Top Twenty Rules as Of September 1, 2005

 

 

This event offers all that attend a chance to view the “cream of the crop.”  Each entrant is evaluated individually in his/her relationship to the breed standard, using a scale of points. This procedure is not available at any point show and allows each person in the audience to judge the entrants, using a score sheet at the same time the judges are scoring them.  The entrants are observed from a positive approach; they are not fault judged.  The event promotes discussion of the standard, where ideas and views are exchanged.  This event will be held prior to the Best of Breed judging of the National Specialty, as knowledge of the results of the National Specialty competition could influence the outcome of the Top 20 judging.

 

The 20 Alaskan Malamutes eligible for the Top 20 Event are based on the following: (the term dog herein shall refer to either dogs or bitches with no preference given):

 

1.        One point for each Alaskan Malamute defeated by going Best of Breed or Best of Opposite Sex to the Best of Breed at any AKC All Breed Show or any Independent Specialty Show where AKC points are awarded.  Tabulation of points will be compiled from the results published in the AKC Awards, starting with shows reported in the August issue (May shows) and continuing through July issue (April shows).  Corrections published in the AKC Awards subsequent to the July issue will not be considered. Standings will be compiled monthly and each owner who has a dog in the Top 20 will receive notification showing the standings through that month.  A list of the Top 20 dogs will be sent to the AMCA NEWSLETTER editor each month for publication.  All past winners who qualify for the current Top 20 are eligible to compete.  All past winners who do not qualify for the current Top 20 may enter for “Exhibition Only” for a reduced fee to cover the cost of their rosette.

 

2.        Each dog that competes in the Top 20 Event will receive a rosette, three (3) feet in length, having the entrant’s name, the date and place of the event and the name AMCA Top 20 Event imprinted.  The AMCA Logo will be imprinted on the rosette button.  The rosette may be any color other than that of Best of Breed, Best of Opposite Sex or Winners Dog/Bitch.  A trophy will be presented to the winner.

 

3.        Each owner(s) of a Top 20 dog, based on the final standings, will be sent an invitation to participate.  The invitation will be addressed to the dog and to the dog’s owner(s).

 

4.        A response card will be supplied with the invitation and the owner must respond by the date indicated.  There will be a $100.00 entry fee for dogs owned/co-owned by AMCA members; $150.00 for dogs owned by non-AMCA members.

 

5.        When the entry form along with the entry fee is received, the owner of the entrant will be sent instructions on how to nominate the judges of their choice.  No one will be allowed to have a voice in the selection of judges until he/she has entered and paid the required fee.

 

6.        A panel of five (5) judges will conduct the judging of the event.  The highest and lowest scores for each dog will be thrown out, with the three remaining scores being averaged.  Each judge will represent a different category as follows:

 

A.     Breeder: An established Alaskan Malamute breeder who has been breeding for a minimum of five (5) years and has produced at least five (5) conformation champions as published in the AKC Awards.  Breeder judges must be AMCA members in good standing.  AMCA members of the same household may be placed on the ballot, but there shall be only one breeder judge from the same household for this event.  The first name selected from the member household shall result in the disqualification of other members from the same household who may be on the ballot.

 

B.      Professional Handler (past or present):  Handler must meet the criteria for membership in the Professional Handlers Association (P.H.A.), though not necessarily be a member.  Must have a minimum of five (5) years of handling experience.  Handlers who have campaigned or handled a Malamute special who is currently in the Top 20 or who has first generation offspring (dog or bitch) in the Top 20 within the past year are not eligible to accept this assignment.

 

C.     Multi-breed judge:   An AKC approved judge for Alaskan Malamutes and at least four (4) other breeds.

 

D.     Two (2) additional judges will be selected by drawing names from a list of breeders who are present for the event and who meet the requirements to apply for AKC approval to judge Alaskan Malamutes.  These breeders must not have any connection to any dog entered in the Top 20 competition.  They cannot own or co-own the sire or dam of any dog in the competition nor can they have bred a bitch to any dog entered nor can they have bred any dog to a bitch entered.  The drawing will be conducted by a committee selected by the AMCA Board.

 

The event chairperson will provide entrants with a list of group judges and working breed handlers who reside within a 400 mile radius of the event location.  Entrants may nominate qualified judges of their choice who reside within a 400 mile radius and it is not mandatory to select from these lists.  No one may judge the Top 20 Event more than once in any five (5) year period.

 

The first three (3) judges will be selected by entrants as follows: The owner(s) of the final Top 20 entrants will be sent three (3) envelopes; one marked breeder judge, one marked handler judge, and the third envelope market multi-breed judge.  They will be asked to nominate one judge for each category and place the name of their nominee in the respective envelope.  Each envelope will be mailed to a different person as designated by the Event Chairperson.  One person will receive the breeder judge nominees, another the handler judge nominees and the third will receive the multi-breed judge nominees.  The people receiving the nominations will ask a person with absolutely no connection to the event or the Alaskan Malamute to select one name from those nominated for that category from a “hat.”  The person so selecting will sign a statement to the effect that he/she has no connection with the event or the Alaskan Malamute and that the selection was completely at random.  The person to whom the nominations were sent will then contact the person whose name was selected to determine if they are available to participate.  If the first selection is not available, another selection will be made by the first person to draw and another statement will be signed that this is the second (or subsequent) selection.

 

Each judge that has been contacted shall be asked not to disclose it to anyone.  The judge’s name will be revealed at the time the catalogues go on sale one hour before judging.

 

7.        A catalog will be printed for this event.  No advertising will be allowed in the event catalog.  The catalog must include, but is not limited to the following:

 

A.     The cover shall consist of the Top 20 EVENT logo, the words TOP TWENTY EVENT, the event date and city where the event is to be held.

 

B.      A list of the final Top 20 dogs in descending order.

 

C.     A two-facing page spread of each entrant in the final Top 20 standings who has paid the required fee.  There will be no further charge to entrants for these pages.

 

1.          The left-hand page shall have the name of the entrant, a brief story, owner(s), breeder(s) and a write-up about that dog furnished by the owner (odd-numbered page).

 

2.          The right-hand page shall have a full body photo of the entrant and a four (4) generation pedigree, including the dog’s date of birth (even-numbered page).

 

8.        Each dog will be issued an armband number that will correspond with the even page number of the entrant in the event catalog.  A drawing will be conducted prior to the start of the event to determine the order in which the dogs enter the ring.  The ring will be set up with five (5) judging stations.  Each station will include a table and two (2) chairs.  A separate trophy table will be set up. 

 

9.        There will be a PA system with a moderator.  The moderator shall announce the dog in the ring as being the entrant on page number ____ in the catalog.  He shall instruct the handler as to where to position and gait his/her dog.  The entrant shall be brought into the ring one at a time and adhere to the following procedure:

 

A.     At the commencement of the event, the entrants shall be brought in together for two complete revolutions around the ring as an initial introduction and welcome from spectators and judges.

 

B.      The first entrant will circle the ring twice and go to his assigned judging station, followed by the second dog and then the third, fourth and fifth dog doing the same.  When all five (5) dogs are at their assigned stations, the judges shall proceed with their examination.

 

C.      The five judges will be positioned with one judge in each corner and one judge located on the diagonal. Each judge will individually examine and score the entrant at his/her station.  Following the first judge’s evaluation, each dog will be moved down-and-back twice by the judge.  The entrant will move on to the next station.  When each judge has completed his/her examination of all five (5) dogs, each dog will individually complete two revolutions around the ring for the judges to further evaluate the gait.  The first dog will then exit the ring and each subsequent dog in that group will follow the same procedure.  When the judges have finished evaluating the first group, the next group(s) will come in following the same procedures until all entrants have been evaluated.

 

D.      Each entrant shall be evaluated individually in his/her relationship to the breed standard using a scale of points as stated in the event catalog.  The judge’s book will contain a score sheet for each individual entrant.  Points may be scored in whole or half points. 

 

E.      When all entrants have been evaluated, all dogs will be called back into the ring one at a time and identified by name, owner and breeder and will receive their rosettes.

 

10.    When a judge has completed his/her scoring of an entrant, he/she may choose to sign the score sheet and immediately turn the score sheet into the ring steward.  No score sheets shall be tabulated by the judges or stewards.  Each score sheet will be placed in an envelope marked with that entrant’s number and sealed.  No sooner than two (2) hours before the banquet following Best of Breed judging of the National Specialty, each score sheet shall be tabulated by a committee.  The entrant’s number of the score sheet will be covered so that the person tabulating the score will not have knowledge of which dog’s score is being tabulated.  The cover on the number shall not be removed until it is presented for announcement at the banquet.  The dog with the highest score will be declared the winner.  In case of a tie, the average placement marked by each judge will be used to break the tie.  (The three (3) average placements, one from each judge whose scores were not thrown out, will be added together for one total score and then said number will be divided by 3 to get the “average” score needed to break the tie.)

 

Following the conclusion of the event, each entrant in the Top 20 will receive each judge’s score sheet for their entry.  The score sheets will be given or sent only to the owner(s) of each dog or their designated agent.  The scores will not be made public by anyone involved with this event.  If the owner wishes to publish the score, it will be at his or her own discretion.

 

Any time the entry drops below 12 entrants, the event will be cancelled for that year.  The event committee may charge a nominal spectator admission fee of $3.00 per person for those spectators who do not attend the Top 20 dinner event.  Entrants in the Top 20 event and their immediate family shall receive 4 complimentary tickets for admission only.