Kevin Carroll
1. Hello, my name is Kevin Carroll and I am the owner of “Yakumo Sou” Japanese Akitainu (JAI) kennel in Buffalo, New York. I have solely dedicated myself to the JAI for 20-plus years, both here and in Europe. In 2013, I moved to the US from Ireland where I was also an owner/breeder/handler. Before moving, I was actively involved in the Irish and European dog show scene and had started my FCI judge’s license. I was also a co-founder of the Akita Association of Ireland.
2. The breed has some unique struggles that are evident here in North America. As the breed’s country of origin (COO) is Japan, it can be difficult to build relationships with breeders there. There are also cultural differences that pose a threat to the breed such as the Japanese breeders not health testing, which is considered essential here. As a result, importing from the COO can be risky when attempting to build a healthy and stable breeding program. Considering the breed is relatively “new” to the US, many “breeders” and fanciers are also new, so that creates the issue with many of them needing to educate themselves on conformation and what it means to be a dog breeder.
3. As a preservation breeder and active dog show judge myself, I am forever reminded of the disconnect between the two. As we see a societal shift that limits dog kennels and an increase in restricted suburban living, it makes it increasingly difficult to find true dog breeders with influential breeding programs. We’re seeing a rise in pet people taking up dog showing as a fun sport, which can be a positive thing as long as they remind themselves of the purpose of a dog show. That is to evaluate breeding stock. If you attend dog shows with little to no intention to breed, take the results with a grain of salt and realize that you are the one asking for feedback in a venue that wasn’t made for you. These challenges contribute to the root cause of a decline in dog shows nationwide.
4. The AKC recognition process is polarizing. Other owner/breeder/handlers from AKC-established breeds tend to stigmatize FSS or Miscellaneous as breeds that just landed from outer space into a show ring. Most of the breeds going through the recognition process are older than the registries that are forcing them into their system. As a result, the breeds should be met with the same level of respect as the AKC fully-recognized ones. As an exhibitor, we see the same negative issues in dog shows as a whole. Professional handlers putting their name on an FSS/MISC dog to bypass the rule of no professional handlers in FSS/MISC. This can be discouraging for the true breed ambassadors who are showing up at the event to introduce the breed to the AKC show world.
5. Social media is the double-edged sword of the dog world. The online dog world can leave us feeling like we are impacting the real world without actually going out in the real world and having an impact. This mindset, for some, is having an effect on their progress in dogs.
6. Some of the issues facing the dog show community of late include lack of mentorship, corrupt breed clubs, and a complete unwillingness to accept the results of dog shows. Mentorship is a two-way street and you must approach it with respect and patience. Our egos need to be put aside and we need to see more newcomers take a chance and send a message to someone they admire in their breed and ask for help. Breed clubs can be a massively beneficial segment of a dog breed’s success. However, sometimes it is seen in the dog world that people utilize clubs to manipulate, corrupt, and control. Some even use their status in clubs to sell puppies. We need to elect members based on their resume and not on who they are friends with. Far too many times I’ve seen breed parent clubs that have Board and Committee members who have never owned or bred the breed. Lastly, the issue of accepting results at shows is a difficult one, especially in the case of an FSS/MISC breed where we are fully aware that the judges don’t understand the breed and how to judge it yet. In that case, see dog shows as an opportunity to get people talking and asking questions about your breed. As previously stated, if you’re not a dedicated breeder with a breeding program you’re actively working on, don’t get offended when the results don’t go your way and the judge upholds the Breed Standard with what they believe to be breeding stock presented to them.
7. A positive thing I’ve seen in the sport of dogs lately is the work being put in by some to shift the stereotype around purebred dog breeders and dog shows. We need to do more as a community to educate the public about the differences between good breeders and bad. It’s wonderful to see dog folks advocate for themselves as they deserve to with the dedication they’ve shown to their breeds. I want to live to see the day when the general public understand the process involved in finding good breeders and seeing them realize that by supporting those breeders they are doing their part to reduce animals in rescue.
Thank you for giving us the voice to educate the dog show world on these wonderful breeds!
