Minutes - 2005 General Board Meeting May 12, 2005 Sweetbrier Inn & Suites, Oregon IA. Call to Order: 11:58 am IB. Seating of Delegates President - A. Mueller Present Vice-President - L. Ang Present Secretary - L. Stupak Present Treasurer - L. DeHaas Present Admin of Records - B. Smith Absent Registrar - E. Butler Present Head Breed Warden - J. Greenlee Present Membership - L. Crawley Present Dir. At Large - J. Rousseau Absent NWRD - D. Hernandez Present SWRD - C. Erlandson Absent NCRD - B. Crawley Present NERD - A. Devlin Present SCRD - J. DeMeo Present SERD - A. Hoskinson Present Bay Area Rottweiler Klub Present Great Northern Rottweiler Club Absent Victoria Rottweiler Club Present Western Oregon Rottweiler Klub Present Wine Country Rottweiler Club Absent Hudson Valley Rottweiler & SchH Club Present Podium Rottweiler Working Club Presdent New York Working Rottweiler Club See Below Heartland Rottweiler Klub Present Minnesota Working Rottweiler Assoc. Absent Nebraska Working Rottweiler Club Absent Wisconsin Rottweiler Perf. Club Present Anacapa Working Rottweiler Club Absent Inland Empire Rottweiler Club Absent Phoenix Rottweiler Club Absent Southern Counties Rottweiler Club Absent Tuscon Rottweiler Club Absent West Coast Rottweiler Klub Absent Bluegrass Working Rottweiler Club Absent Carolina Working Rottweiler Club Present Central Florida Rottweiler Klub Absent Old Dominion Rottwiler Club Present Suncoast Rottweiler Club Present Tennessee Working Rottweiler Klub Absent A quorum is present. Motion #1: Move NYWRC to Full Member Status 1 st : L. Crawely 2 nd : L. Ang Passed (17 for, 6 opposed) New York Working Rottweiler Club seated II. President s Welcome & Report - III. Acceptance of Minutes and Mail Ballots: Motion #2: To accept the 2003 Executive Board Meeting Minutes as printed in the USRC Magazine Issue 3, 2004. 1 st : L. Stupak 2 nd : J. Greenlee Passed Motion #3: To accept the 2004 General Board Meeting Minutes as printed in the USRC Magazine Issue 4, 2004 with the following changes S The judges committee has a correction to the 2004 GBM Minutes.#7 Appointed Committee Reports. b. Judges "Andreas Mueller had no report and has not been voted on yet" S This is incorrect Andreas was voted as an apprentice Judge at the previous EBM. Thanks Jacko S The 2004 GBM Minutes state no report was submitted from the Nomination Committee. This is incorrect. A report was submitted. 1 st : L. Stupak 2 nd : A. Mueller Passed Motion #4: To accept the 2004 Executive Board Meeting Minutes as printed in the USRC Magazine Issue 4, 2004 with the following change: - Motion #5 from the 2004 EBM Minutes needs to be removed. Motion #5 by Liz Crawley: To correct omission from the National Schutzhund Championship requirements that the qualifying score must be made in the twelve (12) months prior to the event (it was accidentally removed from the rules) be put back in. Seconded by Janay. Carried. This is not valid because there was NEVER a 12- month prior rule in existence.1 st : L. Stupak 2 nd : L. Crawley Passed Motion #5: To accept ballots #19-03 thru #25-03, #01-04 thru #17-04, and #01-05 thru #05-05 as printed in the USRC Magazine (Issues 1, 3 & 4 2004) 1 st : L. Stupak 2 nd : L. Ang Passed IV. Officers & Executive Reports: Vice President: Secretary: Treasurer: Admin of Records: Registrar: Decline in registrations 2002, 2003 and 1 st ½ of 2004. 2 nd half of 2004 and 1 st ½ of 2005 registrations back up. Like membership we re seeing an increase in support. Head Breed Warden: Membership Director: As of May 1, we have a total of 424 members in 303 memberships. Last year at the same time we had 404 members in 290 memberships so we are right on target for the year. This year we shifted payment over to the Treasurer s P.O. Box and that has been going fairly smoothly. We have had several new members from the TRQ ad placed last year. Members do need to remember to notify the Membership Officer when they move. Director at Large: V. Regional Director Reports: Northwest RD: Southwest RD: North Central RD: South Central RD: Northeast RD: Southeast RD:. VI-A. Standing (S) & Appointed (A) Committee Reports: Auditing (S):. Breed and BST (S): See Head Breed Warden Report Nominating (S):. Inquiry (S): Was accidentally left off agenda- see attached report Schutzhund Advisory (S):. Show Advisory (S):. Magazine (A):. Foreign Judge Liaison (A): Candidate Review (A): Committee Removed by President Ways and Means (A): Judges (A): Historian (A): Position Vacant WWW (A):. VII. Motions Resulting From Reports Andy Devlin emphasized the importance of a written/signed contract between USRC and any foreign judge chosen to judge a USRC event. Motion #6: Motion #7: Motion #8: From Audit Committee Report - To allow the Audit committee to secure a CPA near the home of the current Treasurer to conduct a full audit of the USRC accounting processes. The board authorizes an initial amount of up to $1000.00 for this project. 1 st : Dee Hernandez 2 nd : Janay Greenlee Not Passed That all titles recognized by the AKC, UKC (Britain), CKC and the FCI be automatically included in the USRC list of recognized titles for registry and advertising purposes. Effective June 1, 2005. 1 st : Adrienne DeHaas 2 nd : John DeMeo Withdrawn Judge s Misconduct Evaluation - To impose upon the host club the responsibility of reporting on the event evaluation form any misconduct of the judge that is prejudicial to the club. This is accomplished by adding to the show rules the following: Effective June 1, 2005. The host club shall report on the event evaluation form any misconduct of the judge that is prejudicial to the club.
Page 2 In the USRC Conformation Shows rules, this phrase is added as item g under Paragraph B.4. (Host club responsibilities). In the USRC Regional and National Sieger Shows rules, this phrase is added as item g under Paragraph C.4. (Host club responsibilities). In the USRC Sanctioning Shows rules, this phrase is added as item f under Paragraph B.4. (Host club responsibilities). 1 st : Adrienne DeHaas 2 nd : Liz Crawley Passed Motion #9: To allow electronic methods for providing critiques in addition to typewriters. Effective June 1, 2005. B.11 (under sanctioning show) B.13 (under conformation show and Sieger show) The host club shall provide a typewriter or computer with back up recording equipment (video or audio), table, chair, electricity and shelter against the sun, wind or rain. Critiques mustbe typed or the information captured via electronic method at the time they are dictated by the judge. 1 st : Adrienne DeHaas 2 nd : Andy Devlin Passed Motion #10: Motion #11: To add the following change to the to the show rules regarding the age for valid hip certifications. This change would be made throughout all of the USRC show rule guidelines as needed. Effective June 1, 2005. Section D conformation rules A: General 20. All dogs entered in USRC sanctioned events who are 24 months of age and older must possess a valid hip certification whether pass or fail from a USRC recognized country. Remove Section C. 5.K. 1 st : Adrienne DeHaas 2 nd : Erika Butler Passed To ensure that every one is given the opportunity to participate in all Regional Sieger and Schutzhund events, add the following change to the to the show rules: Regional Sieger and Schutzhund events will not be scheduled on the same weekend. This change would be made throughout all of the USRC show rule guidelines as needed. Effective June 1, 2005. Section D USRC Regional and National Sieger Shows A. General No two USRC regions shall hold a USRC Regional or National Sieger show or Schutzhund Championships on the same weekend. Prior to approval of dates each regional director must communicate with all other regional directors to ensure there is no conflict. For example, Southeast Regional Sieger Show and the Northwest Regional Sieger Show cannot both be held on May 14-15, 2005. 1 st : Adrienne DeHaas 2 nd : Lesley DeHaas Passed Motion #12: To change the awarding of the Universal Sieger/Siegerin Title at the Schutzhund National Championship to the National Sieger Show as follows: Effective June 1, 2005. A. General 2. All Rottweilers owned by members in good standing of the USRC are eligible to receive this title under the following conditions: a) The dog must possess a USRC recognized breed survey. b) The dog must compete in the USRC National Schutzhund Championships that immediately precede the USRC National Sieger show at which the Universal Sieger/Siegerin Title is awarded. in the same year (Ex. A dog competes at the 2006 USRC National Schutzhund Championships and at the 2007 USRC National Sieger Show where the Universal Sieger/Siegerin Title is awarded for that year.) 11. The person handling the Universal Sieger/Siegerin in the National Schutzhund Championships Sieger Show will receive a trophy award immediately following the declaration. In the transition year of 2005 the National Schutzhund Championship will be used as the final event to determine the 2005 Universal Sieger/Siegerin and as the first event for the determining the 2006 Universal Sieger/Siegerin. 1 st : Adrienne DeHaas 2 nd : Lesley DeHaas Passed Motion #13 Effective June 1, 2005 to change the Sieger title requirements eliminating the BST, Schutzhund/IPO and USRC Registration prerequisites leaving only the Hip and V-1 rating as requirements for the Sieger title. This change would be made throughout all of the USRC show rule guidelines as needed. FROM: USRC Sieger/Siegerin Title The USRC Sieger and Siegerin Title represent the combination of working ability and beauty. The USRC only awards this title at a National or Regional Sieger Show. A true champion must meet certain requirements in temperament as well as structure. To be eligible to compete a dog must possess at least a Schutzhund or IPO 1 title and must have passed a USRC recognized Breed Suitability Test. The dog must also have a USRC recognized hip rating and have earned a V-1 rating on that day. TO : USRC Sieger/Siegerin Title The USRC only awards this title at a National or Regional Sieger Shows. To be eligible, the dog must have a USRC recognized hip certification and earned a V-1 rating at the show. The winners from all adult classes are eligible for the Sieger titles. 1 st : Chuck Wilson 2 nd : Amanda Hoskinson Not Passed (7 for, 16 against) Amanda Hoskinson, in response to President s report: It was emphasized that ARC can host a schutzhund trial in conjunction with their National Specialty. ARC may be looking for an organization in the future to have a schtuzhund relationship with much like the GSDCA/WDA. She also emphasized that the process to qualify for the IFR team has always been clear and that the IFR should continue to be valued as a World Championship. Motion #14: Motion #15: Motion #16: LBST Prerequisites- Breed and BST Approve changes to USRC Advanced Breed Suitability Test and Lifetime Breed Suitability Test Rules and Routine to paragraph F5 as shown below. H. LBST Prerequisites 5. The LBST may be attempted no sooner than 2 (two) years from the date the ABST was obtained the following year at the same annual event where the ABST was earned (ie: if the ABST is earned at the test held in conjunction with the National Sieger Show, the LBST may be attempted at the test held in conjunction with the National Sieger Show the next year. If the ABST is earned at the test held in conjunction with the National Schutzhund Championship, the LBST may be attempted at the test held in conjunction with the National Schutzhund Championship the following year). 1 st : Janay Greenlee 2 nd : Bill Crawley Passed USRC Judges as Koermeister- Breed and BST Approve changes to Judges Program Rules to add paragraph C. ABST/LBST Judges as shown below, to rename the paragraph previous number C to D and the previous section D to E. Also Add "ABST and LBST" to the verbiage contain in E.3 as shown below. C. ABST / LBST Judges: 1. A USRC Conformation and BST Judge may apply to be an ABST/LBST judge after all the following requirements have been met: a. The applicant must have completed the 2 year probationary period with a temporary judges license and be a fully Licensed USRC Conformation and BST Judge. b. After becoming a fully Licensed USRC Conformation and BST Judge the applicant: 1) must have at least 3 1 years additional experience as a Licensed USRC Conformation and BST judge, 2) must have judged at least 10 5 USRC shows as a fully licensed USRC Conformation and BST Judge, and 3) must have judged at least 10 5 USRC BSTs with a minimum of 30 combined entries in attendance and judged. c. The candidate must apprentice at a minimum of twoone USRC ABST/LBSTs with a minimum combined entry of 8 (6?) one entrants in attendance and judged. D. For the purpose of familiarization with the training, preparation, qualifications, and paperwork requirements and the ABST/LBST routine, the applicant must own and handle at least one dog for an ABST or LBST and achieve a passing rating*. C The applicant may own and handle an eligible dog for a valid passing routine, or the applicant may complete the ABST/LBST with a dog that he/she owns and handles that does not meet the requirements to enter an ABST or LBST for breeding purposes (i.e. lack of critiques, progeny, SchH titles, hip rating or missing teeth). The applicant must follow all entry and routine requirements and may submit fictitious documents in the case of a dog that does not meet the entry requirements. Clubs should allow participation at no charge by applicants wishing to meet the judges program requirements if the dog owned and handled by applicant is not eligible to earn the ABST/LBST title. A written statement, signed by the Head Breed Warden, indicating that a passing routine [(one that included the dog standing for examination, standing for a critique, the protection routine, etc.) and paperwork requirements (sample or actual)] was performed by the named dog and handler, will be issued to applicants that successfully complete the ABST/LBST routine, if a dog does not possess the breed prerequisites (as indicated above) to obtain the ABS/LBST title. The Head Breed Warden will also send a copy of the signed statement to the Judges Committee. 2 The judge will become a USRC ABST/LBST judge after: a. the Judges Committee verify that all requirements are met and submits the information to the USRC Executive Board, b. the applicant is approved by the USRC Executive Board as a USRC ABST/LBST judge, c. the acceptance is published in the USRC magazine, and d. the candidate's ABST/LBST judging license is officially granted by the Head Breed Warden. E3. Be cognizant of, and abide by, current USRC Show Rules and Guidelines, BST, ABST, and LBST1 st : Janay Greenlee 2 nd : Lucy Ang Passed To change the BST rules to include the following requirement for the BST judge. To be eligible to judge a BST, judges must meet one of the following: 1. Be a licensed USRC Conformation & BST Judge 2. Be authorized to judge the BST by the ADRK or Swiss or Austrian Rottweiler Club 3. Possess an FCI license for judging rottweilers and a license to judge Schutzhund or IPO trials. 1 st : Janay Greenlee 2 nd : Erika Butler Passed Dee Hernandez in response to the President s report regarding Admin of records position: The Administrator of Records work is not being done, USRC revenue is being lost and members are complaining. USRC should provide the current admin. of records help and support in getting her work done. I previously stated I called Barbara Smith last April due to forms that were urgently needed for the Sieger Show from one of the Northwest Region clubs. I had been asked twice by the club for support in obtaining the forms as their requests went unanswered. Barbara had not responded to my e-mail or others nor my phone calls. I had a old work phone number for Barbara so I was able to reach her.
Page 3 I asked Barbara how I could help her. She stated she wanted a replacement to train and was calling Andreas's that night among other things. Barbara was talking to me as the Northwest Regional Director and the Nomination Committee Chair. I sent a message to the Executive Board the next morning of her resignation. Barbara is an Executive Board Member so she also received the message. Ten days later Barbara called the President and stated she did not resign. thank Barbara for her many years of loyal support to USRC! Discussion followed by the General Board and the President responded that the process will be fixed. Motion #17: Modified Schutzhund Routine for Working Class. 1 st : Chuck Wilson 2 nd : Janay Greenlee Tabled VIII. Bylaw Changes Motion #18: To approve the following voting procedures for annual RD/ARD elections Article VIII, Regions and Regional Directors; Section 6: Nomination and Election of Regional Directors, item b. Currently reads: b. When a Region consists of five (5) or more full member clubs, elections may be held at a Regional Meeting between the dates of January 1 and thirty (30) days prior to the General Board Meeting. All full member clubs of the Region must be notified of the meeting in writing not less than thirty (30) days prior to said meeting. A candidate must receive a majority of the votes of all full member clubs in the Region. If the Regional election is held, the USRC Secretary must be notified of the results within ten (10) days of the election. Failure to do so will void the election. Change to: 6. When a Region consists of five (5) or more full member clubs, elections may be held at a Regional Meeting between the dates of January 1 and thirty (30) days prior to the General Board Meeting. All full member clubs of the Region must be notified of the meeting in writing not less than thirty (30) days prior to said meeting. Notification of the meeting and voting on candidates for Regional Director and Assistant Regional Director may be done by fax, e-mail or other electronic means. A candidate must receive a majority of votes placed by full member clubs at the Regional Meeting or responding to an electronic ballot. If the Regional election is held, the USRC Secretary must be notified of the results within ten (10) days of the election. Failure to do so will void the election. 1 st : Dee Hernandez 2 nd : Lucy Ang Passed IX. Election Results Directors at Large Lala Roberts Chuck Wilson Nominating Committee Lorie Dewe Susan Hayes Dee Hernandez Rick O Nan Chuck Wilson Breed & BST Committee David Smith Chuck Wilson BOI Committee (Alternates Stephanie Smith Bryan Vice NE RD Andy Devlin NE ARD NONE NC RD Rick O Nan NC ARD Bill Crawley SC RD John DeMeo SC ARD Garrett Carlisle NW RD Dee Hernandez NW ARD Lorie Dewe SW RD Adrienne DeHaas SW ARD Bret Gross New Regional Directors in attendance were seated (Andy Devlin, Bill Crawley for Rick O Nan, John DeMeo, Dee Hernandez, Adrienne DeHaas) X. Old Business Motion #19: To accept the New USRC Working Judges Program. See Attached. 1 st : Liz Crawley 2 nd : John DeMeo Passed XI. Seat new officers Newly elected officers in attendance were seated (Chuck Wilson) XII. New Business Bylaw Committee A bylaw committee was appointed by the president to to update bylaws to account for changes in technology and look into preparing bylaws and rules for the WWW. The committee consists of Dee Hernandez, Liz Crawly, John DeMeo and Angeli Modjeski 2005 Schutzhund National Championship will be in New York. 2006 National Sieger Show Motion #20: To accept the 2006 National Sieger Show Proposal presented by Carolina Working Rottweiler Club (Date: TBD and Judges to be voted on by the EB). 1 st : Lucy Ang 2 nd : Lesley DeHaas Passed 2006 Schutzhund National Championship B.A.R.K is considering putting in a proposal for this event Motion #21: To Adjourn meeting. 1 st : Laurie Stupak 2 nd : Bill Crawley Passed Respectfully Submitted, Laurie Stupak Attachments President s Report Ladies and Gentleman, I welcome you to the 2005 GBM of the United States Rottweiler Club and the 2005 USRC National Sieger Show. I wish all participants the greatest possible success at this event. My greatest respect and appreciation goes out to all of the members and non-members involved hosting this year s show and of course to all of the people that went through the hassle to be here for this weekend. Hopefully you have received the latest agenda as there have been some last minute changes. I will read my report to you as I would like to avoid any possible misunderstandings about what I said. First of all, as a high priority, I want to thank all of our members that go out and compete with their Rottweilers outside of our organization. I want you to know that your effort is very important and gives the Rottweiler breed a lot of strength against the reputation of being a mean non sporty working dog breed. No matter how you end up score wise, I want you to know that you are supported by us. Most important to me is THE SCHUTZHUND COMPETITION with our Rottweilers. As this test is the only one that shows that a strong temperament on a dog, does not mean he is not under control. Back to Club business: Working Judges Program After I initiated the idea of having our own working judges program, the Schutzhund Committee has worked very hard through numerous negotiations within the Committee to create a working judge program for USRC. Finally the time has come to vote on the program presented to you at this meeting. Once the program is accepted, we will take it to the Executive Board of the United Schutzhund Club of America, in order to ask for recognition of titles given by our judges. I sure hope for your support of this program. IFR/ARC In the past you might have seen threads on the internet and on private email lists where I, as USRC President, have been criticized for my activities on the ARC/IFR Committee. I would like to take a moment to give you more details about the subject: The IFR is an International organization that gathers Rottweiler Clubs from all over the world as members. The member Club for the US is the ARC (American Rottweiler Club) The ARC is the child organization, the breed specific club within the AKC. This year (2005) the IFR Championship has been awarded to a bid that was put in by the ARC. So the ARC will hold the IFR Championship 2005 in Florida USA. The AKC has banned Schutzhund. We can read this statement on the IFR web site under member club, header USA. Therefore the ARC as a child organization of the AKC can not hold Schutzhund events. In order to be represented at the IFR Championship, the ARC solicits participants from ARV or/and USRC as the ARC itself does not hold Schutzhund events and therefore can not supply a team. The selection process to get on a team for ARC representing America at the IFR Championship has always been questionable in terms of qualifying requirements, at least in USRC circuits. The IFR committee of USRC ARC and ARV has expressed interest in a qualifying trial to be held each year in order to select the team to go to the IFR Championship. I as President of USRC had been asked to put together a proposal. With strong support from SC Regional Director, and former IFR competitor John Demeo, I submitted a proposal to the ARC IFR committee. John, thanks so much for all your help, support and input. Based on the proposal the qualification requirements have been modified as following: 2005 the AWDF, North American Championship, USRC nationals, ARV Nationals and DVG Nationals are recognized as qualifying trials. In addition there could be a qualification trial being held accordingly to the proposal. 2006 the qualification trials will be the USRC Nationals, ARV Nationals and the Qualification trial. Back to this year s IFR Championship. I have raised my concerns about the legal sanctioning of the Championship to the IFR ARC Committee. The question still remains, who is the sanctioning body that makes the IFR Championship held in the US a legal trial? We have been told that the ARC is the host of this event. The event is not even on ARC s web site?!?! I have suggested to let USRC be the host of this event, but my suggestion was rejected. I am telling you all of this because I feel obligated to let you know what is going on. In essence, USRC has nothing to do with the event other than being allowed to participate on ARC s team. Since we are not responsible in any way, it is none of our business to worry about anything else but excellent performance. My goal has been reached for the matter of satisfying USRC competitors to level the playing field for qualification requirements. That s what I was asked to do.
Page 4 Last not least, I have to explain about some confusion about the position of the AOR, Barbara Smith. Supposedly a resignation from Barbara Smith had been accepted by a member of the board, Regional Director, Dee Hernandez. Dee posted to the Executive Board that she talked to Barbara about her position as AOR. Within hours, I rushed the news into my letter from the President for the next issue of the magazine. Afterwards I received a phone call from Barbara Smith, explaining that she never said that she would resign. It was to late to correct my letter from the President at that time. I would like to make it clear that the Regional Director s responsibilities are very clearly defined by our by laws. He is the link between the clubs in his area and the Executive board. He is responsible to carry out the opinion of his members to the board. He is not to run his own agenda just because he is in voting position on the EB. I have personally given orders numerous times to Officers of the board, to stay within their designated areas of task. This example shows one more time that Regional Directors should not conduct National business. My apology for publishing the misinformation in my letter, I sure should have known better. Something good to say, is that I have word that the Precise Sponsorship will be extended after June 2005. The USRC Schutzhund Nationals are going to be co-hosted by Old Dominion and Hudson Valley Rottweiler Club in NY. I wish the hosts the best of luck. Let s go ahead into the next part of the meeting, please let me remind you that your vote should be dominated by your thoughts of what is best for USRC and not who do I personally like best or what is my personal preference and my own advantage. Again, the best of luck to all participants in the event this weekend. Thank you very much for your attention, Head Breed Warden & Breed/BST Report- Janay Greenlee Identified issues the committee is (or has been) reviewing over the past year Reviewing the requirements for breed test judges (proposal will be presented later in agenda) Developing ABST & LBST judges program (proposal will be presented later in agenda) Exploring defining territories for breed wardens Exploring the use of the internet to meet the breed warden publishing requirements At this time decided to continue use of the magazine Assist in publishing the breed book Developing ABST & LBST certificate Planned completion by Executive Board Meeting 2005 Discussing dental notation program Identifying methods to promote the breed warden program Looking into waiving the LBST admission requirement (proposal will be presented later in agenda) There is one pending breed warden application. Treasurer Report- Lesley DeHaas Started working with the 2004 budget handed down to her with an expected income of $36,000, expected expenses of $39,000 for a loss of $3,804. At this time we haven t been able to close the books and will leave the books open until she gets the remaining information from the committees as needed. She hopes to have majority in soon otherwise will close with what she has so far. One of the biggest issues working with the groups is getting the information timely, if at all. Everyone has been great working this issue. As of December year-end, USRC is $19,000 under expenses with a net profit of $13,233.31, which is $17,000 under budget. However $18,000 came from the delay on the magazine. There are current issues but no formal report to offset the books. This is one of the pieces in closing the books. At the 2004 EB meeting, she submitted a budget with an expected income of $32,000, expenses of $31,000 (profit of $935). The books are currently reconciled thru March 05, but still need to back out other expenses to 2004. This is in the process of being done to prepare for taxes. The treasurer has been working diligently with the audit committee. As of March 11 she submitted a 5-page report detailing everything (shows, magazines, etc.) The audit committee has asked for additional information that the treasurer does not have, but she is working with them forward. The current focus is on taxes. From the time she has taken over, everything is detailed in the checking and VISA account. The checking account in Texas (where all credit card monies are deposited) has been closed (April 04) due to no current signers/access to the account. Over $30,000 was transferred to the California account. There is now one account with back-up signers. Checks will be ordered for account, instead of using computer checks, to simplify audit process. A post office box has been opened for the treasurer, which has helped improve the check cashing process to less than 30-days. All show report details will now be prepared and available in a more-timely manner as well. Northwest RD- Dee Hernandez The Northwest Regional Clubs have hosted, planned and scheduled the following USRC events in the last year: Bay area Rottweiler Klub (BARK) S 2004 November 13-14 th Show and BST S 2005 Scheduled SchH Trial & BST May 7-8, 2005 S 2005 Planned Fall Show & BST Great Northern Rottweiler Club (GNRC) - 2004 Show & BST June 5th S 2005 Planned August 20-21, SchH Trial & Show & BST August 27-28, 2005 (judges are being confirmned) S 2006 Scheduled to host Regional Sieger Show & BST (club discussing date) Victoria Rottweiler Club (VRC) - 2004 June 25-27 th NW Regional Sieger Show & BST S 2005 March Seminar With Joel Monroe S 2005 March NW Regional SchH CH S 2005 July 2-3 Scheduled Seminar Wine Country Rottweiler Club (WCRC) S 2004 December Schutzhund Seminar with David Delesseigues S 2005 June Scheduled NW Regional Sieger, BH & BST Western Oregon Rottweiler Klub (WORK) - 2004 April NW Regional SchH CH S 2004 November 6 th BST S 2005 National Sieger Show & BST Provisional Clubs: Forming Clubs: East Bay Rottweiler Klub Cascade Rottweiler Club I started a collection from the Northwest Region Clubs proven ideas that ensures clubs are making a profit from their hosted events and various other tools & information that is not documented in the Club Book (nor does it need be). I am calling the collection the NW toolbox. Southwest RD- Carl Erlandson 1. At the present time the SW Region is made up of the following listed clubs: Anacapa Working Rottweiler Club (Full), Inland Empire Rottweiler Club (Full), Phoenix Rottweiler Club (Full), Southern Counties Rottweiler Club (Full), Tucson Rottweiler Club (Full), West Coast Rottweiler Klub (Full), Pacific Coast Rottweiler Club (Provisional) 2. 2005 has seen a rebound from a lackluster 2004 with regard to event activities within the Region. At the time of the GBM, all but 2 full member clubs, Anacapa and West Coast, have either completed or committed themselves to annual event requirements. The SW Regional Sieger will be hosted June 11-12, 2005 by the Southern Counties Club. Pacific Coast Rottweiler Club failed to conduct the required event in 2004 and has not responded to e-mail messages by the Regional Director about its future plans. This club would be required to hold a sanctioning event prior to reinstatement to full member status. Anacapa Club has indicated that they were interested in a Schutzhund seminar as their annual event and West Coast has considered hosting the 2005 SW Regional Schutzhund Championship with a DVG judge. The Regional Director has initiated follow up efforts within the past 2 weeks to get these 2 clubs to submit their event requests for RD approval.
Page 5 3. Inland Empire Rottweiler Club currently has a bid in to host the 2006 SW Regional Sieger, February 25 & 26, 2006 with ADRK Judge Edgar Hellman. The show site would be in Riverside, CA. The Regional Director has requested SW Clubs to offer their comments or counterbids by May 8, 2005. 4. The SW Region USRC members & clubs were requested to contribute comments and suggestions with regard to this report. There was essentially no response. 5. Incumbent Regional Director Carl Erlandson will not seek reelection for 2005. Incumbent Assistant Regional Director Bret Gross has submitted a bid for reelection to the USRC Nominating Committee. North Central RD- Rick O Nan Greetings to the Executive Board and to the USRC Membership in attendance. On September 11 th & 12 th, 2004 the Nebraska Working Rottweiler Club held a seminar with Clay Meadows. All three phases of SchH were covered, with the emphasis on tracking. Shortly after the seminar I spoke with Clay at the GSDC WDA Nationals and he stated that he was very pleased with the way the seminar went. The attendees I spoke to conveyed the same message. On October 8 th, 9 th & 10 th, 2004 the Wisconsin Rottweiler Performance Club and Minnesota Working Rottweiler Association combined in a joint effort to host the 2004 USRC National SchH Championships and NC Regional Sieger Show. ADRK Kormeister Herr Anton Spindler agreed to Judge both the SchH Championships and the Sieger show and was exemplary in both. This weekend the Minnesota Working Rottweiler Association is hosting a Tracking seminar with Steve Miller, which is where I will be. June 4 th and 5 th, 2005 the Wisconsin Rottweiler Performance Club will be hosting a SchH Trial with SV Judge Harald Hohman. There has been interest shown in starting a couple of new clubs in the Region and paperwork has been sent, but to date nothing has become of it. I have enjoyed serving the USRC and the North Central Region and look forward to continuing this service. South Central RD- John DeMeo The status of the Region has not changed much in the past year. We still only have one (1) full club in our region. It has moved however since our last meeting. The club has been based in Tulsa, OK and has now moved to the Dallas, Texas area. Our membership numbers have changed only slightly overall. We are in the beginning phase of putting together a membership drive for our organization. We have plans to make a presence / showing at the various AKC shows as well as the various dog sport evetns, (i.e. French Ring, Mondio, Schutzhund etc.) Much to my personal dismay we do not have a very big participation in thte working aspect of our breed in my region. The main emphasis is on the show dog. We are also trying to change that. We have a few events in the planning stages currently and truly hope they can assist in boasting our membership numbers. The events relate both to the show as well as the working aspect of our breed. For the clubs yearly event we are discussing the possibility of having a Regional Schutzhund Championship. Like most regions and clubs we have the standard handful of people that have allowed the region to survive and function at the level it currently does. For that I would like to express my very sincere thanks to Lala Roberts for taking over the Heartland Club and allowing it to continue to put on events, and Garrett Carlye for all his help. I also wish him well in his new position and look forward to working with him in the coming year. Northeast RD- Joe Allegrini - HVRSK will be hosting the Northeast regional sieger show and they will be co-hosting the Schutzhund Championships in Oct. 2005. Hudson Valley would like to thank the EB for their vote and for their support to co-host the 2005 Schutzhund Nationals. We are honored and privileged to represent the USRC. S PRWC will be having a schutzhund trial in September 2005. S NYWRC has had no contact with the regional director since December 2003. Forming Clubs: S Island Working Rottweiler Klub: Vincent Monfiletto had a bad year with his mother sick and then dying. He notified Andy to let him know he is still interested in starting a club. Vincent would like everyone to know that he plans on having a show this year and he supports Andy Devlin for regional director. S Bermuda Rottweiler Club: Jack Castle has had no contact with the Northeast Region. We have sent him many e-mails with no e-mail back. S Long Island Working Rottweilers: Steve Wolfson contacted me to see about starting up their club, they have had many shows in the past and we would ask the USRC to waive this club from having to hold a practice show. They are in the process of sending in their individual memberships and their club dues. LIWR would like everyone to know that they feel the USRC is heading in the direction they want to go. This club gives their support to Andy Devlin for regional Director. Southeast RD- Amanda Hoskinson - Carolina Working Rottweiler Club Sanctioning Show in January 2005 Became Full Member Club SE Regional Sieger Show in April 2005 S Central Florida Rottweiler Klub Conformation Show in January 2005 S Tennessee Working Rottweiler Club Seminar (Ken White) in April 2005 S Bluegrass Working Rottweiler Club Conformation Show in Fall 2005 S AWDF held in SE Region 4 IPO 3 entries (1 pulled) and 1 IPO 1 entry, USRC had a complete team S Suncoast Rottweiler Club Plan to hold an event Fall 2005 S Group of rottweiler enthusiasts in Miami interested in forming a club S World Championship IFR will be held in the SE region, November 18-20, 2005 Auditing Committee Report The Audit committee is sorry to inform the General Board that we will not have a report for this meeting. After initial contact and information was received in February/March 2005, our calls and e-mails have gone unanswered by the Treasurer. The committee then requested that Dee Hernandez be added to the committee in an advisory capacity due to her experience on both audit committees and as President; however her attempts also failed to get a response. We can certainly understand that Lesley is very busy and that organizing the USRC accounts cannot be an easy task, however an audit of the USRC accounting practices is required by the by-laws and expected by the delegates. ARTICLE X- COMMITTEES Section 1: Standing Committees a. Auditing Committee The auditing Committee shall audit the financial accounts of USRC. The committee shall consist of three (3) persons. The Treasurer shall not be a member of the auditing committee. i If the Treasurer has not secured the services of a Certified Public Accountant and/or has not presented the CPA s report to the General Board, the Auditing Committee shall perform a complete audit of USRC financial records. ii If the Treasurer has presented a CPA s report to the General Board, the Auditing Committee shall review all expenditures made during the period since the previous review of USRC expenses. iii The Committee shall have the power to summon the Treasurer to answer any questions. A report of the audit and/or a report of the legitimacy of USRC's expenses shall then be made to the General Board of Directors at the annual meeting. iv Members of the Auditing Committee shall be elected in even numbered years and shall serve two (2) year terms. Because the USRC has been unable to successfully conduct an audit during the past 48(?) months, the committee feels this is a very serious issue and thus recommends that the board hire a CPA to conduct a full and professional audit. This recommendation is allowed under our by-laws and we feel it is the best way to conduct this necessary business in a timely manner. This CPA should be in close proximity to Lesley's home to allow better communication and access to the documents. If the board would like, the committee will locate and make initial contact and discuss the cost with a local CPA to start this process. Another possibility would be to contact the USo allow the Audit committee to secure a CPA near the home of the current Treasurer to conduct a full audit of the USRC accounting processes. The board authorizes an initial amount of up to $1000.00 for this project. Breed and BST (S)
Page 6 Nominating (S) I would like to thank the Nomination Committee Members: Bill Crawley, Lorie Dewe and Chuck Wilson for their contributions and efforts in the details involved to present a slate of candidates to the General Board for the last two years! The committee has accomplished numerous tasks and communications. The Nomination Incumbent and Open Forms were revised last year and updated again this year for the USRC forum. Communications were prepared and designed to attract serious and qualified candidates and were sent out to the USRC membership, USRC Forum and two Rottweiler lists. Inquiry (S) During the past year, the committee investigated and acted upon charges filed against one USRC member, and made a recommendation to the Executive Board for action on said charges. No other charges were presented to the committee during this period." "The committee has received several e-mails from various people visiting the USRC website, asking questions of a general nature. Apparently, people think that the "Inquiry Committee" means that we answer questions of a general nature asked by the general public. The committee requests that the USRC webmaster make a change to the USRC website so that inquiries of this sort no longer are emailed to the Inquiry Committee." Schutzhund Advisory (S) The USRC Working Judge Program is completed, including all preliminary apprentice paperwork. The General Board needs to vote on this program to get it into action. Once that is done, recognition of titles earned under USRC Working judges by USA is anticipated. The likely scenario is that USA will recognize USRC Judges in the same vein as DVG Judges. Meaning that German Shepherd dogs earning titles for breed survey purposes will still need to do their requirements under SV/USA judges. But for sport consideration USA would recognize all breeds earning titles under USRC judges. In addition USA has agreed to allow USRC Apprentice judges to apprentice at USA trials. This is an agreement made between the two organizations and as such does not belong actually written down in the program. It is however an important point when reviewing the program for implementation. The committee would like to thank USRC members Renee Lancaster, Beverly LeBeau, AJ Slaughter, Amanda Hoskinson, Orville Story and Steve Gregalunas for their participation at the 2005 AWDF Championship. A full report will be in the USRC magazine. The committee would like to thank Hudson Valley/Old Dominion and the Bluegrass clubs for this year s SchH Nationals bids. It is our hope that equally strong bids will be made for the 2006 Championships. We encourage any clubs interested in the 2006 trial to submit their bids as early as possible. The committee is pleased that the 2005 SchH Nationals will not bump up against the IFR World Championships in November. The number of people hoping to trial at the IFR this year also encourages us. It is a small community of Rottweilers in the sport of Schutzhund and we urge the USRC to join together and support the IFR trial. Show Advisory (S): The committee has held numerous conference calls to discuss issues brought to our attention over the past year. We covered some new ideas and under motions resulting from reports, will recommend several changes to the current USRC guidelines to improve our club s position and generate additional support from the Rottweiler community. In addition, the following issues have been through the initial review process however, they will require additional time and research before we can suggest solutions that best fit the future needs of the USRC. Please contact any member of the show committee with your comments and ideas and we look forward to your input. 1. Generic Flyer - Generic Show Premium The committee felt that most clubs already have their event flyers and premiums in some sort of database program and our show rules are now in an electronic form so they are transferable from document to document. However, Jane Mitchelmore has done quite a bit of work on this topic and submitted a first draft idea for a Generic Premium for local club use. The committee will look further into this possibility. 2. How to handle a Judge s inappropriate behavior The committee will look at drafting a judges contract that would be signed by the club and the judge when accepting an assignment. It will address such issues as how travel arrangements will be made/paid, possible limitations on per day expenses and call for the judge to abide by both the national and local club s rules for that event. Improving the event evaluation form is also in discussion. We agreed that putting a particular judge on some type of banned list was not realistic; however, the President and the Procurer of Foreign Judges should be aware of any problems to better assess using a specific judge for future assignments. 3. USRC Championship title proposal per Carl Erlandson 08/2004 Carl s idea was to set up a point system where dogs can accumulate points toward a USRC Championship title similar to how the FCI awards country championships. Unfortunately, while this idea does have merit, the committee does not see this as a feasible course of action for the USRC at this time. Until some of the other issues are addressed that affect our shows, we do not feel this program would increase entries or public exposure and participation in USRC events. 4. Allowing Judges other than ADRK/FCI to judge USRC conformation shows. There has been some talk among the members of USRC for the show committee to consider the possibility of using AKC/CKC judges for our conformation events; we will continue to evaluate this idea in the coming months. 5. Qualifications for Sieger title proposal per Mark Clark 08/04 Mark had asked the committee to look at changing the requirements that for the Sieger title to state that the dog must have earned the Sch/IPO title from within the USRC organization. This is an idea that has been discussed from time to time over the years just as the idea has been brought up to require that the breed test be a USRC BST. The committee feels there are other more pressing issues that need addressing and will not pursue this idea at this time. 6. New Show Classes. The committee is considering adding classes to highlight the BST and the Universal Sieger. In addition, we are looking at whether the USRC should require a protection routine on the day of the show for the working class. 7. Canine Good Citizen. With the recent positive change that allows our breed on homeowner s insurance policies by some the major insurance companies, the committee will look at the feasibility of the USRC hosting CGC certifications at sanctioned events. However, hosting a CGC as a stand-alone event would not count in lieu of a club s annual event. 8. Non-USRC Clubs hosting FCI/German Style Shows, what affect do they have on USRC? The committee agrees that USRC needs to take a stronger look at these clubs and the impact they currently do and will continue to have on our club. Magazine (A): The current committee has put together three magazines, two of which have been mailed to the members. Issue 1 of 2005 will be mailed to the members the middle of May. The committee members all are working hard to produce a quality magazine that covers all USRC events and to secure advertisers in an effort to make the magazine cost-effective. Advertising has increased significantly. The following is in American dollars. The budget for each issue is $6,000, based on a 40 page magazine. The magazine that is being produced is 50% larger than this and is coming in well under budget and we are publishing 550 magazines. The increased cost to print 550 magazines versus 500 magazines is $60. These 50 extra magazines are used to try secure advertisers. Membership is increasing as a result of these complementary issues, many to new Canadian members. The balance is shipped to Liz for magazine sales from the USRC website and to send out to new members. The latest issue (Issue 4 of 2004) cost $4,281 to the editor/publisher and $600 for postage/handling/shipping etc. This issue sold $2,495 in advertisements, for a net cost to USRC of $2,386. In order to break even, the magazine must sell $5,000 in advertisements each issue. Advertising is getting easier to secure as the magazine is getting out approximately when scheduled and more people are expressing interest in advertising. For color ads, the printing cost increases by $100 per ad; however, the ads are sold for $225 so more profit can be earned through color ads compared to black and white ads as they sell for $80. We hope the membership is pleased with the magazine that is being produced. Judges (A) Need to get books and paperwork from previous committee. After the former committee stepped down, Andreas appointed current USRC judges Ron Amos and Lucy Ang to the committee with the chairman being the President (Andreas). Andreas emphasized that the judges committee should not only process paperwork and create a paper trail for the apprentice judges, but also provide recommendations for proposed conformation judges based on an historical record of these judges performance and behavior (good and bad). The committee feels the current procedures to evaluate an apprentice judge s ability to evaluate a rottweiler need to be modified. The apprentice program should be in place to show/teach the apprentice how to evaluate the rottweiler, not to have the apprentice judge evaluate an entire class or even the 1 st 3 dogs in the class. The modified procedure should not influence the official judge in anyway and allow the apprentice judge to stay on the sidelines. It was suggested to give the apprentice judge one dog for a written evaluation prior to the dog s official critique. This written critique should be evaluated by the official judge and discussed with the apprentice. The overall evaluation of the apprentice judge should be done from the two sanctioning shows that apprentice judge is required to judge on his own. The committee emphasized that the current apprentice procedures are too difficult to complete due to the small size of the USRC organization. The requirements need to be reduced and generalized to accommodate this.