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In another blow to the once bustling City of Detroit, the Detroit Kennel Club was forced to cancel their annual dog show. The DKC Dog Show has been drawing huge crowds, over 2500 purebred dogs and 40,000 spectators in its prime, for the last 98 years.
For many, the Detroit Kennel Club Dog Show was an annual tradition. Many fans of the event have attended year after year. One breeder is devastated, as this would have been her 50th consecutive year showing her award winning Dachshunds.
Since Purina withdrew sponsorship of the big event three years ago, the DKC has struggled to find sponsors to support the event. This year’s event, originally scheduled for March 2 and 3, 2014, has, as a result of lack of financing, been cancelled.
The city of Detroit continues to suffer since filing the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. Detroit, once the epicenter of American auto manufacturing, formerly a major global hub of commerce and industry, is now suffering through the worst economic collapse that any single city in this nation has ever seen. Buildings and homes sit abandoned, crumbling.
Events such as the Detroit Kennel Club’s Annual Dog Show are forced to cancel after nearly a century of success, due to dwindling crowds and lack of financial partners.
The Detroit Kennel Club says they will spend the next year looking for ways to bring the event back to life and searching for new sponsorship.
For more information, visit the Detroit Kennel Club’s website by clicking here.
cyberhowl
Jan 2, 2014 at 6:39 pm
Possibly Purina pulled out due to Detroit filing “the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history”? I have no idea, but I would imagine that’s where the connection is.
Purina has been at every large dog show that I’ve been to (quite a few over 15+ years). I’ve never seen them picketed for any reason. The dog show loves them because they pick up a great part of the tab (and shows are not cheap to produce…) Purina loves being there because they make a LOT of new customers from the general public who attend. Purina usually has a large crowd around their booth, giving away free food samples, free shopping bags, free toys. The general public sees Purina by association – they’re represented at the dog show, they must be good food, right? Just like Science Diet, who pays veterinarians to carry their food – doesn’t necessarily mean the veterinarians ENDORSE Science Diet, but hey, if it pays the bills…? And, there is a percentage of dog show people who probably DO feed their dogs Purina. I don’t think Purina – or any other food company – will ever be picketed at a dog show, as they fill a necessary role. (If the company were THAT bad, they would not be allowed to be there in the first place…)
The fact that Purina pulled out has to be because of a different reason…
dan
Oct 19, 2013 at 2:30 pm
Probably didn’t want to get picketed for selling crappy dog food.
marie
Oct 18, 2013 at 2:30 pm
Why did Purina pull out if so many people came? I don’t understand it.