BECOMING
I read two Facebook posts this week that said the same thing about dog advertising. Both were posted by long-time outstanding breeders, and I shared one of them on my home page. The long-time breed- ers who are commenting on my shared post and the one on the other breeder’s page are, for the most part, agreeing with each other. The old photos that we are seeing in these posts are from very old advertisements for top-winning dogs. The 1938 ad for a Basset Hound included a 3-generation pedigree for the dog in the photo. The Pekingese ad had a profile and a head shot, and listed the dog’s registered name along with his sire and dam. Neither of the old ads showed a picture of a human with the dog—it’s just the dog, its registered name and its pedigree. Long time breed- ers remember when it was much more common, and all commented on how useful those ads were for breeders. In the first half of the 20th Century this was common practice. Breeders used the publications to plan breeding programs and see pictures of dogs they might never see in person. Things have changed a lot since then. Now advertis- ing appears to be geared more towards impressing judges than being a useful tool for breeders. They are also a tool to impress potential clients with the skills and accomplishments of handler. Handlers are always highlighted, and win records and current rankings are often reported. The ads are beautifully
laid out, and many are heavily Photo- shopped to make both the handler and the dog look their unnatural best. Many of the magazines include entire handler sections highlighting a single handler with their top-winning dogs, including prestigious wins and national rankings. Very often the rankings are skewed to make the dog’s ranking appear better than it actually will be at the end of a longer, more meaningful data cycle. How many times have we seen mul- tiple ads claim a dog is #1, or ads that include a January or February ranking of #1 in breed or all-breed points? Never mind that a huge segment of the coun- try doesn’t even have local shows that start much before March, so a ranking for dogs shown in those areas would be meaningless. Even the national breed club maga- zines are turning into ranking, handler and prestigious win documentations, with a smattering of cute performance pictures to break up the bragging of the conformation exhibitors. These maga- zines should be documenting both the clubs’ business and financial positions as well as the history of the breed and the breeders who are actively working to preserve the breed. Some clubs have an Annual or Yearbook that publishes the win photos and pedigrees of dogs that complete their championships that year, and some have special stud dog or brood bitch editions with photos and pedigrees. But many do not. These magazines should concentrate on issues
endemic to their breed. They should focus on information that is useful to breeders, not the population of pet owners who make up a percentage of every club’s membership, and certainly not the people who judge the breed. I have always opposed sending breed club publications to judges. It encourag- es those documents to be used as adver- tising vehicles for judging rather than as educational documents for breed- ing. In addition, I think breed clubs should actively seek out and highlight preservation breeders by interviewing them for a two- or three-page kennel biography complete with photos and pedigrees of their top-producing dogs and bitches. Breed club magazines are meant to support breeders and owners of their breed, and really don’t need to be competing with the national all-breed magazines. They speak to a different audience. After the two Facebook posts about the old ads appeared, I asked breeders if they’d be willing to agree to start run- ning more dog-only ads that highlight- ed pedigree instead of accomplishment. Many said they would love to start doing that again, and I am in agreement. But I am also a breeder who currently advertises with handlers in the photos, even if the handler is me. Although the only Photoshopping I use is to remove leads, add back a fallen leaf or take out red eyes, I do use professional design- ers for my ads. Their eye for beauty and balance is so much better than my own,
ADVERTISE PEDIGREES!
102 • S how S ight M agazine , M arch 2017
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