Not sure if anyone else noticed while watching Westminster Kennel Club (WKC) Group Judging that as the judging progressed on the two evenings, the winners of each group were identified by their call names and not their registered names. For example, the television screen would show:
Group Winners, Hound Group, Norwegian Elkhound "Duffy"
and at the conclusion of each Group competition, they added the name of the newest Group winner in the same manner by identifying its breed and his or her's call name. They did, however, identify each group entry during the televised individual examinations by their full AKC registered name, as well as on the WKC Results website page.
This departure from the standard protocol is curious, and I reasonably assume that they were attempting to personalize the dogs and humanize the competition to the viewing audience. Make it seem more relatable to John and Jane Doe watching at home with their Labrador on the couch. Not a bad idea as the club's public relations firm was probably working overtime gathering as many details as they could on each entry. The Dog Media Profile page saw to this, and each dog's digital profile was to be used for press opportunities such as the information revealed on what they called a "Blue Card" during the broadcasts. A smart tactic that again made the dog more relatable with little tidbits like Muffy's favorite snack is Ritz Crackers.
A longtime friend who has been involved with AKC dog shows for decades pointed out that since WKC is a member of the American Kennel Club, the official and proper dissemination of winners must include the dog's registered names, not just pet names. I see her point as it appears that WKC is "dumbing down" the sport and competition. Sorta like, Mrs. Jane Doe stating, "Oh look, honey, Little Freckles the Chihuahua won the Toy Group, so maybe we can enter our Pookie next year." In doing so, it may be an oversimplification of such an achievement as the average home viewer does not realize the magnitude of many of these dogs journeys; the time, money and tremendous effort that went into "Little Freckles" WKC Group win. It very well may be seen as diminishing the role of the Breeder whose kennel title is customarily entered in a registered name but also their enormous toil, perhaps over a lifetime, to achieve this success with their bloodlines. To see their registered kennel name displayed on the television screen after having won the WKC Group must be a thrill.
I am not versed in AKC show club policies as my friend is the expert, but I recognize and appreciate the tightrope that AKC member clubs and public relation firms are walking today to rejuvenate, rather, in my opinion, to resuscitate this sport. Wikipedia best describes public relations as being a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.
Times have changed, and we must adapt as we find ourselves in this precarious position today because both the sport and its governing body, AKC, had been reluctant to embrace change for far too many years now. Cultural changes along with social media are "lie of the land, " and an aggressive public relations campaign enables the public to connect to our sporting competition emotionally, leaving them with the belief that they too could partake. This may be the only way forward. I wrote nearly seven years ago in "Exclusive, Not Inclusive" trying to personify a spectator's experience with our sport,
"We all see these people who are simply observing—they attend because they thought it might be fun to watch in the same way many of us might attend a horse race, horse show jumping, dressage, or even driving events. Many of us do not own a horse that we could enter in these events, but we attend anyway because we have a shared interest or love of the animal and because we thought it would be enjoyable...We must remove the elitism and become an inclusionary sport otherwise; we will run out of newbie’s to carry on in our footsteps."