Over the past 50-plus years in our sport, I have been fortunate to belong to a local kennel club in every city I have lived in. Carol and I have also served all of those clubs in one capacity or another, from Officer to President, Show Chair, Programs, and any place else where we could help out to make our clubs and their events a success.
The one thing we have noticed over those years is the high turnover rate among both exhibitors and working club members. In almost every case we hear how clubs struggle to find new working members and how breeders wish there were more show and performance homes for their well-bred puppies.
We all know that we try to encourage our young people to become more involved, but I wonder, are we possibly missing out by not trying to recruit the “empty nesters” into our sport?
Most parents spend between 20 to 30 years raising their children. They take them to sporting events and support them in their many clubs, endeavors, and competitions as they grow from toddlers to adolescents, teenagers, and young adults. Then, most suddenly, they find themselves in an empty nest as the children go off to college, get married, and raise families of their own. All of us know people like this who are looking for a new hobby to develop an interest in and experience new friendships and challenges.
Many of the empty nesters have already experienced the joys of owning a dog as part of the family, so it makes sense that they might be open to getting involved in some sort of competition with the family dog. Most fit within the mid-40s to 50s range and, after the kids are gone, might have some disposable income to enjoy all that the sport of purebred dogs has to offer.
I encourage everyone, young and old, to introduce a few of these people to our wonderful world of purebred dogs. If we could each encourage at least one of these people, our clubs and our sport will benefit greatly for years to come.
Fifteen years ago, Take the Lead approached my good friends Charles Olvis and Elizabeth Muthard to request that the Penn Ridge Kennel Club host a “Casino Night” at the Keystone Cluster to benefit Take the Lead. After taking the request to the club’s membership, the event was held in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in conjunction with their show cluster. That first event was a huge success and the membership decided that they would commit to continue it as an annual event. With the cooperation of the Penn Ridge Kennel Club membership, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization called the Penn Ridge Charitable Foundation was formed, allowing them to support not only Take the Lead but also other deserving dog-related charities and scholarships. I volunteered to serve as the DJ at that first party and have done so every year since.
Under the direction of Charlie and Liz, and with the support of the Penn Ridge KC, this event has grown into a highly attended annual party that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for so many worthwhile causes. It is a year-round labor of love that takes an entire year to plan, and thanks to the many people who support the project in so many ways it continues to provide a fun-filled evening of fun and prizes for those who attend—but also a generous donation for so many.
The event was held in Harrisburg for the first 11 years and then, when COVID-19 hit, the show had to be moved for the next two years to Doswell, Virginia, and for the past two years it has been held in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. It is always the second weekend of August and there are so many other things to do besides showing dogs. They have “chuck-a-duck” every day to benefit Take the Lead. There was Dock Diving and Fast CAT, as well as pizza and ice cream for the exhibitors. It is the cluster that gives back to the exhibitors and the fancy in so many worthwhile ways. The cluster went on even during COVID and has made the necessary adjustments every year to continue on its journey.
Ever since I was a provisional judge in the early 1980s, I have had the occasional opportunity to judge for the Muncie and Anderson Kennel Clubs’ Ice Tea Cluster. Tim Catterson and all of the hard-working members of both clubs have always rolled out the welcome mat to many new judges as they started their judging careers. Much like many clubs over the years, the location and facilities have changed as the club has had to adjust to the changing landscape of putting on a successful show.
Tim and the members of both clubs put on a great four-day weekend for the exhibitors and even provided a free dinner for all exhibitors on Saturday following Best in Show.
Carol and I judged three of the four days and the superb quality of the competition was amazing. The Groups were power-packed with great dogs, and many of the top dogs in the country competed for the top award.
All of the judging was indoors under cover, so the few spotty rain showers did not hamper the performance of the dogs. I had numerous breeds with high-quality entrants, which always makes the day more enjoyable.
The judges’ hospitality was wonderful and the home cooking was great and enjoyed by all of us. The rosettes for Best in Show were brought over by the Chinese judges on the panel and they were very large, unique, and special.
At the dinner for the exhibitors on Saturday, Tim expressed that he would be stepping down as Show Chair after so many years of service to the cluster. He will be hard to replace, but I am sure, knowing Tim, he will only be a phone call away from whoever they get to replace him.
