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One of the newly independent former Soviet countries is Kazakhstan, which lies south-east of Russia, next to China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kirghizia. It sounds very exotic, but believe me, they do in fact have dog shows over there too! About five years ago a small delegation of three Finnish judges were the first western judges ever to have judged in Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan. It was quite an adventure to go there, but since then they have had more visiting European and even some American judges, and the dog world of Kazakhstan has developed so much that it has become possible for them to join the FCI. They will have their first international CACIB show soon. When we were there for the first time, the show committee had faced many difficulties. The sponsor went bankrupt just before the show, and the hotel where the judges were supposed to stay was closed, so we stayed in the house of a committee member's family in a small village outside of the city. The airplane tickets of the three judges and one interpreter cost a lot more than what they could get out of the entry fees and gate, but that didn't deter the show committee. They went to a bank manager to ask for a loan, guaranteed by their own houses, cars and other possessions. That is real dedication! How many of us would do that? One of the main concerns of the dog clubs was to try to teach the dog owners that dogs should be vaccinated. There was only one telephone in the village. The entries of the show were written down with a pencil in a little notebook; nobody would even dream of computers and fax machines. I don't know how the message that there is a dog show with foreign judges was spread, but it was and there were about 1,000 dogs at the show. Some came from hundreds of miles by train, some by bicycle! We judges were big celebrities, interviewed by TV and newspapers... This year in September there was again a dog show in Almaty. Both the Finnish judges, the well-known all-rounder Hans Lehtinen and my husband Harri Lehkonen were there for second time. The panel was completed by some Russian judges. The show was smaller than the first time, since obviously there are many economic problems due to the situation in Russia. However, the show was better organized, and the rival clubs held a meeting to discuss joining the FCI and elect someone to travel to sign the membership contract. Realizing that if they join forces, everybody benefits, so the clubs appeared to have created harmony between the earlier competing organizations. There is no native breed in Kazakhstan, but the Central Asian Ovtcharka and the Caucasian Ovtcharka originated from this part of the world. They are very impressive, untouchable, big guard and watch dogs, not suitable for inexperienced owners, but have gained some popularity in Europe. Better not go and pat them without asking permission! The most numerous breeds at the show were again the Rottweilers, the Dobermans and the German Shepherds. The Borzoi are really used for hunting wolves and foxes here, and the big Ovtcharkas really work guarding cattle and houses. They are impressive, sound dogs, good movers and unsurpassed in their job. In general, hunting and working breeds are the most important, and the so-called 'decorative' breeds a minority. Dogs are mainly kept for a practical purpose, not so much just as companions. The judges were taken to see a local kennel which breeds Borzoi and Russian Hounds, and which also kept a couple of wolves for training the dogs. There was no show catalogue, because the last entries were taken at the date in the morning. Most of the exhibitors were young dedicated people, who want to make contacts with rest of the dog world and breed good dogs in spite of their faraway location and all the difficulties in the country. Best in Show was a very handsome Black Russian Terrier dog. Second was a German Shepherd, third Kerry Blue and fourth a white Miniature Poodle. With no catalogue, we don't know anything about their background, but these dogs were of good quality. It is surprising how dog people are the same everywhere in the world. The circumstances may be different, and in some countries they have more problems than the others, but somehow dog people always manage to find a way to get information and good dogs. I've been very impressed by the true dedication of the dog people in these "new" countries. They learn very fast, they have lots of talent and they have imagination, which compensates for the difficulties.
Paula Heikkinen-Lehkonen
Dogs in Review, February 1999