AND MORE
THE IKC, BEING FAIR TO AMERICAN JUDGES...
T
Sergio Brown of “The Crew”
he four day weekend of shows in downtown Chicago at the huge McCormack Center Hall proves that dog events can be held in large cities in major complexes which cost a lot of money to rent out. Indeed this very weekend Detroit will further the point at Cobo Hall where again huge crowds of spectators are expected to attend the event, weather permitting of course. In Chicago it is an established fact (over and over again) that Chicagoans and their neighbors turn out in record numbers for the dog show--this year was no exception. The crowds were massive thereby ensuring a good gate which combined with entries of over 2,300 dogs and concessions all over the place to say nothing of the great support of Purina combine to make a financial and psychological success for the four days. Now then it certainly is a fair question to ask why Chicago and Detroit can do something neither Boston, Philadelphia nor Los Angeles for example can do. That is rent out the expensive complexes available downtown and turn them into financial successes. I believe the major differential is the fact that both Chicago and Detroit are proprietary shows--that is basically privately owned. The incentive to succeed just as it is at Golden Gate in the Cow Palace in San Francisco (also privately owned) is to make a real buck out of the show. Now then making the dollar is not the only incentive of course--there is the pride and determination to prove success as with anyone’s dog show and to gain recognition from one’s peers as well but this can be accomplished at the smaller shows as well. Just look at Greenwich on the East Coast, Grass Valley on the West Coast, Palm Beach in Florida and virtually most of the comparatively smaller Minnesota shows to say nothing of other successful shows and events throughout the country too numerous to name. But Chicago and Detroit are real money makers. As importantly, they serve as great diplomatic venues to show off the virtues of AKC and the value of owning and showing and breeding purebred dogs to the general public. And if it takes proprietary shows to succeed in doing this in the larger cities than I am all for changing the rules in this area and permitting these types of ownership to expand in the larger metropolitan areas for sure. Of course what would Chicago be without Louis Auslander and Susan Olsen one must ask. Well Lou has announced his retirement this year with a good portion of his family stepping in to take over his role. Those will be hard shoes to fill but with the combination of the aforementioned Sue Olsen and her hard-working members I feel pretty confident it will be a continuing success. One other now fixture at Chicago of course is the input of Onofrio led by the James brothers, Tim and Terry. Onofrio has settled as the Super here now after several years of chaos in that area and together with all involved really do a fabulous job. I have never seen McCormick Hall set up so well and they had the good sense to add THE CREW headed by Sergio Brown to work at setting up and assisting at the show! Sergio does many of the California shows, particularly the Egg Nog and the AKC/Eukanuba events, and I have
CONTINUED ON PAGE 140
BY MATTHEW H. STANDER 88 Dog News