Dragon’s Ci – The past, present, and the future…..
Dragon’s Ci has come a long way since Gareth [Lawler] had the idea for a group whilst performing dog related ‘chores’ in the yard. Established in the early throws of the Covid-19 pandemic the group’s original intention was to aid in whichever way we could, the safe and phased return of canine activities. Initially the group’s members and focus were localised within South Wales but by the Autumn of 2020 Dragon’s Ci had evolved into a larger group of canine enthusiasts located all over the UK, culminating in a wide variety of experience and qualifications not only in the canine world but also relevant professional experience being at the disposal of the group.
Using virtual meetings, the group built upon the ideas and initiatives already put in place by the original team, looking at what help canine societies might require getting activities up and running again safely. With so many of the group involved in organising canine events there was no shortage of suggestions but overwhelmingly help from volunteers featured in all the suggestions. Volunteer recruitment became the main principle focus of the group; this recruitment enabled Dragon’s Ci to build up a valuable volunteer bank that covers 85% of the country. The volunteer bank has been utilised by a range of societies from Breed Club to General Championship level, supplying volunteers covering tasks from car park attendance to stewarding.
Show planning was another area highlighted that societies may require additional help. With advice and requirements on running events evolving all the time a checklist, together with standardised documents that could be adapted to suit each society were created and amended regularly to stay abreast of changes in rules and regulations.
It was all very well the group having all this resource available but without a channel of distribution it was not going to benefit the greater canine world. To this end our Facebook group and subsequent website [www.dragonsci.co.uk] were formed as a shop window of how the group could help. These platforms became an opportunity for show societies to ask questions, get a sounding board for their own ideas, or simply as a method of support through some challenging times. Dragon’s Ci is also indebted to Our Dogs for their continued support of the group through columns and advertising our services.
Moving forward 18 months and the show scene across the UK has established again, albeit slightly hectic! Many early shows taking place between May and July received support from Dragon’s Ci either directly through contact with our group members or indirectly from the hundreds of downloads of information and templates from our website. Canine events moving forward into 2022 look to be back on schedule, with most restrictions lifted across all the home nations, so with a little common sense and people taking their own individual precautions we should be back to enjoying our hobby safely and fully again very soon.
The group still meets regularly via online meetings, discussing a variety of topics and sharing feedback of events we have run, helped at, or simply attended. However, the original intention of the group, as stated in the opening paragraph, is nearing completion so, what does the future hold for Dragon’s Ci? One lesson the last 18 months has taught us is the need to work together and support each other. So, Dragon’s Ci will, whilst maintaining current show planning resources and volunteer’s database, evolve to offer additional support to the hard-working secretaries and committees when planning activities.
Part of this support will be to enhance the information available in terms of venues so societies can see other venues within a catchment area that remain dog friendly. It is anticipated this will make a small dent in the workload whilst planning events. Additionally, we will look to create a directory of suppliers, recommended by other societies, which work within canine activities such as caterers, trade stands, vets on call, rosette suppliers, entry systems and so on.
A new initiative that we hope will be useful to many societies is advice and support on using digital solutions for events such as committee meetings, annual general meetings, seminars, and breed appreciation days. Using this technology to compliment traditional face-to-face interactions may help societies attract additional helpers, members, and judges by minimising costs and travelling. Members of Dragon’s Ci have used technology successfully for all the above, including the pilot for The Kennel Club’s ‘Requirements of a Dog Show Judge’ seminar and various breed appreciation days with online Multiple-Choice Exams.
We hope to keep everyone updated with progress through our website, social media, and Our Dogs. Should you wish to get in touch please send a message via the Facebook page, email us at support@dragonsci.co.uk or submit a form on the website.
All members of Dragon’s Ci are volunteers giving their time freely when available. Those societies who received our help in the past and who kindly donated to our charity partner, The Kennel Club Charitable Trust, we thank you. To find out more about the work of the KCCT please visit https://www.kennelclubcharitabletrust.org