The Truth About Giving Back to the Sport: Countering the Negativity With Positive Participation

We’re hearing a lot of negativity surrounding our sport today. They say that there are too many shows, too few dogs, and judges are too political. We have debated the challenges of how to bring in new blood to the sport, how to cultivate a new generation of exhibitors and breeders, and why things are failing overall. I even saw a jarring article discussing the viability of the American Kennel Club.

I am tired of focusing on the negative. I think part of the solution is in our attitude. Maybe it’s time to reframe things and ask some hard questions to those of us who have been here the longest. My first question is: How are you contributing to make the sport of dogs more appealing? Followed by: What are you doing to improve the sport? I wonder, do you feel you have a role in this process of change, or do you feel that it is not your responsibility to give back? Well, I personally think we all need to reinvest in our sport. It is time to give back to it.

The truth is that everything is changing in the sport today, but so is everything else in our world. Our lives are constantly in a state of flux, changing and progressing, and how we used to do things is not how we do them anymore. It may be a rocky time for some, but maybe it’s a great time for someone else. Maybe the time is right for people to say, “You know what? Now’s my time to strike. I can go in and change how this is done.” Maybe it’s time to reframe the conversation and refocus our efforts? Maybe the time is now, when entry numbers have dwindled, to recreate the sport, retool the competition, and reinvest in our future.

Giving back speaks to our obligation to the sport, which is the theme of the year for me. I ask of you: Are you in a dog club? Do you help to put on a dog show? Are you in a parent club? Have you put on a National Specialty? Have you started a dog club? Have you bred a litter? Are you a mentor? Do you actively show and campaign? Can you write? All of these things are ways that people can participate in the sport. Not everyone gets into a parent club, but most people can get into a local all-breed club. You don’t hear about a lot of all-breed clubs turning people away. In fact, all-breed clubs are desperate for new members. They want people who will join and follow through with their pledge to give back to the club, to give back to their community through their membership by participating in the club’s annual events. What clubs don’t want is a member who is just a member in name only. They want an active participant, which means you’re going to have to go out and buy the trophies for the club, or you’re going to have to ring steward, or you’re going to have to scoop poop or go to Walmart and buy four cases of paper towels and Windex and some antibacterial spray.

You’re going to be in charge of things like getting candy, getting drinks to the judges, or picking up a meal for lunch. This is how you get started and it is really that basic. There are so many duties that need to be done to put on a dog show, and if you’ve never done them, you don’t even know they’re being done for you to enjoy the show you are attending.

Unfortunately, many clubs today are overwhelmed by all the work required to put on a show. They need workers. I can assure you, your local club would welcome you to help out. They all need someone to pick up a judge at the airport, or make hotel reservations, or correspond with the restaurants on catering for the judges’ lunch. These things don’t just happen and it’s a lot of work; and it’s even more work when one person has to do it all. It’s unfair to burden that one person with all those tasks just to put on a dog show for no reward at the end of the day. That club member volunteers to do it because they have reverence for the sport, pride in their club, and respect for those who have done it for many years prior. Most people who put on shows today are tired of doing it all; they’ve been doing it for years and years and years. They feel an obligation to do it, but they can’t be expected to continue without helpers. They require volunteers to come and assist and learn what needs to be done, with the end goal of the new volunteer taking on the job as their own for the next event. This is mentorship and stewardship of the club for the community. These are vital roles that are in desperate need of YOU!

It seems that many exhibitors today have forgotten the volunteerism aspect of the sport. Maybe it’s an old concept, but some people don’t seem to know how to give back anymore. Well, maybe it’s time to provide instructions on ways to volunteer. As club members, there are tons of ways that anyone can help with any one specific need. If teaching is something you’re good at, you can give a seminar. If you don’t like public speaking, you could put up flyers in the community to inform the public of your event. There are many ways to volunteer, you just have to become a club member first.

This is still a hobby sport for most people, although I think some view their participation as transactional. We have created many professions within the sport, like the dog show photographer, a canine semen bank owner, superintendents, ribbon-making companies, steward associations, and judges education groups, and we all go to shop at vendor after vendor after vendor. All of these people have been afforded a path through the dog show sport to financial prosperity, or the hope of it, and that’s a positive byproduct of participating in the sport. However, many of the photographers donate photos back to clubs; that’s their volunteerism. And the vendors give donations to silent auctions and raffles. There’s always a “give to get” mentality with the professionals, yet I don’t always see that from the exhibitors. Many exhibitors take, but they need to learn to give. By making an entry they are supporting the club, but clubs need more than their entries. Why not volunteer as a ring steward? Offer to help with clean up at the end of the day. Perhaps help with parking or restocking the public ex-pen.

Giving back definitely has its own rewards, too. As a club member, you find your tribe. I think this is really one of the most beautiful things about the world of purebred dogs: your tribe is there. You find people who will support you. I don’t know of one person in this sport, not one single person, who’s a genuine loner. Everyone comes to a club meeting and speaks to someone. There’s always somebody engaging with someone. That in itself is a positive. It may take a new member two or three meetings, or a few shows, but at some point, people start to connect. (It’s a lot easier to get started in a professional sport like ours than it would be to start playing for the Knicks!) In our sport, you have the ability to play with the heavy-hitters at every show. I just think the negative narrative that has taken over the sport is a not a positive space—and it is far from true. The reality is that the sport is the most forgiving place on earth. It’s a quick recovery sport: You lose on day one and you can be Best in Show the next day. The highs are very high and the lows can be brutal, but the “in between” moments are stable and rewarding, and there’s a lot there to draw from.

I think it’s important that we not only go to dog shows to reap a reward or seek some affirmation, but that we go with a plan to give: to give a welcoming gesture, to give kindness, even, and to give back. It is possible to change the culture of negativity when each dog club and each event has got the players who are willing to participate in positive ways. That’s the thing, there’s all these anonymous lists and complaints going around, but what are you doing to stop the noise? What are you doing to repurpose the discussion? How are you turning things around to stop the negativity? The overarching reason for giving back and volunteering is to turn the negativity around. The goal now is to stop complaining. It’s exhausting and we are done with it. We all understand it, so now let’s start our path toward positivity. It’s a decision we need to make. Even if you fail on the first couple go-rounds, you’ve got to keep trying. You’ve got to work harder to make it better. It doesn’t just happen overnight, it’s going to take a while.

I think this article is a notice. The notice is that we need you. We need you to flip the script. We need you to stop with the negativity and come join us. Meet us where we are and let’s all elevate this together. Let’s work for better. Let’s mutually agree that we need to find solutions where we can support each other, where we can enjoy this, where things run smoothly. But we also share in the responsibility. It is everyone’s job to ensure a good day at the dog show for everyone, win or lose, so that everyone is feeling that they got what they needed out of their participation beyond just the win or loss; that the day was successful and positive, and that no one leaves any dog show feeling conflicted by what happened. And yes, when the day doesn’t go well for you, you can find solutions that will turn things around. Tomorrow is another day!