Whats wrong with showing?

[Macayle]

I understand you are all anti-breeding and I agree with that,but I really dont see whats wrong with showing?
I dont show and dont ever plan to but I was just wondering.
Please dont get mad at me.

[BabyGrl]

I think that they both kind of go hand in hand. If you are showing a pig then you want it to look a specific way, so you are going to breed two certain parents to get a certain look. It just kind of seems to me that showing a pig is in that way promoting breeding.

[Percy's Mom]

Ditto to what babygrl said. Also, it's a LOT of unneeded stress on the animals. When you show, the cages are nowhere near the same size of the mansions we keep our babies in normally, there is a lot of noise, and to be judged, the piggies have to be picked up and examined by people they're not familiar with. You'd probably be hard pressed to see a big pile of hay in a show cage as well. It wouldn't look as neat and tidy and could obscure seeing the animal fully.

[Access]

Everything; the show itself, the peripheral activities leading up to the show and after the show; etc. If you have never been to a show, see the pictures below; they will demonstrate the conditions and what is wrong. Not every pig is 'showable', so shows reinforce breeding ideals and breeders motives in trying to create the most genetically 'perfect' pig through breeding.

Pictures can demonstrate it much better than words, here you go:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/shutar.../ph//my_photos
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/shutar...taro/my_photos

[Macayle]

Those pictures dont look so bad.

[homeschoolmama]

I don't think it's the actual "showing" that people object to. It's the idea behind it, that some piggies are "better" than others that seems truly distasteful. What is wrong with my boys? Nothing at all. But I doubt they'd be allowed in a show, because they're not purebred.

Other than that, the idea of keeping your piggie in a teeny tiny cage in a noisy room full of strange smells & sights all day long while strangers come up to poke at & handle them sounds terribly frightening to me. *I* would not willingly do this myself, let alone make my poor piggies endure this.

I know a ribbon & trophy store nearby, and have considered having some ribbons made up to decorate our piggies' cage with. I thought it would be fun to have ribbons that say things like "biggest hay-piggie" and "professional flirt" made up for our boys. I don't need someone else to tell me that I have the best piggies... I KNOW I do!

[Piglet]

Everyone has put it so well - It's a selfish act that is purely for owners. Do you really think guinea pigs would give a care about a trophy or ribbon? They'd much rather prefer lazing around in their cage munching on hay. It's just so useless

[flower power :@]

I do not agree with showing pigs or small animals or cats. But i do agree with showing horses (i have one and he loves shows) i also agree with dog shows as some really enjoy it.As for showing pigs they DO NOT need to be pure bred,you can put them in a non pure bred class.
Either way i do not agree with showing pigs.

poppy
xx

[Piglet]

I agree, with guinea pigs and other small animals it's daft. I can understand with horses and dogs though

[2pigs4rats]

Cavy shows are compeletly different to dog/horse shows. Most dogs and Horses love the experience of being at a show, they are not kept cooped up in cages all day, so those kinds of shows I have no problem with at all.
Cavy shows however are uneccessary and the pigs are kept in small cages all day long with people walking past and peering in at them.

[flower power :@]

Oh i'm glad you are ok with horse shows!

poppy
xx

[SkinnyPiggys]

[quote=flower power :@]I do not agree with showing pigs or small animals or cats. But i do agree with showing horses (i have one and he loves shows) i also agree with dog shows as some really enjoy it.As for showing pigs they DO NOT need to be pure bred,you can put them in a non pure bred class.
Either way i do not agree with showing pigs."

The biggest problem that I have with dog shows is the same problem that I have with GP shows. They involve the breeding of animals when there are already thousands of animals waiting for homes in shelters. Every animal that is bred takes away a home from a shelter animal.

There is also the practice of culling going on. Culling basically means that any animal bred that is not show quality will be killed by the breeder. Some breeders consider culling selling their non-showable animals to petstores. But most kill them. It's a sick thing that is going on all of the time.

I just rescued a baby lion head rabbit which is the cutest little thing I have ever seen! He was supposed to be "culled" because he has 1 white toenail! I went to a lion head online group which was filled with breeders. Some of them kill hundreds of baby rabbits with a hammer every year! It's just sickening.

[flower power :@]

OH sorry i just meant like a fun dog show with non pure breds ect.....sorry

poppy
xx

[Maggie]

I DO support showing, and in fact I am beggining to show, and I don't want to be looked down upon just because of it.
What I've seen so often on this site is that you guys always highlight the bad side of everything! I know I'm a new member, and have barely any posts, but...

Anyway, showing is a good way for kids to learn more about their pigs, especially in small shows. And yes, all pigs are great in their own way, the point of a pig's placing in his class is how close he is to the breed standards compared to the other pigs. The small shows, like in my area, are filled with concerned owners who really care about their pigs, telling the public to keep fingers out to reduce stress and also allow bigger cages w/ hay. (I know it's not always like this!!)

Oh, Skinny pigs, what you mentioned about culling: this has been going on for nearly hundreds of years in livestock. I refuse to do it with my chickens, because they're my pets, but it all depends on what your morals are. Many livestock owners don't have the money to keep animals that won't go towards their breeding programs, which is why they use culling. Also, they're trying to avoid inbreeding and trying to keep the bloodlines pure.

I don't mean to offend ANYONE, and I'm not saying that ANY of your ideas are wrong, it's just that you guys refuse to allow other opinions on this board!

[Lyndsay]

DO support showing, and in fact I am beggining to show, and I don't want to be looked down upon just because of it.
What I've seen so often on this site is that you guys always highlight the bad side of everything! I know I'm a new member, and have barely any posts, but...

Anyway, showing is a good way for kids to learn more about their pigs, especially in small shows. And yes, all pigs are great in their own way, the point of a pig's placing in his class is how close he is to the breed standards compared to the other pigs. The small shows, like in my area, are filled with concerned owners who really care about their pigs, telling the public to keep fingers out to reduce stress and also allow bigger cages w/ hay. (I know it's not always like this!!) Many people show to show all the work and love they put into their animals.

Oh, Skinny pigs, what you mentioned about culling: this has been going on for nearly hundreds of years in livestock. I refuse to do it with my chickens, because they're my pets, but it all depends on what your morals are. Many livestock owners don't have the money to keep animals that won't go towards their breeding programs, which is why they use culling. Also, they're trying to avoid inbreeding and trying to keep the bloodlines pure.

I don't mean to offend ANYONE, and I'm not saying that ANY of your ideas are wrong, it's just that you guys refuse to allow other opinions on this board!

But showing is such a pointless act of keeping small animals, in small cages, in solitary confinement. It's all about who's animal is better than who's. In reality what does it matter, just because an animal looks a certian way, does not make it any better than someone else's, even if it has all the "so called" breed standards... which were also created by people. Breed standards, and alot of things about showing has nothing to do with the animal itself, but rather the selfishness of the owner, in which they feel the need to bring the animal into stress, and torment it. Thus only really letting the kids learn that it's ok for animals have to endure stress and torment for ribbons, money, prizes, etc. Where in the show does the animal get anything out of it?

Also, they're trying to avoid inbreeding and trying to keep the bloodlines pure.

I think your mistaken, I know for a fact that linebreeding is not trying to be stopped. It is the number one way to maintain certian genes in a family of animals.

[clover-crystal]

Torment? What do you mean by that?

[aqh88]

I don't have a problem with showing most animals but I do have a problem with what people will go through to win. I did show my dog at the local fair but I quit doing the handling and obedience. My dog is not bred to be a show dog. He's a mixed breed mutt that was abused and can't stand other people touching him or being near him. Apparently that makes him a worthless dog that judges didn't think should be on the show grounds or even living in some cases. However he'll win any agility class you put him in. He absolutely loves it.

I also show horses but I quit doing the pleasure classes and that junk. People will do anything to win those and the horses are obviously not having fun. They have this dull look in their eye and just go around and around in circles no longer caring what's going on around them. The bits often used on those horses are quite excessive for their disposition and what they are doing. Now reining and barrels are another story. It's not judged on how you look or who's horse can go the slowest and withstand the most boredom but on ability. If Cara is rearing up and dancing around outside the ring before a barrel run noone cares. The only thing that matters is that clock and Cara lives to outrun that clock. There is no place she'd rather be than the middle of a barrel ring with thousands of people watching her. She was state champion in '95 and then had to retire 2 years ago because in her excitement and age she cleanly ripped a flexor tendon at both connections. She was quite depressed for the next year and would stare over the gate when we left for a horse show until we got back.

The problem with guinea pig showing is you can't teach them to do an agility course or run the fastest. The only way you can show them is handling(dog term) or halter(horse term) type classes which are the worst. Those are the ones where everyone does whatever they can to win often losing sight of the animals' health and happiness and it's not judged on anything that would make your animal a good pet or a good friend. Only on how they look. It's a real pointless class no matter what animal your showing.