Dog Show Ring Stewards
An important part of dog shows are the ring stewards. Ring stewards are people who assist exhibitors and judges during the event. There are two places where stewards work, ‘inside’ each show ring to assist the judge, and ‘outside’ of the show ring to assist exhibitors. Their primary function is to make sure each entrant has a numbered armband when they go into the ring and making sure that the judge’s placings, or dog’s score, in each class are recorded correctly. The official record of placings ultimately goes to the American Kennel Club to be included in each dog’s show record, and to determine when a Championship or other AKC Title has been earned.
In the words of the AKC, “A good steward makes the work of judging easier by relieving the judge of unnecessary details. By assembling classes promptly, one will be able to keep the judging on schedule and eliminate, to a large extent, delays between classes.”
People interested in becoming Ring Stewards may contact either of the following organizations for more information on training dates. Typically, training is about an 8 hour class one day a year.
Contacts:
San Antonio area – Mission City Stewards Club – Debby Wood at (210) 289-8992,
dwdakara@dakara.us
North Texas area – Stewards Club of Dallas – Gary Cline • jtlitmom@aol.com