Many people belonged to two or three. People would be involved in their local kennel club (or two) as well as a regional breed club and their National breed club. Attending these various club meetings was a commitment they accepted willingly. It was part of who they were and part of their devotion to dogs and their chosen breed. Many of the most successful people in the sport today (and by that I mean the real movers and shakers, not the self-professed ones) were present at club meetings and functions 40 or 50 years ago. They were at handling classes and match shows. They ended up at the top of the sport because they had started at the bottom. They’d built a solid foundation, upon which they’d built a reputation.
Today we are witnessing the demise of dog clubs. Oh, the National breed clubs are still in existence, but they suffer from a lack of support internally from their members. Many National clubs are starved for members, especially when the number of yearly registrations is taken into consideration. Local breed clubs aren’t faring any better. But the clubs most in need of life support are the local kennel clubs. Along with shrinking memberships the numbers of clubs is diminishing just as rapidly.
Clubs lucky enough to have more than a handful of members usually are populated by members “in name only.” These are the members who pay their dues each year but don’t actively support the club in its efforts. Yes, the club makes full use of their dues money, but when it comes to sustaining the club through working at their events, many members are just as absent from these functions as they are from club meetings. It’s next to impossible to find people willing to work at club functions.
Why? We’ve all heard the old saw that people are just too busy; don’t have the free time that people used to, both spouses work, yadda, yadda, yadda. It’s not that. People today make time for the things they want to do. Being snowed under with work or responsibilities doesn’t stop them from pursuing pleasant endeavors; it only provides them with an excuse not to participate when they choose not to.
People today lack the sense of obligation to the sport that used to drive folks to belong to clubs and participate in the club-sponsored functions. They don’t think they owe the sport something; to them, the sport exists to provide them rewards, be it ribbons, trophies or notoriety. To them, it’s not about giving to the sport; it’s about getting something out of it. If they belong to a club at all, they reside at the club’s periphery, just a dues payer and perhaps an attendee at the annual Christmas banquet.
We’ve lost a lot of the “old guard” of the sport of dogs; people who belonged to clubs and ended up running them. These people attained positions of prominence in the sport. They did so because they’d earned the respect of others and consequently were elected club presidents by virtue of their reputation as givers, not takers. And by “positions of prominence in the sport” I mean real prominence. Not someone who won a breed at a big show or a National specialty. These were people whose opinions were sought and whose opinions mattered. They influenced the sport.
I can remember going to shows where these people were club members. At their shows, they were working to make the show better. They did the jobs that today, many people feel are beneath them and are unwilling to sign on for. At their show, these influential people were doing the menial tasks associated with the operation of the dog show. They were getting their hands dirty because that’s part of what being a club member is. It’s not about self-aggrandizement. It’s about putting the club and its event first. I thought it was great seeing these giants in the sport doing the everyday jobs that make even a small difference in a show. I never thought that they were demeaning themselves. I always thought how great it was that they thought that they were never too high and mighty to do the “grunt” jobs. It made me respect them all the more.
Today we have too many Chiefs and not enough Indians. The people only want to work if they can get the credit, be the boss. If there’s not recognition and plaudits being handed out, or if they don’t get to rub elbows with the judges, they want no part. What these people are missing is the keys to success. They’re not building themselves a foundation. They’re not getting the enjoyment the old guard found in being a part of something bigger, something better. They’re missing out on some of the best things the sport has to offer; friendship, camaraderie and shared experiences. Add dogs to the mix and you have the time of your life.
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