One of the great things about dog shows is how they can fly in the face of current trends.
Tune into the news. If you’re not confused, then you just aren’t paying attention: Stock market high when oil is up? Wait a minute: Since when do higher fuel costs make life better for anyone?
And politics: How is fighting with everybody supposed to make us a beacon of peace and hope? Maybe I’ve been spending too much time in the kennel, but there are some things I just don’t “get.”
Apparently, I’m not the only one. According to all economic indicators (housing, credit, job erosion, etc.) dog lovers should be crying the blues. After all, feed is going up. Vet costs are rising. The cost of keeping our dogs warm, keeping the lights on, and filling up the tank is higher than ever. A casual observer would think dog lovers are “more than” feeling the pinch. But, is that so?
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY
Listening to the experts can be very confusing. On the one hand, they tell us things are great and on the other, they tell us to watch out! That’s OK, but when different verdicts are being pronounced at the same time, what’s a dog lover supposed to believe?
Dog shows are one of the most honest indicators when it comes to economics and politics. Not only do they force us to dress up and put our best foot forward, which is always nice, but they make us – as an emotional, thinking community joined by our love of dogs – to get out there and circulate. Circulation in public (translated) is politics.
Do I like the idea of bigger shows, clusters and more advertising for the event? Yes, I like it very much. I like it from any of several different perspectives, not the least of which being that it keeps us visible to the public as a healthy form of free, family entertainment.
Being seen in a good way, casts us in a valuable light when local politicians are lobbied to pass laws (and there are many pending around the country) that might hurt us. Face it, the circus isn’t coming to town very much these days thanks to some of those laws. But, dog shows are still public events that harm no one.
Every indicator that I have about “what’s ahead” for dog lovers (and there are many emails, phone calls and letters that cross my desk) is flying right in the face of “national experts” and their forecasts. Clearly, they don’t know something about people who love dogs enough to compete on the dog show circuit.
How can I say that? I can say it because there really is no such thing as The Economy. What we have, is a combination of many different economies and not all of them are the same. This means, one area of economics can be doing well at the same time that others are not. It also means, one part of our lives can be going great at the same time that the rest is going haywire.
The bottom line is, no matter how highly educated or qualified an expert may be, no matter how many books they’ve written on the subject, lectures they’ve given or how many times they’ve commented on TV, nobody can be an expert on all of the economies within a culture as complicated as ours.
GOOD NEWS
All of this is good news, because dog lovers march to the beat of a different drummer no matter what happens around us, and that isn’t going to change. This is why we are teaming up with friends to share rides, splitting hotel rooms, and why shows are grouping together like they did before during a gasoline crisis. It’s also why the public is discovering dog shows as a worthy form of entertainment within driving distance of home. “Going public” is a good thing.
Another good thing, is realizing (and always keeping in mind) that we are the masters of our own destiny. No matter what is going on around us, to a great extent we really do shape our own lives. We shape our lives by the choices we make, by the things we love to do and by what we accept as immutably true.
In the end, it is our own heart that tells us what is real, and what isn’t; what is honest and what is not. For those who love dogs, there is always a way over, around or through anything that stands in our way … On With The Show!