For the express purpose of creating a foundation for competition for a dog agility based reality TV program, I propose that we build a semi-pro agility league. And I am working to accomplish that goal.
We’ve scheduled an agility competition for February 7, 2015 in Murietta, California.
- Apex Dog Agility
41674 Corning Place
Murrieta, CA 92562
- Out-of-doors, rain or shine
This is a team event (3 dogs & handlers) competing for top honors running three courses.
We’re faced now with the task of creating this semi-pro agility league. In order to be a member of that league the host club needs a venue, which should be a field or floor with adequate floor space.
Clubs joining the league now will be founding members of the league. All league matters will ultimately be the province of a Board of Governors elected from each of the league clubs. They will have oversight in designing the structure of competition, the length of a season, and every other detail for the conduct of the league.
Right now it doesn’t really matter if the league is only three or four clubs. It will grow over time.
For the premier event in Murietta the entry fee is $20. Entry is limited to dogs that are registered with Top Dog Agility Players. For this first competition we will waive the $10 dog registration fee. To make your entry simple:
- Download the dog registration form here:
http://www.dogagility.org/documents/FilesForms/TopDogRegistration.pdf - Send your $20 entry fee, and the completed form to Top Dog Agility, 14543 State Route 676, Waterford, OH 45786.
- On a separate piece of paper indicate what other handlers and dogs will make up your team (3 dogs and 3 handlers); or indicate if you’d like to be on a draw team.
You can download the working rules and regulations here:
http://www.dogagility.org/documents/FilesForms/TopDogRules3.5.pdf
Please note: A club does not have to send a team to Murietta to become a founding member of this league. Most of league competition will be conducted at the host club’s private venue. The club simply has to get a judge approved for the conduct of competition within the league; and that judge can and should be a member of that club.
The only expense for participating in weekly league competition will be a very nominal/inexpensive $1.00 / run.
Semi-Pro?
Before the league becomes the property of some network publisher we must establish that something on the order of half of recording fee income goes to league competition awards.
Reality Show Concept
The vision that I have is like a training center/agility dog gym sit-drama. The show will largely focus on a single team that competes in an ongoing agility league, and principally the coach of that team. The coach’s job is to put together the “A” team for their competition against the world; but of course there’ll be a larger pool of handlers vying with their dogs for a spot on that team. “Against the World” means that any club/group/host in the world can put up the course that will be on the program and compare their scores against the team featured on the program. We’re going to publish these courses for public consumption; and we’ll record their results.
The “situation” in this sit-drama is the very human and compelling drama of the pressures of competition and how we strive for perfections/excellence, or at the very least, not to look the fool. And with any artistry at all we can capture the personality, devotion and working attitude of some of the great agility dogs of our day.
The way I would like see it there will be this bigger league spread around the country (and possibly around the world) that competes in a weekly competition. And then, once a month the Top Dog team would go out into the world to have a head-to-head competition with them on their own field.
Back to Reality
Frankly we’re relying on Bishop-Lyons Entertainment LLC to use their expertise to direct the focus of the show. It’s possible that my vision won’t be anywhere near the finished product. And, of course, they have to find a network broadcaster interested in the concept.
Top Dog (the name ultimately won’t pass the TM test) is an important asset for whoever adopts the program idea. There’s a real possibility that the program could bring in something on the order of $30K every month in recording fees from around the world. In order for that to happen, however, we need to have the underlying league that is the foundation of the ongoing competition.
Blog977
Questions comments & impassioned speeches to Bud Houston Houston.Bud@gmail.com. The web store is up and running. www.dogagility.org/newstore. I have five volumes (over 100 pp each) of The Joker’s Notebook available on my web-store at an inexpensive price. These are lesson plans suitable for individual or group classes for teaching dog to work at a distance.
Bud Houston's Blog 