This September we will celebrate the sixth annual AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day. As always we invite AKC-affiliated clubs and other dog-related organizations to host local events in conjunction with our two flagship events hosted by AKC staffers from our headquarters in New York City and our Operations Center in Raleigh, N.C. This year our New York event in Madison Square Park is on Saturday, Sept. 20th. Our Raleigh event at the North Carolina Fairgrounds is slated for Saturday, Sept. 27.
Last year, nearly 400 AKC RDO Day events were held nationwide. This year, we are poised to surpass that goal by encouraging all of our nearly 5,000 clubs to plan some sort of participation no matter how small or large. While many clubs choose to hold a stand-alone event, if your club already has an event planned for September such as a show, trial, or match consider adding an educational element and including it as an AKC RDO Day event on our web site. Clubs are encouraged to be creative and perhaps join other venues such as a state fair or pet expo by hosting an AKC RDO Day table at the larger event or even turning a Canine Ambassador visit into an RDO event.
To further encourage AKC club involvement, the 4th Quarter AKC Community Achievement Awards will be dedicated to AKC-affiliated clubs and state federations that hold AKC RDO Day events in September and meet the Oct. 31st submission deadline. Winners will be announced at the Delegates Meeting held in conjunction with the AKC / Eukanuba National Championship meeting in December. Up to three winners will be chosen and each will receive a $1,000 award to further their club’s public education efforts.
AKC will distribute a free packet of educational materials and fun giveaways to the first 500 organizations that register an event on akc.org, as well as publicize all events with a listing on our web site where potential attendees can search by state for a local event in their community.
Once you register an event, the AKC Club Communications department, created to help clubs develop their own public relations strategies, will e-mail you information to help publicize your event, thus driving up attendance and increasing the amount of positive media coverage your club receives.
The Club Communications page at akc.org is filled with RDO Day publicity materials including media templates, sample letters to editor and proclamations, etc. In addition, event coordinators can subscribe to the complimentary Club Communications quarterly e-newsletter AKC Communicates! which provides tips and tools for publicizing not only your efforts this September but all the activities your club hosts year round.
To learn more about AKC RDO Day, download media templates and subscribe to AKC Communicates! visitClub Communications.
Sincerely,
Ron Menaker
Chairman