This Site Chosen By Microsoft As THE Afghan Web Link for Encarta Afghan Hound Database and Breed Information Exchange (USA VISIT 1996 - A PERSONAL REFLECTION (Page 1) Author Steve Tillotson)

During October, 1996, I visited the USA and was able to attend the National Afghan Speciality at Racine, Wisconsin and also the Northern California Club's Speciality at Pleasanton, California. I have been asked by several of our Internet community to provide some notes and observations on my visit, which I am pleased to do. Where appropriate I have included comments on some differences observed between the US and UK Afghan scenes.

Scene Setting - I think it would be helpful, in order to set these notes in context, to briefly explain my background in Afghans, my experience to date and some of my preconceptions prior to visiting the US. Hopefully this will enable me to reflect on the preconceptions and comment on how my thoughts have or have not changed following the visit.

Personal Background - I have owned Afghans constantly for 21 years, the first 11 years as a pet owner. In the last 10 years I have been an active exhibitor, one-litter breeder, junior judge and deeply involved in breed history and pedigrees. Until recently my choice of Afghan to exhibit had been from two different UK kennels (or my own breeding) but having complimentary bloodlines. My current Afghan, bred in Northern Ireland, represents a move away from these bloodlines and involves major influence from Scandinavia via a son of Boxadan Junior Jumper. I have been through the UK Afghan Hound Breed Council approved Judges' training program; I am at the Junior level and have judged approximately six times since passing the Judging exam. I guess this puts me in a category of (aspiring) breed specialist. I am also interested in the Saluki and have judged the breed once. I have spent 10 years to date collecting, studying and storing on computer over 42,000 Afghan hound pedigrees from all around the world. I have undertaken considerable research and tracing into many of these pedigrees and also collected and studied many archive documents and photographs of Afghans. I have undertaken various studies into breed history, origins, breed standards, breeding, judging, exhibiting etc. and have had a number of articles published in the UK and overseas. I have developed a pedigree database program with a colleague for use with personal computers and which I obviously use for my own pedigree collection, research and analysis. This pedigree software has now been adopted as the official system marketed by the UK Kennel Club.

A fairly new project involves the Internet, where, with assistance of the breed world-wide, we are building an Internet site for the enjoyment of Afghan people all around the world. My preoccupation has been with the pedigree and breed history, possibly at the expense of developing my knowledge of actual and current Afghan hounds. As an active exhibitor during the last 10 years, I am obviously aware of Afghans around me, but would not claim to be as knowledgeable as many others in the breed. Whilst my experience has, until now, been confined to the UK, I consider myself "open minded" and willing to learn on the subject of the Afghan hound, here and overseas.

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