NOI Musings

The Eukanuba National Championship has come and gone this past weekend. Much hoopla and television time was devoted to conformation and agility. Obedience, sadly, continues to be the red-headed stepchild of the AKC.
If it were not for some loyal obedience folks with a laptop, those of us who were unable to attend would not have known who made it to the finals, and who finally won. AKC has made it quite clear they are not going to devote much time to the sport until - as they say - "obedience has a wider following."
Something needs to be done about this, and fast. I am hoping to meet with one of the AKC board members in '09 and see if we can develop a game plan of some sort. Obedience does not need to be dumbed-down, it does not need more titles, and perhaps it doesn't even need any significant change. What needs to be changed is how it is marketed (this is all just my opinion of course). Somehow Obedience is viewed as "boring". No, it's not exciting like a basketball game, full of action, but look how many millions of people watch golf!
People need to be inspired to join the sport. I think a top-down change involving the AKC getting on board with a proper marketing program is a good beginning. Wish me luck, change doesn't happen quickly or easily but for the sake of Obedience, it NEEDS to change.