by CLAIRE “KITTY” STEIDEL OUR FUTURE? THE OPEN SHOW: D o you long for the camara- derie of the old matches and smaller, more relaxed venues? Do you believe the is a possibility. The option of on-the-day or pre-entry is up to the club. and ribbons—Select, Best Bred By, Best Puppy, then the seven owner- handled groups as well, the prospect of adding Open Show involvement was
There are classes for dogs and class- es for bitches; all the winners in each sex return to compete for BOB. Then there are groups—a Miscellaneous Group and an FSS Group. Finally the winners of those groups (Miscellaneous Group winner and the winner of the FSS Group) compete for Best in Show Open Show. It is important to note that no cham- pions of record are eligible to enter. Pro- fessional handlers must be a recorded owner or co-owner to exhibit in FSS, but they are allowed at the moment to compete in Miscellaneous without co-owning the dog they handle. As for requirements for the dogs (Chapter 3, Section 7 rules), there is logic. It is just like the breed ring: no tapes, glues stitches including on tail or ears allowed. As with the classes at any show, dogs must be physically and mentally sound. There are still wrinkles to be ironed out, but the outlook seems to be promising. Let’s look at the early problem, some unique ideas for the Open Shows and then what some of the participants have said of their experiences. OVER BURDENED AKC JUDGES This was a big problem in the begin- ning, but not insurmountable. When the program was first launched, there were glitches and the whole idea seemed an afterthought, similar to the owner-handled groups when they began. Judges with already full loads were assigned these classes to judge too, as part of their assignments. They were often not asked in advance, but found out at the show. The extra assignments caused many judges to roll eyes at the additional paperwork and time added to already busy sched- ules. With still only 2 to 2½ minutes per dog and the addition of newer awards
camaraderie at the shows has been lost? Do you want to have more fun at the shows? Does your club want to increase entries and possibly benefit financially. Do you wish to tap into a group that already has a passion for their breeds and are enthused about AKC and the sport? Are these thoughts appealing? There is, and I have witnessed it, a way to relax, havemore fun and increase entries—that way is to put on or take part in an Open Show. Some clubs, but not enough of them yet, find the Open Show is something very easy to tap into to attract more people to our sport and it does not take a huge amount of extra work. It has been described as “like hav- ing an additional class.” This statement must be over simplified, but let’s look at what is being said. FIRST, WHAT IS AN OPEN SHOW? The Open Show was designed in order to showcase the Foundation Stock Service (FSS) breeds and those breeds designated as Miscellaneous. The Open Show is an informal AKC Sanctioned event that offers ring expe- rience for dogs and their owners. It is a friendly, inviting introduction to the AKC culture. Miscellaneous breed par- ent clubs learn to organize and virtu- ally run a small show within the larger all-breed show or it can be stand alone, as independent. Dogs aged 4 months or more registered in AKC’s Founda- tion Stock Services (FSS) or that has advanced to Miscellaneous Classes may enter. Instead of points toward a cham- pionship, one earns Certificates of Merit (CMs). In addition, the exhibitors, dogs, stewards, judges and especially new clubs are all afforded more ring expe- rience in this relaxed venue. Similar to a Match Show, some clubs allow day-of entries, while at others, pre-entry also
just overwhelming. THE SOLUTION
Use the local judges! Invite those interested in the new breeds who are not judging every weekend. Then there are judges who would love the chal- lenge and the practice will not charge clubs, but lunches are appreciated. Open Shows are designed to be a great learning experience for those who are interested. OS is an automatic draw to the sport for younger exhibitors and people with extended families—all those we say we are trying to attract. In addition, the public of today seems interested in something unique and different and their fancy for design- er dogs—the doodles, puggles, what- have-yous—is evidenced at dog parks and in neighborhoods. We, along with AKC, have the opportunity to bring people into the fold by showing them our newer purebred breeds. With hair or without, their appeal is great and they all have interesting histories. Bet- ter to hold our events featuring those unique breeds directing the public toward breeds within our sport than to have them look in newspapers and online for the latest design. What we offer is unique; we must promote it! TWO CLUBS REACH OUT The Nebraska Kennel Club, once a thriving organization with 50 plus members, realized they were ailing financially and decided they must sus- pend their annual shows. However, collectively they came up with an inter- esting plan for their May 2017 all-breed event. They sent special invitations to over 60 FSS and Miscellaneous Parent Clubs. The Nebraska KC will provide all those hard-to-find and expensive items- the venue, the rings and the time. They will have food and vendors. They will
48 • T op N otch T oys , O ctober 2016
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