The Barker NEWSLETTER OF THE SOUTHERN COLORADO KENNEL CLUB April, 2012 Editor Kat Walden katmar_goldens@hotmail.com From The President s Pen I hope this finds everyone enjoying their spring and making plans for a summer vacation, a project around the house, or that special family reunion picnic. Planning an event is exciting as you decide where to go or what to build or who to visit oh, the anticipation! Just thinking about those things is half the fun! Recently a very good friend of mine was diagnosed with an aggressive form of lymphoma and has spent the last few weeks in the hospital undergoing chemo and radiation treatments. This great guy is a longtime dog person, having lived with and shown many dogs over the years. His illness brought to mind another set of plans that are maybe not fun to think about, but none the less, very important to have in place, and that is what will happen to your pets when you are too ill to take care of them or gone? It is very important that you have a plan in place that will provide for your loving companions so they don t end up at a shelter waiting for??? Please take the time to look at the options and discuss them with your family so they know your last wishes for your pet. If you can, include the cost of their care in your will. They give us unconditional love no matter what; the least we can do is make sure they are taken care of after we are gone. Your Servant, renee President: Renee Wolfe Vice President: Will Hughes 719-251-4352 719-544-3265 rlchessie@comcast.net Lcado97@hotmail.com 3104 Morris Ave 29437 E. Hwy 50 East Pueblo, CO 81008 Pueblo, CO 81006 Secretary: Milli Goodman Treasurer: Flo Andrews 719-544-0184 719-250-5095 millipt@msn.com floffice@wildblue.net 2355 Chantala Ave. 49452 Hwy 96 E. Pueblo, CO 81006 Avondale, CO 81022 Board Members: Allen Campbell 719-647-0676 Lisa Golob 719-545-1764 aldoncam@q.com aagolob@hotmail.com Pat Hill 719-547-3224 Connie Smalley 719-738-1958 pjhbreeze@msn.com csmalley@usa.net Show Chairman: 2012 Crystal Messersmith 64 S. Alto Vista Pueblo West 81007 Assistant show chairman: Tim Messersmith Obedience: Pat Hill 719-547-3224 638 Domingo Pueblo West 81007 Rally: Flo Andrews AKC Delegate: Lee Arnold
Reflections from a Newbie.The Conformation Ring Chapter 3 When last we parted, I and Mr. Hoot had earned our first point. I still am very confused about points. You earn points when you place above other class dogs/bitches, with such titles as Winners Dog, Winner s Bitch, Best of Winners. Regress for a moment.i still have trouble using the term Bitch..growing up in a non-dog related household, bitch had a very negative meaning, but I am trying to embrace all the dog show world lingo, so there we are. Anyway, we had earned 2 points being Best of Winners. Points vary from region to region and breed to breed. If you show against a common breed, say, Golden Retrievers, you have to place above a lot of dogs to earn a point. Kuvasz are more rare, so you don t have to place above as many. Apparently, the AKC changes the geographical regions related to the point system, so my best advice is talk to someone who knows what this is all about. I m not there yet. Phoenix AZ, first week of February 2012. Time for another road trip. This time we graduated from my white minivan to a friend s motor home. Our friend, Adrienne, from South Dakota, who shows Vizslas, Komondors, and a Siberian Husky, drives south to pick up me and Beth and our dogs and we head to Phoenix. Three humans and eight dogs that s 38 legs if anyone is counting. It took us from 8:30 AM to 12:30 AM to get there. A very slow stop near Winslow/Holbrook AZ for a quick bite that was anything but quick. Avoid the Burger King truck stop if you are in a hurry. Day One: Thursday, a Sporting Dog Specialty. Adrienne shows Vizslas and Beth and I settle in and bathe dogs. Day Two: Friday, there are enough Kuvasz to have what is called a Major, meaning there are multiple points to be earned and you have to win at least two majors to earn a Championship on your dog. Mr. Hoot gets Best of Winners.yahoo.all that Conformation 101 Class and practice is paying off. We earn 4 points, our first Major. Day Three had a special event as part of the show, something the AKC is experimenting with..owner-handler competition a lot of the big winner dogs these days are handled by professionals. I have no ill will towards professional handlers.it is great to make a living doing something you love.but it does put the folks that own and live with their dogs and want to show them at a bit of a disadvantage. It s like a regular guy competing with a professional baseball player. Anyway, some shows are having an Owner-Handler event after the regular group competition. Beth and Mr. Hoot s father, Astro, got Group One Working Dog and got to go to Best In Show Owner-Handler. That was pretty cool. Day Three, Four, and Five were interesting, as each day a different girl got Winners Bitch and earned a 3 point major. Mr. Hoot and I got Best of Winners each day to earn a cross over major. Wow! We ended up with a total of 15 points..we are a CHAMPION!!!!!!! But that was only part of why it was so much fun.everyone was supporting and cheering each other on. Everybody got something positive out of the weekend. That was great. So what is next for us? We plan to have some different fun for awhile with Rally Obedience and some low key agility stuff. I m not sure if we will make it after all to the Kuvasz National Specialty in May.I may not be able to get the time off from work. But we will be back in the Conformation Ring at some point. We are looking forward to more competition. Until then we will continue working on how to be an even better team. Milli Goodman Observations from the Sidelines By Kat Walden As promised here is the explanation of how breed points are determined taken from the AKC website with permission from the AKC. How does the AKC determine the dog and bitch counts necessary for attaining certain sets of points for the different divisions each year? Divisions are normally a grouping of adjacent states that share the same schedule of points. However, HI, AK, and PR (because of their geographic isolation) are of a single state or territory. The calculations only take into account the number of dogs that actually competed (not those that were entered, but marked absent) during the previous year. In each division, except AK, HI, and PR, the schedule is set according to the following formula, considering the dogs in regular class competition for the previous year. One point-95% of the shows where there was competition carry one or more points for dogs and bitches. 2
Two Points-set at half the difference between the one and three point breaks. Three Points-As close as possible to 18%, but should not exceed 20%, of the shows in a division are to carry major points (3, 4, or 5) for both dogs and bitches. Majors created by Best of Winners, Best of Breed and Best of Opposite are not counted in this calculation and are in effect bonus majors over and above the 18%. Four Points-Set at 2/3 of the difference between the three and five point breaks. Five points-as close as possible to 2% of the shows are to carry 5 points for both dogs and bitches. Independent Parent Club specialties or Designated Parent Club specialties held in conjunction with an All Breed are not counted. Independent Local Specialties and Designated Local Specialties with All Breed shows are included in the computations. Additionally, events held in conjunction with the AKC Eukanuba National Championship Show (+ 3 days) are not included. Because there are so few shows in Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, we calculate the schedule of points per the above formula, and then adjust to assure a fair and equitable distribution of points that result in similar distribution as the divisions within continental United States. Brags!!! GARDEN CITY SHOWS: Marnie Pixley and Kat Walden s Golden Retriever, Katmar s Royal Ride was Best Winners and Best Opposite at show 1 and took a Puppy Group 2. Talon went Select at all three shows. Katmar s Simply Adorabowl was Winners Bitch and Best Opposite at show 3. Kerri Kent and Denise Betz Berner, Lennon, was Best of Winners at all 3 shows to finish his championship. He also took a Bred by Group 1 at show 3. Tim and Crystal Messersmith s Yorkie. Paradise Prime Investment, was Best of Winners and Best of Breed at show 1 and Winners Dog in show 2. Paradise Floodstage was Winners Bitch and Best Opposite in show 1 and Best of Winners and Best Opposite in show 2. Hagen Davis was 3 rd in Open Intermediate Showmanship on Saturday and 4 th on Sunday Kerri Kent s black Cocker, Gordo, was Best of Variety all three days. SCOTTSBLUFF SHOWS: Hagen Davis was 3 rd in Open Intermediate Showmanship on Friday and 4 th on Saturday. Renee Wolfe s Chessie, Bridget went Select on Friday, Best of Breed on Saturday and Sunday. Brittany Rasco was 3 rd in Open Senior Showmanship on Saturday and Sunday. OTHER BRAGS: Marsha Littau s Border Collie, Jake, was 2 nd in Excellent Jumpers and 4 th in Excellent Standard for a double Q at the Golden Retriever AKC agility trial. Marsha s Beagle, Dolly, was lst in Open Standard. Brittany Rasco s Beagle, Molly, finished her Novice Standard title with a 1 st place. Brittany also ran Marsha s Jake in Excellent Standard and Dolly in Open Standard. Diane Hughes Aussie, Jedda, was Winners Bitch and Best of Breed on Saturday at the March ASCA show in Kiowa. Diane s puppy, Blake, was Best Puppy all three shows. Her Lily finished her ASCA CDX. At the same ASCA shows Pat Hill s Border Collie, Whisper was 1 st in Novice Rally and High in Trial Rally. Whisper also got a CDX leg in obedience. Pat Lester s Aussie, Sami, was 2 nd in Novice Rally to finish her title. Her Border Collie, Kye, was 1 st in Novice Obedience to finish his title. April Book Review by Diana Werner Brute Strength, by Susan Conant. Sutton, Surrey, England: Severn House, 2011. $28.95; available at Pueblo public library. This is the latest entry in Susan Conant's well-known "Dog Lover's Mystery" series, which goes back many years. Recently she has been trying other things--cat lover's mysteries and cooking/recipe mysteries written with her daughter. But with this item, she's back to her forte, the dog mysteries. Holly Winter can't help her name; her parents raise and show Goldens, and a name like "Jane Winter" or "Sue Winter" would never have occurred to them. Holly herself has Malemutes, and shows them in conformation and obedience. She writes a column for "Dog's Life" magazine, and keeps running into murderers and mysteries. Since her entire family shows dogs, dog show lore and culture infuse all of her books, and provide an interesting and informative background to all of the happenings. In this entry, a series of very odd but apparently natural demises arouse Holly's suspicions. She finds her nearest and dearest under threat--her family members and--oh, no!--even her dogs. Will Holly's courage and that of her dogs--plus their excellent obedience training-- be enough to save her? I guess it's a bit predictable, if you have read other books of hers, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. 3
TRAINING CENTER NEWS There is now training center news this month. But, a big thank you to all the trainers that are helping the training center reach the success that it is. AKC NEWS The new schedule of championship points for conformation will go into effect with a new realignment of divisions. The number of divisions will increase from 13 to 15. Colorado is in Division 7 along with Oklahoma and Texas. The top 10 breeds in popularity for 2011 are: 1 Labrador Retriever, 2 German Shepherd Dog, 3 Beagle, 4 Golden Retriever, 5 Yorkshire Terrier, 6 Bulldog, 7 Boxer, 8 Poodle, 9 Dachshund, 10 Rottweiler. The Lab has held the number one spot for 21 consecutive years. called to order 7:00 PM SCKC March 20, 2012 General Membership Meeting Members Present: Lisa Singletary, Allen Campbell, Pat Hughes, Kathy Seley, Denise Betz, Carole Pfeiffer, Jean O Neil, Diana Hughes, Barb Elliott, Jennifer Sams, Dee Dunlap, Anne Haley, Daniel & Michelle Bravo, Katie Pope, Scott&Donna Darnell, Kelsey Darnell, Crystal Messersmith, Katrina Davis, Marnie Pixley, Kat Walden, Lisa Golob, Evelyn Wertenberger, Brittany Rasco, Marsha Littau, Carol Kuhns, Pat Lester, Diana Werner, Flo Andrews, Milli Goodman, Renee Wolfe, Barbara Curtis, Diana behling,ruella Anderson, Kathy Gallina, Pat Hill, Gail Kingrey, Lynette carson, Carey Moreschini, Karen & Kurt Stecco, Stephen & Karen Hodge, Diana Anaya, David Anaya, Christina Ohlsen, Vickie Trumble, Ruth Rague. Minutes from Feb meeting read and accepted Treasurer s Report: Reviewed, Training Center income is up. Thanks to our entire training crew and Head trainer Pat Lester. Motion carried to pay all outstanding bills and accept report as written Correspondence: none Committees: Show: Everything is going as needed at this time. Training center: We have had lots of calls recently so we should be filling up. We need more agility instructors. New class is being developed for novice handlers in obedience ring. Active members need to contact Pat Lester if they want to take a full class series (ie not a drop in class). If the class is not full with paying participants, active members may attend at no cost. If you sign up for a full series, please show up for the entire series or let Pat or your instructor know if you can not make a class. Also, members are reminded that we need to keep the building clean and are encouraged to sign up for cleaning duties. Unfinished Business: Reminder to all members that club apparel is available for order through Carol Kuhns. If you want something to wear at our show in the fall, do not wait until the last minute to order what you want. Club elections are coming up in June. The Nominating Committee will present it s slate of candidates at the Apr meeting, any nominations from the floor can be made at the May meeting. New Business: Be sure to let Pat Lester know of any brags for printing in the Barker. Any topics of interest or articles should be sent to Kat Walden. Renee wants photos of you and your dog with any new titles earned this year so she can begin our Wall of Fame. Photos should be 8x10. Renee put forth the following proposal for membership consideration regarding our building: should we consider modifying the floor to level it out and then place some sort of foam matting that is easier on our dogs and less of a fall hazard for all concerned. We would have to discuss the idea with our landlord and obtain contractor bids to see what the cost would be. Discussion followed. The membership indicated their approval to get more information and agreed in principal to proceed if the cost was reasonable. Additional information will be discussed at future meetings. Carol Kuhns asked if the club would consider using our building to host a low cost pet vaccination clinic sometime in the future. She will present a formal proposal to the Board. 4
Education: Two seminars are upcoming. Our club is hosting Techniques to Improve Top Line, reach, and Drive on March 24 th. The Mile High Sporting Dog Fanciers are hosting Structure in Action with Pat Hastings on Apr 7 th. Membership: First readings for Cherie Holmquist (single), Donald & Gloria Hirsch (family), and Barbara & Ronald Elliott (family). Second readings for Barbara Curtis (single) and Candace Mizell (single). Voting completed on these 2 per club rules and both were accepted as new members. Adjourned at 8:05 PM. Respectfully submitted by Milli Goodman, Secretary SCKC April 3 rd, 2012 Board Meeting Called to order 6:40 PM Members Present: Renee Wolfe, Milli Goodman, Lisa Golob, Flo Andrews, Allen Campbell, Pat Hill. Treasurer s Report: reviewed and discussed. New supplies have been ordered for the training center. Education: the seminar on Top line, Reach, and Drive held March 24 th was well attended and well received. Show Committee: Crystal has had to step down as show chairman for 2012. Renee Wolfe agreed to act as show chair and Milli Goodman will be assistant Show Chair. Most of the chairmen from last year will continue. Katrina Davis will take reservations for reserved grooming. We have heard from two breed clubs (Ridgebacks and Chesapeaks) that want to have a supported entry at our show this year. Website New Business: the BOD discussed having a page on the club site to serve as an FYI in our community regarding dogs that are in need of new homes. This will be brought before the general membership for their consideration. Old Business: we have new weave poles and we will try and sell our old ones. We will order a new set of Rally signs because of the changes going into effect this year. Adjourned at 8:00 PM. Respectively submitted, Milli Goodman, Secretary SOUTHERN COLORADO KENNEL CLUB, INC. Proposed Standing Rules Revised Feb 21, 2012 There shall be two types of membership, Active and Lifetime: (A) Active membership shall be open to all persons eighteen years of age and older, who are in good standing with the American Kennel Club and who subscribe to the purposes of the Club. (B) Lifetime membership may be awarded by the Board to members of the Club who have rendered service to the Club for a minimum of ten years, who are in good standing with the American Kennel Club, and who subscribe to the purposes of the Club. 1. The Annual Awards Dinner is to be held at a convenient time and location, preferably during the months of December, January, or February. This function takes the place of the regular December membership meeting. The Annual Summer Outing is to be held at a convenient time and location, preferably in August, and will take the place of the regular August membership meeting. All members are eligible to attend the Annual Summer Outing. If necessary, a meeting may be called. 2. The requirements for a member to be considered active and eligible to attend the Annual Awards Dinner paid for by the SCKC and/or attend free training classes are as follows: a. Attend a minimum of four (4) scheduled meetings per year. b. Donate a minimum of eight (8) hours at the annual SCKC dog shows, or training sessions offered by the Club, or c. Perform other verifiable work for the benefit of the SCKC approved by the Board. 5
d. Single memberships are allowed one guest at the Annual Awards Dinner. e. Family memberships are allowed one guest per family membership at the Annual Awards Dinner. All family members of a family membership are allowed to attend the Annual Awards Dinner so long as one member has met the attendance and volunteer requirements. f. Under meritorious circumstances, the attendance requirement could be waived at the Board s discretion. g. Lifetime members are exempt from the requirements above. 3. Prospective members must attend two (2) scheduled meetings for membership approval in addition to points 2a, 2b and/or 2c above to be considered active members. 4. The Show Chair, Judges Hospitality Chair, Judges Selection Chair, and the person/persons transporting judges will not personally handle dogs in conformation at the SCKC Shows. Other Officers, Members of the Board of Directors, and Committee members of the Southern Colorado Kennel Club Inc. may exhibit. 5. Decisions regarding the training sessions shall be left to the discretion of the training director, subject to Board approval. 6. The Treasurer will submit a complete written report monthly, to be filed with the Recording Secretary. 7. SCKC property may be rented or borrowed with Board approval. Upcoming Events May 11 th & 12 th Rio Grande Kennel Club, Albuquerque NM, Breed, Obedience and Rally, Onofrio, Supt. May 13 th & 14 th - Coronado Kennel Club, Albuquerque, NM, Breed, Obedience and Rally, Onorio, Supt. May 18 th -20 th - Durango Kennel Club, Cortez, Breed, Obedience and Rally, Onofrio, Supt. May 25th & 26 th Central Wyoming Kennel Club, Casper Wyoming, Breed, Obedience and Rally, Onofrio, Supt. May 27 th & 28 th Laramie Kennel Club, Laramie Wyo.. Breed, Onofrio, Supt. June 2 nd & 3 rd Flatirons Kennel Club, Longmont, Breed, Obedience and Rally, Onofrio, Supt. 6