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Should AKC Underwrite
Dog Shows?
Should AKC
give $$$ to favored clubs or to any kennel clubs? Entries are down and
unlikely to improve as everyone is cutting back.
Some say
that’s a good thing because the sport is bloated, too many dogs, too many
shows, too many pets finishing their titles, majors hard to find, etc.
Truth in all of that and we hate to see our favorite dog show go under but
where do we draw the line?
Sept. 29, 2010
TheDogPress.com
| This
Letter To The Editor raises questions. The public used to spend the
day in cow pastures (Florida circuit), livestock exhibit halls
(Chicago International) and still loves dog shows at fairgrounds
such as Raleigh. Are coliseums and city-center extravaganzas worth
saving?
Owners and handlers
endure physical, emotional, and financial hardship in order to
exhibit at Westminster, Cobo Hall, etc. Tradition prevails but such
shows are exceptions. Any exhibitor would rather have adequate
grooming space, non-slip flooring, and cool, dry conditions.
Owner-handlers would rather not be forced to hire professional
handlers to cope with otherwise impossible conditions.
This subscriber’s
letter was so interesting we decided to extract it from Letters To
Editor. We want to hear from you. When you speak in numbers, the
American Kennel Club listens. AKC has proven responsive on many
issues so we invite you to vote and comment below.
I was amazed
to learn that the AKC is now planning to underwrite shows for clubs
having difficulty locating and affording a show site.
A few years
back my club was in some financial distress and was looking for a
show site. We found one that we could afford on our own and
it was already being used by several other clubs. We received
permission from the club whose grounds they were and then submitted
our application to the AKC.
The AKC’s
response was that the grounds were not suitable unless we spent more
money on temporary improvements, an added cost to the grounds for
the club. The AKC never offered to help our club monetarily or any
other way.
Why now are
these clubs being given special assistance that no other club in the
history of the AKC, as far as I know, ever been given before? Are
these clubs more important than any other member or licensed club?
Besides the
fact that the AKC is violating the terms of its own charter, they
are now going to use funds to secure show grounds for clubs without
the approval of the delegate body, whom needs to approve actions of
the AKC even though the Staff and Board have ignored this in the
past.
If they have
whatever amount of money it would cost to rent the Javitts Center
for other organizations to use, why do we constantly hear that they
need to find ways of making up the revenue from decreased
registration, etc.?
The AKC’s
charter gives them certain rights but nowhere does it give them
permission to hold dog shows of their own or monetarily support
independent dog clubs. If they consider the “generally do
everything...” section to imply that they (the AKC) can do whatever
they want whenever they want, I am sure that the NYS Attorney
General’s office would interpret that differently and would take
whatever necessary actions to insure that the Charter was adhered
to.
When is the
hypocrisy and stratification of clubs and individuals going to
stop? For years now, and even more so under the current regime, we
have seen different sets of rules for different people/clubs. Rules
and regulations have even been changed to accommodate some
but not all.
It’s time for
a hard look at the way the AKC conducts itself and may even be time
to involve the legal system.
A concerned
member of the dog show community
http://www.thedogpress.com/Columns/Guests/AKC-Cost-Specialty-Clubs-10094.asp
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