This weekend, at a dog show in Lewiston, ID, I was approached by several individuals asking me if I proofed ads with clients before sending them to print. I replied that I do every time. Apparently, the copy I was given regarding a dog’s certifications was, well, exaggerated. I later learned that when other owners and breeders of this specific breed confronted this former MCP client about the exaggerated title, she said it was MCP’s mistake.

I was surprised by this and completely taken off guard. In the commercial world, businesses work very hard to tailor copy in their ads to be accurate and effective. With a sue-happy public, constant vigilance is vital. I learned a valuable lesson about advertising in the world of champion dogs: verify titles with the AKC, UKC, or whatever registry they are using. At the very least it will catch a typo, and at most it will avoid a mess like this.

In the end, after consulting the AKC representative (thank you Allen) and reviewing what happened here, the course of action MCP will take is very clear and things will work out well. It does underscore the importance of ethics on two fronts: Always apply the highest standard in your own work, and don’t assume others will do the same.