Show-Safe has received so much support over this past month. Hundreds of judges, parents, breeders, mentors, and handlers have taken it upon themselves to become better educated on how to PREVENT, RECOGNIZE and RESPOND to sexual abuse and misconduct within our sport. Completing the Safe Sport and Darkness to Light certifications is a beautiful beginning for bringing awareness to the cause. While we have heard so many comments of support and encouragement, we have also received concerns from the valued members of our sport.

We have heard:
“This is just going to teach predators how to get away with abuse.”
“Why do I have to take the course? I don’t go anywhere near children.”
“What if someone gets a pin just to get close to kids and abuse them?”

These are all valid concerns and, let’s be honest, no one has the magic solution to abolish all the bad people from our sport. It isn’t within our power, nor our goal, to make the villains pay. No matter how much we all want to guarantee the safety of our at-risk members, NOTHING can totally safe guard our sport from evil.

So then what do we do? Do we just accept that there is evil and adopt the “survival of the fittest” mentality? Should we say things like “every person for themselves?” Should we publicly ridicule the AKC and the sport and tear it all to the ground, and quit? I know I cannot live with any of those solutions. I refuse to turn away from someone else’s pain, and I want to greet that pain with LOVE. That is how and why Show-Safe was started.

Show-Safe was started by people who all agree that they need to show up for others in their time of need. This formal venture may be new, but we’re excited to share the first initiatives of this movement.

The shocking arrest of Adam King showed every member of this sport, yet AGAIN, that the real danger isn’t hiding in the dark ally. We all know to watch out for overtly dangerous situations. While this particular case may have been shocking for many, it reminds us the need to educate ourselves on all aspects of the grooming and abuse process. These educational programs we share help everyone better RECOGNIZE the insidious ways that predators can groom victims. This course information can empower a parent to think more carefully about entrusting their 15 year old child in the care of an adult they hardly know. They can better understand that PRIVATE communication between a famous dog person with their underage child is not safe or necessary. Parents and their children can develop more understanding of the psychological dynamics of power imbalances. If a handler who employs us might be able to help us accomplish dreams, what wouldn’t we do for them? If a judge controls the outcome of our success, what could they convince a young child do? If we all align with the same language and wavelength of awareness, maybe we can impact this community to be less conducive to abuse. This first step alone isn’t enough. It is an essential starting point, but we also need to address the damage done to the current and past victims of our sport.

As a complement to existing abuse education courses, we at Show-Safe are designing a specific course that organizes and shares ways our particular dog show community can help keep each other safe. This seminar will be made available to any club (all-breed or breed). We are currently working with mental health professionals, teachers, and pillars of our sport to design a comprehensive program that touches all corners of our community. This interactive course will present AKC sport specific questions, composed by a child trauma Psychologist and a social worker – both of whom grew up in our sport. We hope to have this program up and running and available to the fancy by December 2024.

Our ultimate vision for Show-Safe is to provide financial assistance to any victims of abuse within our sport. Following the blueprint of Take the Lead and the incredible work they have done for our sport, we would like to offer financial support, access to legal assistance, trauma counseling, mental and physical health care following reported abuse. We would also like to offer help finding safe housing at a moment’s notice for anyone in our sport who finds themselves in an abusive situation with nowhere else to go. The purpose of our organization will not be policing, law enforcement, lip service, or witch-hunting. We aim to amplify the indisputable need to protect all members of our sport from any kind of abuse, and by combining our efforts as a community, we can build momentum towards this goal.
Currently Show-Safe is a corporation that will be filing its non profit status by the end of May 2024. While we are building a foundation to make our vision a reality, we hope you will join us in taking the Safe Sport or Darkness to Light educational courses, and proudly wearing your Show-Safe pin to continue bringing awareness to the cause.
Sincerely,
Carissa Shimpeno
Show-Safe
First Co-Chair