Contract Bridge and Dog Shows

In answering a conjecture about the cause of the 33-year old, and 66 percent, decline in AKC registrations I wrote:

“The AKC has never been about dogs; it’s a social gathering of people looking to compete, to display modest levels of excess income, and achieve some level of status within a small self-differentiating group. The AKC is in decline for the same reason Contract Bridge and Garden Clubs are in decline, though to be fair, championing intentionally deformed and inbred dogs has not helped.”

Let’s look a bit at that comparison with Contract Bridge. 

Google’s “artificial intelligence” machine tells me that:

“Contract Bridge is in decline for combination of factors, including a more competitive entertainment landscape, its association with an older demographic, and a steep learning curve that deters new players. With more leisure options available and the increasing demand for immediate gratification, the time and effort required to become a proficient bridge player are significant hurdles.”

Ah yes. That’s all true for dog shows too, isn’t it?

And then there’s the little matter of the AKC too often producing a defective product. 

You think you know more about dog health than pet insurance companies?

I assure you that you do not.

As I have noted many times (with sources and links), pedigree dogs as a group are sicker, with more expensive problems to fix, than cross-bred dogs.

Kennel Club-required closed gene pools leads to inbreeding, which leads to more disease. Inbreeding leads to routine insurance coverage exclusion for genetic disease, while required Kennel Club breed-standard deformity and exaggeration results in dogs with twisted spines, collapsed noses, respiratory distress, and wrecked eyes (to name just a few issues).

The good news is that while the world of Kennel Clubs is collapsing, the world of dogs is getting better.

▪️In absolute numbers, the US has more dogs than ever before. ⬆️

▪️In per-capita numbers, the US has more dogs than ever before.⬆️

▪️Thanks to spay-neuter and increasing shelter and rescue adoption, dog and cat euthanasia has fallen to a small fraction of what they once were — the lowest in US history since estimates and counts have been made. ⬇️ 

▪️While over 10 million dogs a year were being killed in the 1970s, and over 2 million a year as recently as 2005, only 334,000 dogs were euthanized or died in shelters, pounds, and rescues in 2024 according to the comprehensive data at Shelter Animals Count. ⬇️