Community Corner
Simpsonville Man to Judge Westminster Dog Show Tonight
Robert Vandiver of Simpsonville will be among a small handful of group judges as the famed dog show concludes tonight on national TV.
If you plan to watch the finals of the 137th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show tonight, keep an eye out for the man judging the Working Dogs competition.
That man is Simpsonville native Robert Vandiver, one of seven group judges in the Super Bowl of dog shows, according to a story in The State.
Tonight Vandiver will be making his second judging stint at the Westminster dog show, which will be televised on the USA Network beginning at 8 p.m.
While Vandiver is the most notable human from South Carolina to take part in the show, the competition also includes 50 canines from the state vying for Best in Show honors, according to the Westminster website.
Vandiver has been continuously involved in dog shows since winning his first dog show ribbon in 1967. He has bred and owner-handled Dobermans since the early seventies and has had 25 Doberman champions. He was an AKC licensed Doberman handler starting in the late seventies. He handled until the early eighties when he was offered an job assignment in Europe. He applied to judge Dobermans in 1995 and is now approved by the American Kennel Club to judge all working, sporting, and most herding breeds.
Vandiver has judged several prestigious specialty and all-breed shows in the United States, including Westminster. He has judged National Specialties and has judged internationally in China, Australia, England, the Philippines, New Zealand, Brazil, Mexico, and Canada, according to his bio.
He has been active in several dog clubs, including six years on the Board of Directors of the Doberman Pinscher Club of America. He has been the DPCA Chairman of Judges Education, and is a member/officer of the Carolina Working Group Association, Carolina Dog Judges Study Group, and Greenville Kennel Club.
Vandiver is the Cluster Chair/Show Chair for the Carolina Foothills Cluster in Greenville (among the largest shows in the eastern U.S.), which will hold its competition next week on Feb. 15 at the TD Convention Center.
Read more from The State HERE.
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