Franks: Best in Show for holiday charities

Published 5:10 am Sunday, December 8, 2024

Thanksgiving isn’t just turkey and touchdowns – it’s also about dogs at the National Dog Show parading across our screens. For 22 years the show has been the fill-in between stuffing ourselves and sinking into the couch for football.

This year, as I skimmed through an NPR article about the show a connection hit me: the unexpected resemblance between the canine parade and the onslaught of fundraising letters in our mailboxes.

Being transparent, I didn’t catch the show this year. I’ve seen it many years in the past. But I had never realized it was associated with Thanksgiving Day, probably because by the time it came on, I was exhausted from the grocery shopping, cooking, and eating we’re so good at on this particular holiday.

I stumbled onto the article, “The National Dog Show Explained: How a dog contest became a Thanksgiving tradition.” The title sucked me right in with the words explained and tradition.

Explained provided the behind-the-scenes: 2000 furry four-legged best friends, 205 breeds, and seven groups based on breed characteristics and intended functions. Of course, one of my favorites is the herding group, which includes one of the few true dwarf canines: the corgi.

It’s my favorite breed – intelligent, loyal, and affectionate with a history dating back to 1200 BC. The corgi is a great companion and bred to herd cattle and protect children.

At home, our corgi Sophie, has perfected herding two old cats onto their feeding stations. We’ve read articles, watched videos, consulted friends, and tested theories to regain control, but so far she’s winning.

Back to the show: this year the coveted $2,000 prize and Best in Show went to Vito, the pug.

It was the 92nd annual national dog show, but it was the 22nd time it aired on television. We can thank Jon Miller, president of programming for NBC Sports at the time, who came up with the idea while watching Christopher Guest’s 2000 movie Best in Show. Miller thought a dog show might be the perfect filler between Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and an afternoon of football.

Just as I finished reading that section of the article, my eye caught the image in the sidebar – a man carrying a child wrapped in a blanket with the headline, “This Giving Tuesday, make a lifesaving impact.”

That’s when I made the connection. Just as the furry four leggers compete for the Best in Show, nonprofits are parading their missions in front of us during the holiday giving season. Fundraising letters- national, state, and local – flood our boxes desperate for our attention.

Nonprofit charities, like dogs fit into groups: hunger relief, shelter, medical aid, counseling, literacy, education, or the environment. They showcase their work, demonstrate needs, and hope to win “Best in Donation” on your giving list.

For this show, you’re the judge. Are you ready? Judging dogs requires expertise – experience with the different breeds, knowledge about canine anatomy, and formal training. Just like the dog show judges your judgement improves with research and experience.

Have you volunteered for the cause or similar ones? Have you read articles, listened to podcasts, or watched documentaries about the issue? Do you have personal or lived experience with the issue they are addressing?

For me, December is when the sorting begins. I stack all the fundraising letters and set aside time to carefully read through them, sifting them into piles based on interest and alignment with my giving priorities. Then, I finalize the list with my husband, write checks, and save a few letters for early gifts in the coming year.

It’s a process, but it’s also an opportunity to reflect on what matters most.

In the same way the National Dog Show brings joy, tradition, and a sense of excellence, the giving season offers a chance to reflect on the values and causes closest to our hearts. And while Vito the pug may have stolen the canine crown this year, your Best in Show might be the nonprofit that feeds a family, shelters a child, or protects the environment.

So, go ahead — judge wisely, give generously, and cross “give well” off your 2024 to-do list.