Real #Winning – Sportsmanship and Social Media

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86 – July, 2020

By Meredith Mae Persinger

When I first created my Facebook profile as a young teenager, “social media” was still a new concept at that time and I was excited to finally explore all its potential. Naturally, my dogs soon dominated my Facebook as well as Instagram, Twitter, Snap Chat, etc. I am not alone in this phenomenon. As soon as the internet spits out a new social media platform, dog people have a knack for turning it to their benefit. In fact, many kennel clubs, breeders and handlers are more likely to use social media to promote themselves versus traditional websites or printed materials. Why? Social media panders to a wider audience along with a more specific audience depending upon the filters in place. Also, once a post is made, it is immediately viewable by anyone with access.

At its best, social media is a wonderful venue to host educational discussions about purebred dog breeds, histories and events. However, I have often observed social media’s darker side when it becomes a place to proliferate malicious talk, bullying, slander and division. Imagine if this kind of behavior occurred at a dog show, what would be the response? Probably a benched hearing would be called because this behavior is not just counterproductive but detrimental to the sport’s very purpose.

So why does this dichotomy between conduct at dog shows and conduct on social media exist? I wonder if it is partly due to lack of accountability since anyone can post anything with little or no immediate ramifications. However, that is no excuse. The purebred dog sport mandates a higher standard of conduct called the AKC Code of Sportsmanship and it applies to all things that influence or contribute to the sport, including social media.

The AKC Code of Sportsmanship

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86 – July, 2020

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