>I showed my Sammy last year for the first time and he took first place
>in two rings in Companion, and didn't place at all in the third ring.
>The ferret who took best in show for companion at that show had biten
>one of the judges, but didn't get disqualified and should not have
>gotten best in show, especially for companion, but it did, even though
>it bit a judge.  Kind of funny how that works.
 
[>>>] WHOA!!!....I am the owner of the above ferret you're talking
about -- his name is Chevy...at this particular show when I got Chevy's
score cards back and saw "bit judge" on one of them I was in absolute
disbelief!!...so much so that I had to keep re-reading it thinking it
HAD to say something else, as the writing was kind of unclear -- at first
I could only laugh and shake my head in disbelief at the thought that
Chevy could bite ANYONE -- he just wouldn't, so the comment was almost
ridiculous!!!...as ribboning occurred and the judge blurted out that
"he would have been first in her ring if he hadn't bit her" I became
concerned -- at that time all I could think was if this was in any way
true, then Chevy certainly did NOT deserve a 1st place in this ring --
I was so concerned, in fact, that I questioned the AFA's Judge's
Administrator the next day --- apparently the Judge's Administrator had
already questioned the judge on this issue, and almost before I got my
question/concern out of my mouth she gave me the "real" story -- I don't
recall the exact words the judge said to the Judge's Administrator, but,
in effect, she admitted that Chevy had NOT actually bitten her at all...
but, in fact, the judge said she had been playing with him kind of back
and forth as she was judging him and, thus, he kind of got close to her
and his tooth nicked her --- Chevy did NOT bite the judge!!!!...this
untrue story has been going around and around since this show ---
unfortunately, I DO blame the judge for blurting something that was
actually untrue and causing other exhibitors to think this did actually
occur and that this ferret, therefore, should NOT have ribboned in this
ring...as a matter of fact, after I heard the "real" story, all I could
think of was that he was actually penalized unfairly since he did NOT
bite this judge afterall -- and then all I could think of was well, heck,
he deserved a first in her ring since SHE was the one horsing around with
him and he didn't bite her but merely was playing and became excited
probably flopping around playing w/her back and forth and inadvertently
nicked/grade her w/his tooth -- and, by the way....Chevy won BIS at 3 of
the 5 AFA shows he was entered in last year -- at his very first show in
March of 2005 he was just a few days over 16 weeks -- he was up against
85 ferrets, and he got BIS -- at Fandango in May of 2005, he received a
1st place from each of the 3 Companion Class ring judges and a BIS...at
the Harvest Festival, he got a 1st, a 2nd, and a nothing in Companion,
therefore, Jesse Milan's Luther (yaaaaaaaaaaay, Luther!!) got BIS --
(since this there have been a few other shows in which Chevy has gotten
high placements in 2 rings and a nothing in a 3rd ring -- just something
that can sometimes happen, but it is what it is) -- Luther and Chevy were
in the running most of the year for Companion of the Year....Luther is a
beautiful boy, and I felt privileged to have my Chevy competing against
him for COTY -- Chevy ended up being named as AFA's 2004 Companion of
the Year!...we're so proud of our baby boy!!!
 
And for the record:...many people win in their first AFA show -- my first
show no one knew me or my ferrets from Adam, and we walked away with a
handful of ribbons, including a 1st in Chocolate Specialty...and 2 of the
3 ferrets we showed that first day had ribboned across the board (all 3
rings) in their Title Class, putting them up for BIS -- we were beside
ourselves with excitement!...so implying the political thing at the AFA
shows I believe to be TOTALLY unjust -- as for Saturday's show, a LOT of
the ferrets brought up for Specialties were in carriers, making them
anonymous all the more.
[Posted in FML issue 4988]