SHOW AWARDS

*The 2023 Louisville Kennel Club Show was awarded "Show Of Year"                                                 Purina ProPlan Dog Show of the Year                   

Louisville Kennel Club-2007, 2014 & 2023 Show of the Year

The Louisville Kennel Club was selected as the Top Show of the Year for 2007 & 2014 at the prestigious ProPlan Show Dogs of the Year event, presented by Dogs in Review. In describing the Louisville Kennel Club's activities, it was stated: "The Louisville Kennel Club has grown over the years to become one of the largest dog shows in the country. Members understand the needs of exhibitors and handlers and go out of their way to create a special show. The show provides judges' education seminars and special opportunities for breed clubs with many supported entries and specialties, supports a Take the Lead Gala, donates food and money to Kentucky Harvest, offers Judges Awards of Merit and, most importantly, the members have dedicated countless hours and funds to defeat breed-specific legislation that affects us all."

Following are responses to questions asked regarding the Club's win.

1. To what major factor do you attribute the success of the Louisville Kennel Club? In addition to having a central location, easily accessible by road or air, and an outstanding facility in which to hold our shows which not only accommodates the show but offers space for over 50 dog related booths making it a Mecca for both exhibitors and spectators; the Louisville Kennel Club has a multifaceted focus. We are both involved in and committed to our community as evidence by purchasing dogs for our local police force, supporting local food banks for both people and dogs, and to the dog fancy as evidenced by sponsoring Responsible Dog Ownership Day events, holding All-Age Matches, and providing conformation training classes. 

2. What qualities do you consider most important in selecting your show committee heads? Experience, willingness, and reliability. Our focus is on running our shows like a business with a commitment to produce a great, exhibitor friendly show.

3. What is the most difficult thing involved in staging an event like yours? Coordinating the vast number of parts contributing to the entire event with an eye to containing costs and providing manpower-some of which must be hired (e.g., ring stewards).

4. Does being part of a cluster compound the number of problems you face? Yes and no. Being part of a cluster compounds the coordination problems. For example, it is a goal to hire some judges that can be used for other breeds at the other shows within the cluster. Advantages to being part of a cluster are in cost saving. There are many expenses that can be shared by the clubs within the cluster making clusters economically advantageous for both the show giving clubs and the exhibitors.

5. If you were in charge of all things "dog show" what would be the first thing you would change or see implemented? We, along with a number of our specialty clubs, have been hurt by the decree regarding not holding larger specialty shows following all breed shows. Therefore, we would like to have this reconsidered to be more specialty club friendly.

6. What other considerations beyond knowledge of the breed or breeds they judge do you consider in hiring a judge? Our judging panels are in part specialty club driven. We solicit input from local, regional, and national specialty clubs in identifying and hiring judges for their breeds. Cost is always a factor as well as frequency of having judged specific breeds at our recent shows.

7. What do you wish exhibitors at your show would be more aware of? Most of our exhibitors are great and appreciate all we offer them, such as free reserved grooming space, provision of shavings and tape, and inexpensive catalogs. There are always a few who test the limits by trying to do things that are prohibited, such as using soft-sided crates.

8. What do you wish judges at your show (or any show, for that matter) would be more aware of? Being more aware of and forgiving of novice exhibitors-whether young or mature.

9. What effect do you feel cluster shows have had on the sport? We believe there are many benefits to cluster shows. They are more economically feasible for both the show giving clubs and the exhibitors. Certainly the convenience for the exhibitor is a positive effect. Additionally, cluster shows enhance entry making it more likely that there will be major points to be won.

10. Does Louisville Kennel Club offer any public service programs? Yes. As indicated in the response to the first question, the Louisville Kennel Club strives to be active in our community.