President's Message:
We are in the middle of a very busy and successful period for our club - a big "thanks" to all of our members for sharing your valuable time and financial resources to help the club.
Our August shows were a surprising success!! Our weekend entries increased over 400 dogs, as Rally, Obedience, and conformation entries all increased. Most of the increase came from "trading" a Friday for a Sunday show as the Greater Lowell Kennel Club decided to move their show to January. Next year should be even better as all the construction we had to endure this year will be gone and the new Coco Key Water Park and hotel renovations/reopening as the Marriott Courtyard will happen within the next several months.
Our September agility trials enjoyed perfect weather - sunshine and warm days with cool evenings. A big thanks to our Trial Chair, Christie McNamara, and her committee for running a well-organized event our club can be proud of as we returned to "our territory" at the Devens Museum Field site. In conjunction with our Sunday trial and the AKC's Responsible Dog Ownership week, Michelle DuBois organized a "Meet the Breeds" event. It was well publicized in local newspapers and about 20 of our club members and friends brought their dogs and literature to educate the public who stopped by. For about 30 minutes, our 20 x 30 foot tent was full!! Thanks to all who participated in this educational event.
Our next big event will be bringing John Rogerson from England to offer two seminars. On Saturday, November 15, he will do a lecture on Puppy Development, and on Sunday through Tuesday, he will offer a three day seminar on Canine Aggression. These will be held at the Riverview Banquet Hall in Hudson, MA. We still have space available in both seminars if you did not sign up at the WKC Member discount earlier this year.
I hope you and your dogs have success and enjoy the upcoming shows.
John W. Seeley
AKC Delegate's Message:
The Delegate body of the American Kennel Club met on September 9, 2008 at the Sheraton Newark Airport Hotel in Newark, New Jersey. The meeting was called to order by Dennis Sprung.
Chairman Ron Menaker reported that the AKC faces enormous challenges in reversing the continuing decline in registrations. He feels that we are losing market share at an alarming rate, especially in the retail sector.
Today there are at least 30 All Breed registries in addition to the AKC whose combined registrations numbers exceed that of the AKC. If this trend continues, we will no longer be the premier registry in the world, let alone in the country.
Management has been directed by the Board to reach out and aggressively pursue all dogs eligible for AKC registration. We intend to communicate and educate those with AKC eligible puppies as to why that puppy is the gold standard and why it should be AKC Registered, and we will continue to "raise the bar" by vigorously enforcing our policies and advertising in all mediums the purpose and goals of the AKC, our scholarship programs, Canine Health Foundation, Compliance programs and DNA requirements to show those people how we are so much a "cut above" all the other registries who provide nothing to the sport of dogs nor to genetic screening, nor to the well-being of "man's best friend"! (forgive me for editorializing but I do get carried away!!)
The following amendments were passed:
Chapter 11, sec. 1 of the Rules applying to dog shows and the comparable sections in all Performance Event Rules will now require that dogs from AKC registered litters be individually registered in order to be eligible to enter a licensed or member AKC event.
There were several amendments adopted to the Field Trial Rules and Standard Procedures for Retrievers to:
- Increase the experience requirements for judges,
- Clarify the use of birds which are not to be retrieved, as a diversion in blind retrieves,
- Permit Canadian Kennel Club Field Champions to qualify for certain AKC events,
- Eliminate the reference to walk-ups from the rules.
Chapter 7, section 13, of the Rules applying to Registration and Dog Shows now permits judges to keep provisionally approved breeds in the case of overloads.
The following Delegates were presented with AKC medallions for 25 years of service: Barbara Furbush, Susan Napody, Ed Sledzik, James Smith, Constance Vanacore.
The Ann Arbor KC and the Mt. Bachelor KC are now member clubs.
The annual election for the Delegate Standing Committees was held and they will be published in the October, 2008 AKC Gazette.
Under New Business we were presented with the new Group realignment proposal (at the end of my report). Just remember, this is not a done deal and will probably be tweaked several times before coming to a vote! WOW 10 Groups...who'd have believed it!!
Remember...I represent YOU and can be reached by email below.
Respectfully submitted,
Suzanne Gray
dirigodogs@comcast.net
AKC Group Realignment Committee - Proposed Breeds & Groups (7/31/08)
From a presentation to the Delegates on September 8, 2008 by the AKC Group Realignment Committee
Group 1: Sporting - Pointers and Setters
Brittany, Pointer; Pointer (German Shorthaired); Pointer (German Wirehaired); Setter (English); Setter (Gordon); Setter (Irish; Setter (Irish Red & White) Miscellaneous 6/27/07; Full Recognition 1/1/09; Spinone Italiano; Vizsla; Weimaraner; Wirehaired Pointing Griffon
Group 2: Sporting - Retrievers and Spaniels
Retriever (Chesapeake Bay); Retriever (Curly-Coated); Retriever (Flat-Coated);Retriever (Golden); Retriever (Labrador); Retriever (Nova Scotia Duck Tolling), Spaniel (American Water); Spaniel (Boykin) - Miscellaneous 1/1/08; Spaniel (Clumber); Spaniel (Cocker) ASCOB; Spaniel (Cocker) Black; Spaniel (Cocker) Parti-color; Spaniel (English Cocker); Spaniel (English Springer); Spaniel (Field); Spaniel (Irish Water); Spaniel (Sussex); Spaniel (Welsh Springer)
Group 3: Scent Hounds
Basset Hound; Beagle (13"); Beagle (15"); Black and Tan Coonhound; Bloodhound, Bluetick Coonhound - Miscellaneous 7/1/08; Dachshund (Longhaired); Dachshund (Smooth); Dachshund (Wirehaired); English Foxhound, Foxhound (American); Harrier; Otterhound; Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen; Plott; Redbone Coonhound - Miscellaneous 9/1/08
Group 4: Sight Hounds
Afghan Hound; Basenji; Borzoi; Greyhound; Ibizan Hound; Irish Wolfhound; Italian Greyhound; Pharaoh Hound; Saluki; Scottish Deerhound; Whippet
Group 5: Working
Anatolian Shepherd; Bernese Mountain Dog; Black Russian Terrier; Boxer; Bullmastiff; Cane Corso - Miscellaneous 7/1/08; Dalmatian; Doberman Pinscher; Dogue de Bordeaux; German Pinscher; Giant Schnauzer; Great Dane; Great Pyrenees; Greater Swiss Mountain Dog; Komondor; Kuvasz; Leonberger -Miscellaneous 7/1/08; Mastiff; Neapolitan Mastiff; Newfoundland; Portuguese Water Dog; Rottweiler; Saint Bernard; Standard Schnauzer; Tibetan Mastiff
Group 6: Terriers
Airedale Terrier; Australian Terrier; American Staffordshire Terrier; Bedlington Terrier; Border Terrier; Bull Terrier (Colored); Bull Terrier (White); Cairn Terrier; Cesky Terrier - Miscellaneous 7/1/08; Dandie Dinmont Terrier; Fox Terrier (Smooth); Fox Terrier (Wire); Glen of Imaal Terrier; Irish Terrier; Kerry Blue Terrier, Lakeland Terrier; Manchester Terrier (Standard); Miniature Bull Terrier; Miniature Schnauzer; Norfolk Terrier; Norwich Terrier; Parson Russell Terrier; Scottish Terrier; Sealyham Terrier; Skye Terrier; Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier; Staffordshire Bull Terrier; Welsh Terrier; West Highland White Terrier
Group 7: Toys
Affenpinscher; Brussells Griffon; Cavalier King Charles Spaniel; Chihuahua (Long Coat); Chihuahua (Smooth Coat); English Toy Spaniel (Blenheim & Prince Charles); English Toy Spaniel (King Charles & Ruby); Havanese; Japanese Chin; Maltese; Manchester Terrier (Toy); Miniature Pinscher; Papillon; Pekingese; Pomeranian; Poodle (Toy); Pug; Shih Tzu; Silky Terrier; Toy Fox Terrier; Yorkshire Terrier
Group 8: Companion
Bichon Frise; Boston Terrier; Bulldog; Chinese Crested; French Bulldog; Lhasa Apso; Lowchen; Poodle (Miniature); Poodle (Standard); Tibetan Spaniel; Tibetan Terrier
Group 9: Herding
Australian Cattle Dog; Australian Shepherd; Bearded Collie; Beauceron; Belgian Malinois; Belgian Tervuren; Belgian Sheepdog; Border Collie; Bouvier des Flandres; Briard; Canaan Dog; Cardigan Welsh Corgi; Collie (Rough); Collie (Smooth); German Shepherd; Old English Sheepdog; Pembroke Welsh Corgi; Polish Lowland Sheepdog; Puli; Pyrenean Shepherd - Miscellaneous 1/1/07; Full Recognition 1/1/09; Shetland Sheepdog
Group 10: Northern
Akita; Alaskan Malamute; American Eskimo Dog; Chinese Shar-Pei; Chow Chow; Finnish Spitz; Icelandic Sheepdog - Miscellaneous 7/1/08; Keeshond; Norwegian Buhund - Miscellaneous 1/1/07; Full Recognition 1/1/09; Norwegian Lundehund - Miscellaneous 7/1/08; Norwegian Elkhound; Samoyed; Siberian Husky; Schipperke; Shiba Inu; Swedish Vallhund
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