Each year the American Kennel Club holds “Meet the Breeds” events in different areas of the country. These events are held to promote and educate the public about purebred dogs. The AKC began holding these events back in 2009 to help people choose the right dog breed for their lifestyle. The events are family friendly and also provide education about various dog sports and responsible pet ownership. At each event there are hundreds of different dog breeds that you can meet in person, while also learning about their history and temperaments.
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| Rosie, on the train to NYC |
The Meet the Breeds events are a lot of fun and we were fortunate to be able to attend the one held in New York City with our collies this year. I think the events are so important, as they help in the preservation of our beloved dog breeds, so we volunteer our collies as canine ambassadors whenever possible. As no one wanted to drive in the city traffic, we took the train into the city. I brought Addison, my daughter brought our Rosie, and my friend brought her collie, Kelsea. The collies garnered a lot of attention both at the train stations and on the trains. We even ran into a few people who were traveling to NYC to attend the event. One woman was very excited, as she was going to specifically see the smooth collies, and was happy to get a little additional time before the event.
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| Addison and my daughter |
The collies had never been on a train before, so they were a bit puzzled by what we were doing. But they quickly made themselves comfortable and enjoyed the two hour train ride.
Each dog breed was assigned their own booth, which were set up alphabetically. This made it easier for the public to locate the specific breeds they wanted to visit. Our booth was sponsored by the Collie Club of America, so we spent the day with fellow club members and their collies. We wanted multiple collies at the event each day, so they could be rotated, with lots of breaks. The event sold roughly 40,000 tickets, so there were around 20,000 people visiting the booths each day.
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| Clockwise, Rosie, Addison, Kelsea, Clifford and Marlowe |
I walked around, looking at the other booths, and each one was decorated a bit differently. But each booth did a wonderful job showcasing their breed. The dogs were the main attractions, and each booth was surrounded by visitors all day long. Everyone wanted to pet the dogs, take pictures and learn about the breed's temperaments. I think the collies were favorites, and everyone seemed to want to photograph Rosie in particular.
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| Rosie posing for pictures |
But every collie received attention and love, with people remarking on their beauty and calm, gentle temperaments. So many of the visitors had never heard of a smooth collie, it was the perfect opportunity to talk about the two coat varieties, rough and smooth.
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| Time for more pictures… |
And while we were highlighting all the amazing characteristics of the collie, there were lots of collie snuggles…
With so many people stopping by to visit the collies, they definitely needed breaks, and they were happy to have a few quiet minutes to themselves.
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| Rosie and Addi |
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| Marlowe |
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| Clifford |
It was a wonderful day, thanks to both the AKC and Collie Club of America members who organized the booth and volunteered their time.
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| Addi made a new friend |
We have already volunteered to return next year. But next year we will bring a couple more collies, so they can have longer breaks. The collies were happy from all the attention, and very tired on the train home.
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| Kelsea |
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| Rosie |
What a great day!
