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It’s either save dog shows or say
goodbye to AKC as America’s premier registry. Dog shows promote
purebred breeding and litters equate to registrations. Say hello
to the 2-Show Day.
©
TheDogPress
06|08|10
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Infodog is a wealth of information and were the first to note “all the creative thinking
in the world cannot increase entries if there are fewer and
fewer dogs being registered each year and there are more and
more events.”
Registration and show
entries are conjoined as was clearly evident
by 2005. This is not news. It’s just been
largely ignored. According to Infodog, 78% of all-breed shows in
2005 were less than 1500 dogs but only five years later, that number
climbed to 84%. Infodog’s entry figures also show the number of
clubs with less than 600 dogs nearly doubled by 2009. In 2005
majors were still available in most breeds but today it takes a
concerted effort to build majors - and
they come at a hefty price!
So what’s the answer? The DSSA (Dog Show
Superintendents Association) already has a solution to
plummeting entries. It wasn’t revolutionary; cat clubs hold up to
12-Ring Shows, i.e. 6
separate rings (shows) per day for two days! Each breed judging
ring and the (Group)
Finals is a separate show with separate judges, wins and awards.
The DSSA proposed that small clubs currently holding
back-to-back shows be “permitted to hold their two events on the
same day.” Two separate events in the same day cuts club and
exhibitor expenses nearly in half!
The 2-Show Day Petition is to persuade AKC to allow
clubs the option of holding two shows into one day, thereby
reducing expenses for everyone and
potentially increasing entries. Same facilities at half
the cost, and whether rented or club owned, half the work in policing the grounds. Judging a 1000 dog entry
in one day is easily done with just a few more judges rotating
rings. Converting two long days into a single, smooth running
2-Show Day would free up what has become a very crowded dog show
calendar which further diminishes entries at each club’s event. AKC needs to support a solution for failing clubs instead of
continuing to approve more new clubs. Precedent is set;
Obedience clubs are already allowed to hold two events in one
day.
Everyone’s expenses would be reduced by one day, unless two
clubs combined their 2-Show Day into a 4-Show weekend event which will further reduce overall expense
and workload on club officers and volunteers. 4-Show
weekends will evolve quickly as
exhibitors support pioneering clubs and 4 majors in two days
become reality.
For
owner handlers, a 2-Show Day would relieve the boredom of having
to sit around an extra 24 hours in order to show in the late
afternoon on the second day. Think about it. Do you ever show
late the first day and early the last day? Coming and going,
it is always a mad dash to get to the show for an early judging time,
then a long day sitting around the second day, dogs all groomed,
waiting for afternoon judging so you can pack up and try to get
home before midnight!
Recover lost entries with a 2-Show Day.
No disrespect to
my handler friends but if you guys lose the show breeders and
the owner handlers don’t show up, how will you finish dogs for
your clients and who will make the ratings points pile up for
those Group wins? Owner handlers were once the backbone
of the sport, that’s where you got clients. And okay, if you
guys insist on going to “regular shows” that means owner
handlers can win the breed and shucks, we’ll have to stay a
little later for Group judging but how cool is that?
Okay, I know some of my handler friends are powerful enough to convince AKC that 2-Show-Days are a bad
idea. Is that why AKC resists a proven concept? Busy handlers
might have to hire an extra assistant to run dogs to ringside or
help cover the second string if there’s a conflict but they
would realize the same savings as owner handlers, plus
they get paid the same handling fees as for two days of shows.
Handlers should love having their expenses and workday reduced by
a full day and just the reduced stress on their string would be
wonderful for the dogs! I know, a lot of
handlers have adjusted to living on the road so there would be
no next show to rush to, nothing to do on that extra day. Ahh
shucks. Maybe take some time to roadwork or just play with
the dogs?
Lower club costs = lower entry fees = more entries:
Handlers are just one part of the show scene. A 2-Show-Day would
lower judging costs.
A couple of multi-group or all-breed judges plus some extra provisional judges
would make everyone happy. Judge's catering, lodging and
transportation will be significantly reduced and DSSA points out superintending expense and
set-up crews would also be much less. The significant savings should result in
lower entry fees and wait, that will help to increase
entries!
Many 2-Show-Days will quickly expand into a 4-show weekends
because exhibitors are greedy;
we want the most bang for our buck, more chances to win, less time off work,
and an earlier drive
home. So if a 2-Show-Day appeals to owner
handlers and part-time handlers, a
4-Show-Weekend would be irresistible!
Build a better mousetrap… Throw out an antiquated show system
and let small clubs survive. Or stick with the long, drawn-out, boring show day
that taxes the budget and inevitably, the patience of most exhibitors.
Clearly owner handlers are deserting dog
shows faster than a sinking ship. The figures don’t lie. Even
litter registrations reflect that. And while there are
more handlers making more money than ever, here’s something to chew on.
Less litters = fewer AKC registrations = lower show entries.
Litter
registrations for January 2010 dropped by nearly 5,000 litters
compared to a year ago! I won’t bore you with figures but this
started way before the economy went sour. Honest breeders have
found it hard to sell a show puppy when they tell the buyer that
they will have to hire a handler to finish the dog. How
does that fact attract the starry-eyed newcomer to the sport?
So if show breeders can’t sell show puppies, why bother to
register? In fact, why bother to breed at all? Why bother to
show? Show breeders and owner handlers can no longer justify
the price of gas, restaurants, motor home or motel costs, and
the time lost from work because if it’s not a local show,
you leave on Friday and
drag back to work on Monday after a long drive home.
It is just logic. The sport needs breeder-exhibitors and
owner-handlers. AKC needs the litter registrations and the
individual dog registrations. Professional handlers are needed
by AKC and all levels of exhibitors. The 2-Show-Day is a
solution for everyone.
Barbara J. Andrews, Editor
http://www.thedogpress.com/Editorials/Two-Show-Day-10061_Andrews.asp
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