Once upon a time, several months ago, we had a discussion about things we would like for John Q. Public to know when he brings his family to a dog show. We came up with quite a list, and at least one dog club has used our suggestions. Below is a poster put up by the Toledo Kennel Club, forwarded to us by Joan Malak. She says that all clubs may feel free to copy from this for their shows. First the picture. Joan says "I also went to Kinko's and had one copy enlarged to 2' by 3', then had it mounted on some heavy something or other and laminated. This made a durable sign approximately $25 or $35. Then, a trip to OfficeMax (or maybe it was Office Depot) for an easel and we were ready for our show. We now have the sign on our easel at the main entrance to our show where it is clearly visible as well as copies anywhere and everywhere people might see them and pick one up. We also regularly include the flyer (or the text) in publicity about the show.

We have heard reports back of more people stopping their children from running up to dogs without asking after we have started this. No definite evidence, but it can't be hurting.

Also, Joan adds that "If anyone is interested, I can send them the actual flyer as either a Publisher 98 or Word 97 attachment." If you are interested, please contact:

Because the text is impossible to read in the picture, I repeat it here.

DON'T FORGET TO:
=> ASK BEFORE TOUCHING OR FEEDING A DOG!
Often people have spent hours grooming their dog. Other dogs are nervous at shows or maybe not used to crowds or children. And some dogs grab for treats or they might have finicky stomachs.

=>NEVER LET YOUR CHILD HUG A STRANGE DOG!
Just like most people object to being grabbed and hugged by strangers, so do many dogs!

=>WATCH WHERE YOU STEP!
We want you to make sure that you don't step on any feet, noses, or tails of our friends. Also, unfortunately, not all dog handlers are considerate enough to clean up after their dogs.

=>KEEP ALL FAMILY MEMBERS ON THE OUTSIDE OF RING BARRIERS!
Each dog and handler has only moments in the ring for the judge to evaluate him and any distractions (food or objects thrown into the ring, body parts hanging over or under the ring barriers, and/or loud disturbances) can throw their performance off.

=>ALWAYS ASK FIRST IF IT IS A GOOD TIME TO TALK!
You might be catching someone as they are nervously waiting to go in the ring, or hurriedly grooming for an upcoming ring time, or maybe just closely watching dogs that they are interested in. If we are engrossed in something, we will be happy to let you know when and where is a better time to talk.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL
THE TOLEDO KENNEL CLUB
(419) 865-8736