A FANCIER ’ S NOTEBOOK
Growing Our Web Presence
SUSI SZEREMY
It ’ s a curious thing , the dog fancy ’ s relationship with media . In the 1930s , respected magazines , such as Town & Country , routinely listed advertisements for puppies . To have placed such an ad in a widely read magazine wasn ’ t just acceptable , but considered reasonable . Vogue even had a dedicated section called “ The Dog Mode ” in which breeders regularly advertised . Exactly when the fancy came to regard advertising as the mark of a desperate or unsavory breeder is unknown , but it did , and the smug idea that reputable clubs and breeders didn ’ t need to advertise would come back to hurt us .
The internet changed everything . Well , almost everything . Only grudgingly have many of the same scoffing elites embraced it . It ’ s concerning to see that , while the sport is fighting for its life , we lack imagination when it comes to using the power of the internet : It seems that many in the fancy can ’ t see beyond setting up basic personal websites . Too many have failed to grasp that our conflict with “ adopt , don ’ t shop ” and animal rights proponents is nothing short of a culture war , and that the battle for the hearts and minds of the people we need on our side is being waged online , mainly on social media .
Saving our sport and our breeds begins with educating one person at a time .
We Need to Get Online
It isn ’ t enough to have an internet presence in places where one would expect to find us , such as Facebook ( although many of us still do not have an adequate presence on the largest social networking site in the world ). We must also be found in places that require us to hold our nose and check our sensibilities at the door . Websites that hawk puppies from substandard breeders and stud services with nary a health test are precisely where reputable fanciers need to be . Our presence on such sites is far from a tacit acknowledgment that substandard breeders are our equals . Rather , our listings give prospective puppy buyers options , as well as sources of solid information provided by people who care about their breeds .
Without our presence , the choice facing “ shoppers ” ( many of whom really don ’ t know any better ) is to buy a puppy from Substandard Breeder A or Substandard Breeder B . Vile as it may seem to us to have our good names listed on such sites , think about it : We could be the first line of defense , a preemptive strike against disreputable breeders by placing ads that tell visitors , “ We know this breed . Come to us first !” Saving our sport and our breeds begins with educating one person at a time . Does it really matter where we find them ? The person looking for a puppy who doesn ’ t know enough to contact the AKC first is exactly the person we need to reach . Kennel Clubs should be all over this , but aren ’ t . As individuals , we can , and should , be listed on sites where most of us wouldn ’ t be caught dead .
It ’ s also not enough to be found “ here and there ” online , we need to be found everywhere . Personal websites , a Facebook page and listings of our services on various websites is the bare minimum these days . YouTube , Twitter , Pinterest , Google Plus , Tumblr , Instagram , Reddit , Vine , Periscope , Snapchat and the comments sections on articles are all “ target rich ” environments for our message . Interacting with the public in a way that personalizes who we are will go a long way in persuading the public that we are the real experts , the ones who “ walk the walk ,” not just “ talk the talk ,” as the HSUS does .
We Need to Be Offline Too
Being active online will impact offline lives , as well . An entire generation of adults now in their 30s has grown up with the rescue movement driving the conversation about responsible dog ownership . Wayne Pacelle of the Humane Society of the United States appears on talk shows where he ’ s deferred to as an expert on all things dog , but we hear only crickets from fanciers . We don ’ t have that voice on talk shows — yet — but by influencing opinions online and in person , it ’ s a mere matter of time before influential celebrities and networks notice .
Anyone who has ever witnessed the crush of humanity piling through the doors at Westminster ’ s annual Meet the Breeds event will understand the power of influencing people in person . People want to see our dogs , and that ’ s power we ’ ve not exploited enough . Our breeds are our best PR , but how many Meet the Breeds events are there across the country in a year , and how easy have we made it for people in smaller towns to see a Cane Corso or Lundehund in person ? How accessible are we to individuals who want a puppy but don ’ t know where to go ? A quick Google search for “ Bulldog puppy ” brings up 3,020,000 results , but the AKC and Bulldog parent club aren ’ t even on the first page . You know what is listed on the first page ? Puppy-finding sites such as the ones described earlier .
We need to make ourselves available — online and offline — to those who are looking for information on dogs . But we need to act now . Time is not on our side . DIR
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