February 2009 Official Publicati ion of the Miami Obedience Club, Inc. Next MOC Membership Meeting March 4 th (Wednesday) << Meeting Starts @ 7:30 pm >> La Carreta Restaura ant 8650 Bird Road 305-553-8383 The Miami Obedience Club, Inc. Officers: President: Pat Kopco Vice President: Randy Reed Recording Secretary: Lynn Proe Corresponding Secretary: Cori Gacusana Treasurer: Nancy Atkins Board of Directors: Carol Ann Klein, Jackie Kurzban, David Proe, Keith Staub Training Directors: Obedience: Nancy Atkins & Cori Gacusana Agility: TBA Committee Chairs: Agility Trial: Mike Orloff Canine Good Citizen: Cori Gacusana Club Phone Representative: Gina Reed (305) 681-5246 Education: Jacqueline Kurzban Library: Trina Chicvara Membership: Wien Yu Obedience Trial: Jill Sidran Sunshine: Debra Willey Scooper Editor: Sherry Simon 16701 S.W. 84 th Court Miami, Florida 33157 E-mail: RSDSimon@ @BellSouth.net Watering Hole Sherry Simon The amazing thing about dog owners is that every day is Valentine s Day. Not a day goes by that we are not treated like Kings and Queens of our kingdom by our beloved furry family members. Long ago someone told me that God loves dogs so much he gave them his name spelled backwards. I must agree that dogs exemplify many perfect qualities and top of the list is unconditional love. I hope everyone enjoyed a Happy Valentine s Day with all your loved ones! MOC once again sponsored the Humane Society of Greater Miamii Walk for the Animals program. The MOC Pack was chaired by our dedicated member Nancy Bloom. Nancy did another excellent job orchestrating the MOC Pack which donated over $1,5000 dollars. Congratulations Nancy and MOC for contributing your time and money to a worthy community program that saves precious lives of so many dogs and cats. I ve enjoyed being your Scooper editor but as you can tell with late edition deliveries it is time for me to past the pen to someone who has adequate time to devote to this role. The Scooper is fun to produce, but requires several hours per month. If you enjoy being creative this can be the perfect outlet. Please let MOC BOD know if you are interested. I will be glad to assist with getting you started. Happy Trails! Sherry Happy Birthday!!! Threee MOC members will celebrate B-Day s in March 2009: Lucille Solana Joan Tepper Wien Yu Please join us to celebrate & enjoy some delicious cake! The Scooper 1 February 2009
Minutes of the General Meeting February 4, 2009 Meeting The meeting was called to order at 7:31 PM by Vice President Randy Reed at La Carreta restaurant. Cori called the roll and brags were shared. Lynn read the minutes of the January 2009 meeting. Marylyn motioned to approve the minutes. Jackie seconded the motion. Hilda Wood and Arnold Piedrahita from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue attended as guest speakers and presented the club with information concerning the usefulness and functionality of the pet oxygen masks. The masks are placed strategically on units (vehicles) throughout the county. The shelf life of the O² masks when stored in a cool dry environment is indefinite. The masks are more rugged than the human masks and come in three different sizes and could be reusable if properly cleaned after each use. Arnold advised the club that of a total of 98 units, only 19 units (20%) actually have them. The community would benefit and MDFR would appreciate any O² masks that the club could donate. MDFR does not have a grant or budget in place for the purchase of O² masks. A young man donated the existing masks to MDFR as part of his bar mitzvah gift. It was suggested that surgical masks could be altered to have vents in them might be more economical to use. Arnold stated surgical masks would not be condoned by fire rescue and could open the door for liability to MDFR. O² masks are used in the same way as the human ones. When a dog is already unconscious, the dog must be intubated. In that situation an O² mask would be no benefit to the dog. No statistics are kept by the fire department on the usage of the O² masks. The fire fighters are made aware of availability of the masks by their supervisors. When donations are made, a press release is sent out to raise public awareness. The majority of the units that have them do not have a complete set of small, medium and large. Committees: Correspondence Wien passed around a flyer with information concerning the malinois rescue dog that Maria Harrison is fostering that had a litter of puppies while under her care. Wien suggested that any donations would be appreciated by Maria and could be considered as a donation to malinois rescue. Treasurer The report is not available at this time. The tax returns for the club are available. Nancy sent a $1500 check to the Take the Lead organization of which $500 was for the membership along with a $1000 donation. Obedience Trial Everything is in order for the obedience trial. The list of judges has been sent to the AKC. Brigette will be organizing the raffle for the obedience trial. Donations of toys will be accepted from members as well as any sponsorship for trophies. Jill suggested that an email could be sent to encourage trophy sponsorships for high in trial, breed or any others. These sponsorships would be published in the trial catalog.. Agility Trials Mike report that the income for the agility trials was $9,500 which is $1,200 more than last year. Mike reported that this was partially due to the expenses being less than last year. Mike thanked the membership for all of the club s hard work. Mike is already planning the next winter agility trial and needs to find for one more judge. The Parade of the Veteran Dogs was a huge success and will be repeated again next year. Cori has selected judges for the 2009 and 2010 October agility trials. Michelle Du Bois and Jacqueline O Neil will be the judges for the October 2009 trials. Randy will not be available to organize the RV parking for the October Trials. Obedience Training - Obedience classes for all levels are currently being offered. Agility Training Agility run thrus are currently available on Tuesday night. Dave and Lynn will announce when Wednesday night run thrus will resume. CGC A CGC test will be announced sometime next month. Updates to the test will be left up to the testers discretion of whether a part of the test can be re-administered on the same day or re-administered on another test day. DACOF- Nancy A. passed around the DACOF sign up again. The MOC club roster is due by March 2 nd. The cut off for AKC titles has not been posted yet. DOCOF DOCOF is open to all breeds. There will be a seminar and a banquet on Saturday. DOCOF will take place on Sunday of Labor Day weekend. Membership There was a vote for Barbara Ilardi for membership. Sunshine Ted and Theresa recently lost a couple of their dogs. Debbie will send them a card. Jackie lost Kelly on January 13 th. Brigette s mother in law passed away. Education Two new bills have been presented concerning banning dogs based on breed and mandatory spay and neuter. Please contact state representatives regarding these bills. Library Trina has completed the inventory and asks the membership to please return books all books that have been checked out. Scooper No report Website Dave is posting some new pictures to the site. The domain registration for MiamiObedienceClub.org has expired. The site name was originally registered in Heather Nading s name. Either Heather must contacted to change the registration or the registration must be re-established in another fashion. Equipment New jumps have been purchased. Randy will organize the sale of the jumps and they will be displayed on a Tuesday night for a silent auction. General Minutes Continued on next page The Scooper 2 February 2009
Membership Report February 2009 New Member Welcome the following member to MOC! Barbara Ilardi 535 SE 22nd Lane Homestead,, FL 33033 305-230-1434 barbara.ilardi@gmail.com Guests 1. Lt. Arnold Piedrahita 2. Hilda Wood 3. Barbara Ilardi 4. Ed Titlebaum Note from Membership Chair In order to have correct information of our members, please forward your new address, new phone number, and/or new email address to Wien Yu (wyu@miami.edu) as soon as you know about it. THANKS! Submitted by Wien Yu MOC Membership Chair Wien Yu, Membership Chair Debbie Willey Sunshine Chair MOC members extend their condolence to Nancy Atkins on the passing of Dash, her beloved Australian Shepherd. General Minutes Continued Old Business The library program that Barbara Young spoke to the club about has been approved. Nancy passed sign up sheet for those interested in participating. The program involves going to libraries to talk to children concerning responsible dog ownership. Nancy Bloom requested pledge sheets to be turned in for the Greater Miami Humane Society Walk for the Animals. Certification of insurance was sent to the Humane Society for future demos. Pat made a personal plea that everyone might remember why we all became members of this club: to enjoy our dogs, have trials, and make good friends. We should all treat each other the way we each would like to be treated. Diana suggested that when we have our brags each month, that we could tell a little about ourselves as well. MOC will not be involved in the Tropical Park Cattle and Agricultural event this year because there are not enough people available to participate. Jonathan volunteered to check whether JJ s American Diner is a suitable meeting place. If JJ s turns out to be reasonably quiet, the April meeting will be held there. New Business Gina offered to sell Zukes treats that were left over from the agility trial for sale. Trina informed the club that the awards banquet is coming up in May and that a location must be selected and the title plaques must be given to Cori so that the titles earned in 2008 can be engraved on them. Meeting Adjourned Motioned by Carol Ann at 8:35pm. The motion was seconded by Erin. Minutes of the Board Meeting February 4, 2009 Meeting The meeting was called to order at 9:29PM by Vice President Randy Reed at La Carreta restaurant. In attendance were Dave, Lynn, Jackie, Cori, Nancy, Keith, Carol Ann and Pat. Pat asked Cecilia if she would accept be appointment of agility director. Cecilia accepted and the board voted for that appointment unanimously. Cecilia will be starting that position in the near future and Randy will assist her. Occasionally Cecilia will not be available on Tuesday nights and Randy will substitute for her. Classes will be geared for beginning and advanced agility. The first hour will be for beginning agility and the second hour will be for advanced. Nancy Bloom would like to be allowed return to MOC run thrus. The restrictions include that she will run her dog as the first or the last 24 dog and handlers and dogs will stay away from the ring when Nancy and Annie are working. Annie will not be required to wear a muzzle. Randy and Cecilia will evaluate Annie to decide when and if Annie can be included in agility classes. In the mean time Nancy B. is working on Annie s possible aggression problem. Annie will continue to be welcome to attend Wednesday night run thrus. Meeting adjourned at 10:05PM motioned by Cori and seconded by Jackie. Respectfully submitted by Lynn Proe, Recording Secretary The Scooper 3 February 2009
Humane Society of Greater Miami/Adopt-A-Pet - Walk for the Animals By Nancy Bloom The HSGM WALK FOR THE ANIMALS took place this past Saturday, 2/21/09. It was a beautiful south Florida winter day. Randy Reed arrived at Bay Front Park around 4AM to lay out the floor plan for all of the tents, etc.. Randy also set up some of his own agility equipment and said people were enjoying it throughout the morning. I arrived around 0730 to work at the registration table. The rest of the MOC Pack arrived in time for the 10AM start. The Pack members walking included Debbie Willey, Carol Ann Klein, Dennis and Margaret Moss, Nancy Bloom, Maki Nieto-Menendez, Randy Reed, and Jackie Kurzban. Also participating were Diana Cabana and Carola Di Perna. Pack members not present were Jane Davidson, Ginny Guin, Jill Sidran, Sherry Simon and Wien Yu. A big thank you to all of the members and their friends and family who donated. We collected $1511! Thank you, also, to MOC for getting behind such a worthwhile project. Preliminary figures indicate that the walk met their goal of $175,000! The Scooper 4 February 2009
Dinah & Gala enjoying the HSGM Walk for the Animals Event! Legislation Corner Following was shared by Cliff MacBroom. Florida 's legislative session officially begins in March, but some committees already have begun to hold meetings. HB 451 was introduced by Rep. Scott Randolph, D-Orange County. Here is a link to the actual legislation: http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/sections/documents/loaddoc.aspx?filename=_h0451.xml&documenttype=bill&billnumber=0451&session=2009. We urge Florida dog and cat owners to contact members of this committee and ask them to oppose HB 451. Please remind them that several national polls by mainstream publications have shown strong opposition to spay and neuter mandates. For example, a poll last summer by Parade Magazine showed that 90-percent of the 55,249 people who responded were opposed to it. Here is a link to contact information for members of the committee: http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/sections/committees/committeesdetail.aspx?sessionid=61&committeeid=2470. We also urge all Floridians to contact their own legislator and express your opposition to this legislation. Here is a link page for each legislator's contact information: http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/sections/representatives/representatives.aspx. This link will allow you to track the legislation: http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/sections/bills/billsdetail.aspx?billid=40352&sessionid=61. The Scooper 5 February 2009
MOC 2008 Plaque Form Reminder from Nancy Atkins: Below, please find the application for the 2008 plaque that will be presented at our May, 2009 Annual Banquet meeting. If you qualify for a plaque and if you earned AKC titles on your dog(s) during 2008, please print a copy of the application (one per dog), fill it out, follow all instructions carefully, and submit to Cori any time between now and the April 1, 2009 meeting. Don't forget your old plaque if you already have one from previous years! If you have questions, please address them to Cori at corig222@bellsouth.net Miami Obedience Club, Inc. Application for MOC s AKC Title Plaque To be presented at 2009 Annual Awards Banquet (Note: one dog per form. If you wish to apply on behalf of more than one dog, please copy this application and send materials in separate envelopes.) Hurry! Deadline is Wednesday April 1, 2009 at the MOC Membership meeting. Owner s Name: Owner s Address: Street: City: State: Zip Code: Owner s Phone Number: Dog s Call Name: Dog s Registered Name: Title(s) earned during calendar year 2008, with date each title was completed (Do not include CGC title) Title: Date: Title: Date: Title: Date: Is this a new plaque? Yes No (If No, please remember to return current plaque to Cori before the deadline for engraving) Owner s Signature: Date: Return application PLUS copies of AKC title certificates and existing plaque (if applicable) either in person or mail to: Cori Gacusana MOC Annual Awards Banquet Chairperson 2385 Coral Way Miami, FL 33145 Send it now! Deadline is April 1st, 2009. Verification and engraving take time. No extensions can be allowed. Plaques are for AKC titles ONLY. Plaque recipients MUST be members in good standing and MUST have attended a minimum of FOUR membership meetings during the year. The Scooper 6 February 2009
Thanks for forwarding Debbie Willey! Great idea & make several copies for wallet, car, home. IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT In the event that I,, am incapacitated due to an automobile accident or other catastrophe, l want to make my wishes known regarding my dog, (name). Therefore, please honor the following requests: 1. My (relationship to dog s owner), (name/s) is/are to be contacted as soon as possible at the following telephone number(s): Home B ; Cell B. If he [she, they] cannot be reached, please contact my, at. All expenses for the dog will be guaranteed by any of them. 2. If is not injured, please make arrangements for him [her] to be cared for by the nearest reputable boarding kennel and kept in the best possible manner until arrangements can be made to get him home. 3. If is injured, please make arrangements for him [her] to be cared for by the nearest reputable veterinarian. I would prefer that (insert name of regular vet) be contacted at [regular & emergency phone number] regarding decisions about his [her] care and treatment. If is injured beyond all hope of recovery, please make arrangements to have him [her] humanely euthanized by the nearest reputable veterinarian. 4. A photograph of is attached, as well as a list of his [her] most recent vaccination records. is a neutered [intact] male [female] (name of breed), born. He [she] is (coloring), " tall to the withers, weighs approximately pounds and is in excellent [good, average, poor] health. 5. has the following identification and registrations: Tattoo located on, Tattoo number, registered with ; phone. Microchip, Serial number, registered with ; phone. 200 rabies vaccination, License No., County,. Thank you for your cooperation and assistance in this time of need. My dog's welfare is my primary consideration. Dated: (Sign above and print name here) Address: The Scooper 7 February 2009
1) Attend two meetings (Meetings are the first Wednesday of each month). 2) Fill out an application and have two sponsors (MOC members) sign it. 3) Pay annual dues of $20 individual or $30 family (two adults in the same household). 4) Be in good standing with the AKC. 5) Be willing to pitch in and help! The Scooper 8 February 2009