Carolyn,
Thank you and Happy New Year to you as well! Thank you for sharing your
thoughts. As part of the established breeder group, your opinion is valued.
I guess my main train of thought is this…the club is losing money and losing
members. What are possible solutions? How can we reinvent ourselves to allow us
to continue to survive and grow?
And…I know that this is not the thing to say on a conformation forum but the
club focusing on conformation in the hope they will somehow make more money and
draw people is more than likely than not going to prove unsuccessful. You have
to go to where the masses are but still validate the minority and support their
goals.
How do I envision the Futurities….. as a place for ALL regional german
shepherds breeders and enthusiasts to gather in one place. Conformation people,
Performance people, and SV people. Futurities should be to gather our
bloodlines so that breeders and enthusiasts can see as many dogs as possible in
one place. It is a time to come together. See what bloodlines are producing
what. All the different branches of our dogs have strengths and weaknesses…but
they all have one thing in company….their people love shepherds!
So, why not make the Futurities a true showcase. You don’t need to show by
running laps to do that. We could have educational events, fun events (the
posted puppy extravaganza idea or posted judges seminar-which would be open to
public), a performance clinic, CGC or TC test and offer the evaluations (for a
separate charge) on the side as an option for performance or conformation
people to get a third party experienced opinion without stepping into show
ring.
Because it’s not competitive, owners can show their own dogs and “lunge” if
they need too. It’s not about winning, it’s about getting your bloodlines out
there. I picture people bringing dogs of all generations and even puppies. It
would be so neat to see progeny classes or a 3 Generation class! It could be a
family affair. And….future GSD owners could come to one spot to see what
breeders are producing in the region. It could be a welcoming event.
I have always said the biggest market we should reach out to are unregistered
and mixed breed GSDs. If we welcome these people to events, the passion might
grow and they could end up future GSDCA members. I remember contacting a local
GSDCA club and I told them I had a mixed shepherd but loved the breed. They
welcomed me to club events. Guess what……fast forward and I just bred my first
litter after my showing my bitch to eight titles. There are also TONS of GSD
owners who are not members. What event can we do that might help us in our
quest to grow the club while staying true to our original futurity mission?
Sarah
On Jan 2, 2017, at 3:24 PM, Carolyn Martello <marhaven@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi Sarah.....I have pasted your original post that I responded to before at
the bottom of this e-mail.
I understood you to say " I would like to see the Futurities all Owner
handled" in the post I responded to........and
."if the Futurities were all Owner Handled it would return to the idea of
breeders showcasing their own bloodlines".
and my point is .....Actually if the dogs had to be "all owner handled"....it
would eliminate most of our best Breeders
throughout this Country
The Futurities and AKC Shows allow you to do either already....and that is a
GOOD THING! But think about it...
why would forcing 60 to 80 year olds back in the ring make the Futurities
work better....??
Our kennel name showcases our bloodlines....not our handling...... <G>
Actually our Futurities entries are showcasing exactly what all our show
entries are already telling us. We LOVE
our Futurities...at least most of us do....but AGE of owners and breeders IS
one of the reasons for less entries.
Thanks for your enthusiasm and some good ideas..........have a great New Year!
Carolyn marhaven@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:marhaven@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
www.marhaven.com <http://www.marhaven.com/>
