At The Crossroads

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176 – September, 2026

By Omar Gonzalez

Every generation in the dog fancy believes it is living in a pivotal moment. But some moments truly are different. Some moments ask more of us than nostalgia, tradition, or personal success. They ask us to look honestly at who is coming in, who is leaving, and what kind of future we are actively shaping.

The fancy has never been static. It has always been defined by people, by their values, their ambitions, their willingness to share or withhold, to mentor or isolate, to build or to compete at any cost. Breeds do not evolve in a vacuum. They are shaped by human hands, human decisions, and human dynamics. The quality of our relationships determines the quality of our programs, and ultimately, the health of the sport itself.

Those entering the fancy today are not arriving into the same world many of us did. The economy is tighter. The cost of showing is higher. Housing is more restrictive. Legislation is broader and more aggressive. Time is scarcer. And the population that once carried institutional memory, the mentors, the historians, the builders of foundations, is aging. Some are stepping back. Some are gone. And with them goes knowledge that cannot be replaced by a search engine or a social media post.

This reality places us at a crossroads. One path leads to contraction–fewer breeders, fewer exhibitors, fewer voices, fewer choices. Knowledge becomes guarded. Access becomes transactional. The sport survives in name, but not in spirit.

Click here to read the complete article
176 – September, 2026

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Posted by AnthonyA on Sep 15 2026. 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.