Pure Dog Talk

Navigating Dog Show Economics and Governance with Pam Mandeville

[caption id="attachment_15667" align="alignleft" width="398"] Pam Mandeville showing one of her homebred Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers.[/caption]

Host Laura Reeves is joined by corporate expert Pam Mandeville to discuss dog show economics, AKC reforms and why getting involved in kennel club governance is just as crucial as US politics for the future of purebred dogs.

Pam Mandeville brings a deeply unique perspective to our sport. Pam is a Georgetown lawyer and MBA graduate who spent years as an AKC project manager and in corporate America, plus she's bred and owner-handled dozens of Soft-Coated Wheaton Terriers. She brings her real-world business experience to give us a reality check on the sport we love.

Pam walks us through the true economic realities of dog shows, pointing out that having the disposable income to show dogs actually puts us in the top one percent of the country. Instead of expecting average America to pour money into massive dog shows, Pam suggests we embrace our status as a "niche sport."

“We don't have to be massive,” Pam said. “We can be a high-quality "jewel" by supporting smaller, more accessible shows.” Pam digs into the numbers behind AKC registrations and event entries, questioning whether the boom in companion events is actually bringing in new people or just giving our current exhibitors more titles to earn with their dogs.

Because AKC is a representative government, Pam and Laura also brainstorm ways to drag it kicking and screaming into the 21st century. They hash through structural reforms like professionalizing the board of directors with outside business experts, ending absentee delegates, and creating regional delegate Zoom meetings so small grassroots clubs aren't priced out of having a voice.

“Years ago, a friend told me something that has resonated ever since: the American Kennel Club is government and Pure Dog Talk is small business,” Laura said. “I cannot emphasize this enough, y'all—just like our own government in the United States, being a responsible member of the purebred dog community means knowing how our AKC government works and actively participating in it. Civic awareness and taking action applies to the AKC just as much as it does to US politics and the Constitution. Rights and responsibilities are two sides of the same coin!”

Join your local or parent club, communicate with your delegates and register every single puppy in your litters to support the organization. We are the core constituency, and it is up to us to protect the future of the dogs.

Secure Your Dog's Future: The Lifesaving Benefits of Pet Trusts and Estate Planning

Laura is joined by estate planning attorney and author Cecilia Amo to discuss how to secure the future of your purebred dogs and avoid the expensive, time-consuming default government plan known as probate.
Why You Need More Than Just a Will

Many dog owners assume a simple will is enough to protect their pets, but the law views dogs as property. If you leave money to a friend in a will and ask them to care for your dog, there is absolutely no legal obligation for them to actually use those funds for the dog. If your friend faces a personal emergency, like a broken-down car, that money could end up being used for their own needs rather than your pet.
The Power of Pet Trusts

To truly protect your dogs, Cecilia strongly recommends establishing a Pet Trust. Unlike a will, a trust makes the funds you leave behind legally enforceable, ensuring they are used exclusively for your dog's care. A pet trust allows you to build in crucial contingencies, such as naming a rotating list of backup caretakers and designating an enforcer to oversee the funds so they aren't misused. You can even dictate a highly detailed schedule for your dog's life, specifying their diet, grooming needs, exercise, and end-of-life preferences.
Planning for Incapacity

Estate planning isn't just about death; it is also crucial for incapacity. Dog owners spend countless hours driving to shows, meaning the risk of a car accident is very real. Cecilia emphasizes the importance of living wills and trusts so that trusted individuals can access your finances and legally care for your dogs if you are ever hospitalized or in a coma.
Avoid DIY and AI Estate Plans

Both Laura and Cecilia strongly caution against using AI or transactional, volume-based websites like LegalZoom for your estate planning. A solid life and legacy plan requires an ongoing relationship with an empathetic attorney who will review your plan as your pack changes, rather than treating you as a quick transaction.

A Nerd's Guide to Wills and Trusts Cecilia also shares insights from her new book, After Credit Scene: A Nerd's Guide to Wills, Trusts, and Legacy. To make intimidating legal concepts more approachable, the book explains estate planning through the lens of pop culture, using analogies from Star Wars, Harry Potter, Star Trek and Game of Thrones.

Semen Viability & “Semen Math”: Maximize Success with Fresh, Chilled & Frozen
Dr. Marty Greer returns to break down semen viability, the six parameters of semen analysis, practical “semen math,” and strategies for maximizing success with fresh-chilled and frozen semen.
Marty joins Laura to demystify semen viability and the practical realities of breeding with fresh, chilled and frozen semen. Whether you’re a first-time breeder or seasoned pro, this conversation delivers veterinary-backed guidance on how to assess semen quality, plan collections and protect valuable genetic material.
Key topics covered:
Semen Math: Dr. Greer walks through the core formula: ejaculate volume × sperm concentration × percent motile × percent morphologically normal (× post-thaw survival for frozen samples) to determine total usable sperm and number of breeding units. Use this to decide when to freeze, how many straws/pellets equal a true breeding unit, and when to be conservative with limited inventory.
Six parameters of semen analysis: ejaculate volume, gross appearance, sperm count, morphology, motility (directional swimming vs. circular or backward movement), and longevity. Why each matters and what incomplete reports (e.g., “plenty here”) really mean.
Fresh vs. frozen considerations: why you shouldn’t “clean out” a male the night before collection; why freezing early (when the dog is young and virile) is critical; how older dogs and fragile semen tolerate freeze-thaw poorly; and breed- and individual-level variability in freeze tolerance.
Practical troubleshooting for failed frozen breedings: confirm historic fertility, review original collection age/count/post-thaw stats, check packaging (straws vs. pellets) and breeding-unit definition, and discuss TCI vs. surgical options with your repro clinic.
iSperm and accessibility: overview of affordable, tablet-based semen analyzers as a community tool for clinics and breeders to get reliable counts.
Small, actionable tips: warming slides for motility checks, thermal risks to sperm, timing for clean-out collections, and using anti-inflammatory protocols that some clinics employ with compromised breedings.

Dog Breeders Under Fire: the National Legislative Push Against Responsible Breeders

A sweeping mandatory sterilization bill in Hawaii refuses to die. It's part of a coordinated national campaign targeting responsible breeders and dog sports.
Responsible dog owners and breeders across the country are facing a coordinated legislative push that threatens the future of purebred dogs, working dog sports and preservation breeding. Host Laura Reeves breaks down the landscape and brings in Lynn Muramaru, board member of the Pacific Pet Alliance, to detail the fight happening in Hawaii right now.
Hawaii's Mandatory Spay-Neuter Legislation

The Hawaiian Humane Society introduced legislation requiring mandatory spay and neuter of all dogs and cats imported into Hawaii, along with a declaration requirement for all intact animals already living in the state. After more than 200 people submitted testimony — forcing the joint committee to limit speakers to one minute each — the bill appeared to die when it failed to receive its third committee hearing by the March 6 deadline.

But it didn't stay dead. Within days, the Hawaiian Humane Society revived a prior-year bill, gutted it, and replaced its contents with the identical language. The renamed bill has now been referred to a new House committee. All the original concerns remain: mandatory sterilization language, intact animal registration requirements and penalties for non-compliance.

Residents and non-residents alike can submit written testimony through the Hawaii State Legislature website. Registration requires only a name and email address.
The Bigger Picture: A National Strategy

Hawaii is not an isolated case. Laura outlines a deliberate, incremental strategy being deployed by animal rights organizations across multiple fronts simultaneously:
Oregon— A ballot initiative effort is currently underway
The Federal Farm Bill— An amendment to the Greyhound Protection Act has been inserted into the Farm Bill's broadly supported legislation. As currently written, vague language could ban live lure training, open field coursing and controlled bird exposure used in training hunting and sporting breeds — affecting earth dog, barn hunt, lure coursing, Fast CAT, field trials and more


What You Can Do Right Now

Contact your member of Congressand ask them to oppose the Greyhound Protection Act language inserted into the Farm Bill
Submit testimonyon Hawaii legislation at the Hawaii State Legislature website
Monitor legislative alertsat theAKC Government Relationspage
Engage your representativesat every level — federal, state and local — every session, every bill. Locate your representativesHERE.

AKC Purebred Preservation Bank: Saving Dog Breeds from Extinction

More than half of AKC-recognized breeds are now considered low-entry, and the number of breeds registering 10 or fewer litters per year doubled between 2022 and 2024. Host Laura Reeves sits down with Dr. Charlie Garvin—AKC Board of Directors member and chairman of the AKC Purebred Preservation Bank (PPB)—to unpack what that means for the future of purebred dogs and what breeders can do about it today.

Dr. Garvin traces the PPB's origins to the Otterhound Club's pioneering reproductive bank, established in 2017, and explains how the AKC stepped in to create a scalable structure any parent club or breeder could use. Now a standalone 501(c)3 affiliate, the PPB is building a long-term safety net for breeds facing dwindling numbers and dangerously narrow genetic diversity.

The conversation gets real fast. Laura and Charlie tackle the elephant in the room—what happens to frozen semen when its owner passes away? Spoiler: in most cases, it gets thrown out. The PPB offers a solution, allowing breeders to donate stored semen now or via bequest, with the PPB assuming storage costs and ensuring the material is preserved under rigorous standards.

Dr. Garvin also addresses the "rival breeder" objection head-on: the PPB isn't competing with active breeders. Its mission is 25, 50, even 100 years out—when today's rivalries are ancient history and a breed may need to be reconstituted from whatever genetic material survives.

Parent clubs play a critical role too, and Charlie issues a direct call to action: submit your breed-specific parameters for both donor dogs and potential breeding bitches now, while your club is still active and your philosophy can guide future decisions—even if the club itself no longer exists.

To learn more or start the donation process, visit akcppb.org and connect with PPB Program Manager Susan Myers.