Jim Rau Dog Show Organization

Jim Rau Dog Shows is a dog show superintendent and canine event services organization based at 235 S 2nd Ave in West Reading, Pennsylvania. The company operates in a specialized corner of the purebred dog world: the business of actually running conformation shows, obedience trials, rally trials and related events on behalf of the kennel clubs that host them. Alongside its superintending work, the organization produces and supplies the awards, ribbons, rosettes and printed materials that those events depend on.

For people outside the sport, the role of a superintendent can be unfamiliar. A kennel club owns and sponsors a show, but the mechanics of putting one on, processing entries, compiling the judging program, laying out rings, providing equipment, managing the paperwork required by the American Kennel Club and distributing awards, are frequently contracted out to a licensed superintendent. Jim Rau Dog Shows fills that role for clubs primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, and its catalog of ribbons and trophies reaches event organizers well beyond the region.

Services and Products

The organization's work can be grouped into a few broad categories:

• Show superintending services for AKC-licensed and sanctioned events, including conformation shows, obedience trials, rally trials and specialty shows.
• Entry processing and record keeping, including premium lists, entry forms, closing procedures and the compilation of judging programs and catalogs.
• Custom ribbons and rosettes in a wide range of styles, from standard placement ribbons in the traditional blue, red, yellow and white sequence to large multi-streamer rosettes for Best in Show, Best of Breed, group placements and specialty awards.
• Printed and imprinted materials, including club names, event dates, logos and award designations applied directly to ribbon streamers and centers.
• Awards and trophies, armbands, show supplies and related equipment used in and around the ring.
• Ribbons for non-AKC and community events, such as junior showmanship, participation awards, fun matches, 4-H style competitions and club-created novelty categories.

The custom ribbon side of the operation is arguably what the organization is best known for among club volunteers. Event chairs often arrive with an idea rather than a finished specification: a new participant category, a memorial award named for a late club member, a sponsor logo that needs to appear on a streamer, or a color scheme tied to a holiday-themed show. Rau's staff work through those requests, matching rosette styles, center sizes, foil stamping, streamer counts and color combinations to what the club has in mind and to what its budget allows. Clubs that invent their own award categories, including informal junior and beginner divisions designed to bring children into the sport, routinely have those ribbons produced here rather than trying to adapt something off the shelf.

History and Background

The organization carries the name of its founder, Jim Rau, and has operated out of Berks County for decades, making it one of the long-established names among dog show superintendents in the eastern United States. Superintending is a field with a small number of licensed firms nationally, and longevity in it depends on sustained relationships with kennel clubs that hold the same show weekends year after year. Many of the clubs on Rau's calendar have worked with the company across multiple generations of club leadership.

West Reading, where the business is based, is a small borough adjacent to the city of Reading in southeastern Pennsylvania. The location places the organization within reasonable driving distance of a dense concentration of kennel clubs and show sites across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and New York, which matters in a business where staff, equipment, ring materials and awards all have to be physically transported to venues.

Who Uses the Business

The organization's clients are largely institutional rather than individual. All-breed kennel clubs, breed specialty clubs, obedience and rally clubs, and other event-hosting groups make up the core of the customer base. That said, individual exhibitors interact with the company constantly, since entries, catalogs, judging programs and armbands all pass through the superintendent's hands. Breeders, handlers and owners checking on an entry or a closing date are a routine part of the daily phone traffic.

A secondary audience consists of organizers outside the AKC system who need quality award ribbons: agility and sport clubs, rescue and fun-match organizers, livestock and county fair committees, schools and community groups. Because the company already maintains the stock, stamping equipment and design options needed for dog shows, the same capability is available to anyone who needs a run of customized ribbons.

Practical Information

The West Reading office handles ribbon orders, event inquiries and entry questions. Prospective clients planning a show typically contact the organization well in advance, since premium lists must be prepared and distributed months ahead of an event date and ribbon orders need lead time for custom printing and assembly. Clubs considering a new award category or a change to their ribbon design are generally advised to start the conversation early in the planning cycle.

Practical details for visitors:

• Address: 235 S 2nd Ave, West Reading, PA 19611
• Phone: +1 610-376-1880
• On-site parking is available
• The entrance is wheelchair accessible, and the parking lot includes accessible parking

Clubs and individuals interested in ribbons and awards can review the catalog before contacting the office to discuss a specific order.

Role in the Sport

Superintendents occupy a largely invisible position in dog shows. When the work is done correctly, exhibitors notice only that entries closed on time, armbands were ready, rings were set up correctly and the right ribbon was waiting at the right table. Jim Rau Dog Shows has built a long record in that behind-the-scenes function, combining event administration with the manufacture of the awards that give a show its visible shape. For kennel clubs across the Mid-Atlantic, the organization serves as both administrative partner and supplier, handling the logistics that allow volunteer-run clubs to stage events that can draw thousands of dogs over a single weekend.