Coming Soon to a Show Near You!

Dinah with the Winners' Bitch trophy from the 2008 BCCC National. This photo was taken in 2009, shortly before we shipped the trophy back to that year's Trophy Chair.

According to the Secretary's notes in the July (online) edition of the AKC Gazette, the AKC Board has proposed changes to the Rules Pertaining to Dog Shows. Among the proposed changes is the addition of a Reserve Best in Show, similar to what they've had in Europe for a long time. These changes would be voted upon at the September 13 Delegates' Meeting. Presumably, they would take effect next January 1, but that was not specified.

Here is the existing rule. The proposed change is underlined.

Chapter 3
Section 17.
A club giving group classes must also give a Best in Show, the winner to be entitled “Best Dog in Show”. No entry fee shall be charged but the group winners must compete. The club or association giving group classes must also give a Reserve Best in Show, the winner to be chosen by the Best in Show judge from among those group class winners remaining in the ring, the winner to be entitled “Reserve Best in Show.” No entry fee shall be charged but the remaining group winners must compete.

The rule changes also describe the RBIS ribbon as "any unassigned color or combination of colors." Looks like there might be some room for creativity there. As expected, most of the rest of the changes have to do with inserting "Reserve Best in Show" after "Best in Show" wherever described.

What do you think about the upcoming change? Is it...

• A no-brainer (after all, British KC and FCI shows have had RBIS for years)
• Just another ploy for money
• A real incentive for increasing entries
• Unlikely to change much of anything
• Just one more thing for the show chair to worry about

...or all of the above?