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The cost of being 'Best in Show'
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Tess Vigeland: So we pet owners make a serious financial commitment when we decide to take on furry family members. Thousands of dollars over their lifetimes. But there are subsets of us that go far, far beyond normal ownership costs. You may have seen the New York Times article this week about Fido and feline foodies that dine on high-end kibble. Fancy Feast apparently isn't enough. So Purina promises to provoke purrs with a line called "Elegant Medleys," for 20 cents more per three-ounce can.
But if you think that's ridiculous -- and I do -- you've never seen the kind of money that's spent to finance a dog show champion.
Sound of dogs barking
Garrison, Danica, Lara and Gypsy have attended multiple dog shows, either competing or providing moral support for one another. But one thing they cannot do is pay for the travel and entry fees. And so...
Pilar Kuhn: My name is Pilar Kuhn and I'm 35 years old.
Rod Ott: And I'm Rod Ott, Pilar's husband and I'm 45.
Kuhn: We have four dogs, which is all we're allowed to have where we currently live.
Two Bouviers, two Scottish terriers. And if you've ever seen the movie "Best In Show" -- as many of us dog lovers have -- you'll remember just how much love a terrier inspires.
Man and woman singing in "Best in Show": God loves a terrier. Yes he does. God loves a terrier
No, that is not Pilar and Rod, but they do love their dogs -- 230 pounds of canine in a modest home in Inglewood on the southern edge of Los Angeles. Rod sells animal feed. Pilar works in the entertainment industry.
Kuhn: We met at the dog show. We actually met at the Eukenuba National Championship in Long Beach.
Ott: I sat down next to her in the groups and the rest is history.
Kuhn: So the two Bouviers that we have now, Garrison is the one who's going to Westminster. He'll be five in March. And then Danica is our younger bitch, and I apologize to listeners, but in the dog world, we have dogs and bitches. She's 19 months old. We'll hope to take her some day, but not every dog gets to make the trip to Westminster.
This year, Garrison gets that singular honor, after winning the equivalent of the dog show scratch ticket.
Kuhn: When you do your entries at Westminster, you cross your fingers that you're accepted and then you start to get more communication you realize your dog's entered and then you get your entry packet and you're like, "I'm in!"
Vigeland: So you won the lottery.
Kuhn: We won the lottery! Yes! And we make no money off of it; we actually are spending money to win this lottery.
That's right. There is no real money in dog shows, with one or two exceptions. But even so, people who show dogs spend howling amounts of money to take them around the country.
Kuhn: Anywhere from $2,00-$2,500 for a puppy.
Ott: You have gasoline for the whole trip.
Kuhn: The average is about $30 in entry fee, per dog, per day.
Ott: You have hotels for every night.
Kuhn: We buy certain shampoos, we have force dryers and grooming tables.
Ott: You have your food bills.
Kuhn: I think in scissors alone downstairs, I probably have close to $1,500.
Ott: Any advertising we did.
Kuhn: I think last year we spent about $17,000-$18,000 on our dogs.
Ott: Not a cheap hobby.
Vigeland: I think there will be people who don't understand how someone can spend that kind of money.
Kuhn: My mother doesn't understand and she loves our dogs.
Vigeland: So, how do you explain that?
Kuhn: We stopped trying.
And that $18,000 they spent last year, by the way? About a fifth of their household income.
Westminster show introduction video: The 133rd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is brought to you by Pedigree...
Westminster is, of course, best of breed in dog showdom. This year marked its 136th competition, with more than 2,000 dogs of 185 different breeds.
Commentator at Westminster show: A lot of great animals we've got to see tonight. The wonderful herding group won by the puli. The Bouvier was second, the rough collie was third and the old English sheepdog was fourth.
Evidence of the amount of money required to be part of the event is strewn throughout the corridors of New York's Madison Square Garden. Kennels. Kibble. Giant duffels full of grooming tools. Hand-knit sweaters in garrish pinks and yellows for the less shaggy of the breeds.
Beth Blankenship of South Carolina was brushing chalk onto her dog's legs. Apparently it builds body on the coat. He's a Keeshond, known as Grand Champion Trumpets It's Good To Be King. You can call him Louie.
Beth Blankenship: It depends on a lot of things, but I would say, $20,000 to $50,000 a year. There is no monetary return. It is a hobby, a form of enjoyment and you get to do it with a living, breathing companion. I guess people have hobbies with inanimate objects, so this is even more emotion driven. So we definitely sometimes make foolish decisions to spend money that maybe we shouldn't.
Just a few kennels away, a snow white toy dog was getting a last-minute clipping from his handler.
Michael Fahy: My name is Michael Fahy. I'm from Long Island, N.Y.
Vigeland: And who do we have here on the table?
Fahy: We have Lormi's Standing Ovation. She's a grand champion. She'a three year old bichon. And she's a typical woman. When she wants to show, she'll show. Last year, I probably -- between her and her mother -- roughly speaking, probably about 20 grand. I retired once. I came back to work so I can pay for her.
And just a ways down the concourse, we found Annie Hubbard of Richmond, Va., standing over her English sheepdog Andy with a cherry red blow dryer.
Annie Hubbard: Well, the cheapest thing about showing is your entry fee. I started showin' in 2000. I got my first sheepdog. And then I turn around and spend $40,000 for an SUV. Well I didn't have a groomin' table, so I had to go spend $500 for a groomin' table. And then your brushes, you're gonna spend $50 a brush. So it's the little things that add up. All in all, now, a show weekend will run you $500-$600 -- and that's me and I'm real frugal.
Vigeland: So how do you make the decision to go ahead and spend that kind of money on your dog?
Hubbard: Showing is like herpes. Once you get it in your blood, you can't get it out. You show and you lose and you lose and you lose and then you have a really nice win. Like this guy has three "Best in Shows." And that's just enough to hook you back in.
Hubbard laughs
Sound of applause
Kuhn: I'm totally in shock right now.
We caught up with Pilar Kuhn, Rod Ott and Garrison the Bouvier inside the arena, just outside ring 4. A pekingnese would go on to win "Best in Show" the next evening. But Pilar was clutching a gold medallion, an award of merit, that Garrison had just won from the judge.
Kuhn: To be out there with top handlers all across the country, with top dogs, with my dog, to get an award of merit at the Garden, to me this is just like getting "Best of Breed."
I asked whether the win would make Garrison more valuable in some way, any way that could help defray the costs of bringing him here.
Kuhn: Not necessarily in value. I mean, we might get a few more calls for stud fees, and I've got some bragging rights nobody can take away from me or this dog.
And speaking of this dog, what would his prize be? Plenty of admiration, kisses and a Tupperware tub of beef. Problem was, it had this spicy marinade on it. So without even hesitating, Pilar licked it off and gave the prize winner his treat.
Sound of applause
Tess, I listen to you show because it helps folks stay focused on strategies for personal fiscal security, responsibility and success, but after this segment I’m wondering why I listen. What show’s next: How a meth head score their next hit and still contributes up to their match on their 401k? How gambling addicted retirees navigate casinos on a social security check budget?
You didn’t add much commentary to the report, but by not commenting, are you advocating one interviewee’s idea: keep a credit card for dog emergencies? Is this person really prepared to be fiscally irresponsible and flush their financial security down the drain at a moment’s emotional outburst? Are you really advocating this behavior? Really?
My daughter and son-in-law have show dogs and because I am in close contact with them I can say with confidence that pure-bred dogs are certainly not "culled." If a dog is not show quality then they are spayed or neutered and sold as pets...Every puppy born is handled, loved and socialized...in addition any puppy sold is guaranteed...if the dog owner decides for any reason that they don't want the dog the breeder will take them back anytime (recently read a breeder took back a nine year old dog because the owner was no longer able to care for him). Breed clubs also have notices at all shelters and pounds to be notified if any of that breed is received then these dogs are rescued, vet checked and fostered until they can be properly placed in another home...
I would be very careful to make statements that are false and untrue about pure bred breeders...unless you have first hand experience and information...NEVER EVER believe what PETA and HSUS say! They are animal rights activists...they don't believe anyone should ever have a pet of any kind...
I currently own 2 show quality dogs (Borzoi) and, until last October also owned a Chesapeake Bay Retriever who was a rescue. In order to budget my expenses and see how much my hobby and passion for dogs costs, I keep a record of what I spend on the dogs. It doesn’t include the initial cost of the dogs, but the 2 show dogs (both from reputable breeders) averaged $1,250. This price was about average for quality dogs at the time. The summary doesn’t include everything (e.g., I built dog houses myself but didn’t break out the figures from the Home Depot bill). But you can easily see that largest expense was for health. All 3 dogs are pure bred and had no extraordinary health problems during this time. It is purely the cost of ordinary exams and preventive care (heart guard, flea medication, rabies shots, de-worming, etc.). These are all large dogs, so they eat more than small dogs. The figures that apply only to “show” dogs are some of the miscellaneous expenses (shampoo, brushes, “winning photos”), entry fees and some of the lodging. Mixed breeds can compete in rally/obedience and performance events (lure coursing, tracking & hunting trials, agility), so those expenses could apply to any dog/human team. As it happens, I simply enjoy working with my dogs, developing a “team” relationship, and seeing them work as the breed was developed to do (e.g., coursing or hunting). It is primarily a hobby for me. It keeps me off the couch, in contact with people with similar interests, gets me out there walking my dogs regularly, and I hope to be working with dogs as long as live. I have an octogenarian friend who is working on putting a Utility title (the highest obedience title) on her young poodle. Everyone in the audience cheered when the dog had a qualifying run. Another friend, who uses a walker some of the time, is training her Border collie to heel both with and without the walker. Working with your dog is a great pleasure. Whether your dog is a named breed or “All-American” (i.e., mixed breed), you still need to maintain the health of your pet and provide him/her with basic food and exercise. It isn’t exactly cheap. BTW, there are very few breeders who actually make a living from their dogs. They are lucky to break even with a litter, even with a lot of pups. As you can see from the summary below, veterinary services aren’t cheap, but they are absolutely necessary to maintain the health of our dogs.
These figures cover 25 months and are rounded off. The average cost per month is about $780.
Health: $4,600
Boarding: 3,000
Food: 3,000
Fencing: 2,500
Misc. (brushes, toys, etc.): 2,000
Entry fees for dog shows: 1,500
Obedience/Agility classes 1,400
Lodging for shows 400
Membership in dog clubs 300
Equipment (leashes, agility equipment) 300
Registration/taxes 250
Lure coursing feeds 200
Photos from wins at shows 150
Total (covers 25 months): $19,600
Average of about $780 per month
I usually dislike the reporting done on dog shows, particularly on the money spent on them by dog fanciers. This report was a fine exception to that rule. Yes, dog fanciers do spend a lot on their hobby. But, silly as the fancy may seem to outsiders (and even to some of us who participate), it really is no more frivolous than many other hobbies. And for some reason, people always ask how much one makes on showing dogs. When's the last time a reporter asked a soccer mom how much the family makes on the kids' soccer matches, or a co-worker asked a guy who enjoys fishing how much he's made on his hobby? Or a boater, a snowmobiler, a hunter, an amateur ball player on a summer league team, a remote-control aircraft enthusiast, or a scrapbooker? It's always seemed odd to me that the assumption is that dog showing is, or should be, a money-maker for the participants.
Regardless of the passion of the show people and their dogs, it is absolutely revolting and disgraceful that the Westminster Kennel Club dropped Pedigree as a sponsor because WKC found the Pedigree commercials regarding shelter dogs "too sad." You had better believe that the commercials are sad-why?- because they are true! What is "too sad" are the 3 MILLION dogs and cats that are killed in shelters due to overpopulation and irresponsible pet owners. What is also "too sad" are the other millions of animals that are neglected, abandoned, tortured, starved and abused in this country annually.
Not everyone can afford a "pure breed" animal and all that their care and upkeep entails. Many of us were saved and are unconditionally loved and satisfied with our rescued pets. Most pets used in movies, police and military work are not pure bred but rescued from shelters.
What is "too sad" are the helpless puppies that are killed by breeders because they are "flawed" and not "perfect to the breed"; or all of the pure bred dogs that are used for painful scientific and pharmaceutical experimentation; and, yes, PURE BRED DOGS are used.
What is really "too sad" is that WKC does not partner with ALL dog owners and celebrate THE DOG, because is not the relationship between the owner and the animal what we all want and celebrate? Those who can afford show dogs, more power to them! Those who don't want show dogs? We are all going to stop watching anything to do with WKC, but will switch to, or continue to buy Pedigree products.
What is also really sad is this fact about WKC was not brought up on the Marketplace Money show. This is the kind of economics that changes minds, not the shocking money that is spent on "just a dog."
@Tabby4: Your post is heartfelt, but is a limited view which seems to be based more in myth than in reality. Purebred dogs do not, on average, cost more for upkeep and health care than do mixed breeds. All have potential health issues. Responsible breeders of purebred dogs do their best to minimize the chances that puppies will have such problems. Those who breed (or allow to breed) mixed breeds generally do not, and often those mixes end up being prone to health issues from both parents' backgrounds. Because they are mixed breeds, there is little or no tracking of these health issues and costs.
Yes, many service and show business dogs are rescued mixed breeds or purebreds, but many more service and working dogs are, in fact, purebreds, specifically bred, raised and trained for the jobs they perform.
Culling (the killing of what you refer to as "flawed" pups) is not practiced by the show dog breeders of my acquaintance. Great care is taken to place all pups in suitable homes, which is why potential puppy buyers are often faced with a formidable list of questions about their situation and lifestyle. Breeders want to ensure that they are able to care for the dog properly, and that the dog is suitable for their household. Responsible breeders will probably also require a signed contract detailing the guarantees on the pup, and the responsibilities of both the breeder and the buyer.
You are correct that too often dogs die in shelters because of irresponsible owners and breeders. For that reason, citizens should support their LOCAL animal shelters and work to improve adoption ratios. (A caveat, though: shelters in many areas are reporting a shortage of so-called "adoptable pets," and are actually importing them--sometimes from other shelters, but sometimes from other countries. Not only does this skew the statistics to show an overpopulation problem that may not exist, it also exposes pets in the USA to health threats from diseases and parasites brought in from other countries with those imported "rescues.")
Finally, the Westminster Kennel Club show does "celebrate THE DOG." It is, however, an AKC dog show, so its focus is on AKC-registered purebred dogs. AKC (and UKC, ASCA, and the Canadian Kennel Club, as well) offers venues other than the show ring in which all dogs can play. As for foregoing WKC in favor of Pedigree products, I have a better idea. Continue to watch WKC on television, if you enjoy it. Also continue to purchase Pedigree products, Purina products, and others that you feel are good for your dogs. Support your local animal shelters, and support rescue and health research for your breed of interest and for dogs in general.
For every entrant at Westminster, there are a couple of hundred who compete regularly who do not make it to that esteemed level. The costs incurred by owner/handlers are substantially lower but as with any hobby they are a basic application of the economizing problem. How much do you have, how much do you want to spend vs. what you must devote to other choices.
My bride is a devotee and while it isn't cheap, if it makes her happy then I am happy.
