Autumn Oaks 50th Anniversary
Let The Countdown Begin!
Special Bench Show Classes Announced
Wayne Cavanaugh

Golden Anniversaries are special, and rightfully so. The Autumn Oaks 50th will be no exception. For those of you who attend Autumn Oaks annually, this will be your heads up on some special events and changes. For those of you who may be on the fence, wanting to attend but “iffy” for whatever reason, this will hopefully be the motivation you need to load the family and hounds and come to Richmond, Indiana, for this Labor Day weekend spectacular.

This month, let’s discuss some of the exciting changes in store for the Autumn Oaks Bench Show. In an effort to provide more activity for bench show enthusiasts, the Autumn Oaks Bench Show will be expanded to three full days worth of events this year only. Friday and Saturday events will remain unchanged, except Pairs and Duals will be moving to Thursday. All Registered classes will show on Friday, with Champions, the Kids Bench Show and Grand Champions showing on Saturday.

This year, however, we are also proud to offer Thursday events which will feature some non-licensed classes totally new to the coonhound world. It’s the perfect opportunity to partner up with family and friends and showcase those nice hounds we are all so proud of. Special 50th Anniversary Awards may be the tangible trophy to the winners, but the smiles, the camaraderie and the opportunity to appreciate some really good dogs will be the real reward for all who choose to attend.

Assuming that everyone is familiar with the Pairs and Duals Competition particulars, let’s review the new classes that will be offered on Thursday.

Stud Dog Competition

The Stud Dog Class is a non-licensed competition in which the judge evaluates the merits of the direct offspring of a stud dog. In this case, “direct offspring” means the sons and/or daughters of the stud dog. Each entry is made up of the stud dog and two or three of his direct offspring. They are shown as a group: the first dog in the entry is the stud dog. Standing behind him are his offspring, regardless of their gender. It is the quality of the sons and daughters that forms the basis for the judge’s decision. The merits of the Stud Dog are secondary to the quality of the dogs he produces.

The fee for each entry is $20, which covers the stud dog and his offspring, regardless of whether the stud dog is represented by two or three offspring. It does not matter if the offspring are males, females, or one or two of each. There is no special consideration given to the number of offspring by the judge.

This competition will be judged on the ground; there will be no benches in the ring. All of the direct offspring must be examined and gaited. The Stud Dog must also be examined to determine if he has any disqualifying faults.

Neither the stud dog nor his offspring are required to compete in a regular bench show class in order to be a part of the stud dog entry. There are no special requirements as to who owns, handles or has bred the dogs.

Each breed will be judged separately. One winner will be selected from each breed. Each breed-winning entry will then compete for the overall Top Autumn Oaks Stud Dog Award.

This is not only a great competition, but a great way to showcase your stud dog and the offspring he produces.

Brood Bitch Competition

The Brood Bitch class is a non-licensed competition in which the judge evaluates the merits of the direct offspring of a brood bitch. In this case, “direct offspring” means the sons and/or daughters of the brood bitch. Each entry is made up of the brood bitch and two or three of her offspring. They are shown as a group: the first dog in the entry is the brood bitch. Standing behind her are two or three of her offspring, regardless of their gender. It is the quality of the sons and daughters that forms the basis for the judge’s decision. The merits of the brood bitch are secondary to the quality of the dogs she produces.

The fee for each entry is $20, which covers the brood bitch and her offspring, regardless of whether the brood bitch is represented by two or three offspring. It does not matter if the offspring are males or females or one or two of each. The judge gives no special consideration to the number of offspring representing the brood bitch.

This competition will be judged on the ground; there will be no benches in the ring. All of the direct offspring must be examined and gaited. The brood bitch must also be examined to determine if she has any disqualifying faults.

Neither the brood bitch nor her offspring are required to compete in a regular bench show class in order to be a part of the brood bitch entry. There are no special requirements as to who owns, handles, or has bred the dogs.

Each breed will be judged separately. Each breed will be judged separately. One winner will be selected from each breed. Each breed winning entry will then compete for the overall Top Autumn Oaks Brood Bitch Award

This is not only a great competition, but a great way to showcase your brood bitch and the offspring she produces.

Generations Competition

The Generations class is a non-licensed competition in which the judge evaluates the merits of three generations of a family of hounds. Each entry is made up of three dogs, one from each generation, and they are shown as a group. The first dog in the entry is either a male or female, the second dog is a son or daughter he or she produced, and the third is a son or daughter of the second dog in the entry. This could be a grandfather, his daughter and then her son, or any variation of genders as long as each is a direct offspring of the dog standing in front of him or her.

The fee for each entry is $20 which covers all three generations.

This competition will be judged on the ground, there will be no benches in the ring. Each of the three dogs that make up the entry must be examined and gaited.

No dogs in the entry are required to compete in a regular bench show class in order to be a part of the entry. There are no special requirements as to who owns, handles, or has bred the dogs.

Each breed will be judged separately. One winner will be selected from each breed. Each breed winning entry will then compete for the overall Top Autumn Oaks Generations Award

This is not only a great competition but a great way to showcase your breeding program.

Watch this website in the months to come to find out more about what we have in store for Autumn Oaks 50th anniversary.