While there are cautions to take when promoting the Belgian breeds, the reality is that fanciers and breeders do end up promoting their breeds at some point in time. Luckily there are now many ideal situations to expose the public to the wonderful world of Belgians.
AKC's Responsible Dog Ownership Day events bring purebred dogs to the public in a great way. Most of these events are put on by AKC member clubs or associated clubs who strive to emphasize responsible breeders and responsible breeding. There are only a few benched show left for people to meet the various breeds. Venues like Westminster are so crowded that they don't work well as a chance for people to truly meet the dogs.
Many clubs now hold "Meet the Breeds" events as part of their dog show clusters. Even if it is just an hour or so during the lunch break, the public loves getting to meet dogs up close and personal plus talk to people who live with the breeds. If you feel your current show dog doesn't need the added excitement, bring along a retired veteran. He or she will be thrilled to be "going to a dog show" and love the attention. Make sure that any dog you bring is comfortable meeting plenty of people. A minor flaw like DQ white is not a problem for these breed ambassadors but a questionable temperament is.
Of course, the big meet the breed events are the AKC's two day affair in NYC and the breed booths at Eukanuba. The people and clubs who put time and effort into these events deserve a big round of applause. The audience is already limited to people interested in dogs since no one who isn't into dogs is likely to buy a ticket for admission. There is plenty of time for people to talk to those manning the booth. Friendly puppies, outgoing veterans and top show dogs can all rotate so they get plenty of time to recharge in between public outings. Having handouts from the parent clubs and plenty of photo albums for people to peruse also helps to educate.
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