outsider looking in, and it quickly
becomes clear that rather than the
dogs alone, it was the owners, and
their interaction with each other
and their dogs, that fascinated
her. She first visited in 1961 and
returned several times.
Some pairings give credence to
the old adage that, occasionally,
huma ns a nd pet s resemble one
another. As terriers and toy dogs
are f luffed and fussed into show-
ready perfection, their grooming is
eclipsed by the bouffant beehives
of the groomers themselves.
Among the many visual puns are
glorious moments of synchronicity,
coincidental juxtapositions such as
the little girl, tearful with stage
fright, and dwarfed by the
St Bernard lumbering beside her.
Shirley found just as much
inspiration away from the show
ring, as she wandered among therows of cubicles in wh ich dog s a nd
their keepers waited for their turn
in the spotlight. Dogs snooze and
snore while owners sip tea and
gossip, or simply wait alongside
their faithf ul friends, in patient and
companionable routine.
When it comes to doggy people,
women are in the majority – a
domination stretching back to the
ladies who took up dog fancying in
the 19th century. There are, of
course, men, but it is the women,
business-like and formidable in
tweed skirts and Sunday-best hats,
whose faces, with their grim
determination, we find hard
to forget. Just as Shirley’s street
photographs pay subconscious
homage to t he mat r ia rchs a nd
young mothers of 1960s
Manchester, here, at the dog show,
is proof that man’s best friend is
just a s likely to be woma n’s. »Whippets, Manchester
Dog Show, 1966
Australian Terrier, dog show
at Platt Fields Park,
Manchester, 1970THINK (^) | GALLERY