
Pages 5 and 31

Beauty vs. Conformation

I have been attending bench shows and field trials for nearly thirty years, from County Hunts to the
National, and I have attended several shows and field trials. I want to say here that my heart has always
gone out for the Field Judges, Master of Hounds and Bench Show Judges. Of all the hunts that I have
attended, I have my first time to find a crook, or a man that was not on the level, in any of the above
positions. To hear a critic back-biting and unjustly condemning these good men who give their time and
labor for the greatest sport on earth, makes you want to put them in these gentlemen’s places and then
they would soon learn that they don’t know as much as they think they do.

I want to say a few things in regard to our bench shows. The following is just my opinion, (which I have a
perfect right and so does the other fellow). I thank God for being able to live in the greatest country on
earth. The only country in which you can curse the President, if you want to, and he can’t do anything
about it, (except go fishing). We have a right to form our own opinions as to the way we wish to worship
and do as we please so long as we do not infringe on the rights of others. This I do not think a good
Foxhunter would want to do.

In regard to bench show rules and regulations, which were made years ago by the far-seeing, fine
foxhunting gentlemen. Had it not been for these gentlemen and the good breeders, who have tried to
breed dual-purpose hounds, we would still be trying to run fox with the old long-eared, swayback,
paddle-foot bluetick or the old long eared rat-tail black and tan with dots over the eye type. This is the
kind most of us hung thirty years ago. The present day farmer should have the same appreciation for
the far-seeing farmer of the years gone by, when they decided to stop breeding the long horn cattle and
razor back hogs. I am thankful this type of live stock is about a thing of the past.

Now we all like beauty, but to have a dual-purpose hound we have just got to have a hound with
conformation, that is a foxhound. I do not think anything that happens to a hound while on the firing line
after a fox or wolf, should be held against him, on the bench. For it we do, it is going to be hard to get
show hounds and foxhounds all in one dog; this is the kind of a dog I want and love. If a hound’s ear
hangs on his head at the right place and hangs from his head in the right way, just because he has a nip
torn out of his ear by a fox or wolf or maybe barbwire, is no reason that he does not have the same
conformation he had before this was done. If the missing piece of ear was there it would be in the right
place and too there is his other ear for the judge to see.

This is true in regard to the hair being worn off his legs, chest, tail, toe nails being torn off and wire
marks. Just because a wolf took a bite out of a hound’s shoulder or ham does not effect his
conformation. He still has the same hips and shoulders he had before he had his run in with the wolf.
The way we are judging bench shows today, one would think that we expected these good hounds to
pass all these battle scars on down to their offspring. What we foxhunters want are foxhounds with
conformation. Had this been done ten years ago, most every show hound would be a foxhound and
most every foxhound would be show hound today. I feel sorry for the good hunter who has tried so hard
to breed and promote hounds that have conformation and are also foxhounds. They would be
compelled to put their hounds up several weeks before the show and field trials in order to get the hair
to grow back on their chest, legs, and tail. Also try to cure those wire-marks and cuts and get those toe
nails to row back, that have been torn off. The only reason for all the battle scars—the hounds that have
them are real Foxhounds with Conformation. These battle scars have nothing to do with the
conformation of a foxhound. I will agree that they do have something to do with Beauty. Battle scars
make a foxhound look beautiful to me. I have seen so many of these good hounds at field trials and
their owner has been forced to keep them up so long in order to get them ready to show, they would be
so soft and in no condition to make the 3 days. But these hounds would go out in the field and be high
score dogs the first day, maybe high score the second day, but he third day the poor dogs just couldn’t
make it—due to the fact they had been kept up so long in order to cure their battle scars. Again I say
battle scars have nothing to do with conformation, but to some people it does effect beauty.

The man who has show dogs today has done more to promote dual –purpose hounds than anyone. He
and his hounds have had more false and unjust criticism than any other foxhunter or hound. He is
forced to take these good hounds to the show and field trials with too much flesh, soft and tender just
because he had to keep them up so long. When he wins the bench, you will hear false critics saying
they are just bench show hounds and no good to run a fox. Some of these good hounds have the guts
to go out on the third day and win the field. Then all that is left for the critics to say is that he will quit,
barks too much, don’t bark on the line, barks off the line, barks behind or don’t bark enough, etc. After
the owner has bred, raised, broke and been running the hound for several years, and the false critic has
never owned, hunted or knows nothing whatsoever about the hound—it’s really hard to stand by and
listen to such unjust criticism.

A very smart man made this very true statement once. “Knockers never win, and Winners never
knock.” Please don’t misunderstand me. I am not a show dog man. I wish I were. My hunting partner,
Sam Rice, and I have thirty odd hounds and we wish they were all show hounds. The only way we will
ever have most of our hounds dual-purpose hounds is for the men who have show hounds with
conformation and will let them run up until a few days before the show—then bring them to the show
with the hair worn off their legs, chest and tail, with their toe nails off to the quick and the wire marks on
their legs and ears—then if they win the bench and go out in the field and win (which they will do) then
we can breed to these dogs and really get what we all want done up in one package.

You will hear the bench show Critic say that he does not want a bench show hound. We know this is not
true. For the first time any foxhunter gets a hound that has any type of conformation we will make a free
taxi to and from our kennels, taking our friends to see this dog. We will knock the breath out of him by
slapping the hound in the belly, trying to make an arch in his back (when there is really no arch). We will
break our back trying to make him stand on the end of his toes to hide or keep our friends from
detecting his old coon feet.

The fellow that knocks a show dog and says he cares nothing about conformation in a hound would not
hitch a 700 pound jackass beside a 1500 pound Missouri mule and expect the jackass to keep his end of
the double tree even with the mule for 10 or 12 hours. No not for one hour. If he goes out to buy a bull
to head his herd, what does he look for? Type, to be sure, and the bull must have conformation, or he
does not buy him. If he goes to buy a saddle horse, he does not demand a spindle legged, sway back,
knock kneed horse, with no bottom. No, he wants a saddle horse with conformation. Just as we want
our hounds to have conformation, if we will be honest and fair, but we want them to be foxhounds first.
This we can all have, if we will stop having beauty shows and start having bench shows for type instead
of looks and beauty.

Let us get back to Beauty versus Conformation. I have been making some tests on Old Beauty and Old
Conformation, here in the hills of Tennessee. When I say hills I mean Hills, for middle Tennessee really
has them. Hills and mountains, covered with bluffs, plus locust and thorns. Some places the hills are so
steep a pumpkin vine has a hard time holding its pumpkin until it matures. You will find on top of these
ridges as well as in the bottom of these hollows on an average of every few hundred yards apart (4 ft.), 6
inch mesh wire fence, with four point barb-wire on top. Let us put Old Beauty and Old Conformation
after one of our Tennessee fox (red, with a snowball on the end of his tail) early in the night when the
nights are long. Next morning when the sun is rising you will find Old Beauty lying by the fire (if the
owner hasn’t killed her, or maybe on his way to a live stock sale barn to find a dog jockey) but you will
still hear Old Conformation giving thi sold red fox hell.

Please do not understand me to say that there are really no good pot-lickers. In the days gone by I have
owned what I thought at that time some few good pot-lickers, but in those days all a hound had to
combat was a few low rail fences and maybe surround a few wild hogs at times. But to put him down now
to run a fox, with 4 ft. wire fence plus barb-wire on top every few hundred yards with highways every few
miles and the streaming line of traffic, just try to picture him trying to work his fox through fast cars with
bright headlights, passing a house ever few 100 yards, with electric porch lights being turned on him
and about a half dozen curs and housedogs turned loose on him—I trust that he would be a good
foxhound, no one would know.

In my over 40 years of foxhunting, there are two things that I feel I have learned to know—that is a good
hound and a bad one. I feel my judgment can be trusted because I have owned too many no-good ones,
several that were fair and very, very few good ones. When I say good ones, I mean good ones; the kind
you break, train and run until he becomes a helpless cripple from having his legs and feet almost cut off
by wire fence or aged by long overtime work in the steep Tennessee hills chasing the Tennessee red
fox. When you have hunted him both day and night for several years honestly trying to find a fault if he
has one and if you do not find fault you can tie to him. Then breed to him and you will improve your
stock of hounds.

I recall attending a bench show years ago (in my judgment) there were some of the best bench show
judges who have ever served. I ask if they had any objection of my putting the number on our dogs
before the show. I recall their answer very well, “no, son, put the numbers on them, a show dog looks a
lot better to me with numbers on him.” Thank God for such great bench show Judges. Judges such as
these will always be remembered and I am very happy to say that some of these good judges are still
judging and doing a good job. If we were going to make a beauty show out of our bench show, instead
of conformation shows, suppose we invite the children with their beautiful collies and the ladies with
their beautiful clean house dogs for they are also beautiful. Remember that beauty is just skin deep but
CONFORMATION GOES TO THE BONE. Battle scars have nothing whatsoever to do with the bone, and
muscle that a foxhound is born with—that he got from his great sire and dam.

I want to say again as I did in the beginning—this is only my opinion and honest conviction, and the other
fellow has the same right to form and express his opinion likewise, in this great country of ours. If you
do not agree with me, I would like to shake your hand and tell you how much I admire you for having the
guts to form and express your own opinion.

Yours for foxhounds that are show hounds, and show hounds that are foxhounds.

SAM D. POTEET
Cookeville, Tennessee