YES: Gameness is the essence of the breed, and dogs who show it to the extreme are deserving.
NO: The DOY title should only be about performance.
"GAME DOG OF THE YEAR" that's what up!!!I have a buddy up North and they had a bad ass little dog who was killing his opponents in rolls.he never made it to the Big Dance because he would not scratch.he was a killer but would not scratch.they did the right thing and culled him,and moved on.Gotta B GAME
I do agree Jack an exceptionally game dog deserves recognition. If it is a matter of another prestigious title being awarded to an animal that goes beyond what most consider game, then of course I'm all for it.
But I was under the impression you were strictly speaking about DOY?
S_B
Texas just lost to CH.Reno and Lotto lost to Titere on Titere 6th so yes 2014. My take is let's do it separate DOY is about performance we all should know if our dogs are game before showing, we are banking on ability,mouth and such when it comes to the show. now if it goes deep we all want to win on gameness.
Well, originally, my thought was ... "is ability all there is to greatness?"
Is beating 3 mediocre Champions, where you're never really behind, a "greater accomplishment" than beating ONE devastating Champion, suffering incredible punishment, taking it all, and coming from WAY BACK to win on a huge HEART + Ability?
Beating 3 Champions can mean a dog only has great ability, but yet never had to show HEART.
Doesn't true greatness imply HEART also?
Isn't the display of awesome heart the distinction between a front-runner and a legend?
Maybe the idea of a second title, for gameness, is the best way to go ... but my original thought was, "Okay X dog may not have won 6x, but he did display a level of gameness that the 6xW Y never showed ..."
Is true greatness only about # of wins?
Jack
True greatness should encompass all of the accolades we are speaking of here.
That is why it is my opinion a DOY should be the cream of the crop.
The "Gamest" dog of the year only needs his/her gameness to be a consideration.
A truly great thought provoking topic as usual Jack!
S_B
A truly elite dog may never be put in the situation where it had to show heart...so I believe having two separate titles would be best.