Will the Real Dog People Please Stand Up?

Turns out I am not a dog person.

I was informed of that by an actual, legit, card-carrying dog person, after I confessed on Facebook that I had accidentally left a gate open, and my Pointer escaped. Boo, hiss, gasp —believe me, I know. 

He raced around the yard at Mach 1, scaring the bejabbers out of me. And then, he circled back to me. After I had him back in the house, I had a complete meltdown, and thoroughly beat myself up about my brain fart. But I was also tickled that this dog, who has only been with me since April, and who came to live with me with all manner of fears and anxieties, was given blissful freedom and still chose to come back to me, with tail wagging and a sheepish expression. It was a moment in our tumultuous journey that showed me that my work, my patience, my determination to unlock this puzzle of a dog whom I adore was paying off. 

But, meh, it turns out, I am no better than this person’s “pet person” spouse, who would let a dog slip between their legs and out the front door.

Imma not gonna lie; that pronouncement hurt. Never mind that not one of my dogs has ever slipped between my legs and out the front door. Never mind that I’ve trained and shown and competed and titled and bred and whelped and bottle-fed and nursed and buried. And never mind that I’ve been the fixer for all that crowd of real dog people at the Great American Kennel Club.

Come to think of it, that last one probably doesn’t count. The current general counsel is not a dog person. Her predecessor was not a dog person. My predecessor was not a dog person. At least AKC won’t be coming after me for my pension over this revelation. For now. 

But after I quit pouting, the whole thing caused me to ponder: Who are the real dog people?

Clearly not me. I went through a gate, didn’t close it, got distracted, and went back through another gate, never going back to the original, leaving it ajar for my dog to bust through at the first opportunity. That was, according to this real dog person, not something they would ever do. Noted. But does that mean that all the posts we see about missing show dogs slipping out of hotel-room doors, out of crates, out of X-pens or off leashes are posted by people who are not real dog people either? 

If not, then who are the real dog people?

Are they the people who chase titles and points, shuttling their dogs, or dogs in their charge, all around the country, week in and week out, showing at days-long circuits, with the dogs spending long stints in crates or X-pens, riding in a van or truck for hours on end, pottying in communal potty spots, sleeping night after night on a hard pad or crate pan? Or are they the ones who fly those dogs around the country, rather than drive, but adorned in a fake service dog vest?  

Are they the real dog people?

Or are they the people who run clubs, who put on shows, and who constantly bemoan the fact that they are aging and tired, and that there are no young people to step up and step in and keep things going? But when said younger people do step up, they are treated badly, denied club membership, and told they are not real dog people. Or are they the people who represent the clubs in the delegate body, and have done so for so long, the AKC has to keep inventing awards to mark their tenure? But those people often go to the meetings just for the socializing, mainly because the issues discussed have no relevance to them, since it’s been decades since they bred or showed, and there’s no obligation on them to report back to the clubs about the issues and votes because they hold their delegate seat not as a representative of their club members, but at the pleasure of one officer. 

Are those the real dog people?

Or are they the folks who work at the aforementioned Great American Kennel Club? Yes, there are some folks there who everyone would agree are real dog people. But there are lots of people there who are not. It’s not as obvious as many folks believe. When I was there, some of the most committed, most hard-working, most knowledgeable folks were people who had never walked in a show ring or bred a litter. But if I had a question about shows or registrations or DNA, they were my go-tos. 

The person who runs the whole she-bang? Dog person. The person who runs way more than you realize or know about and wants to run the whole she-bang? Not a dog person (or an officer). Of the 10 employees who receive the top 10 salaries paid by the company, totaling more than $3.3 million, only four are arguably real dog people.

Maybe that explains why the organization puts more emphasis on raising revenue than on elevating the core mission. On self-promotion and self-protection, rather than promoting and preserving purebred dogs. On pursuing pet projects and pet people, rather than advocating for and protecting those who are already on board (like our juniors). None of that changes as long as the delegates keep electing board members who are either complicit in enabling the status quo or busy using board service to pursue their own individual interests. 

I’m not sure who the real dog people are anymore. But I know for sure who’s not.