538 – Ringside Calculator Brings Technology to the Dog Show

Ringside Calculator Brings Technology to the Dog Show Exhibitor and amateur ap developer Ben Reynolds joins host Laura Reeves to introduce his dog show application, called Ringside Calculator. Reynolds went to his first dog show when he started dating his wife. He was hooked and eventually acquired his Golden Retriever to show.  “If I wanted to win, I wouldn’t have started with a Golden Retriever,” Reynolds noted. “But I got to meet a lot of cool people. It’s pretty intimidating, but the cool thing is every ring there’s always a winner and there’s always a loser. When I lost, I didn’t feel bad. I had fun. “As I was researching into dog shows, the information is sparse and someone who wasn't raised in it, you don't really know what's going on and then the whole point system was really confusing.” Reynolds, an engineer by training, used the COVID lockdown to build an algorithm for counting points on a mobile ap with an up-to-date point schedule. Over the last couple years, he’s integrated new features including grand champion points, dog profile, points progression, judge search, show searches and more. “I didn’t change the world here with this information,” Reynolds noted, “The information is available. It’s just not that accessible. But the ap is much more user and mobile friendly.  “I’ve also collected every single conformation show result for the last five years. You can click “view results” and all the results for your dog will pop up.” Available on both iPhone and Android platforms, upcoming features will include a section for notes on dogs, judges, show sites; searching multiple breeds; competitor reports; personal judging schedules and more. Reynolds is actively seeking user input for new features.  “Try to abuse it! Break the ap,” Reynolds said. “Tell me how you broke it. I’ll fix it. I haven’t had too many issues, but I want to hear your feedback. There will be a free trial available. There’s a lot of people out there who know more than I do about dog shows. That’s why I want the feedback.” Reach Reynolds at [email protected] with input or questions.