OFFICERS: PRESIDENT Susan Patterson (Board Incumbent, previous Corresponding Secretary) Across the 35 years I have worked with dogs, it has been a privilege to share my particular love of the Labrador Retriever breed with others by serving actively in a variety of clubs, and giving back to the dog community. My background includes participation in both field and conformation events, and in both areas I have been fortunate enough to have titles. My desire to provide hands-on service among other breed enthusiasts was the reason I was one of a group who helped establish the Greater Atlanta Labrador Retriever Club, and actively participated in the Newnan Kennel Club, the Labrador Retriever Club of the Potomac, and the all-breed Langley Kennel Club. I enjoy the challenge of successful events and have chaired shows and enjoy being a member of the worker group for events.. I am looking forward to using my experience to work with all LRCGB members to build an active and vibrant membership community. Ruth Solomon, DVM (Incumbent) My view of the role of the president is to make sure issues of importance to club members are resolved to serve the entire membership, and not just those of a vocal few. In keeping with that mission, I value collaborative dialogue and encourage open and transparent discussion. With issues of most importance, I ve been known to recommend the Board seek additional input of members who have history and knowledge on that issue. I believe that our club history is important, and speaks to our culture, and work hard to keep it from getting lost. Next to historical perspective, consensus building is critical to a successful management of a social club. In my recent tenure as president, and through open dialogue and careful consideration, the board has reinstituted financial practices to carry us forward responsibly, introduced Breeders and Sportsmanship Guidelines to hold ourselves to the highest standard of excellence, and refined our By-Laws to ensure that we can conduct business efficiently. I m proud of these accomplishments and the process we follow, as a Board, as a club, to make these things happen; the ultimate goal is always what is best for our club and what is true to our club. Now that the nitty gritty details of how we operate have been completed, in this last year of my Presidency, I wish to focus our attention towards building more energetic and fun memberdriven programs, as well as celebrate member successes. I plan to reinvigorate the member meetings by offering interactive programs that educate both new and experienced members. In addition to uniting our membership, these activities will (hopefully) bring new and more experienced members together, overcoming the challenges of getting to know others who share our passions. There s so much talent in our membership and we have a terrific opportunity to share our knowledge and mentor newcomers to the club so that our club will continue to grow and flourish I joined LRCGB 26 years ago, as Recording Secretary. Since then I have served the club in whatever capacity was needed, from Newsletter Editor, to Board Member at Large, to two stints as President. I ve been with the club through lots of ups and downs, but the amazing thing to me is how we are all united over 1 passion: our passion for the Labrador Retriever. Like many of
you, I started off by training a dog for a CD, which quickly expanded to training for the JH. I breed under the Seal Cove prefix, in collaboration with my good friends, Pam and Scott Shaw. My second litter, back in 1997 produced my first homebred champion, who finished by going BOW at the National in 2000. We breed and keep very selectively and while I don t get to compete with my dogs as much as I would like, we pride ourselves on the achievements of the dogs we have bred: 2 owner handled homebred champions, with majors at specialties, 2 CDX, and multiple competing in rally and hunt tests for JH/SH. Mostly, I am so thankful for the friendships made along this journey. VICE PRESIDENT Nancie Freitas (Board Incumbent, previous Director At Large) I've been an active member of the LRCGB for 21 years (since 1996) when I joined with my very first dog ever, a yellow Labrador. I played in competitive obedience for a few years and then I was bitten by the field bug - which will harass me for life, I m afraid. I m now down to 2 black labs, both entrusted to me by Ellison Armfield, owner/breeder of several Champion Master Hunters (one of her Champion s is a 3time Master National qualifier. No pressure, right?). Pemi is taking me to Master for the first time and Smitty is working his way thru cold blinds. A life goal is to own and train a ChMH; I have a long way to go --- good thing I m still young! I've served as chairperson for the Field Committee 10 years now (since 2007) and am proud of the active and supportive community we ve built. The field group gets its strength through collaboration. It s not easy to make sure all voices are heard and all opinions considered but it s a priority. Every decision, policy, program, event big or small - is the culmination of many voices. That s the LRCGB way and that s the culture I m committed to preserving. If it represents the people, there s strength and community. It s been a privilege to serve on the LRCGB Board for the past 6 years and I look forward to serving as your Vice President. CORRESPONDING SECRETARY Karen Kennedy Hi, my name is Karen Kennedy (not to be confused with Karen Kase.) I have been a Member of the Labrador Retriever of Greater Boston Club since 1991. Since that time, I have served on The Board of Directors for many years. I was first Recording Secretary during the 1990 s, then in 2002 I was Vice President, then served as President from 2003 2007. I also served as Hunt test Secretary for MANY yrs. and currently continue to fill that role. I have been a Member of The Labrador Retriever Club, Inc. since 1999. I have also served on Various Committees for LRC s National Specialties in the Northeast. I have played in the Conformation Ring, both currently and in the 1990 s. Been performing in Obedience since 1993 and enjoying Hunt tests since 1994. In 1996, I started Judging Junior Hunt test and in the mid 2000 s started Judging Senior. This year in 2017, I will be doing my Master Judging Apprenticing and have a Master Assignment in August. I believe I have a strong understanding of LRCGB s philosophies, many different venues our Labs play in and a commitment to our breed. I think I am well qualified to fill the role of Corresponding Secretary.
RECORDING SECRETARY Rainer Fuchs (Incumbent) I have been in Labradors for almost 20 years. I don't breed but compete with my dogs, mostly in field trials, hunt tests, and obedience, and have also titled dogs in agility and tracking. In addition to being the incumbent recording secretary, I have been the organizer and instructor of the club's annual beginning retriever class for many years, have created and continue to manage the club's website, and run a couple of mailing lists for club members to coordinate field training sessions and discuss training related issues. I am a member of the field committee and have chaired hunt tests, working certificate tests, and flyer days. To pay for my obsession with dogs, I am Chief Information Officer at Harvard Medical School, but will retire in May to spend even MORE time with them... TREASURER Erika Olsen Duke I have owned Labrador Retrievers for 14 years and currently have Scarlett 6, Sophie 3, Delaney 2 and puppies 8 months; Charles Brown and Violet. I am active in Agility, Rally, Conformation & Hunt test training. I have participated in helping out with the June Specialty Show, last year s club hunt tests as well as taken the beginner hunt training class, and entered the club sponsored agility trial. I own and operate an insurance agency with my husband and have my Masters of Science in Financial Planning from Bentley University. Since my back ground is in the financial field I feel that I can best serve the club by putting my business and financial knowledge to work as treasurer. Directors Gayle Abrams I am Gayle Abrams, I am the owner of Candy Acres Labradors for the past 16 years. I have been a member of the club for, I believe 12 of those years. I have been the Rally Chairperson for the Specialty for at least 6 of those years. I work at the majority of the events in the club, the matches, the hunt tests, the Specialty and the WC. As a breeder I have produced breed ring Champions, and dogs that have titles in Obedience, Rally, the WC and dock diving. I am hoping to finish my first JH dog this summer. As a board member I hope to help the club move forward with the rewriting of the by-laws, and hope to help create the annual club picnic that we have been talking about holding in August of each year. I would love to see this become a yearly event that we can invite our new puppy owners to, so that they can experience all of the different purposes of the Labrador Retriever. Barb Burri I ve been the breeder/puppy contact for LRCGB for years, I forget how long. I m a past board member and past president of the club(2007-2010), and often Obedience chair for the Specialty, as well as helping with the spring match for several years. I am also a member in good standing of the LRC, and have helped with the National Specialty. I ve been in Labradors, my only breed,
since 2000, and compete and have titled in multiple venues of Rally, Agility, Obedience, Barn Hunt, Sport Scent Detection, and dabble in conformation and field. My dogs also volunteer as therapy dogs through TDI. In my day job I m a content wrangler for the Veterinary Information Network, adjunct faculty teaching Vet Techs at Great Bay Community college and work my weekends as a trial secretary and as a UKC, ASCA, and WCRL rally judge and a CDSP Obedience judge. I currently share my home with 2 Labradors, and have a new family member - a CCI service dog pup we are raising (he s a 10 week old lab/golden cross). I plan on helping the club by being a dedicated board member, bringing my years of experience on other boards of directors (Labrador Life Line, Lab Rescue, Girl Scouts, Plaistow Zoning Board of Adjustment, and LRCGB) to the table. I will support club activities to the best of my ability, and am serving as obedience chair for the June Specialty. Shirley Cardello (Incumbent) I have been a member of the LRCGB for over ten years. I have been a member of the Board of Directors for the past five years and Education Chairperson for the past three years. My interest in Labradors began with my pet dog, Simon, who began the Obedience journey. My dogs participate in Obedience, Rally & Field. Sandy, the newest family member, is adding Agility & Breed to my list. As a member of the LRCGB, I see my role as not only a volunteer for the venues I am interested in but as a facilitator of all club activities. Joey Edsall (Incumbent) I have been a member of LRCGB for over 20 years. I have great respect for the history and procedures of those that have worked to make this club strong. I have owned only Labrador Retrievers before I purchased my first dog, I bought the book by Dorothy Howe on Labrador Retrievers. Little did I know that my first two dogs would be from the breeder whose dogs were pictured on the front cover (Chucklebrook). My first competitive AKC experience was in obedience; taking my first dog from Novice A to Utility, however, I am extremely interested in field. I have trained my dogs under the guidance of Buck Shope, placing three SH and three MH titles on six different dogs. I have bred three litters. My first litter produced two pointed SHs. My second litter produced my first CH MH something I have worked for over 10 years to accomplish. (Thanks to Kathy Mines for her expert handling) My third litter produced a dog well we will see! I am a master hunt test judge with 8 points at all levels, having worked my way from junior to master. While I am interested in handling and have taken some classes, I simply don t have time or experience to seriously show my dogs. I own both field and conformation dogs and understand the challenges in placing the conformation and field titles on a dog. I believe this club holds a unique position in the number of members that value, respect, and have achieved or strive to achieve this unique combination of field and conformation. This should be treasured as it is not a simple accomplishment. (There are ~ 75 CH MH in the 35 years the title has been recorded). As a club, I believe we should promote this. Moreover, this club has a very strong amateur field program, something I strongly support. In other areas of the country there are fewer programs to help the amateur achieve success in the field.
In terms of activity for the club, I have chaired the WC, co-chaired Hunt Tests, serve on the judges committee, served on the nominating committee, was field committee chair, am delegate to the master national, served this past year on the board, and led the Delaney Program. While the Delaney program is now relatively self-sufficient, I spent probably well over 5 years putting the program in place. I value transparency of the board, collaborative spirit, and open dialogue. The position on the board is a service position and should always be viewed as such. I wish to see the board be forward thinking and ensure that the programs and interests of the membership are served. Johanne Ferguson (Incumbent) I have had Labrador retrievers since 1994 initially getting involve in conformation and obedience. After moving to Boston In 2001 I became a LRCGB member. Under the guidance of Karen and Dick Kennedy I discovered field training and I got hooked. Fergmar Labrador is owned by 2 dogs: Bear, who is 10 years old and retired. He is my first CH, MH, UD, and OM1 with nine UDX legs, Master National Qualifier, Obedience Classic Qualifier. Caleb BN, MH is my youngest and upcoming dog, we have already started our obedience journey and he is currently being shown to his Championship, presently he has his 2 majors and needs a few more points to finish. I have had the pleasure to train and handle both of them to their MH title. I am a licensed AKC hunt test judge and I am working toward becoming an AKC obedience judge. My goal is to give back to LRCGB and help the members to achieve their goals. Lisa Kinsman (Incumbent) My passion for dogs began in early in my life. I was able to put my passion into action when I founded Sunapee Labradors over twelve years ago. I was fortunate enough to have excellent and caring mentorship as I became a breeder, and the value of that mentorship translated directly to the success of the Sunapee Labs line. As I have reaped the benefits of members who have mentored me, likewise my biggest desire in being on the board of the LRCGB is to pay it forward by sharing the knowledge and experience I have gained. Having chaired the Specialty a number of times and effectively recruited and mobilized volunteers to make the show a success, I hope it is clear that I understand and embrace the commitment needed to be on the board. I hope to build and encourage greater involvement of the membership, and as a stronger community of Labrador enthusiasts, we can continue to effectively promote the breed. Marilyn Meewes(Board Incumbent, previous VicePres) I have loved dogs my entire life, having dogs around me all the time. The show bug bit me in the 80 s and we acquired a few Labradors, finally starting our own breeding program in the late 80 s. We have now bred about ten champions, all owned by my husband and myself. We have the pleasure of owning the #1 Labrador for 2010 GCH Danbridge Henry J Hank, as well as many other past and present notables. We are now living in East Freetown, with more room for the dogs!
At the request of my first mentor, I joined a few of the Labrador clubs in New England, Boston being one of them. I joined the club sometime in the late 80 s. I started showing in the breed ring at that time and also trained for many years in obedience and field. I have been on the board since 2010 and VP for the past 2 years. I also served as Nominating Committee Chair for 3 years; Prize Chair for the Specialty for 4 years; and Show Committee Chair for 3 years. I also worked on establishing the Code of Ethics and worked on the committees for By-Laws revisions. Pam Shaw I ve been a member of the club since 2002, when my first Labrador was a year old. Along with my husband Scott (the Specialty Lobster dinner chef!), I have been active in the club ever since: I have served as Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President, been on the board of directors, nominating committee and chaired events. I took a breather from the Board for the last couple years to meet the demands of a growing child, but missed being involved and would like to play an active role in our club once again. In addition to Board responsibilities, over the past 15 years, I have made a point of filling in where needed: Between myself and my husband, we have managed several WC s and Hunt Tests. I chaired last year s specialty (the 25th!), have chaired matches in years past, and arranged countless meeting from fun to educational to the annual. Behind the scenes for many years we kept and organized the trailer and got it back and forth from events, and managed club merchandise. Over the years we have bred a few litters under the Seal Cove prefix with our friend and mentor, Ruth Solomon, DVM. We have titled our dogs in conformation, field and Rally, although it has been hard in the past few years to attend dog events on weekends, as we had added a child to our family!!! Now that he is older, we have more time and want to return to our roots and participate in more venues again. I have been a Veterinary technician for the past 24 years with specialties in Anesthesia and Oncology. I am currently studying to been a positive dog trainer. I live with my husband Scott, our son Otto, 3 Labradors, 2 Dachshunds, 2 cats, 2 rabbits and several chickens. Dogs are a hobby that I love and so thankful for the many wonderful people I have met though this club. Sue Willumsen (Incumbent) I have bred and showed Labradors since 1980, mentored by Lorraine Robbenhaar-Taylor in early years. Willcare has been a registered All-Breed kennel since the 1990 s. I have owned/ coowned 3 Champion Master Hunters in addition to over 20 breed champions, multiple Hunting, Obedience, Agility, and Rally titled Labradors. I am an AKC licensed judge of Labrador Retrievers breeds since 2006 adding multiple sporting and hound breeds in the last 8 years. Joining LRCGB in 1981, I have helped and participated in the first Hunt Tests and Specialties. Having participated in specialties for last25 years, I was show chairperson multiple times. I have been a member of LRC since 1980 s in good standing, as well as a certified LRC Mentor. I am President of NLRC.
Since the very beginning of my breeding program, I have always been committed to the AKC LRC Labrador Standard. When people call and ask what type of labs I breed my reply is always I breed to the standard. I breed dogs that are judged by the standard and are able to work in the field, and other performance events as well as in the confirmation ring. To do all this, the dog must be structurally sound and in working condition. I take great pride in keeping my dogs fit whether for the show ring or for performance events. The Labrador is a working bird dog and without proper conditioning, cannot do what they were bred to do. I also reflect this belief in my judging. I do not reward dogs that are sloppy and out of condition. They are seldom in my ring as Labrador people are well aware of this! For several years, I was active in the field trials. Although I do not own any field bred Labradors, I certainly appreciate their abilities and have always enjoyed them.