IMHO – Do You Usually Buy a Show Catalog?

BY ELAINE LESSIG

Elaine Lessig – AKC Judge

Exhibitors and spectators buy show catalogs for a number of reasons. The primary one is to obtain and retain a record of each show. Which dogs were en- tered, who won, who showed, and who judged are all questions that get answered by marking a catalog. A catalog also supplies the names of the sires and dams. Spectators often use catalogs as a resource for contacting breeders from whom they might acquire a puppy or older dog. All of that information is at your fingertips with easy access.

Although a good portion of the same information is now avail- able online, it is neither as complete nor easy to obtain. Some su- perintendents post it on the same day while others take longer. Results on those sites are not offi- cial. The AKC official results take even longer. After a period of de- cline, more catalogs are being sold at shows. Buy yours before they are all sold!

Caroline Coile – Breeder/Owner/Handler

Short answer: No. I am cheap. Long version: Only at specialties. Even then I’m usually too busy to study it until after judging. At allbreeds I usually know all the dogs entered, and those I don’t I can peek at the steward’s table catalog and see who they are at a glance. I suppose I could look at the MB-F site for their shows, but I never do unless I’m not there. I used to save catalogs, especially from the giant shows like Santa Barbara and Astrohall and Louisville, some back to the ‘70s. Last year I filled yard trash bags with them, although I did rip my breed pages out first. I hate throwing away history but… OK, I did save a few!

As a show chair I noticed most of our catalogs are bought by spectators and new exhibitors. So we’ve cut our catalog price in half. I’d rather take a loss on 100 catalogs than make a profit on 30, because these are the people we want to go home armed with contact information. However, for privacy and safety reasons, I think exhibitors should have the option of having their email rather than street address printed.

Justin Smithey – Professional Handler

I purchase catalogs at premiere events, such as Westminster Kennel Club, the AKC National Championship Show and National or Independent Specialties. I enjoy looking back at past catalogs from these events. As far as week-in and week-out shows, the catalogs are often available online so quickly that I do not find it necessary for my needs.

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Posted by Alex on Mar 19 2018. 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.