June
2008 -
This September we will celebrate the sixth annual AKC
Responsible Dog Ownership Day. As always we invite AKC-affiliated
clubs and other dog-related organizations to host local events in
conjunction with our two flagship events hosted by AKC staffers from
our headquarters in New York City and our Operations Center in
Raleigh, N.C. This year our New York event in Madison Square Park is
on Saturday, Sept. 20th. Our Raleigh event at the North Carolina
Fairgrounds is slated for Saturday, Sept. 27.
Last year, nearly 400 AKC RDO Day events were held nationwide. This
year, we are poised to surpass that goal by encouraging all of our
nearly 5,000 clubs to plan some sort of participation no matter how
small or large. While many clubs choose to hold a stand-alone event,
if your club already has an event planned for September such as a
show, trial, or match consider adding an educational element and
including it as an AKC RDO Day event on our web site. Clubs are
encouraged to be creative and perhaps join other venues such as a
state fair or pet expo by hosting an AKC RDO Day table at the larger
event or even turning a Canine Ambassador visit into an RDO event.
To further encourage AKC club involvement, the 4th Quarter AKC
Community Achievement Awards will be dedicated to AKC-affiliated
clubs and state federations that hold AKC RDO Day events in
September and meet the Oct. 31st submission deadline. Winners will
be announced at the Delegates Meeting held in conjunction with the
AKC / Eukanuba National Championship meeting in December. Up to
three winners will be chosen and each will receive a $1,000 award to
further their club’s public education efforts.
AKC will distribute a free packet of educational materials and fun
giveaways to the first 500 organizations that register an event on
akc.org, as well as publicize all events with a listing on our web
site where potential attendees can search by state for a local event
in their community.
Once you register an event, the AKC Club Communications department,
created to help clubs develop their own public relations strategies,
will e-mail you information to help publicize your event, thus
driving up attendance and increasing the amount of positive media
coverage your club receives.
The Club Communications page at akc.org is filled with RDO Day
publicity materials including media templates, sample letters to
editor and proclamations, etc. In addition, event coordinators can
subscribe to the complimentary Club Communications quarterly
e-newsletter AKC Communicates! which provides tips and tools for
publicizing not only your efforts this September but all the
activities your club hosts year round.
To learn more about AKC RDO Day, download media templates and
subscribe to AKC Communicates! Visit Club Communications.
Sincerely,
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