So, you want to judge the MRC Futurity? How we made the list to select futurity judges in the past: The membership renewal form included a space for members to suggest names for futurity judges. These names were then put on a list and voted on at the specialty business meeting in October. The top two names receiving the most votes were then asked to judge the next year. If they were unwilling or unable, the Board went down the list asking those who received the next highest votes and so forth. With this method we ran the risk of the following:

Those invited did not want to judge because of personal reasons (they had dogs they wanted to show at the specialty, they had litters enrolled in the futurity, they had an active stud dog, or they just did not feel competent to judge.) Those listed really did not have enough time and experience in the breed to be able to handle the demands of judging an entry that could well be over 100 puppies.  Those on the list were too experienced. (AKC breeder-judges who already judged specialties or all-rounders who judge groups.) The AKC intends a futurity to be a venue to train those who want to become licensed judges. Those on the list had no interest at all in judging and were unhappy to see their name appear on a list without permission.

New Program: The Board will ask for those who wish to judge our futurity, and understand what the assignment entails, to apply to the MRC Board. Those who apply will be put on a list to be voted on at the October general meeting.  The list will be closed the 1st of August. Hopefully those applying will have demonstrated a knowledge of the breed and been involved in the breed long enough to consider themselves sufficiently experienced to take on such a prestigious and large assignment.

The applicant should have an understanding of AKC rules and be able to judge about 20 dogs an hour. As futurities also serve to provide experience for future judges, one would hope that the applicant plans to eventually become an AKC judge. And the applicant must further realize that he or she, if voted to judge and accepts, will not be able to handle at the specialty where he or she is judging. (Dogs owned by the applicant may be exhibited in specialty classes, other than futurity classes, but cannot be handled by the applicant.) The applicant must not have any puppies entered in the futurity nor have any puppies entered that are sired by the applicant's stud dog. And the applicant must be sensitive to the appearance of impartiality by avoiding watching puppies at fall shows which later could be entered under the applicant in the futurity.

The Board hopes this method will provide the club with a list of appropriate fanciers who sincerely do want the assignment.