HVGRC NEWS A newsletter for members of the Hudson Valley Golden Retriever Club President s Letter January March 2019 Another year is upon us and another holiday season is past. I m still having a hard time writing 2019 on my documents. I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and the outlook for 2019 is bright with purpose, promise and joy. 2018 was another very successful year for HVGRC. Our Super Specialty weekend was an unqualified success. The weather cooperated, the entries were strong and the Raffle was another record breaker. We successfully moved our Agility Trial to a new location, new date and had a terrific weekend. For the first time, we held two Health Clinics and both exceeded our expectations. 2019 promises to be more of the same. Our first Health Clinic of the year will be Sunday, March 24th at the Norwalk Veterinary Hospital. We are securing the doctors and will announce them shortly. Our Super Specialty is planned for June 6-7. The judging panel is in place and will be announced once contracts are signed. Lorraine is already busy collecting items for the raffle. She promises another record breaking assortment! We are staying in the Agility game, despite rumors to the contrary! Rather than place much of the workload on club members, we are working with a small business that does 90% of the upfront work for us. We are guaranteed a financial return regardless of participation. Club members are still needed for help at the trial. We are hoping this new partnership will keep us in the Agility world for many years to come. Our trial is planned for November 2-3 at Paws n Effect in Hamden, CT. Currently, we are working on a schedule of meetings for 2019. We will once again sponsor the Paws n Claws 911 Pet CPR and First Aid seminar that was so well received this past October. This time the seminar will be held in Rockland County to make it easy for members on the other side of the river to attend. April 27th is the date. Details will follow, but be sure to mark the date on your calendar! Nora Hayes is working hard to pull together an introduction to Field Training meeting for a weekend in April. Nora has the day planned but needs to find a location. There are several places on her radar. As always, if you have ideas for meetings or know an expert in a field that would be of interest to our members, please tell us! This is your club and the Board is here to bring value to your membership dues! Seriously, while a few other Golden Retriever clubs have closed in the last year, I believe HVGRC remains vital and strong. We are not the largest club in the area, but we have a membership of people who work very hard to keep us relevant. The events we hold and the help and advice we provide, benefit the tri-state community of dog owners - not just members or Golden Retrievers. We are a club we can always be proud of! 2019 will be another great year for the Hudson Valley Golden Retriever Club! TABLE OF CONTENTS President s Letter... 1 Calendar of Coming Events... 2 Our Stars... 2 Deadlines for Next Issue... 2 Specialty Report: Raffle... 3 Special Article: Growing Old Gracefully... 4 Beat the Blahs... 5 HVGRC Officers... 6 Bits & Pieces... 7 Bob
HVGRC CALENDAR OF COMING EVENTS Friday January 25 Sunday March 24 Saturday April 20 Saturday April 27 Thursday and Friday June 6-7 Beat the Blahs Amuzae, Campbell Hall, NY 7 PM All Breed Health Clinic at the Norwalk Veterinary Hospital Introduction to Field Training, details TBA Paws n Claws 911 Pet CPR and First Aid Seminar Tappan Fire House, Tappan, NY Super Specialty Saturday and Sunday November 2-3 Annual Agility Trial Paws n Effect, Hamden, CT!! Our Stars!! Kathy Eddy's "Trey" CH Comstock s Hijo De Tres Madres continues his winning ways with Grand Champion points: GrCH points 10/25. Riverhead KC. Mr Kurt Anderson. SEL 1 GrCH. pts 10/26. Queensboro KC. Ms Sandra Anderson. SEL. 3 GrCH pts 10/27. Queensboro KC. Mr Nathaniel Horn. BOS. 3 GrCH pts Patty McCoy Coleman has been busy with her youngster, adding three more titles: Tangleloft McCoy's Star Witness, BN now has a CGC and Novice Trick Title to add to his name and is recognized by AKC as an Achiever Dog June Moscovitz's Merrie also added a title after her name: Cayberry Fetching A Smile To Juneper CCA RA CGC has now added a CD. The first leg was at our June trial and the next two at PCOTC in November. DEADLINES FOR NEXT ISSUE April 1st Deadline for News April 15th Mailing Date HOW TO SUBMIT NEWS All news must be submitted in legible, written form received by the editor before the deadline. Please submit news to Nora Hayes norahayes3@aol.com. 2
2019 Specialty Raffle From our Raffle Queen Lorraine Cusimano Hi Everyone, I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Holiday Season filled with many Blessings. Now it s time to look ahead into the New Year. The Holidays are over and the gift giving is done. Have you gotten any unwanted gifts? Something that you don t like for whatever reason? Maybe you re planning to return it but it s still sitting there and hasn t gone back to the store yet. Please consider donating these items to our Specialty 2019 Raffle. This is the time of year when bargains, discounts and sales are everywhere. If you see a great deal, like a twofor-one special, please consider donating the second item to our raffle. Every little bit helps. Sometimes I receive one item from someone and it is exactly what I need to complete a basket. It doesn t matter whether you donate one item or ten, gently used or new, dog related or otherwise, it will find a place in our Raffle. Larger items usually stand alone (like a framed print, a foot stool or a dog bed), smaller items are usually assembled as a theme for a basket (like a collection of beauty products, an assortment of kitchen items, or dog treats and toys). Last year was our first year with a rack of clothing t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, a denim shirt, a denim jacket and a field jacket. I had an equal number of hats and t-shirts so I matched and paired those together for a nice prize. All sold lots of tickets and went home with happy people. Last year we had approximately twenty businesses that either displayed their products and offered a gift certificate, or offered a basket of their products, or had a display of their services and the prize was a gift certificate to receive those services, like a custom painting or a photography session. All of these businesses offer unique, handmade products and services at specially discounted rates for our Raffle. Not only are there many happy winners but the businesses are receiving free exposure and a great way to grow their business. They all provide business cards for take-away. If you know someone who has a wonderful product or service please tell them about our Raffle and how it can benefit them and our club at the same time. Please have them call or email me. Unless it s a service where the winner needs to meet with the provider, such as with the photography sessions, or hair salon services, these businesses don t have to be local. We have an author who sends me her best-selling dog books from California and another very talented lady who designs and makes fun dog collars and mails them to me, also from California. March is when I lay out all the items I ve collected so far in the Raffle Room and begin to assemble themed baskets. It s also when I decide what can stand alone and what needs to be themed, what will be a blue ticket item or basket (worth under $100), red paw item or basket (more expensive red tickets required) and which prizes will be on the bidding table. Those are the items worth several hundred dollars like the watches, the field basket, the custom paintings, and the expensive beauty products. Thanks to many of you I already have a nice collection of donations,which I have posted in earlier emails. More recently I owe thanks to several members for their generous contributions: June Moskovitz gave me her usual big bag of tennis balls. Every year I have fun making up the Basket of Balls for the ball-crazed dog and it is a coveted basket that sells lots of tickets. Thanks so much June!! The Halperns brought a collection of baskets to the Trick Dog/Halloween meeting. Thanks to all of you who have donated baskets I have not had to buy any in a long time! Remember - any size, color or shape is welcome. Many thanks to Lynn and Jonathan!! Patty McCoy-Coleman gave me a bunch of assorted ribbons to decorate the baskets with and toys for the dogs three ropes with balls. We know how much they love those! Thank You Patty!! cont d p. 4 3
Bob Swanson and Chad Carr gave me a beautiful Tudor Backpack with black leather and canvas. It s one of the nicest backpacks I ve ever seen. It will be a stand-alone and I know it will bring in lots of money for the club. A Big Thank You to Bob and Chad!! Joe met Melissa Fairweather out on the highway one day and she donated some terrific baskets, duck decoys, a training book and DVD s and Golden Retriever earrings - a nice assortment of items. I have a collection of field items which when grouped together with the duck decoys will make a wonderful prize. Thanks so much Melissa!! I always need more stuff so please think about what you can contribute to this year s Raffle. I accept your donations all year long so give me a call or email me and we can arrange for pick up. I do the work of organization and setup but without you and your donations there is no Raffle. Please make those donations and together we can have another successful Raffle for our club to be proud of. Thank you so much for all your support in always helping to make the Raffle happen!! Wishing you a very Happy and Healthy New Year. Looking forward to seeing you in 2019. Lorraine Kira3@comcast.net 845-278-4062 editors note: a very special treat for our members. Our very own Susan Handleman's GRCA column from 1992! A very big encouragement to all of us to continue to play the game with our aging dogs. (and a surprise for Sue!) Growing Old Gracefully By Sue Handleman A Dog' s Life. During quail season in Georgia, an Atlantan met an old farmer hunting with an ancient Pointer at his side. Twice the dog ran rheumatically ahead and pointed. Twice his master fired into the open air. When the man from Atlanta saw no birds rise, he asked the farmer for an explanation. "Shucks," grinned the old man. "I know there wam't no birds in that grass. Spot's nose ain't what it used to be. But him and me have had some wonderful times together. It'd be mighty mean of me to call him a liar at this stage of the game." (From The Golden Paws, Kansas City GRC. Attributed to Bennett Cerf, Stories To Make You Feel Better (Random House). This anecdote started me thinking about my oldest dog, now 13 1/2, and of the good times we continue to have. During his early years he had completed his obedience titles and placed in some sanctioned qualifying trials. By the time he was six, I had acquired two field-bred dogs and he was relegated to he role of onlooker and companion. For three years he waited patiently in his crate while the others worked. He had recreational outings, but I had stopped training him. When my field dogs entered advanced stakes in the new Hunting Retriever Program, it occurred to me that he could easily complete the Junior level tests. He did- passing five in a row, with no training and much enthusi asm, earn in g his title just three days before his tenth birthday. Encouraged, we began to reviewing handling drills, in preparation for Senior. He enjoyed the drills but his excess of enthusiasm-showed me that severe measures would be needed to restore his steadiness on line. Rather than pressure him in his old age we switched to another activity meanwhile allowing him to use his retrieving instincts in training sessions and occasionally running as test dog. cont d p.5 4
Together we learned tracking and be proudly passed with his first attempt at age 12 1/2. We started the next day on TDX concepts, which he mastered quickly. So dedicated was be that wben he found his last article, be often voluntarily extended his track by following tbe track layer's path out of the field. A series of strokes finally ended this activity at age 13 1/2, leaving us with this last task incomplete. Although I am sorry that time has finally run out on us, it really doesn' t matter. It was the activity and the shared time together that counted. He is still the first one at ilie door when he sees me preparing to go out, secure in the knowledge that he will not be left behind and that there will be a special walk or treat for him. Although I am proud of his accomplishments, I write this not to promote my old dog but to point out the pleasurable activities that can be enjoyed with your oldster, if you are willing to try something new and adjust your goals to his current level of physical ability. At the very least your old dog will delight in his special time with you and he just might surprise you with his accomplishments. 5
Hudson Valley Golden Retriever Club OFFICERS PRESIDENT Robert Swanson PO Box 220, Sherman CT 06784 (H)860/354-9416 (C) 860/318-1132 overlookgoldens@gmail.com VICE PRESIDENT Jonathan Halpern 45 Berrian Road, New Rochelle, NY 10804 (H) 914/235-6198 (FL)561/865-3488 Jon.H@att.net TREASURER Karen Frustaci 355 Route 340, Sparkill, NY 10976 (H) 845/359-8739 Karen.frustaci@verizon.net RECORDING SECRETARY Carol Russo 9 Strawberry Hill Court, Montvale, NJ 07645 (H) 201/694-0058 signetm@optonline.net CORRESPONDING SECRETARY Lorraine Cusimano 27 Sherwood Hill Rd, Brewster, NY 10509 (H) 845/278-4062 Kira3@comcast.net BOARD OF DIRECTORS CLASS OF 2018 Ann Marie Cioffi caseyberry@aol.com Lynn Halpern Lynn1@att.net CLASS OF 2019 Joseph Cusimano kira3@comcast.net Brian Visokay Brian@brvisokay.com NEWSLETTER EDITOR Nora Hayes 223 Egremont Plain Rd Egremont, MA 01230 (H) 413/528-0877 (C) 413/528-6276 norahayes3@aol.com LAYOUT/E-NEWS EDITOR Melissa Fairweather 1130 Old Ford Rd New Paltz, NY 845/255-8401 parhelion@hvc.rr.com STANDING COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN AKC PUBLIC ED COORDINATOR Lorraine Cusimano Kira3@comcast.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) 845/361-5944 6 MEMBERSHIP Cathy Winkler cwink448@aol.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
BITS AND PIECES PUPPY REFERRALS When listing your puppies with Binnie Weissleder (802) 375-9527 or dogzrus1@comcast.net 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 Chair, Cathy Winkler, at cwink448@aol.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 2019 Show, such a letter must reach the Board by April 2018. 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 E-MAIL Use this address whenever you need to communicate with the full membership: hvgrc@yahoogroups.com 7