Kennel Club: Some Find Dog Shows Like “Watching Paint Dry”
Posted By Ryan O'Meara Date: 22/02 Posted Under: Dog Events, Dog News, Pet IndustryThe Kennel Club has come under fire from sections of the ‘traditional’ dog show fraternity for allowing Crufts, their showpiece canine event, to become ‘too Americanised’.
A recent article in the Daily Telegraph drew stinging words from The British and Irish Dog Breeds Preservation Trust who told the paper:
“The show is becoming far too theatrical. It’s more of an all-round dog exhibition now and no longer a dog show. It has become about agility, flyball and obedience tasks. These are very crowd-pleasing events, but there are only so many ways a dog can catch a tennis ball and the Kennel Club has got to remember what its core business is and its responsibilities. Things like heelwork have been creeping in and, while they may help bring in the punters, these things are ultimately secondary and there’s a real danger they dilute what Crufts should be about.
These flashier elements have been influenced by North America, as with much of our culture. But the UK has an important identity already and in the world of dogs we are unique, with far more native breeds than anyone else. There’s nothing wrong with embracing other aspects, as long as we don’t neglect what we already have.”
Unwilling to take the criticism lying down, the Kennel Club hit back in the form of Caroline Kisko who defended the dog show’s more flamboyant and theatrical approach of recent years. She told the Telegraph they (the Kennel Club) had tried to make the event more entertaining because many people found watching traditional dog shows was like
“watching paint dry”
She went on to add the event still retained much of its traditional values and was also useful showcase for some of Britain’s ‘endangered’ breeds.
Paul Keevil, of The British and Irish Dog Breeds Preservation Trust who also sits on one of the Kennel Club committees, disagrees:
“The Kennel Club uses all sorts of bland corporate speak about what they are doing for these vulnerable British breeds, but it doesn’t boil down to a lot of action. It’s a matter of commitment and I don’t think they are doing enough.”
Even the traditionally supportive specialist pet press broke rank to criticise the event.
Liz Gay, a writer for Our Dogs newspaper, said:
“Crufts isn’t a dog show any more. It is a business. It is about marketing products and making a profit. It has alienated a lot of people. The costs are so high that many dog groups cannot afford to get in.”
The attack on Crufts via the mainstream press is not new territory for the Kennel Club. Last year another dog magazine editor, Beverley Cuddy of Dogs Today Magazine also went on the offensive, asking ‘Should Crufts be Banned?’.
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Ryan O'Meara is editor-in-chief of K9 Magazine, the lifestyle magazine for dog lovers. He lives in the East Midlands with his own two dogs, Mia and Chloe. - See this author's webpage
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Friday, February 22nd, 2008 at 5:01 am and is filed under Dog Events, Dog News, Pet Industry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
“Watching paint dry” is such an unfair comparison of the Crufts dog show.
It’s more like watching thousands of dogs being paraded around in a hot, noisy, crowded arena for the benefit of their owners, as the organisers coin it in whilst pretending to be looking out for “man’s best friend”.
The problem lies with elitism and income generation.
For the average dog owner to get into Crufts must make them feel so proud and empowered as being amongst the best in their particular breed. Sadly as Crufts brings in so much revenue for the KC and the NEC, you are left with a pack em in (by having diverse canine related activities, dog dancing, fly ball etc) and things like car salesmen and only slightly related antique books and objet d’art stands.
Why not take a look at the whole show and then maybe start again with a basic, dog show with some canine product stands and dog welfare and dog charity stands?
All the KC members only area and the like merely emphasiss the elitism issue, everyone else is herded towards the burger van type catering facilities whilst the great and the good receive a different level of hospitality. Why not get back to basics and concentrate on dogs and not profit!
Crufts is a huge money making machine and nothing more as is the Kennel Club, however the usual handbag brigade of show breeders usually 50+ grey lonely old women have destroyed what it should represent. Crufts was about maintaining breed standards for working dogs, not about showing per se.Most show breeders firmly belive that only they should have the ability to register their own litters with the KC, they are blind as to what is or isnt a good dog. They also believe that commercial breeders that are licensed by local councils and puppy farmers are one and the same, how very misinformed and ignorant they are. Many breeds have emerging health problems due to inbreeding , yet, some breed clubs still say the need for their dogs to be placed on schedule A with the kennel club is not necessary, how short sighted. If they truly cared for the breeds they show that should be done now not when its far too late.
Many KC Judges are there simply because they have bred for such a long time, they have absolutely no other experience at all, I have heard one quote that the Gay Mafia Cheat to get their dogs qualified for crufts, an appalling suggestion. Its about time the Kennel Club STOPPED employing the granny knicker brigade to work for them, and get back to what dog ownership is all about
RESPONSIBILITY , CARING, ETHICAL BREDING PRACTICES, and not just showing of dogs that win because its their turn and nothing more.