THE KENNEL CLUB THAT WASN’T

By Carol J. Garvin

When is a kennel club not a kennel club? One answer might be,
“when its primary purpose isn’t to be involved in dog-related activities.” If
you add, “when the majority of its members don’t have dogs and really
aren’t interested in the purebred dog fancy” you begin to zero in on what
made the Kiwanis Club Dog Shows and their sixty-year history unique.
In 1946 a group within the Kiwanis Club of Point Grey in Vancouver, British
Columbia decided that it should be possible to make a profit by hosting dog shows and
obedience trials. They were the small nucleus of club members who understood the basic
exhibiting process and knew who to approach for assistance. Within two years CKC-
approved events became a legitimate fund-raising endeavour for them.
Canadian Kennel Club records indicate that July 6 & 7, 1948 were the dates of
their first shows. They were held in Vancouver’s Seaforth Armouries under the name of
the Kiwanis Club of Point Grey Kennel Association. The president’s message in the
1951 show catalogue notes, “The [Kiwanis] show has been presented annually… and is
now considered to be the largest and best benched show in Western Canada,”
The Board of Kiwanis International approved a name change for the club on
October 29, 1950. Until their charter ended in 1993 the renamed Kiwanis Club of
Kerrisdale hosted subsequent shows in the Kerrisdale Arena, Riley Park, the Langley
Civic Arena and Cloverdale Agriplex.
Former CKC Director Joan Bennett exhibited her first dog at the 1966 shows and
recalls, “The whole community of Kerrisdale was heavily involved as it was the Kiwanis
Club of Kerrisdale who hosted the shows and many Kerrisdale business owners were
members. It was very community oriented. And believe it or not, the door prize for a
number of years was a puppy!! Everyone would be horrified today.” Joan continued her
association with the Kiwanis shows through the years, volunteering as ring steward, chief
ring steward, and, from 1991 until 2007, as superintendent.
As the Kerrisdale Club membership dwindled, help from the Kiwanis Club of
Langley 100 members was enlisted, and at that point it was decided to apply to the CKC
for a name change to ‘Kiwanis Club Dog Shows’ to better reflect participation by
members from various Kiwanis Clubs within the area of operation.
Linda Lindt Studio first functioned as a dog show photographer at the 1991
Kiwanis shows, and Linda continued to be the club’s official photographer every year
until her retirement in 2007. Anyone lucky enough to be sitting at the club desk will
remember her husband, Lothar, making his daily rounds to distribute wrapped Lindt
chocolates to all the show officials.
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Joan Bennett says, “There was always a lot of camaraderie between the Kiwanis
members and those who were working for them. Although they were not “dog” people,
they were always open to suggestions from the dog world, and in fact, often asked
questions about what was happening in the canine show world in general to keep on top
of things.”
What set the Kiwanis shows apart from other dog shows were the people -- people
whose only goal was to put on quality shows that would attract exhibitor support and
generate revenue for the club’s many charitable projects. One hundred percent of the
income went back into the community to benefit the needy.
Kiwanis International clubs excel in helping children and adults both within local
communities and around the world. The Langley Club members donated money and
effort to local food banks, seniors centres, and feeding street people, as well as to the St.
John’s Ambulance Therapy Dog program, and Pacific Assistance Dogs, but the projects
most important to them were the ones that focused on the young. Literacy, school
breakfast and music therapy programs, an international music festival, junior kennel
clubs, a child development centre, baby safety programs in conjunction with local fire
departments, a youth transition house, the purchase of hospital nursery equipment, aid for
special needs athletes, and sending disadvantaged children to summer camps were just a
few of their many projects. Past president Donna Crocker said, “Belonging to the
Kiwanis Club allows me and our members to give back to our community and it is a very
fulfilling experience.”
Until the mid-1980s Kiwanians Bob Westwood, Harvey Lofvendahl, Arthur
Felton and Robert Dunn were driving forces behind the shows, aided by show secretaries
Toby Balshaw, Elsie Murray, and Ruth Jones. As club membership evolved, however,
and energies waned, it became necessary to rely totally on the show secretaries for
guidance.
A cooperative arrangement was worked out with professional show secretary,
Mike Williams Dog Shows, where club members continued to look after practical things
like judges’ travel and accommodation arrangements, on-site lunches, and the equipment,
while the show secretary oversaw the more official aspects of contacting appropriate
judges and stewards, soliciting participation of specialty and booster clubs, doing CKC
applications and other essential paperwork, and acting as a consultant to the club. It was
an arrangement that worked remarkably well and continued with Mike Williams’
successor, Western Dog Shows in 1990, and then with three different owners of Classic
Show Services from 1991 until 2006.
During the last decade, however, entries everywhere began to slump, and after
experiencing net losses for a number of years it became obvious that the Kiwanis shows
were no longer serving the purpose for which they were originally intended. The
members agonized over viable ways to continue the long heritage of the shows. They
were the longest running in mainland British Columbia, and after Ontario’s Canadian
Save the Children Fund’s dog shows ended in 2006, also became the only shows in North
America being hosted by a non-kennel club.
Plans for the Easter 2007 60th Anniversary show weekend were organized by an
advisory committee of dog show professionals representing over 220 years of
accumulated experience – Kiwanis Show Chairperson Eileen Bevis worked with Bev
Atchison, Joan Bennett, Carol Garvin, Carmen Haller, and John and Heather van Boeyen

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to create a weekend of celebration and collaboration with extra trophies, special breed
prizes, and tables heaped with raffle and silent auction items. One of the judges, Dr.
Isidro Castro, even brought gifts from Mexico for all the Best In Show competitors and
the show committee. The weekend was an unqualified success… except that the finances
still ended up in the red.
Making the final decision was painful, but at the club’s next board meeting it was
agreed that the 60th anniversary was an impressive milestone to achieve and marked a
suitable time to end the history of the Kiwanis Club Dog Shows.
Ring equipment was donated to the Elsie Murray Canine Society, and the only
items still remaining in the club’s possession are three perpetual BIS trophies. They
commemorate three notable men – Toby Balshaw, Bob Westwood and Art Felton – but
indirectly also represent many others who, in their desire to have a positive impact on
both the world around them and the dog show community, contributed to the unique era
of the Kiwanis Club Dog Shows.

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SIDEBAR ITEMS

KIWANIS CLUB DOG SHOW STATISTICS:

Average daily entries:

1948 first shows = 178.5
1957 10th anniversary = 243
1967 20th anniversary = 308
1997 50th anniversary = 377
2007 60th anniversary & last shows = 304

Largest entry was Easter weekend 1995 – a three-day total of 1794

BIS winner at first show on July 6, 1948 was Doberman Pinscher AM CH Kilburn
Avenger owned by E.D.T. Jones

Judging Panel in 1948:

George Davies (ON), Kyle Onstott (CA)

BIS winner at last show on April 8, 2007 was Gordon Setter AM CAN CH Cascade’s
Sunrunner Here comes the Son owned by Barbara G. Young Tompkinson)

Judging panel in 2007:

Isidro Castro (MX), Dianne Gordon (BC), Michael Shoreman (ON), Rosemary Shoreman
(ON)

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KIWANIS INTERNATIONAL FACTS:

Kiwanis is a global organization of about 600,000 adult and youth members in 15,000
clubs in more than 70 countries and geographic areas. They dedicate more than 19
million volunteer hours and invest $100 million each year in community service.

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AUTHOR’S BIO

For 35 years Carol Garvin has bred and exhibited Shetland Sheepdogs in conformation
and obedience under the permanently registered Careann prefix. She has served on the
executive of three kennel clubs, acted as show chair, steward, chief steward and
superintendent at innumerable shows, and worked as a professional show secretary for
twelve years. She is a member of the Federation of BC Writers and the Langley Writer’s
Guild and resides in Mission, BC with her husband and dogs.

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Published in:
“Dogs In Canada” magazine – April 2009

The Kennel Club That Wasn’t – Page 4