Butler Dog Training Association Trainer s Tales BDTA Web Site: www.butlerdogtraining.com April 2014 Volume 76 No. 2 President Betty Scarnato President s Message Vice-President Sam Abbott Secretary Jeanette Nestor Treasure Kerry Hornyak Director of Training Nancy Kieffer Board of Directors Kim Colella Regina Beilstein Georgia Slater Dari Harding Editor Georgia Slater 137 Sharon Drive Butler, Pa 16001 E-mail: chocomistmom @zoominternet.net Dear Club Members, What a good meeting we had in April. We had quorum and everyone was excited to hear how our plans for the Obedience Trial had progressed. It was good to learn that everyone is ready with Hospitality needing just a few more items to be complete. We were disappointed to learn we have a low number of entries this year, we are not sure why as last year we had the most entries in our history. There could be many factors and we will try to analyze this trend for the future. I know by the time you read the newsletter the Trial will be over and we will all be tired but happy that we had a good time. There were no new nominations for officers so the slate of Officers will stand. The main order of business at the meeting was the approval to be the sponsor for a two day Agility event in Edinboro on July 5th and 6th. We will receive $500.00 per day and our only responsibility is to have four to five club members present each day. Linda Arnold is coordinating this event and you can contact her if you would like to participate. Please make sure you read the entire newsletter so you can mark on your calendar all of the upcoming events in May. Have a great month! Betty, Chewey, Wickett and Archie
Sit Happens.Or So They Say.! Happy Springtime! Hard to believe that May is on the doorstep. I m still waiting for some plants and bushes to show some signs of life, but I don t see any green. I m not ready to give up on these little bits of nature that I ve become attached to over the years. Even the little Circus dog is having a hard time finding green grass to play on. Right now she is watching a ladybug make its way across the wall. Where these little creatures are coming from is quite a mystery. I think Winter left quite a calling card this past season!!! So Sprite has been content with our walks down the road where she can greet the cows with their newborn calves, the three donkeys who never take their eyes off of her until she passes, and the horses and the pigs (who startled me the first time I saw them!) The pigs rushed the fence the first time we came past. Yikes!!! What a great place to practice long sits and downs though. It s hard to come by better distractions than farm animals up close and personal. Although the groundhog sitting on top of his hole with his little paws on his hips looking at us as if we were trespassing was quite a sight! Sprite didn t see him, but she was certainly air-scenting as we passed him! Whether it is a walk in the country or a walk in a new neighborhood.there are always new opportunities to train your favorite companion. Is your dog able to heel next to you while you walk over gravel or mulch or a grated surface? Can he/she do a sit-stay while you window shop downtown?? How about sitting politely in line at Mazzanti s Beans & Cream for that doggie sundae?? So take the chance to turn those special times together into small fun training sessions. Our dogs enjoy a change of scenery as much as we do!! Get out and enjoy something fun!!!! Nancy & Sprite P.S. Speaking of having fun.instead of Members class on Tuesday, May13th, we will meet for our first Hounds About Town at Mazzanti s Beans & Cream at the corner of Mercer Rd and Rt 8.6:45 PM. If it rains (or snows), class will be at our building.
Obedience Day/Time Length Cost Puppy Class BDTA Club Building Thursday 6:30-7:30pm 6 Weeks $60.00 BDTA Bldg Beginner Class BDTA Club Bldg. Monday & Wednesday 7:00-8:00pm 8 Weeks $80.00 BDTA bldg. ($10 discount if attended BDTA Puppy Novice Class Tuesdays 7:45-8:30pm 4 Weeks $75.00 (No discounts) Includes price of CGC/TDI test Advanced Class Tuesdays 6:45-7:45pm **No Advanced class on meeting nights All Month MEMBERS ONLY Agility Class No classes available at this time ****Senior Citizen Rates - $10 discount for any class Obedience Classes All BDTA Members: You must register for all BDTA classes by sending the applications and deposits to: Obedience - Sande Winters, 430 Mushrush Road, Butler, PA 16002. If you have any questions or need Application forms, call Sande at 724-287-3933 or Nancy at 724-285-9910. Classes fill up very quickly and applications are taken as they are received. Deposits required for class registration will be half of the total class fee (this applies to members also). The Training Building is available to all members. If you need a key, please see one of the board members. With the privilege of using the building comes the responsibility of cleaning up after use. It's very difficult for instructors and assistants to come into the building and discover that a room needs cleaned before students arrive. So please use the vacuum cleaners and also the other cleaning supplies for spilled drinks, etc. Please wipe the mirrors clean. Please d not leave food or treats on the windowsills or any place that will attract critters. Our customers deserve a clean place to train and so do our members. Please be sure to turn lights off, leave the furnace setting on low or off during the warmer months and make sure all doors are locked! Everyone is responsible for keeping our facility clean and this will help spread the duties among us. BDTA Meeting Notice The next Membership Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday May 20 th at 7:15PM There is no Advanced Class on Meeting Nights!! We encouraged all Provisional Members to attend meeting nights. It s a good way to meet others in BDTA and we get to meet YOU!
Therapy Visits FACILITY CITY DAY OF THE WEEK TIME Irene Stacy Mental Health Center Butler 2 nd Tuesday of the Month And Last Wednesday of the Month 10:00 am 10:00 am Sunnyview Butler 1 st Thursday of the Month 6:30 pm VA Hospital Butler 2 nd Thursday of the Month 1:00 pm Valencia Woods Valencia 2 nd Thursday of the Month 6:30 pm Shelbourne Assisted Living Butler 3 rd Wednesday of the Month 6:30 pm Butler Memorial Hospital TCF Butler 3 rd Thursday of the Month 6:00 pm Passavant Retirement Center Zelienople 3 rd Thursday of the Month 6:30 pm Concordia Adult Day Care Cabot Last Tuesday of the Month 10:30 am Lowrie House Butler Last Wednesday of the Month 6:30 pm Saxony House Saxonburg First Wednesday of the Month 10:30 am Elmcroft Saxonburg Third Wednesday of the Month 10:30 am Butler Hospital Psychiatric Butler Second Wednesday of the Month 2:30 pm If you would like to learn more about Therapy Dogs or how to become a Therapy Dog, please contact Nancy Kieffer (285-9910). Submissions for the next newsletter will need to be in by the Friday following the meeting. May 23 rd is the next deadline) Submissions should be sent to chocomistmom@zoominternet.net or sent to: Georgia Slater 137 Sharon Drive Butler, Pa 16001 724-256-9294 Chocomistmom@zoominternet.net BDTA Canine Ambassador Program Please contact Bernie Abbott, Public Education Coordinator at 724-295-4983, for more information concerning the Canine Ambassador Program. There are local Boy Scout, Girl Scout, YMCA and Elementary Schools that need to learn more about dog safety, pet management and dog training. Bernie can help arrange the dates/times necessary to meet with these groups. WE NEED TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC AND PROMOTE OUR CLUB
Special Announcements Welcome New Members: Kathie Rivers and Sue Yaras Our new Provisional Member(s): Ann Naar and her Cairn Terrier Meggie Current Provisional Member(s): Please take time to get to know them and welcome to our club. Jodi Johnston is our provisional member s liaison for the Club. She will be keeping in contact provisional members so they can make an easier transition to Club membership. If you have any questions call: 724-355-4118. MEMORIAL PLAQUE There are many places available on our Memorial Plaque at the Training Building. Please remember, this is a wonderful way to remember our dogs that have left us for the Rainbow Bridge. If you would like to purchase a spot on the plaque, you can pick up applications at the club or contact Cherry Sauers at 724-625-3554. The Slate of Officers for 2014 are as follows: MISCELLANEOUS SLATE OF OFFICERS FOR 2014 President - Betty Scarnato Vice President - Sam Abbott Secretary - Jeannette Nestor Treasurer - Kerry Hornyak Director of Training - Nancy Kieffer Board Members - Cheryl Sanson (new) Linda Arnold (new) Georgia Slater (2 nd year) Regina Beilstein (2 nd year) Voting will be held at the May Members meeting.
Sheri McCormick would like to thank all of you for the thoughts and expressions of sympathy on the loss of her beautiful Golden Retriever, Porter. Porter was a very special dog giving his all through his therapy work and paws to read at the library. Brags Debby Neigh and her Be'Aussie, Tansy, earned a RLP Title at the World CynoSport Rally Trials at Splash & Dash on March 1, 2014. Tansy also passed her TDI and CGC tests on April 15, 2014. Happy to say - Kami and Dari Harding qualified in Graduate Open at the Clarion Obedience Trial on April the 19th. This is her third leg, so now she is Kamigirl, GO...her new title fits her for sure! Special Opportunity To all members If you weren't at the meeting on Tuesday, a very unique opportunity has come up for the Club. Denise Thomas of Countryside Agility Training Center has asked us to sponsor another Agility Trial this summer. It will be a 2 day trial on July 5th and 6th, 2014. With this sponsorship, we will not have to do anything monetary. We may need some donations of items for a worker raffle. Countryside will pay us $500.00 a day to sponsor the Trial for a total of $1000.00. All we have to do is to create a Trial Committee and have at least 4 of those members at the Trial each day. Wendy McClaine has agreed to be Chair and I will also be on the committee, so she and I will be at the Trial both days. So we need at least 2 more people to come to the Trial for either a full day or several for part of a day. Just so we have at least 4 people either on the Committee or members at the Trial. Our obligation will be to work as ring crew or where needed. Countryside Agility staff will be doing all the other planning, procuring the judge, ribbons, etc. If you believe you help out, please let me know as soon as possible. The application needs to be submitted right away. You will listed as part of the Trial Committee on the application and Premium. If you can only do part of a day, also let me know and we can work out a schedule. Thanks! Linda Arnold In Sympathy. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Sheri McCormick on the loss of her dear Golden Retriever Porter. He was a true gentle man and sweet therapy dog. He will be deeply missed by all who were touched by his loving heart. Once you have had a wonderful dog, a life without one, is a life diminished ~Dean Koontz
Calendar of Events April 26 th & 27 th (Saturday & Sunday) BDTA s Spring Rally/Obedience Trials Saxonburg, Pa. (watch for more details) April 30 th (Wednesday) Grove City College 3:00 PM-5:00 PM De-Stress Fest for the College Students May 8 th (Thursday) Evans City Library 6:00 PM Dogs are needed.. May 9 th (Friday) Shepherd of My Heart Preschool North St. Church (Butler) Therapy Dog visit 10:00 AM May 10 th (Saturday) Butler Public Library Paws to Read a Tale 10:30 AM-11:30 AM May 16 th (Friday) Pace Learning Center (Middlesex School, Valencia) Therapy Dog visit 1:30 PM May 31 st (Saturday) Butler Pet EXPO Butler Farm Show Grounds Noon-3:00 PM June 13 th (Friday) Camp Lutherlyn Therapy Dog visit 10:00 AM 3:00 PM August 14 th (Thursday) Butler Community Night Butler Farm Show Grounds 4:00 PM-8:00 PM
Please remember to look at the up-to-date Members List on our website. Check to see if any corrections need to be made and send those to Georgia Slater at chocomistmom@zoominternet.net. We will be updating the listing as often as possible. (You might need to Refresh your screen (F5) in order to get into the members listing.) We have the newsletter posted on the web site. There is a change in the password. You can access it by taking the following steps: 1. Go to this URL address (webpage) : http://www.butlerdogtraining.com/membersonly.htm 2. The Username box, type in bdta member (this is case sensitive - must be all lowercase letters) 3. In the Password box, type in BDTA2010 (this is also case sensitive - ALL CAPS - and that is a zero, not the letter o) 4. Click on the "April" link. If you need to download Acrobat Reader there is a link at the top of the page. Acrobat reader is a free application for reading special non-editable documents. There is an excellent chance that you already have this application.