Are We Even Getting Our $3 Worth?

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116 – September, 2025

By Caroline Coile

I missed all my deadlines last month. That means that as a freelance writer, I lost a month’s income. Why? Because I was working on my club’s dog shows. Show arrangements were still in the early stages, mostly signing contracts for the venue, superintendent, stewards, catering, golf carts, and judges, as well as writing up event applications to AKC, updating the premium lists, and working on the judging panel. As we get closer to the show, other members will step in and give up their day jobs to arrange judges’ transportation, hotel, catering, vendors, trophies, camping reservations, pre-entries for our CGC, Fetch, Farm Dog, and Temperament Tests, and advertising the event in the community; on the actual show weekend our members will spend the night away from home to be there two days early to tape off parking and RV areas, and to set up signage, prepare the judge’s lunch room, decorate, put out chairs and tables, set up the trophy table, accept the golf carts, and finally park RVs, man the gates, work at the shows—and finally, pack everything up, clean the grounds, and limp home after dark. If we added up lost wages, and unpaid volunteer work, it would amount to many, many thousands of dollars.

We do this because we love the sport, and we’ve always been told we should give back. Volunteers, by their nature, do not expect compensation. In fact, as non-profit club members, we are not allowed to accept any pay for our lost wages or work.

Is AKC a Pyramid Scheme Based on Free Labor?

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116 – September, 2025

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Posted by AnthonyA on Sep 9 2025. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.