HVGRC NEWS. President s Letter. A newsletter for members of the Hudson Valley Golden Retriever Club. April - June 2015

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1 HVGRC NEWS A newsletter for members of the Hudson Valley Golden Retriever Club April - June 2015 President s Letter Spring has officially arrived on the calendar despite Mother Nature s insistence on Winter weather remaining well into the beginning of April. It was a brutal Winter for many of us in the Northeast and I think the dogs were the only ones who truly enjoyed the voluminous mounds of snow and freezing temperatures. We also said good-bye to long-time member and friend to all, Phyllis Ward, and will be dedicating our June Specialty Show in her name. Her quick wit and razor sharp intelligence will be missed. On a happier note, Helen Sherman is up and running in Agility once again! Paula Strazza has had a difficult Winter but has just completed her physical rehabilitation and is healing at her sister s home. We are wishing her the best and hope she is back on her feet as soon as possible. By the time you are reading this, our 2015 Agility Trial will be history and another unqualified success. At last count, Chairman Chris Miele had the majority of runs booked for all three days. This is an event of big numbers, lots of planning and numerous volunteers and it succeeds because of Chris and her team. Our annual Specialty Show is June 4 & 5 in FDR State Park. In conformation, we will have back to back specialties on Friday with Judges Nancy Talbot (am) and Suzanne Hemminger (pm). Thursday s supported entry will be judged by Stephen Hubbel and sweeps by Bruce Russell. Thursday obedience will be judged by Suzanne Hemminger and the Rally judge is about to be announced. Lorraine Cusimano is heading up the Raffle and is determined to outdo last year s nearly $1,000 tally. Lynn & Jonathan Halpern are soliciting for the Trophy Fund and look to the membership for support. Like the Agility Trial, a lot of work goes into this show and the results are always worth the tremendous effort of our members. Show Chair Brian Visokay is working hard to replicate last year's great success and welcomes all volunteers. It really is a fun day. Please come out and support [Date] your club and its members. Our Annual Meeting and Awards will be held on Wednesday, June 24th at Chris Miele s home. If you have a dog who is eligible for an award, let Phoebe Teramato know as soon as possible. In addition, the offices of Vice President, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer and Board of Directors Class of 2016 will be voted on. If you wish to run for any of these positions, please let Nominating Committee Chair, Ann Marie Cioffi know. This is a good opportunity to have your voice heard as a member of the Board. TABLE OF CONTENTS cont d on p.2 President s Letter... 1 Calendar of Events/News of Members... 2 Our Stars... 3 Golden Sunsets... 4 Upcoming Meeting Announcement... 7 Deadlines for Next Newsletter... 7 Specialty Flyer... 8 Specialty Raffle & Trophy Fund Letters... 9 Specialty Trophy Fund Pledge List HVGRC Officers Bits & Pieces... 12

2 cont d from p. 1 There are several people who have applied for membership and we are looking forward to meeting them and welcoming them to our club. I look forward to seeing many of you at our various events this year and hope it s a good year for our members and their dogs. Lastly, although many of our members are not breeders, those of us who do are sometimes faced with taking a dog back long after they re grown. Whatever the reason, every now and again a dog cannot stay in its forever home and many of us take the lifetime responsibility of our puppies very seriously. This happened to both myself and Chris Miele in the past several months. In my case, the dog that came back was almost 15 years old and I knew I would be the one to someday say good-bye. Losing our dogs affects all of us in profound ways. Elsewhere in the newsletter, I have shared the journey of saying welcome back and good-bye to my Safari. Bob HVGRC CALENDAR OF COMING EVENTS April 15 Deadline for application forms for titles and annual trophies April 22 May 2 May 8 May 9 Potluck Dinner and Meeting, 7 pm June Moskovitz s house in White Plains Free course building seminar for club members 10 AM Skyline Agility Offered by Chris Miele Deadline for Trophy Fund pledges to be listed in catalogue Introduction to Agility Meeting and Lunch - 10 AM Skyline Farms in Goshen (see p. 7 for more details) June 4-5 Nov 6-8 HVGRC Specialty Show and Obedience Trial with Rally FDR Park All-Breed Agility Trial Chair: Chris Miele Victoria Farms, Middletown NY Fondly Remembered Phyllis Ward, former President of HVGRC and chairman for many years of our January Health Clinic. Phyllis was also the breeder of many fine Goldens, most recently her beloved Campbell, who was competing successfully in conformation, agility and obedience even while Phyllis was ill. Our June Specialty will be dedicated to her memory. Welcome back Helen Sherman who is back to competing in Obedience and Agility. Paula Strazza is regaining her strength after a tough winter health-wise. 2

3 !! Our Stars!! Mary Ellen Culbertson s Journey achieved her CD and RN titles at the Celtic Classic in March, with multiple placements. She is now Hillock s We re Not in Kansas Anymore CD RN CCA. Karen Fennikoh is the proud breeder/owner of her new Champion: CH. Amberglo s Brooklyn to Broadway aka Carson. He finished at Tullahoma KC of TN with a 4-point Major on March 7, This makes Champion #43 for Karen! She handled Carson herself to his first major at our Specialty last June. Praesent vitae nisl. Sue Handelman s Heather made good use of the long, snowy winter by earning her Utility Dog Obedience Title. She is now officially My Stardust Melody UD RN MH WCX *** Feb. 13 Long Island GRC 1 st place March 6 Monticello KC 2 nd place March 7 Monticello KC 2 nd place and Title She s a good little girl who loves to work, so lively and cheerful. We had a lot of fun along the way, and finished her title just in time to go back to field work (if the snow ever melts). 3

4 !! Our Stars cont d!! In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Lynn and Jonathan Halpern s William earned his Rally Novice title in three shows, with scores of 83, 91 and 93. He also placed third in Rally Novice from among the Goldens at the Everglades Golden Retriever Specialty. William is now Overlook s Sutton Downpour RN. He and Jonathan are now preparing for Rally Advanced in April. Golden Sunsets From Denise Ryan: On the evening of Feb 20 th Beamer suddenly collapsed. He was able to get up and go out. He came in and went past the cookie jar and laid down. I knew something was wrong. He was dazed. So we went to emergency. Shortly after I was told he had blood in his tummy. I could have removed his spleen but at 11 1/2 I thought that was too drastic for such a good dog to go through.! So he and I spent quite a bit of time alone together until I thought we were ready. He kissed the vet on the cheek and made her cry. I held him so tightly while she made him sleepy first. I would not let him watch. I just kept squeezing him tight and telling him I loved him. Finally she gave the last dose. There was no noises made and he was gone. It was very peaceful. I laid with him a while longer until I was able to leave. It was the hardest night I can remember. So HR Aubridge Ntrnlightwave Ahead SH, WCX.CCA,NA,NJW is now resting in peace. He had Master Hunter legs, Finished legs and Open Agility legs. He was a great therapy dog to me while I have been ill. I will truly miss him. My heart aches.

5 Golden Sunsets cont d From Lisa Weinberg Sierra - Windrush's High Velocity CDX, RE,JH, WCX, CGC December 24, February 3, 2015 Your mother delivered you into our hands late in the day 15 years ago. Today started poorly, infirmities of old age catching up with you. You rallied and took a long walk around the barn visiting your four and two legged friends. But as the sun set we knew it was time and held you as you passed from us back to her. Your mother "Athena", your father "Borax", your half brother "Monk", your aunts" Sassy" and "Cappy" gathered to greet you as you crossed over the bridge. Tell them of your long life, your many adventures, the birds you retrieved, the places you visited, your brothers "Tank" and "Murphy" you left behind. You would have been an excellent mother but it was not meant to be, instead you were the doting aunt and grandmother to others litters always standing at the door watching till they were old enough to play with you. The special chair that you slept in, that your mother slept in, your little niece now sleeps in. Say Hi to Garth and my mother who passed away not that long ago as you knew them well. Run free for one day we will all be together. Art & Lisa - Tank, Emma, Luke, Remi, Solo, Quigley & Rex Sunlight streams through window pane unto a spot on the floor... then I remember, it's where you used to lie, but now you are no more. Our feet walk down a hall of carpet, and muted echoes sound... then I remember, It's where your paws would joyously abound. A voice is heard along the road, and up beyond the hill, then I remember it can't be yours... your golden voice is still. But I'll take that vacant spot of floor and empty muted hall and lay them with the absent voice and unused dish along the wall. I'll wrap these treasured memorials in a blanket of my love and keep them for my best friend until we meet above. - Author Unknown 5

6 Saying Good-bye to Safari Bob Swanson Safari, Overlooks Tea on the Savannah, came into this world nearly 15 years ago on May 20, She was one of three girls in a litter of five. Her Mom was my Savannah (Rizer s Savannah s Dream) and her sire was Judy Word s magnificent Clipper (CH Bravos Old Spice). This was Savannah s second and last litter and Safari was the girl who captured my heart (and my critical eye) during those first few weeks of life. Safari was a quiet dog who didn t enjoy the show ring, despite placing in every puppy class she entered. She was really more boy-like in that she was Velcro around humans and thought a perfect day consisted of being anywhere near me and part of my world. How many times did I bring my arm back to make an underhand shot with the tennis ball and smack her in the head? Countless. She would still sit there wagging her tail and closing her eyes as tight as she could in an expression of sheer joy. Safari loved to wrap herself in a ball and do somersaults down the hill. I d never seen that before and I ve never seen it since in any of my dogs. She found great joy in everything, no matter how small. Of course, Safari was a wonderful Mom on her own. She adored her puppies. Three of her puppies in her first litter were born naturally, but Safari developed problems and required an emergency c-section. When she awoke, she was covered by 12 writhing, nursing puppies. The expression on Safari s face was priceless and I will never forget it. She clearly had no idea what had happened, but instinct kicked in and she went to work. When Safari was eight, an older couple came to me looking for anything but a puppy. I had often thought Safari would be happier in a home where she could be spoiled and adored and not sharing the world with 15 other Golden Retrievers. She really wanted to be the sole object of somebody s life. Hard as it was, I made the decision to let Safari live about 30 minutes away with Pam and Ed. It was the right decision as evidenced by photos of Safari sleeping in their bed coupled with stories of how much she was loved. Sadly, Ed died a few years ago and just recently Pam followed. Safari came back to me in October and walked into the house as if she never left. She was a lot grayer in the face and a little stiff when she walked, but she was 14 ½ years old and still Safari. The tail constantly wagged, the eyes would squint shut when she would stare at me and she could smell a treat at 500 yards. On the day she arrived, I wondered how the others would feel about this newcomer to the pack. Usually, visiting dogs will be swarmed by the others with lots of sniffing, some posturing etc. With Safari, I think they all sensed that she was elderly and they approached her with great respect, almost reverence. Even the three-month old puppy (who we named Safari a few months earlier!) approached Safari without any jumping or typical puppy exuberance. Dogs fascinate me at every turn. Safari fit right in. I changed her diet, worked on her coat and in just a few weeks her stiffness was gone and she was a youngster again. She looked good and her happiness was palpable. So was mine. Safari and I had a wonderful four months together and I m so fortunate to have had that time with her once again. She died in her sleep Sunday morning, February 15, She d had a series of seizures that began in January and the last one was severe. The day before she died, she seemed to be 100% again. She was eating, rolling in the snow and lounging in the sub-zero weather, her beautiful face turned up to the brilliant blue sunshine. Cont d on p. 7 6

7 The next morning, she didn t want her breakfast and was in a very deep sleep the remainder of the day. It was almost impossible to rouse her and her breathing was labored. Like I had so many nights after a seizure, I would kiss her good-bye and tell her how much I loved her and what joy she had brought to my life. I never knew what the next morning would bring. Unlike those other nights, this one was different and I went to sleep knowing I had said my final good-bye. The other dogs around her were very quiet that morning and didn t approach me in their usual good morning manner. I think they were as sad as I was. All dogs are special to us in so many ways. It s hard to capture Safari in just a few paragraphs. Anyone who has loved and lost a dog will understand. I brought her into this world and was there when she left. Her absence is a gap that cannot be filled by 15 other Golden Retrievers demanding my attention. How I loved her. How I miss her. Safari and her daughter, 11 year old Sahara. Upcoming Meeting Announcement Bob Swanson May 9th Introduction to Agility meeting and lunch. Jean Owen will conduct a hands on - all dogs welcome - introduction to Agility at our May meeting. We will hold the meeting at Skyline Farms in Goshen starting at 10 am with our club meeting and lunch at noon. Jean was very involved in our most recent agility trial and I watched her run her dogs with awe! This promises to be a very fun meeting for members and their dogs (especially the dogs!). More details to follow. DEADLINES FOR NEXT ISSUE July 1st Deadline for News July 15th Mailing Date HOW TO SUBMIT NEWS All news must be submitted in legible, written form received by the editor before the deadline. (Earlier is better). Do not call at the last minute to say Will you please put in a notice about Write it yourself and send it to me. is fine: shandel@optonline.net. 7

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9 Specialty Raffle Hi everyone, The Specialty Show is now only 7 weeks away!! I m not one to leave anything until the last minute so it s time to get serious about the raffle. If we want to make it as successful as last year and of course we do then I need your help. I hope you have been gathering items and coming up with ideas for baskets that you can ask your friends to help you with. Remember, I have the baskets. I just need the stuff to fill them. Please refer to the January newsletter for some ideas of what you can get but really the possibilities are endless and you probably have way more ideas than I do. Make it fun for you and your family and friends. Have a pizza party, go out to lunch, meet at agility class or at your book club meeting, whatever, and ask each person to bring just a small item of their choice or for a theme that you thought of like books, or cooking, or sports, or gardening, or music, or jewelry, or household items, or gift certificates, or anything for our precious pups, or anything you love! Think of this as a fun thing to do, not a chore, because it doesn t have to be and the rewards for the HVGRC your club - will be so appreciated. You can bring your items to the agility trial on April 17th 19th. I will be volunteering at some point during the three days and can pick up your stuff. I will also be at the upcoming agility club meeting on April 26th which promises to be lots of fun and I hope to see you there. This is another opportunity to bring whatever you may have to the meeting so that I can get a jump start on putting together these wonderful baskets. I welcome and appreciate any and all of your items and ideas. Whatever you can do big or small is a huge help in putting this together and making it a success. This is a team effort something we can all be a part of so please make an effort to join in. Thank you so much and looking forward to seeing you soon, Lorraine Cusimano Raffle Chairperson Annual June Specialty Trophy Fund Drive It's that time of year again! Our Annual Specialty is in June and we have started accepting pledges for our Trophy Fund. As in the past, this Club newsletter includes a Trophy Fund Pledge Form indicating the classes and amounts for sponsorship of classes, and the listing of who has pledged to date. Please note that the cost of a regular class pledge is $25. In addition, as it was last year, each pledge to a class will entitle the contributor to an entry into a raffle for a prize. As a reminder, we are again having the Best 4-6 month Puppy special attraction. Many thanks to our early bird contributors: Brian Visokay - Best Veteran; Helen Sherman - Utility A & Novice A (Obedience); Lynn & Jonathan Halpern - Am-Bred Dog & Bitch. When you select a category, please advise us whether you would like a dedication (in memoriam) to be included in the catalog. As a reminder, each time we receive a pledge, we update the pledge form and post it on the Yahoo Group in the file section. Yahoo sends out a notice that the file has been uploaded. In that notice, there is a line which reads: "You can access the file at the URL:" The very next line is a link to the file. If you "click" on the link, you will get the Yahoo web page listing the file. When you click on the file, your browser will ask if you want to save or open the file. Select open with Microsoft Word, and the pledge form will display on your screen. We hope that this year the Trophy Fund contributions will cover the full cost of the trophies as they did last year. Please help to cover these costs. We welcome any contributions to our General Trophy Fund in any amount. Thanks in advance for your generosity. Lynn & Jonathan Halpern 9

10 HUDSON VALLEY GOLDEN RETRIEVER CLUB 2015 SPECIALTY SHOW TROPHY FUND PLEDGE LIST Please make checks payable to: HVGRC. Send to: Lynn Halpern, 7012 Vivaldi Ln. Delray Beach, FL

11 Hudson Valley Golden Retriever Club OFFICERS PRESIDENT Robert Swanson PO Box 220, Sherman CT (H)860/ (C) 860/ VICE PRESIDENT Christine Miele 238 Sarah Wells Trail, Campbell Hall, NY (H) 845/ (C) 834/ TREASURER OPEN POSITION RECORDING SECRETARY Carol Russo 9 Strawberry Hill Court, Montvale, NJ (H) 201/ signetm@optonline.net CORRESPONDING SECRETARY Bonnie Oddo PO Box 544, Lincoln Park NJ (H) 973/ bonoddo@gmail.com STANDING COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN AKC PUBLIC ED COORDINATOR Sandy Spitzer russan@frontiernet.net FIELD REP Position Open: Volunteer Needed GRCA DELEGATE Chris Miele xcreek@aol.com GRCA NEWS Robert Swanson overlookgoldens@gmail.com HISTORIANS Vincent Savarese & Karen Fennikoh (H) 845/ BOARD OF DIRECTORS CLASS OF 2016 Ann Marie Cioffi Caseyberry@aol.com Lynn Halpern Lynn1@att.net CLASS OF 2015 Helen Sherman HshermanK9Gold@aol.com Brian Visokay 176 Pudding St., Putnam Valley, NY (H)845/ (C) 845/ Brian@brvisokay.com NEWSLETTER EDITOR Susan Handelman 40 Birch Drive, Katonah NY (H) 914/ shandel@optonline.net LAYOUT/E-NEWS EDITOR Melissa Fairweather parhelion@hvc.rr.com MEMBERSHIP Lisa Weinberg WindrushGoldenRetrievers@gmail.com PROGRAM Position Open: Volunteer Needed PUPPY REFERRAL Binnie Weissleder Dogzrus1@comcast.net VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS Giselle Graham Jgraham54@sbcglobal.net For more information go to our website: hvgrc.org 11

12 BITS AND PIECES PUPPY REFERRALS When listing your puppies with Binnie Weissleder (802) or please observe the following: Call her within a week of the litter s due date to confirm that the litter actually has been whelped and to let her know how many puppies are available. Don t forget to let her know when all the puppies have been sold. Please also let Binnie know if you have any older dogs available. PLEASE NOTE! HVGRC Puppy Referral Guidelines, in effect since August 1, 1998, require that a signed release form for each litter be completed and returned to Binnie and Mike. If you need a copy of this form, call Binnie. Breeders Please Note: HVGRC subscribes to the same Code of Ethics as GRCA. Members are advised to keep informed of any changes now being considered. NEWSLETTER ADVERTISEMENTS Litter Listings or Items for Sale There is no charge for these kinds of advertisements. The following requirements still apply: In conformity with HVGRC Puppy Referral Guidelines, ads for puppies must be accompanied by copies of parents hip, elbow, eye and cardiac clearances. NOTICE re PUPPY ADVERTISEMENTS: The Hudson Valley Golden Retriever Club makes no warranties or guarantees as to quality, health or any other matters with respect to either the dogs listed herein or the puppies which have or may be produced as a result of the breedings listed herein. The HVGRC recommends that a fully executed, written purchase agreement setting forth all the terms of purchase be obtained before possession of a puppy is transferred to the purchaser(s). HVGRC WEBSITE Visit the HVGRC Website frequently for the latest information: hvgrc.org. Please note: Anyone wishing to post news or notice on the website, should send it to our President, Bob Swanson, who will then transmit it to our webmaster. PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS In order to qualify for membership in HVGRC you must first attend two club functions. For application form and further details, contact our Membership Chairperson, Lisa Weinberg, at (914) (H). Her personal is WindrushGoldenRetrievers@gmail.com or through the club membership@hvgrc.org. SPECIAL TROPHIES Attention: potential donors! Anyone who wishes to donate a Special Trophy for our Annual Specialty Show (in addition to the regular club trophies) needs to plan ahead. It is necessary to submit a descriptive letter to the Board of Directors for their approval by April of the previous year. For example, for our June 2016 Show, such a letter must reach the Board by April Prizes may be offered in honor of, in memory of etc. Be sure to include a full description of the trophy itself. If something inspires you, write to the Board. NEWSLETTER DISCLAIMER Following GRCA guidelines, the HVGRC Board has adopted the following policy for articles submitted by individuals: Signed or featured articles express the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of HVGRC. The responsibility for factual accuracy and documentation belongs solely to the author of the article. From the Board of Directors: Attention all chairmen: It is a club policy that all published materials including but not limited to flyers, premium lists, and GR News columns be submitted to the Board of Directors for review prior to being released. New members please note: Please refer to the HVGRC web site for Guidelines and Requirements for Annual Awards. This material is no longer included in the new member packet. HVGRC Use this address whenever you need to communicate with the full membership: hvgrc@yahoogroups.com 12