Observations From the Houston World Series of Dog Shows and American Kennel Club Breeder’s Symposium

It’s difficult to summarize an event like this. It’s even more difficult to pin down an accurate descriptor for the clientele….. definitely somewhere between eclectic…eccentric…strict professional….and just plain and simple crazy. If you’ve never attended a large scale AKC event I implore you to give it a go. Bring the kids, the people watching is worth the trip alone. 

Now, if my introduction hasn’t offended anyone off there are two major takeaways that CTRG took away from this event. Mind you the purpose of our attendance was to collect research related to the state of breeding in the United States. This information ideally will be used to supplement ongoing projects related to raising canine industry standards. Circling back, the takeaways are as follows:

1. These folks although quirky to say the least are holding the line when it comes to breeding standards in the United States. For this they deserve some appreciation. If one were to conduct a thorough root cause analysis many of our most significant canine issues in the States can be traced back to irresponsible breeding practices. Tight breeding practices reduce health issues, keep shelters empty, and maintain a healthy canine marketplace to name just a few positives.

2. That quirky clientele I continue to reference is aging. I have been in and around the canine industry for the better part of two decades. I’ve worked with canines across many disciplines to include hunting, security, law enforcement and research. It concerns me to see a dwindling youth population at these events and it begs the question who is going to carry on with maintaining these breed lines? In an age of technological awakening where today’s youth are taking up careers behind a screen, is the canine industry at risk of dwindling like many other trades and crafts of yesteryear? These are fair questions to ask…how many young people hunt with dogs anymore? How many young people are involved in dog sports like schutzund? 

One of the greatest attributes a dog has is what I call pure integrity. They do not contemplate, compromise, or attempt deceit. They perform and they connect. It’s what they are designed for. Whatever your role, it’s our obligation and responsibility as dog owners, caretakers, admirers, coexisters or what have you to maintain the integrity of bloodlines so that the coming generations can experience them too.