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The Terrier Group: August - 2008
I have written on more than one occasion about the
proliferation of dog shows across the country – most of them in
the form of three, four and five day circuits – and the potential
damage it does to the sport.
Everyone I talk to mentions their concern about a decline in entries.
This decline, whether real or perceived, is blamed on gas prices,
entry fee rate hikes, poor judging panels, etc.
There is no doubt that higher gas prices will contribute to a decline
in entries at dog shows since some people will either choose to
wait for larger circuits that are closer to home or choose not
to attend dog shows at all. However, I really don’t think that
energy costs are the underlying cause of a perceived decrease in
dog show entries.
I keep saying ‘perceived’ because if you study entries across the
country, it seems that there really isn’t a decrease in entries
at all. There seems to be a shift from region to region and there
also appears to be a slight increase in entries for obedience,
agility and field trials.
So, are entries really declining? Probably not. Not when you look
at the average. Some shows are up and others are down. This is
a typical cycle that is evident year to year. As mentioned before,
there is a combination of factors that can contribute to a particular
show’s entries being down.
That being said, I am more concerned about how the increase in
the number of dog shows is affecting certain clubs as well as the
industry as a whole. Too many shows too close together has resulted
in decreased entries for small clubs that were struggling to survive
in a much stronger economy. Many were living on the edge and were
only a poor show away from shutting down as it was. Then, as numbers
of shows increased, and multi-day circuits proliferated, some small
clubs putting on only weekend shows have been forced out of business.
Beyond that, many clubs have been allowed to change dates, change
locations, and join forces with other clubs to form a cluster.
These allowances were made due to clubs losing their site, having
internal conflicts with their partner clubs or, in some cases,
simply because they wanted to change.
Unfortunately, AKC’s easing of the most fundamental rules of putting
on dog shows has resulted in large geographic areas that do not
shows within them now. Dog shows are concentrated in metropolitan
areas while the more rural locales have been abandoned. The irony
of this is that the people who live in the more rural sections
of their states are generally the ones who are breeders and exhibitors
at dog shows. By moving the majority of our shows to population
centers around the country, we are abandoning the very people we
should be catering to. By allowing clubs to change dates and move
out of their geographic area without a very good reason, we are
losing exposure to large numbers of potential new breeders and
exhibitors. This was the reason clubs were granted specific areas
in the first place. Now, much of that coverage is gone.
So, what
do we do to solve this problem? First, we need to carefully and
cautiously evaluate every application to change dates, move locations,
or form new clusters. Next, we need to determine whether clubs
are truly servicing their geographic area. Then we need to find
out how many weekends are littered with too many shows that are
too close together. Once that evaluation has been done, efforts
should be made to rebalance shows in various areas across the country.
We must do this in order to help save the small clubs that are
left. For every large, famous club there are several small ones.
These are the backbone of AKC; they have helped build one of the
most famous registries in the world and they can’t be forgotten.
T.G.
• • • • •
:: August 2008 Issue ::
Multiple
All Breed Best In Show & Multiple Best In Specialty Show Winner
Ch.
Woodside's Pacino
he #3 Dog In America*
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Sporting arenas around the world are always mesmerized
when a prodigy takes the stage. You know what I mean, a youngster
who is so obviously destined for greatness that everyone in the
crowd recognizes it. Tiger Woods comes to mind as does Lebron James.
At just over 2 years old, “Tony” has been turning heads since the
moment he stepped in the specials ring. His classic German Shepherd
traits, passed on from his sire Dallas, remind everyone who sees
him of the great dogs from his pedigree.
Tony’s specials career began in earnest a couple of months into
2008 and in just a few shows he already has numerous all breed
Best in Shows and Best in Specialty Shows. He has been dominant
in the best of competition and held his own at major shows across
the country while being campaigned sparingly.
With the rugged good looks of a leading man, the graceful and powerful
movement of a supreme athlete, and the ability to perform under
pressure, Tony is well on his way to upholding the tradition of
the great ones who have come before him. He and teammate Jim Moses
have quickly established themselves as the ones to watch in the
herding group.
We are proud to present this outstanding German Shepherd to the
fancy. When you see him, we think you’ll agree that the future
of this young dog is without limits.
*CC/Royal Canin All Breed
& Breed Systems, 08/08 Issue |
