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AKC Cost For Specialty 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.

 

Sept. 29, 2010 TheDogPress.com | 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?

 

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.

10091693 https://www.thedogpress.com/Columns/Guests/AKC-Cost-Specialty-Clubs-10094.asp