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WHAT IS THE AKC ENTITY?
When did the AKC become an entity of its own? It’s like the dog clubs and members are nothing more than revenue for the American Kennel Club corporation.
June 2015 | TheDogPress Club News Sherry L. Shivley, ShowShots Editor & 2014 Journalist Award Winner
If you will recall last year’s Westminster show, AKC ran TV ads touting “We are more than Champion Dogs, We are the Dog’s Champion”. Yet when asked why they keep registering puppy mill puppies or about a situation in the East where it rained until the outdoor show was unsafe, inquiries go unanswered. Does anyone still care at the AKC?
And why not send some of those AKC people who can’t answer questions out to help the disaster workers where they could do some good?
AKC is also failing our youth. They could furnish each 4-H extension office with area Breed Clubs, Handlers, and Breeders who could help the kids learn to show dogs. The young people in my rural area need a lot of resources because they have never been to a live dog show, and no one speaks to them about not breeding just because puppies are cute.
One young lady had a Golden that dragged her all over during a fun match. We showed her how to use his collar for more control, to stop jerking, and use bait. When we next saw her, she was holding a Golden Retriever puppy that she proudly proclaimed was going to be her dog’s “boyfriend” so they could have puppies. It seems another lady showed up at the fairgrounds and just gave this puppy away! She knows nothing about the pup’s parents, health, temperament; only that the lady wanted to get rid of the puppy. That lady with the unruly Retriever has no idea she is about to became a puppy mill. She’s never heard about that!
If AKC would reach out, perhaps we would be able to educate more and euthanize less.
The show I speak of had so much rain the mud was over ankle deep. It was hard for handlers and dogs alike to run in order to show their dogs. There were many falls and you can imagine how the dogs and handlers looked after being in the mud all day. Not to mention disease being spread through feces and urine in all that water.
When one handler asked that the show be moved inside, the AKC Representative said no. There was no reason to move it indoors.
When will someone at the American Kennel Club make a stand for the DOG who could not ask for help? I think perhaps as the ones who pay the fees, register litters, and votes for our club delegates, it is time to take a good hard look at who is in charge at AKC and decide if we want to continue in this manner.
We all watched Westminster but it has to mean something more than who is going to win which group. It is a stage for the sport. The focus should be about how wonderful each breed is instead of the same old droll commentary as each dog gaits.
How about how unique purebred dogs are and how dog breeders devote their lives to breeding the best of their breed? Didn’t we learn anything from California Chrome’s owner who was shown as a real guy who loved and gambled on his horse. This year when American Pharoah became the first Triple Crown winner since 1978, the media couldn’t get enough of his owner, trainer, jockey and anyone who had ever petted the horse!
Doesn’t the American Kennel Club have a PR firm? Could we not use Westminster other big shows as opportunities to promote purebred dogs? Maybe the lady with the unruly Golden who is about to become the “boyfriend” of a giveaway puppy will be watching. TheDogPress.com EST 2002 © 156196 https://www.thedogpress.com/ClubNews/what-is-the-AKC-entity-ss-15602.asp SSI
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