It is my unqualified opinion that unlike many other shows with long and glorious traditions that have gone by the wayside, the once revered and honored Westbury Kennel Club is more than savable. First of all, it has one of the truly fine sites on the East Coast. The Planting Fields Arboretum on Long Island's North Shore, in Oyster Bay, is unapproachable in quality compared with other East Coast venues. The people running the show are good-hearted, longtime and concerned Fanciers who could use some new and creative thinking to return Westbury to its glory days of yore. And working with the other two clubs, Brookhaven and Suffolk, on this same site should be added inducement.
I know some will think this hearsay, but I would make Westbury a for-profit club with which to begin. This form of monetary incentive has certainly been the motivating factor for many clubs faced with problems akin to Westbury. I would have evening dinners, form associations of hotels, of which there are many in the area, to force lower rates to help get people on to the Island. Furthermore, the lack of gate is due to a lack of real publicity about the very existence of the show itself. I mean, really, as a resident of OB, I saw not one sign in the Village nor in adjoining villages of the show being held. Furthermore, the local papers, such as the GUARDIAN, had no mention whatsoever either. You can't tell me that CW Post was a better spot than Planting Fields—it just wasn't. Should Westbury be saved? No, it MUST be saved.
Winners all three nights were different exhibits—the first night was the Airedale bitch ranked number 8 all-breed at the last report; the next night was the Standard Poodle, which was awarded PCA, and at Westbury the Boxer ranked number 6 all-breed. Pretty heady competition for shows with entries between 700 and 1,000 dogs, I would think.
Certainly AKC's plane lift of 100 dogs to St. Hubert's was a terrific move on their part. Hopefully, some of these animals from the Katrina tragedy can be reunited with their original owners, but at the very least most of them will get a second chance at home life, thanks to both CAR/AKC and St. Hubert's Giralda. As Morris and Essex was being celebrated this past weekend, one can be rest assured that Mrs. Dodge would have approved and supported these combined efforts. And in case you failed to read Susan Hamil's Letter to the Editor about what she witnessed while working in Baton Rouge and AKC's efforts there, I would get a copy of last weeks DOG NEWS to find out what good works were accomplished.
Becoming more and more of a problem is how to handle the monies when shows are cancelled due to weather. I am not talking Katrina-type instances, but rather the Finger Lakes-type incident. Why is the exhibitor the sole and/or main burden carrier expense-wise? Shouldn't the actual costs be pro-rated and some monies be returned to the exhibitor? I mean really, the judge deserves his or her expenses for sure, but the fees too? And there are other areas to consider as well—such as the club's treasuries in these instances and supers' contractual fees and obligations as well. Just one more area which could use a little investigatory adjustments by a caring and concerned AKC Staff analysis. •
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