Page 90 - ShowSight - October 2019

Don’t Become Invisible
BY DAN SAYERS
EVERY FANCIER NEEDS TO ‘SEE AND BE SEEN’
The older I get, the more invis- ible I become. It was in a res-
taurant lobby that I first realized that I was slowly disappearing. As my dinner companion and I looked forward to catching up over a good meal, we found our- selves completely ignored by the establishment’s youth- ful and disinterested host- ess. Table for two? Not that night. The young lady’s
face, warmly lit by the glow of her smart phone, was inscrutable. Her expression was one of complete and total disinterest. It was only when our “greeter” was interrupted by a coworker that she even deemed to look up, her attention given—ever so briefly—to the server before returning to what must have been a seriously spell- binding text message. That was our signal to leave. So we made our way toward the door where a middle-aged couple gave us a “look,” eyes rolled in the direction of the hostess station. They understood what we were feeling, because they too were invisible to people under the age of 30.
I’m a Baby Boomer, one of more than 76 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964. Every member of my generation is well past 30-years-old today and, I have to admit, our influence on society is
waning. (The youngest Boomer turns 55 this year on New Year’s Eve and the oldest will be celebrating his or her 73rd birthday the following day.) Our diminishing prestige is particularly noticeable in the technology sector where a CEO can be a billionaire twenty- something. It’s also apparent in the sport of dogs. As the median age for fanciers has risen, interest in registered purebreds has been under- mined by retail rescue organizations that appeal to young Internet users. So it behooves today’s more “senior” breeders, exhibitors, judges and show chairs to consider passing along our dog knowledge and experiences to the younger generation of purebred dog fanciers: the “Gen-Xers” and “Millennials.”
Born between 1965 and 1980, Generation-X shares the Boom- ers’ independence and idealism, but they also value individualism and personal freedom. Today’s 39-to-54-year-olds are less likely than their parents to become workaholics and many are unlikely to own a purebred. Although Gen-Xers in the sport can be inspired by the hard-working breeders, handlers and exhibitors of days gone by, they often prefer to live the kind of life that offers a better work/ life balance. Millennials are even less inclined to put career above everything else. Born between 1980 and 2000, these “Bright Young Things” represent the largest living generation in America. Today’s youngest fanciers are part of a generation that cherishes leisure time at least as much as it values a job well done. Millennials represent countless self-professed dog lovers who are the target demographic of every rescue group in the country. To ignore them would be fatal to the future of the dog sport.
What Millennials might lack in real world experience they more than make up for in enthusiasm and tech- nological know-how. Thanks to their expertise with digital technologies and social media, their influence extends into every cultural corner, including the sport of dogs. Millennials are connected and they are confidant. (Some might suggest that this generation is a little too confident, but isn’t feckless fearlessness a characteris- tic of being young?) They know what they want and many, if not most, are willing to put in the work to achieve their goals and dreams. This should be good news to Baby Boomers whose diminishing energy reserves might find reinforcement from so many eager apprentices. Now is the time for young and old to come together for the betterment of the sport: Boomers can offer sage advice on breeding, whelping and raising dogs, organizing events and celebrating our past; Millennials can pro- vide assistance by training, showing and promoting purebreds, managing social media platforms and ensuring that the dog sport remains relevant in the digital age. And the Gen-Xers? They can put their impressive social, mediation and technical skills to work preventing the sport of dogs—and everyone in it—from
becoming invisible.
The dog sport must continue to welcome students and teachers from every generation. photo by Dan Sayers 88 • ShowSight Magazine, october 2019