BSZ 2021 - Extension of the registration deadline

Dear Sir and Madam,

Since its outbreak in March 2020 the Covid pandemic strongly concerns all areas of every day’s life all over the world. Within one year it caused extraordinary development in economy and society, in national finances and education, in traffic, in nearly all areas of life.

Also the world of the German Shepherd Dog was not untroubled from this development. For the first time since more than 75 year we have been forced to cancel nearly all of our national and, most notably, our international events.
The Shepherd community had to notice this most regretfully.

Despite of this, the club started already last year the planning for the Siegershow 2021, not knowing the further development of the pandemic but full of hope and under the absolute priority to offer an acceptable and safe event to our members.

I can assure you that the members of the SV board, the main office as well as the organization team on the ground, works since more than one year on different scenarios to enable the host of the event.
The experiences of the last two years taught us that again and again criticism and doubts arise about, if and in which frame a major event like the Siegershow can really be organized.

Currently, we see the light in the end of the tunnel!

The Covid situation in Germany eases off:

“The summer in Germany can really become good” commented one of the most credible and reputable German virologists, Prof. Dr. Christian Dorsten. Friedemann Weber, director of the institute for virology at the University of Gießen said “I am an inveterate optimist” and “Summer will become comparatively unstressed – provided that the willingness for vaccination doesn’t abate and no new virus variations, where the vaccines are not impactful against, come up”. Additionally, many infections are avoided simply because in summer a great part of life happens outside – where because of the air movement the risk of an infection is verifiably minimized.

Under this point of view, we think that it may perfectly be possible to organize the Siegershow in early September, also with the existing complex conditions.

However, this is only valid if the situation would not again get worse.

Success and practicability of the event fluctuates with the conception which must be in accordance with the guidelines of the authorities. Only with efficient hygiene and safety measures a major event like a Siegershow can be realized. Naturally, the basic requirement is that all participants strictly follow the infection protection measures and, because of the special situation, accept some limitation.

Currently we planned different scenarios for different frame conditions which will enable us to act adequately. We hope that in the further course as little limitations as possible remain.

Surely, the virus will not have been disappeared in early September and it is a consensus decision to do the easing with considered and with perpetuation of the social distancing and hygiene rules. We must be sure that we can count on the understanding and support of all involved persons.

In the last weeks we started a survey among the participants from the event 2019 to learn what are their concerns and in order to analyze the current registration behavior.

Obviously, the greatest barrier for enter a dog is the lack of possibilities to present dogs at conformation shows before the Siegershow. However, meanwhile it becomes apparent that, should the situation arise, also in the conformation show area events can be organized. A further important aspect is the difficulty how to deal with participants from abroad who possibly may not enter Germany in September because of travel restrictions.

Considering the named aspects we decided to:

  1. We extend the deadline for entries until June28, 2021.
    As all necessary cancellations for a possible refusal in order to save cancellation fee have to be made until June 30 a later date is not possible.
  2. The organizer resigns from withholding the 15,00 Euro fee when the event should be cancelled and will pay the complete entry fee back.
  3. For planning reliability a minimum number of 750 entries has been fixed; from this number the event will take place in any case.
  4. To participants from abroad who can’t take part because of a possible pandemic caused entry ban the entry fee as well as the fee for parking places and tickets will also berefunded. About the details se will inform separately.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to forecast the further pandemic course. However, at present we have reasonable hope to be able to realize our “SV family celebration”, the Siegershow in Nürnberg.

Hoping that the current positive trend continues I would be exorbitantly glad if the friends of the German Shepherd Dog from Germany and from all over the world would be able to meet in Nürnberg for this “family celebration”.

Yours

Professor Dr. Heinrich Meßler
SV President