Page 6 - ShowSight - April 2020

PROMOTING PUREBRED DOGS 2.0
Even before the global outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, the community of purebred dog fanciers was responding to unprec- edented challenges ranging from anti-breeder legislation to increasing costs for putting on dog shows. The current crisis, how- ever, is unlike anything we’ve gone through in our lifetime. The personal and financial heartbreak experienced by so many will forever change the way we live our lives and how we go about our business. When the time comes for us to gather once again to compete, the sport won’t be quite the same—and neither will we. Our shared experiences will compel us to see and do things differently. Promoting the sport of purebred dogs in the future will very likely be undertaken with new strategies that embrace emerging technologies and speak to our friends and neighbors
in ways that are more accessible. This will be the Sport of Dogs in America, Version 2.0, a revolutionary new brand for a new age. But what will Purebred Dogs 2.0 actually look like?
IT’S TIME TO EMBRACE CHANGE AND
PREPARE FOR A FUTURE ONLINE
The Sport of Dogs in America has undergone many changes since the American Kennel Club was founded in 1884. For well over a century, dedicated dog people have
managed to adapt to new—and un- expected—challenges. Most reforms have been implemented with little fanfare and only a modicum of resistance. In time, new rules (and new breeds) were accepted
by the sport’s senior members, and the changes implemented only encouraged greater participation from the dog-loving public. For more than a century, this activ-
ity typified the Sport of Dogs in America, Version 1.0.
4 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, APRIL 2020
SOMETHING REVOLUTIONARY
IS HAPPENING IN THE SPORT OF DOGS!
LET’S USE THIS GIFT
OF TIME TO PROMOTE PUREBRED DOGS
WHERE WE ARE—ONLINE
The Future Is Now!
We All Need to Get Ready For the Return of Dog Shows.