2008 NASS Impressions - Page 5

This was the first time I was ever at something like this. I thought it was great ... and alot of nice people ... Christopher wanted to go to the Pizza Party. I didn't really like the host hotel though, we didn't stay there too long.

After looking at the results online, it looked to be very much like the St Louis show last year. I am pleased to hear good things about the 12-18 month SG1 male. After looking through the results, his pedigree caught my eye, so I'm interested even more now after reading these glowing remarks about him. Would still love to see bitework video.

I am looking forward to the USA show in spring, right here in my backyard. Shelly, I have an extra bedroom, too, if travel costs are still squeezing you in the spring. -

Thanks for the invite. I just hope I am still alive by spring. I contracted pneumonia in KY, down for the count for awhile. Its sunny out side and here I am stuck indoors with a fever and lungs full of crud, furnace on the fritz. Should have taken a warm jacket to protection practice on Thursday last week I guess.

SS

I personally think WDA should get a round of applause from all.  Considering all of the work that goes into these shows and the budget that they have to work with, they do an incredible job.  Not a lot of people will put their heart and soul into assisting in these shows.  Most like to take the backseat and complaine about something that was not quite right. 

Here are just a few roadblocks to putting this thing together:

Hotels and Venues:

Just think of how much fun it is to find a hotel with a resturant, bar and pool that willing to let 400-500 GSDs on site at a reduced rate including the pet fee and promise all the owners clean up after them.  Call around and see just how many hotels in your area will call back.    Then try and find someplace that will let you do bitework with 200 of those dogs within a convient driving distance of that hotel.

Now lets throw on free rooms for the judges and a bathing area for the dogs as well as comped meeting spaces.  Can you hear the click and the ring tone yet???

Yes, Purina Farms area Holiday Inn had a great bathing area, but how often can we go back there when all the participants refuse food samples becuase "we don't feed that crap to our dogs" (yes I heard that said a few times the last few years within earshot of purina employees)  Couldn't we have been gracious and donated the food to a shelter??

You are responsible for your dogs preparation, not the show officials, if you need to give the animal another bath, then do so at your cost and with your clean up.  Heck PetCo is only 12 bucks for a self bath and no clean up.  Great deal if you ask me.  Or WDA can charge an extra fee on the entries to hire a mobile grooming van(s) for your pleasure.

Food

Sometimes the venue insist they supply the food, good or bad, so that they can make a profit on the discounted  venue rental.   There are also legal issues with bringing food to sell onto someone elses property.  Getting good food service is not as easy as it sounds.  Yes San Jose was great, but that was a wedding party place know for their food and the venue was more than likely a lot more expensive that this one.  WDA may have had no choice at all in this.

Show Catalogs

What would the ramifications be if too many show catalogs are produced, basically money thrown away, one less portapotty??  These are the types of desisions that need to be made, what is the greater good?  The website had most of the big breeders on it as well as the advertisers, less bathrooms could cause a lot of issues!  I am sure there is a formula to decied how many to print.  Maybe this budget was reached/exceeded and no more money was avaiable to get them done.  A lot of this show depends on donations and sponsors.  WDA does not have the support of large sponsors like ESPN or AKC to help out.  WDA depends on membership and show entries to make this happen.  They did the best with what they had and smart people could download the list, sort in Excel and make their own.  I think WDA took a chance on this hopping there would be enough yet not over spending on the issue.   

Directions to the grounds:

I had no trouble finding the direction signs, was very glad to see them even though I went to the Regional in the same park and came in off the interstate.   I also googled the directions and studied them so as not to get lost.  Better handy directions on the website would have been nice, but we are adults here and can fend for ourselves too.

Official Tent 

Had no trouble spying the organization tent or ID-ing show personel, after all they were wearing yellow jackets w

Excellent points, Baldursmom. Over the years, I have been involved in putting on animal shows and it's a real bitch. Lots and lots and lots of hard work for no pay. You do it because you want to. The same people always pitch in and the same people always bitch about how it could have been better afterwards and the two groups don't overlap. Somebody's happy to win and somebody complains about being robbed. Always. The silent majority usually has a good time and most people are well able to fend for themselves about directions, show catalogs and lists, vendors, etc. 

Folks, you just don't get it.  For those attending a show and not exhibiting, a catalog is a basic need.  Without one, there is no reason to even attend the show.  In many, many years I have never attended a dog show where there were no catalogs available.  Sounds like folks who show in the WDA have come to expect this and feel okay with it.  If folks were asssured they would probably not be able to buy a catalog when they got to the show, few would attend. 

At a minimum, there should have been a bold faced announcement on the web site before the show that "WDA does not have enough supprt to print more than (list number) of catalogs, so if you are not the first (list number) folks there to buy one, you will not be able to have one."  This way there would have been no misunderstanding.  Other solutions would have been to make periodic announcements at each ring that all catalogs are sold out and entry identification lists by entry number will be made available at each ring.  This cavalier attitude shows a complete lack of respect for the non-exhibitor attendees.  Also, it was poor business practice.  It prevented good advertising for those who bought ads and good identification of breeders for with contact information.  Now, do the math.  At least 200 catalogs more could have been printed and sold.  At $20 each this would be an additional $3,000 in easy money after printing expenses. 

It is a basic need for spectators at ringside to be able to identify dogs by the number displayed by the handler.  I don't know why you folks just don't get this.  At a minimum, an announcement could be made that a volunteer is needed to take a catalog to be dupliocated at a quick print shop.  I would gladly have done it early Saturday morning if any one had made this announcement.  Catalogs could have been printed up in batches as needed on plain copy paper every few hours, making sure everyone had one by Sunday.  What this really showed was that the WDA this year has serious communication deficiencies:  very weak, underpowered, faulty PA system, no communication to the spectators telling them of the need for volunteers to help.  Next year it would be wise to place the official WDA table right at the main rings with a big sign.  The WDA appears to be pporly organized and sloppily run.  Maybe it's time to take an inventory on this lack of organization. Hey, for those who are members, it's your WDA.  If you like it this way, more power to you.

You are correct Catalogs are important and all spectators should be able to buy one. They could be a good source of revenue. But you can see how printing too many would be a huge waste of money. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Heres a solution:

a) Set up a pre-pay system where you can order a catalog ahead of time and pre-pay it with paypal or credit card. You bring the receipt and pick up your pre-paid catalog at the show. This gives a much better grasp on how many catalogs are needed. There could be a discount for pre-pay/ $15 prepay or $20 at the show...

b) Contract with KINKOs or a local print shop to print and deliver additional color catalogs "ON DEMAND." They would have the artwork already stored in their computer and with a call they could print and deliver an additional 50 or 100 full color bound copies to the show grounds within a couple hours. They could be re-ordered again the same day if supplies were low. Print shops are very competitive and can turn out a job quickly if needed and the priority printing is set up in advance.  

Issues and road blocks will always come up and can be worked out for the next show. Overall the show was great!!

I went for the dogs and to see dear friends and was not disappointed. 

At AKC shows we generally base the number of catalogs ordered on the number of entries from the previous year. If the entry was 1000, 500  - 600 catalogs. We would order extra if we sold out the previous year. It's a guess, but it usually comes close.  Pre-ordering would also work I think.  My breed club has made some nice dollars over the years by ordering extra and then selling them marked for an additonal $10, $15 including postage.  They can be mailed quite inexpensively at the book rate. People who can't attend are usually very happy to be able to buy one. It's an easy way for a club to make money.

The catalog from the Pittsburgh NASS was beautiful, professionally done, color photos on high quality paper. Mine still looks as good as the day I bought it. Is it possible to make copies at Kinko that look like the original? As far a copying the results from the net, won't  you  miss out on seeing the ads and the color photos that made the catalog I have a collector's item?

No reason to attent without a catalog???  I think somebody is being a bit dramatic.  Get a pen and paper and take your own notes.  With the smallest amount of effort you can find out which dog is which, and take some notes.

If the whole idea of a show is to get a catalog, then just print out some fancy pics and make your own, forget traveling to the show, i bet you could find one for sale online for cheaper than driving there.

I'm with you Preston. I'd be awfully pissed if I went all that way and couldn't get my hands on a catalog, they are invaluable. Last year, after making tons of notes on the puppy/youth classes, notes on EVERY dog in bitework, my daughter set my catalog down on a vendor table and forgot to pick it back up. A whole weekend's worth of valuable research and education down the toilet...