For as long as anyone can remember the American Chesapeake Club has polled its membership every three years to create a list of Conformation and Sweepstakes judges to be used for the National Specialty Show for the next three years. In June 2022, members voted and a list was compiled from which judges for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 NSS’s were to be selected. The Show Chair of each year’s Nationals has historically picked the judge and in accordance with AKC Codes of Sportsmanship does not show any dogs that he/she owns or co-owns.

This policy has served the club well and we are unaware of any complaints about it. In April 2022 a group of more than 20 people put in an application to host the 2024 NSS. This application, which states that the Show Chair will select the conformation and Sweepstakes judges was approved in July however the Show Committee of the American Chesapeake Club has refused to provide the list to the Show Chair who was told that the Show Committee would like the Board of Directors to change the selection process to allow a Committee to choose the judges and also allow the Show Chair to show his/her dogs. Further, they would like this to apply retroactively to the application that was put in for the 2024 NSS.

This action on the part of the 4 members of the ACC Show Committee is troubling on several levels.

First, the club membership voted in good faith to for a list of judges to be used for the years 2024-2026. To not publish the results of the voting and not allow the list to be used for it’s stated purpose disenfranchises the membership of the club.

Second, that the Show Committee should choose to override existing policy after having tabulated the votes makes them suspect of violating the AKC Code of Sportsmanship. Do they seek to nullify existing policy because they do not like the results of the poll? Are they doing it because they want to be able to run a NSS and show their dogs? Do they feel that by having a “Committee” select the judges and allow the Committee Members to show their dogs there will be no appearance of Conflict of Interest?

Third, the Show Committee has overstepped themselves by deciding that they have the power to change such significant policies without offering the membership the opportunity to vote on these matters.

Right now, the President of the ACC has told the Chairman of the Show Committee to release the results of the poll to the 2024 NSS Show Chair and allow her to begin hiring judges. To date, she has not done that, nor replied to emails requesting the information.

We ask that the results of the Judges Poll be released to the 2024 NSS immediately and that any failure to do so within 72 hours result in sanctions being applied to the members of the Show Committee and the BOD Liason to the Show Committee.

It is unfortunate that this dirty linen has had to be aired publicly, however, it is imperative that these people be held accountable.