Exhibitors know better than anyone the myriad of costs and logistics that go into a dog show weekend. Expenses and services can range from lodging, meals, handlers’ fees, fuel, incidentals, “must-have” items from the vendors, and of course, the last-minute grocery or Walmart runs.
All those expenses can translate to real impact in that community, and economic power—and even policy-making power for dog clubs. Capturing this information and reminding local community leaders about the local benefits of dog events and AKC clubs is one of the easiest and most important ways we as clubs and exhibitors can educate about the value that purebred dogs and their owners bring to a community.
Every several years, AKC Government Relations (AKC GR) surveys thousands of dog show exhibitors across the country. Our most recent surveys have found that on average, an exhibitor spends $982 per show weekend. This means that a show could inject more than $2.15 million into a local economy—not including facility rentals, spectator gates, or simply the amount local residents spend annually on their dogs.
This is a powerful message for lawmakers and local community leaders to hear and understand. When considering whether to support a proposal regulating dog owners or breeders, they need to consider the effect it may have on AKC dog owners and events in their own communities. Supporting dog shows and responsible dog ownership has a ripple effect that benefits a community’s residents, local businesses, and overall economy.
To help you spread the word with this important message, AKC GR recently published new printable resources to share the impact that AKC and clubs have in states and local communities.
These easy-to-share, one-page summaries for each state, a national overview, and a summary cover letter have been updated to include a broad range of information, including:
To learn more and to view these documents, visit the “Toolbox” section of the AKC GR Legislative Action Center (www.akcgr.org). These are just a few of the great resources we offer for introducing yourself and your club to lawmakers, demonstrating the impact when proposals restricting hobbyists and owners of intact dogs are introduced, and even sharing with facilities and chambers of commerce when in meetings regarding show sites.
Similarly, the AKC GR Department will soon be reaching out to clubs and randomly selected exhibitors with a survey, asking you to provide information on what you spent on a recent dog show weekend. If you receive this survey, please fill it out. Your information, and that from thousands of others, will go a long way toward raising awareness of the value of dog shows and the benefits that purebred dog owners bring to their communities. The economic benefits statements that your information fuels have stopped bad legislation dead in its tracks, and helped many clubs find or retain endangered event sites.
Some clubs have expanded on this information by creating their own versions of these documents, also providing information on their community involvement, including CGC and training classes, donations to local shelters, therapy dog work, etc. At least one club has calculated their experience with dogs by calculating the median number of years each of their 60 members has in dog ownership, training, breeding, and rescue. This was able to tell their State Representative that there was a club in his district with over 1,500 combined years of “actual hands-on dog experience!” Providing economic impact and other numbers is a great, tangible way to let lawmakers see first-hand that you are the dog experts, and to see the positive impact that you and your events have in the community.
With so many positive resources to share with community leaders, there’s no better time for clubs to invite elected officials to your club’s show or events. Building these friendly relationships before there’s a legislative threat fosters meaningful relationships that ensure our voices will be heard by leadership.
To assist you in these efforts, our Legislative Action Center toolbox also provides a sample letter which you can use to invite lawmakers to your shows. We also have sample letters of introduction which you can send on behalf of yourself or your club along with the economic benefits handout to demonstrate your, and your club’s, expertise and value to the community.
Introducing yourself to lawmakers and inviting them to shows is more than an invitation—it’s a call to action. By fostering discussion through education and advocacy, we can empower lawmakers to become allies in our mission to preserve and protect purebred dogs and our sport.
