HOW FAR IS TOO FAR? A SCARCITY OF MAJORS PROMPTS MAJOR TRAVEL DECISIONS
R emember those distance word problems in high school algebra class? Well, your math teacher was right. Algebra can indeed be useful, especially if you’re showing dogs in the current economy. Here’s an example: Marla and Kathy were traveling separately at the same rate of speed in their dog show conversion vans. Marla traveled 300 miles in five hours, while Kathy drove 450 miles. How many hours did it take for Kathy to reach the dog show? Is the answer 6, 7.5, 8, 9.5, or 10 hours? Here’s a hint: Distance = rate x time. (The answer can be found at the end of the article.) Getting to a show has always been a factor in showing dogs. Initially, railroads pro- vided a way to get to the benches in cities where dog clubs held their annual events. By the mid-1950s, the interstate highway system made traveling by automobile a more convenient way to attend shows just about anywhere. In time, exhibitors traded in their cars for station wagons, and these were ultimately replaced with cargo vans, and later, mini vans and SUVs. Today, most showgrounds look a bit like a KOA campsite, with row after row of RVs stretching as far as the eye can see. Showing dogs today is nothing if not a journey in ever more costly vehicles. These days, however, it’s not the cost of a luxury vehicle that concerns most exhibi- tors. Fluctuating gas prices have been on everyone’s mind for the past few years, and they continue to influence how far a person is willing to travel with their dog for the chance to earn points towards a championship or grand championship. Although the average cost to fill up the tank is expected to fall this year, finding majors in most breeds has become increasingly reliant on traveling greater and greater distances. The dearth of competition in the classes at most shows now necessitates longer trips to shows farther afield in order to finish a dog. Despite the fact that those two majors have always been a challenge to find—and even harder to earn (that’s the whole point!)—the stakes have never been higher than they are today, stretching some exhibitors’ budgets to the breaking point. Unfortunately, gas prices vary greatly from state to state and the discrepancy can have a curious impact on the cost of showing dogs. For example, in California, where there’s a dog show nearly every weekend, the average gas price in 2023 was $4.623 per gallon for regular octane. In Wyoming, where there are only four all-breed dog clubs, the average price for a gallon of regular gas was $2.726. This difference in price means exhibitors in The Golden State paid significantly more to get their dogs to a show within their own state. By contrast, Wyoming exhibitors spent far less on gas to get to one of the state’s few local shows but very likely needed to travel cross-country to find competi- tion and those elusive majors. In either case, gas was (and continues to be) a significant expenditure for all exhibitors.
BY DAN SAYERS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dan Sayers is Editor-in-Chief of SHOWSIGHT and a long-time member of the Irish Water Spaniel Club of America and the organization’s current AKC Delegate. He is a club-approved Breed Mentor and a former AKC Gazette Columnist. He breeds under the Quiet Storm prefix and has judged the IWSCA National Specialty Sweepstakes twice. Dan is a member of the Morris and Essex Kennel Club as well as the Dog Writers Association of America, which recognized his illustrations in the award-winning canine compendium, the Encyclopedia of K-9 Terminology.
132 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, MARCH 2024
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