NAIA President Patti Strand Wants to Know... What’s YOUR Elevator Speech for Purebred Dogs?

NAIA President Patti Strand shares elevator speech strategies for talking with the public and gives PureDogTalk listeners the inside track on breaking news about upcoming legislation.

An elevator speech is a very short statement, less than 30 seconds long, that allows us to talk in a positive way with folks who oppose purebred dogs, dog breeders, crop and dock, or pets in general.

"Dog breeders are the public relations face of the sport of dogs,” Patti Strand reminds us. “You want to have something ready to say. Every chance you get, is one you should be prepared to take advantage of.”

“Someone saying something negative can be the opening,” Patti adds, “but the key is to get the conversation started.”

“And remember,” she notes, “body language is important. Often it IS the message.”

How much do you love your dogs?

“I think the most important thing for people to understand is how much you love dogs. Everyone in our community is devoted to their dogs. It’s easy to prove — whether it is time devoted to your dogs, the  financial outlay, volunteer time dedicated to a local shelter, we can all easily demonstrate our devotion to our dogs,” Patti said.

What are your real concerns?

“Once you establish that level of dedication, then convey your concerns. Concerns about ongoing breed specific legislation, importation of street dogs from Asia and the Middle East that bring dangerous diseases to our pets. You need to personalize the message in a positive way and establish that as owners, breeders and exhibitors of purebred dogs, we are trusted subject matter experts.”

Urge other owners to learn more

Patti says the final step is to encourage the person to learn more.

“What’s truly unique about our community is that most everyone is a volunteer in our sport. Our price tag is our commitment to our dogs. No matter what topics you list in your little speech, it’s all going to come back to love for the dogs.”

 

Here’s your "elevator speech" call to action listeners!

Try setting up a role playing game at your next kennel club meeting in which all of the members practice their elevator speeches.

AKC Government Relations has bullet points available on how to answer animal rights questions and current legislation opinions.

 

Breaking News: NAIA Animal Nation, Washington D.C.

October 2-4, 2017 

Introduction of legislation sponsored by NAIA to more carefully monitor importation of rescue dogs. “There is currently no one agency that can take charge of this area. CDC, USDA, Veterinary Services. The laws on the books are outdated and were created for people traveling with their own dogs.”

AKC will be introducing legislation regarding breeding and development of dogs for work with Homeland Security. The topic will be addressed at the NAIA conference in Washington DC in October.

 

For more information on today’s podcast topics, follow these links.

 

http://www.naiaonline.org/uploads/Main_Upload_Directory/NAIA2017ConfReg.pdf

More from NAIA

Homes for Animal Heroes

http://animalheroes.naiaonline.org

“Homes for Animal Heroes (HAH) is a national program dedicated to rehoming retired research animals, mainly dogs, and sharing the facts about the critical role animals in research play...