Poodle Papers Fall 2008

The Poodle Papers

Official Quarterly Newsletter of The Poodle Club of America

Fall 2008

Congratulations to Wendell Sammet

2009 AKC® Lifetime Achievement Award: Conformation The Poodle Papers

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Coming Specialties P.C.A. AFFILIATE CLUB SHOWS * Note this listing comes from Helen Lee James 2008

November Mission Trail 11-7 AM Judges: Luis Sosa Mission Trail 11-7 PM Judges: John Ramirez Poodle Club of Alabama 11-7 Judge:JoAnne Paulk Poodle Club of Alabama 11-8 Judge: Helen Tomb-Taylor (classes at Huntsville KC designated as specialty) Central Carolina PC-11-13 Judge: Dorothy Hutchinson Poodle Club of Southeast Michigan 11-28 Judge: Bradley Jenkins December Columbia Poodle Club 12-5 Judge- David Krogh Poodle Club of Massachuetts 12-5 Judge- M.J. Dachel Hub Poodle Club of Orange County 12-6 Judge:Grace Kosub Orlando Poodle Club 12-11 Judge-Gloria Geringer Poodle Club of Lehigh Valley 12-12 JUdge: Barbara Furbush Poodle Club of Lehigh Valley Obedience 12-13 judge: Nancy K Withers 2009 January San Bernadino Riverside 1-2 JUDGE- M.J. Dachel Twin Cities Poodle Club 1-2 Judge: Fred Bassett Columbia Poodle Club 1-15 Judge-Glen Lajeski February Poodle Club of Central Indiana Judge-TBA

Valley of the Sun Poodle Club AM 2-26 Judge:Jean Fournier Valley of the Sun Poodle Club PM 2-26 Judge: John Connoly Greater Milwaukee Poodle Club 2-27 Judge-Jon Thompson MARCH Poodle Club of San Antonio3-4 Judge-Danny Bussard Poodle Club of Hawaii 3-8 Judge-TBA Blubonnet Poodle Club 3-13 Judge-Betsey Leedy Puget Sound Poodle Club 3-20 Judge-Terrill S Udenberg Key to Sea Poodle Club 3-27 Judge- ScoTt Wolfe Key to Sea Poodle Club 3-28 Judge- Dennis McCoy APRIL Greater Wichita Poodle Club 4-2 Judge-Mrs. Michelle Billings MAY Panorama Poodle Club of Mt. Spokane 5-22 Judge-Monica Canastrina Judge-Joyce L. Ostby Tidelands Poodle Club of Virginia 5-22 (supported entry) Judge-Sari Tietjen Tidelands Poodle Club of Virginia 5-23 Judge-Charlotte Patterson

New Poodle Judges Catherine Bell-Knoxville, TN Lynne M.Myall- Anacortes,WA Thomas Yates- Hampton,GA

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* Note: If your show is not listed, please contact Helen Lee James at [email protected] I list only the shows that she sends me the information on. If the listing is not complete, please contact Helen Lee. Leslie The Poodle Papers

Dana Cline-Loves Park, IL

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The Poodle Papers

Official Quarterly Newsletter of The Poodle Club of America

Fall 2008

2008-2010 Officers & Committees President:Jack MacGillivray 1st Vice Pres.: Glenna Carlson 2nd Vice Pres.Helen Lee James Corres. Sec.: Peggy McDill [email protected] Record. Sec.: Joan Scott Treasurer: Scott Olund Variety Representatives Toy:Nancy Hafner Mini: Luis Aizcorbe Standard.: Michael Wahlig

Publicity: Del Dahl AKC Delegate: Mary Ellen Fishler Show Committee Chairperson: Glenna Carlson Performance Events Obedience Chairperson-Linda Morris Performance Events Agility ChairpersonDebbie West WC/WCX Working Certificate Chairperson- Joyce Carelli Public Education Coordinator Arlene Scardo Judges Education Bill Cunningham- dacunbirds@bellsouth. net Affiliate Club Council: Hlen Lee James PCA Foundation: Exec. Director Tom Carneal PCA Foundation: Coordinator_ Mike Wahlig PCA Poodle Rescue Central: Sally Poindexter [email protected] Poodles in America: Editor:Betsey Leedy Breeder Referral: Poodleclubofamerica.org Connie Green-314-997-2711 PCA Home Page Lisa Wolfe [email protected] www.poodleclubofamerica.org PCA Information Hal Kinne [email protected]

President’s Message: Members and Friends: Well, here we are already into November and the Holiday season upon us. The flurry of activity which the Board has been involved in since last April seems to have subsided for the moment, but from what I can tell, our Committees are diligently working like well oiled machinery! Many thanks to the dozens of members who all work to make the Club what it is. We have received from AKC, their response concerning our proposed bylaw amendments. As a result, the Board is working on some additional revisions based on the AKC recommendations. Seems like a never ending project at this point, but soon we expect to re- submit the proposed amendments to AKC, and hopefully to the membership before the end of the year. We plan to distribute the amendments so that members will have an “item by item” vote, as the changes are many. That said, I’m confident that we will end up with a quality set of updated bylaws after all is said and done. I have checked with other Committees, and there is ongoing work on the new Illustrated Standard, and the Judges Training program is being revised by Scott Wolfe with assistance from Gina Weiser to whom we owe a debt of gratitude. We expect some extraordinary results from the PCA Education Committee which will encompass new breeder, public and judges education programs and information. I’m sure you all have noticed the wonderful changes that have been made to the Website by Lisa Wolfe. Soon we will have the 2009 Show in our thoughts and plans, and Glenna and her Committees are already in full gear! Wishing you all the best in the coming holiday season….and at the shows! Jack MacGillivray, President

The Poodle Papers Layout & Graphic design Editor: Leslie Newing Email: [email protected] PCA Email list [email protected]

The Poodle Papers

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One of our own Honored!

The American Kennel Club® announced today the winners of the 2009 AKC® Lifetime Achievement Awards. The awards, engraved Tiffany and Co. sterling silver bowls, will be presented to the recipients on Tuesday, December 16, 2008 at the AKC Delegates luncheon held in conjunction with the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship in Long Beach, California. A larger version of the Tiffany and Co. bowl, engraved with the names of all recipients past and present, is on permanent display at the headquarters of The American Kennel Club in New York City. The AKC Lifetime Achievement Awards were created to honor those individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the sport of purebred dogs on a national level. The recipients were selected from votes cast by AKC member clubs for nominees in each of the following categories: Conformation, Companion Events and Performance. Conformation: Wendell J. Sammet, Bryantville, Massachusetts Sammet became active in the sport of purebred dogs after World War II, in which he fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was a P.O.W. He began breeding Dalmatians under the “Dalmatia” banner in 1950, finishing many Champions.

In the early 1950s, Mrs. Henry T. Kaiser asked Sammet to breed and exhibit white Standard Poodles for her “Alekai” Kennel in Hawaii. In 1984, she turned the line over to him, at which time he changed the name to “Ale Kai”. Through the decades, Sammet has prided himself in breeding for health, temperament and breed type. Along the way, he has always found time to serve as mentor for newcomers to the breed and sport, as well as an advisor to his peers. He has been an active member of both the Poodle Club of America and the Dalmatian Club of America. Today he cobreeds many of his Poodles with Karen LeFrak of “On Fifth” fame. Over the years, Sammet has garnered numerous accolades, including: Dogdom’s Professional Handler of the Year (1977); Dogs in Review Achievement Award as Best Breeder-Owner-Handler (2004); and breeder of Dogs in Review Top Non-Sporting Sire (2007). Sammet was the inaugural recipient of the Anne Rogers Clark Hall of Fame Award in 2008, as well as the first AKC Breeder of the Year Award in 2002. From the AKC website

Roster Update Form First Name ______________MI ___Last Name___________________ Home Address: __________________________City_______________State___ZIP___Work Address: __________________________City_______________State___ZIP___ Phone: H: (__) ___-_______ W: (__) ____-________C: (__)___-_________ Fax: (___) _______Email:___________________________________ Kennel Name: _________________________________________________________ Affiliate Club ______________________ Variety(s) S T M Other ____________________________________________________ “I prefer to conduct Poodle Club of America, Inc., business by electronic Mail.” Signed: ________________________________________________________ Return to: Peggy A. McDill 24922 Las Marias Lane Mission Viejo, California 92691-5119 The Poodle Papers

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The Poodle Papers

Official Quarterly Newsletter of The Poodle Club of America

Fall 2008

What’s Where

National Specialty News

6

Affiliate Club News

9

Working Poodle

16

P. C. A. Rescue News

17

P. C. A. Foundation News

20

Jumping Jehoshaphat! By Joann Neal

22

Tracking

24

A. K. C. News

27

Hypothyroidism Is Difficult to Diagnose; Regular Testing Recommended, Nestle Purina PetCare

29

In Memoriam

31

Group Realignment Committee Report, AKC Report

33

A. K. C. Delegate’s Report

36

The most colorful person I ever met in the sport, By Luis Aizcorbe

38

Legislative News: Where to begin? By Peggy McDill

42

Thoughts on Thanksgiving, by Mary Ellen Fishler

43

PCA is not responsible for any statements or claims made by its contributors. PCA reserves the rights to edit all copy and make editorial comments where necessary and deemed appropriate by the editor. PCA reserves the right to refuse items submitted for publication. Written permission must be received and granted by PCA in order to reprint any editorial material. Contributors reserve all rights to their articles and permissions must be granted by them for reprint purposes. © 2007 Poodle Club of America

Poodle Papers!

Deadline for the next newsletter is January 30th. Please get your articles to me by that date. Anyone who has an interesting topic that they would like to see in the newsletter, please feel free to email me at [email protected] Leslie Editor of The Poodle Papers

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National Specialty

Report from Glenna

Intro for 2009 Obedience Chairperson Member Profile Obedience Chair for 2009 Trial I’m Linda Morris, your new chairperson for the 2009 obedience trial. I grew up with miniature poodles. The minis were there before I was even born. We first had whites, and then in the 1970s we acquired our first black poodle. My mother, Barbara Furbush, was president of Salisbury MD Kennel Club as well as an obedience instructor when I was born, so I have never known anything but the dog show world. I finished my first champion at age 14 and continued to compete in the breed ring for the next 15 years. However, in the 1990s I acquired a little poodle, Viva, who was not breed ring material. She did turn out to be obedience ring material and together she and I forged our way through novice, open, and utility for the first time ever. I had taken many of our poodles through beginner obedience classes since I was old enough to walk, but I had never been interested in competition until Viva. She has taught me a lot and is still with me today. I currently have 4 poodles and a son, Derek, who is a senior in high school. I live in Parsonsburg, which is just outside of Salisbury, and have been a board member in the Salisbury MD Kennel Club for 13 years, having been secretary for 2 years, president for 4 years, and the board of directors for 7 years. I teach obedience classes, beginner’s classes to the general public, as well as advanced classes, for the Salisbury MD Kennel Club. I am the Obedience Class Chair and have held this position for the past 4 years. Other positions I have held for SMKC include Trophy Chair for our November show, Canine Ambassador Chair, as well as Agility Chair. I am looking forward to my new job as the PCA Obedience Chairperson for our April 2009 trial. Our past chair, Susie Osburn, has done a wonderful job and I can only try to measure up to the success she has brought to our obedience trials in the past years. Hope to see everyone in April 2009! Linda Morris

All Hallows Eve brought many angels, princesses, pirates and ghosts to our doorstep. We and the Poodles always enjoy having these young goblins come to share our candy and fun. Is it but six months and we will be gathering in Salisbury - the Mecca for Poodle people all over the world? We will present our 77th National Specialty Show, Agility, Obedience and Rally Trials – and PCA’s first ever Tracking Test Friday beginning April 17 and ending on April 24 with our banquet and annual membership meeting.. Yes, on Friday, April 17, 2009 in Elkton, MD, PCA will host our first Tracking Event – and, wow, is there ever lots of excitement surrounding our tracking test. Elkton is about 2 ½ hours from Salisbury – a “short” drive according to the tracking enthusiasts! We hope for a full entry and many Poodles passing the test. Carol Pernicka and Jacob Kay will be judging the Tracking test. The Hunt Trials and WC/WCX have a change of venue to Anatidale Farm, Rhodesdale, MD. We feel very fortunate to have this new location. Our judging panel is now complete as Paul Edwards has graciously agreed to judge Veterans Sweepstakes. He joins Jack MacGillivray, Junior Showmanship, Norma Jean Strait, Toy Poodles, Richard Bauer, Miniature Poodles, Dr. Donald Sturz, Standard Poodles and Jordan Chamberlain, InterVariety Competition. A recent talk with Deb West revealed Agility plans in order for an exciting trial with Lisa Haidle-Potts judging and Barbara Blanchfield will be our Trial Secretary. Obedience judges are Betsy Horn Hummer, Novice A and Open B, Robert Squires, Novice B and Open A, Susie Osburn, Utility A & B, Mary Ann Mullen, Rally. We look forward to awarding MANY POODLE PERKS to our friends and exhibitors as each does his part to make PCA the ‘special” specialty it is. Volunteers? We don’t have too many. Do we need more? Yes, we do. If you are a “new” member of PCA – let’s say within the last three years – and you have not called to help the show committee, you are not meeting the membership

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requirement of giving time to help put on our show. Helpers in grounds, hospitality room and packing up the show on Friday night are still needed. Please let me know if you some time to share with the Show Committee as we all are working for POODLES! You can reach me at 956-973-0927 or [email protected]. Photographers: Please remember to contact me to receive your application to attend PCA as a photographer – ascot@ rgv.rr.com. Well, we do not have a theme for the 77th Specialty – a theme to use in décor, advertising competition, grooming area decorations or RV parking area décor. How about some suggestions – we might make a contest of it! Send your ideas to me – phone and e-mail address above. I’ll find a qualified judge to choose the best one! Enjoy the coming of winter. We are here in South Texas where planting begonias, impatiens, etc. has just begun – it is our time for spring and summer plants. But whatever the season brings to your home, have fun with your Poodles and make your plans to join the greatest Poodle get-together our Greatest Poodle Show on Earth in Salisbury, MD. My very best wishes to each of you! Glenna Carlson National Show Chairman

From Debbie West:

I am pleased to announce that our judge for Agility has been approved by AKC and will be Lisa Haidle-Potts from Illinois. She is quite a well thought of judge and should be fun to run under. Our secretary again this year is the ever efficient and resourceful Barbara Blanchfield. We will be running on the beautiful sod which makes the footing so good and the area garden like. We will return to the running order of Novice, Open and then Excellent.

Website Update PCA National 2009

You may have noticed some changes to the Poodle Club of America 77th National Specialty page on our website. It’s only November 2008, but April 2009 will be here before we know it and I need your help! In August, I received The Poodle Papers and found some information there that I had not received for the website. Since our website is the primary source of information for our National Specialty, it is of utmost importance that the information presented there is current and accurate. I want there to be a clear understanding of how the updating will be best accomplished. I will not be routinely extracting information from other sources (such as The Poodle Papers) to update website information. It just doesn’t make sense in the interest of time and accuracy. What this means is I will be depending on you -- Officers and Chairpersons -- for updates to the information regarding your committee or task(s) for/at the National. Please take a look at the PCA National page at http://www.poodleclubofamerica.org/pcanational.htm and the PCA contacts page at http://www.poodleclubofamerica.org/pcacontacts.htm and make sure the information pertaining to your committee is correct. Send all updates or corrections directly to pcaupdateinfo@ yahoo.com as soon as you get them. I will send reminders to the pca_on_line listserv periodically. I am grateful for all the help and support I have received from many of you to post up to the minute information on our website. Thank you, Lisa Wolfe

Obedience Judges for 2009 Novice A ... Betsey Humer Novice B ...Robert Squires Open A ...Robert Squires Open B ...Betsey Humer Utility A ...Susie Osburn Utility B ... Susie Osburn

I’m excited to be your chair and look forward to the always generous offers of help that come from the Poodle community and Agility community. I do think that the deer have been playing with my agility equipment because the broad jump is broken. Wonder if I can report that to my insurance company? Pray that the winter will be short so we can still keep playing with our Poodles. Hope your Holidays are filled with Joy. Debbie

All Rally: Mary Ann Mullen Rally over flow: To Be Announced

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The PCA Raffle Wed., Thursday & Friday From Alice Wolaniuk

Hi everyone.....and yes, before you know it, it will be time again for us to enjoy watching our wonderful Poodles in our beautifully adorned rings at PCA. It will also be time for us to again ask for volunteers to help at our Raffle Table on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. It would be wonderful if you would fit us into your busy schedule with some of your precious time. Please contact me as soon as possible to let me know we can count on you. Thank you, Alice Alice Wolaniuk, 445 Sassafras Rd., Warwick, Md., 21912 Phone, 410-755-6719 e-mail, [email protected]

PCA Poodle Perks and Salisbury From Arthur Foran As the preparation for next year’s PCA moves forward, I want to bring everyone’s attention to a new idea and to several local events. PCA, in conjunction with Ms. Sandy Fulton of Wicomico County’s Bureau of Tourism, will offer Poodle Perks, PCA-issued certificates that can be spent like cash in the vendor sales area. Here’s how to get your Poodle Perks. First, get a bingo-style game card at the show. Then take your card to the vendor area and have each vendor initial a square on your card. When you have filled your card, hand it in to be entered in the Poodle Perks drawing/s to be held throughout the show. To help make your stay in Salisbury even more fun, the Tourism Bureau will have a booth at the show stocked with coupons for local restaurants, merchants, and hotels. You’ll also find local maps and other information about Salisbury at the Tourism booth.

Before, during and after PCA, Wicomico County and other towns sponsor many interesting and fun events. Most of these venues are Poodle-friendly. Contact information, times, and locations will be available at the Tourism booth. Events in the past have included: Maryland International Kite Exposition and Stunt Kite Championships, Ocean City, Md. Ward Museum World Championship Wildfowl Carving Competition and Art Festival Delmarva Shorebirds minor league base ball team games, Salisbury “PORK IN THE PARK” National Bar-B-Que Cook Off, Winterplace Park, Salisbury Tours of historic homes and the Pemberton Plantation, Salisbury Tours of the Salisbury Kennel Club’s new training/ teaching building, Winterplace Park We are all looking forward to an exciting 2009 PCA as the relationship between PCA, Wicomico County, and Salisbury continues to flourish. As before, if you have a suggestion about how we might improve, please contact either Glenna or me directly with your idea. My cell phone is (856) 371-5078 and my email address is [email protected]. If you’d like to help, or if you have any questions or suggestions, you can call or e-mail me at: (856) 3715078 on my cell phone or [email protected] on my computer.

Do you have your reservations for April? Its less than 6 months away till the greatest Poodle Show on Earth!

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Website Update: It’s up to you…

Affiliate Club News:

From Lisa Wolfe Hello! I am the newest addition to what has been an excellent team for maintaining the Poodle Club of America website. In the past, PCA has depended on Leslie Newing to head up this committee. Leslie is now focusing on other projects such as the spectacular newsletter for our club, The Poodle Papers. PCA members should be very grateful for the wonderful job she has done over the years to create such an elegant site that reflects our stylish and beautiful breed. Thank you Leslie! I also wish to thank her personally for the tremendous help she has been during the transition. Recently, I sent an email to the PCA listserv that brought to light some confusion about how your contact information is updated with PCA. Since I am taking over the task of our website, I want there to be a clear understanding of how website updating will be best accomplished and how that relates to other sources of information within the club. General Information: As you know, I am a volunteer working with time constraints and technical limitations (I cannot get high speed internet where I live!). Help me by being as specific and complete when sending updates. Your information may be listed in a number of places on the website. Please make sure the information is listed correctly in all places. When you have a change of address, phone or email, remember to update your information with all PCA committees. Different volunteers manage different things, such as the PCA Member Roster, Affiliate Club Information, Poodle Rescue, the pca_on_line list of subscribers, the website, etc. Send your update to all applicable PCA volunteers. PCA Member Roster: The PCA Corresponding Secretary, Peggy McDill, at [email protected] maintains the PCA Member Roster. The roster is updated every 2 years. In between updates, new members are posted in The Poodle Papers. Individual members should be updating their roster listing in between the 2-year cycle. The roster is separate from the website. If you update the roster, also send your information to Website Update at [email protected].

This Yahoo group/listserv is a great venue for online communication between PCA members. As a subscriber, you will receive reminders about website updates as well as useful information from your fellow PCA members. For those of you who don’t subscribe, go to http://pets.groups.yahoo. com/group/pca_on_line/ and join. You can also access the group signup link from the Membership page on the website. The listserv is separate from the website. If you change your email for the listserv, be sure to do so as well for the website and roster. Officers & Variety Representatives: Please make a point to regularly check your contact information at the PCA contacts page at http://www.poodleclubofamerica.org/pcacontacts.htm and send corrections or updates to [email protected]. Don’t forget to send any changes to all applicable Committee Chairpersons. Committee Chairpersons: Like Officers and Variety Representatives, check your contact information at the PCA contacts page at http://www. poodleclubofamerica.org/pcacontacts.htm and send corrections or updates to [email protected]. As a Committee Chair, you must check the national page at http://www. poodleclubofamerica.org/pcanational.htm and confirm that your committee’s information is updated and correct there as well. Since this information is constantly changing, it is important send updates regularly. Affiliate Clubs: The President or Corresponding Secretary should send any corrections or updates to [email protected]. It is the club’s responsibility to check the page at http://www. poodleclubofamerica.org/usamap.htm, keep the information updated and confirm updates are made correctly. In addition, send the information to the Affiliate Club Chair, Mrs. Helen Lee James at [email protected]. Websites are included for Affiliate Clubs, addresses are only included for the President and Corresponding Secretary. PCA Member Breeders: Members are not automatically added to the Breeder Referral page at http://www.poodleclubofamerica.org/usamap. htm. Only members that submit their information are listed. Submit your information to [email protected] if you haven’t before or update what is already listed. It is your responsibility to keep the information updated. If you update your member information on the website, please also update

Pca_on_line Listserv:

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the roster at [email protected]. Member websites are not included in the listings. Here is the format: • State or Country • Name • Kennel Name • Other pertinent information, such as a club office • Contact information, this could include all or some of the following; email, phone, fax. Addresses are not included. • Variety (Toy, Miniature or Standard) • P (Puppies) - O (Older Poodles) - I (Information) Poodle Rescue: Send updates to our PCA National Rescue Chairman, Sally Poindexter at [email protected]. She is organizing the information and keeping me constantly updated. Thanks to Sally, our growing list of rescue contacts is more complete and accurate. Not online? For those of us who are online, email and the pca_on_line listserv are great tools to keep in touch with other PCA members. However, not every member of PCA is online and/or subscribed to the listserv. So, in the event that you websavvy folks know members who need help emailing their information to update the website, please lend a hand. Thanks so much to those of you who have noticed incorrect information, broken links, typos, etc. Keep sending your observations or comments. They are greatly appreciated. I could not do it without you!

Regional?

Is your club interested in hosting a Regional? Contact Helen Lee James at [email protected] Tel: 303-979-7638

GMPC WC/WCX 2008 submitted by Jaci Bowman , WC/WCX GMPC secretary and coordinator for the combined club’s WC WCX August 10th The weather was perfect for a WC/WCX test. It started out in the mid 50’s and by the time we were finished in early afternoon it was mid 70’s partly cloudy with a light breeze. We had 4 entries in WC, and one in WCX. We ran concurrently with the Badger Golden Retriever Club again this year as we have done in past years. This year GMPC supplied all the workers for the WC, BGRC did the WCX. GMPC also this year provided all the birds for the GMPC entries as well, my first experience with handling the “quacks” And a diligent “quack” handler I was! The WC was held water first, and then land. The WCX ran land first and then water. The WC water was run on the new ponds that were dug last year off the runway. Basically it is sort of a set of technical ponds with peninsulas in it, and gravel sides with no cover surrounding it, and not much if any vegetation in them. The marks were run off a strip down the center of two larger portions of the ponds. The marks were about 25 yards and 20 yards. The judges for the WC Michelle Henry and Rich Barnett set up the marks with nice square entries as they realized the dogs may think about cheating with these type ponds, and the marks were plunked down so there was no way a dog could NOT get wet, these were all swimming marks. Our gunners/throwers were GMPC members Jean Lazarus gun, and Guy Schaal thrower for mark #1 and Pepsi Gilson gun, and John Pittman thrower for mark #2. The test was very fair, very much within the requirements of the WC test as well. Apparently all the 4 entries agreed and all passed that portion of the test. The land for the WC was located due west of the ponds that were used, a bit closer to the model rocket clubs launch area. It is always interesting down at Bong Recreation Area, you never know if there is going to be a rocket group shooting off rockets, model airplane groups flying through, and there are always horses trail riding as well, but none of it ever seems

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Left to Right: Pepsi ( Roberta) Gilson ( WC/WCX Chair and worker GMPC member/PCA member), Corrine Clavey ( judge), Rich Barnett (judge), Guy Shaal (GMPC member and worker) Aubry LaCross (curlie exhibitor) , John Pittman ( GMPC Member& worker) Jaci Bowman (GMPC Member, WC/WCX Secretary, exibitor) Jean Lazarus ( GMPC member and worker).the dogs are Diesal and Qwik ( Curlies) and Woodie ( std Poodle)

to bother the field dogs, who want their BIRDS. With over 4000 acres of restored prairie habitat, there seems plenty of room for all to play! The marks were at 90° to one another, the first bird down was heading east along the road at about 50 yards out, and the second mark was heading south about 45 yards out and landing right before the higher cover started. The cover was low with a scattering of little bushes and brush throughout it. Made for nice marking and the retrieves were in clear few upon landing. The “poodle ducks” as they became known were used for land after the water marks (each only used for one mark) they were towel tried and then stored in a cooler which was towel lined to absorb the excess water. Each was also marked with a “topknot band” on their ankle (pink for the boys and blue for the girls) so we would KNEW which birds were ours, and I diligently kept track of them. Each of the dogs entered in the poodle WC & WCX went home with two of the “poodle ducks” to use as training birds, win loose or draw as well, the owners paid for them and the dogs worked for them so why not! 3 of the WC dogs had good luck with these marks and passed the WC, one had a lot of fun, a bit too much unfortunately to bring home a ribbon that day, but boy that kid has talent, and with a bit more work will easily be a Hunt Test dog! Over at the WCX the judges Corrine Clavey and Dianne Barnett set up a nice land series in light to moderate cover, with

two definite lanes running to discourage switching. These were located on the backside of the gravel pond, where the WC was run last year, nice field to run in. Memory bird was a long bird, about 70-75 yards out going south along the back side of the pond, separated by a line of bushes from the pond and the go bird was at 90° heading east, out of a bush. Both were hand throws. The honor dog was located next to the judges and behind and to the left of the working dog and did not come in to play at all. Unfortunately the dog running the WCX had some problems locating the memory bird and was not carried to water. That being the only entry for the poodles the water test for the poodle WCX as not set up. After the test, the judges and workers were fed, (by the way GMPC is getting quite a reputation for good food amongst the judges is appears☺) rosettes and duck bands were passed out to the qualifiers and pictures were taken. Some of the poodle folks that wanted to, brought out their pups to try their paw at “field dog”. Toni Raden (a good friend of mine and Chessie breeder) and I helped get them going with some frozen pigeons and partridge, all 3 of the dogs that we played with REALLY wanted those birds, and I have a feeling we may have a few more new dogs at the WC next year! Toni and I then took two of them over to a pond and as we worked two of her Chessies and Woodie, (my standard that ran and passed the WC) on some marks, Pepsi Gilson played

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with her pup in the water and got her Danny ( Ch Magicstar Jubilaton MX MXJ), blasting in for a dokken dummy… a fun day was had by all. The Qualifiers at the WC were: CH Autumn Hill Oakwind Express (Woodie) Standard Poodle Jacquelyn Bowman CH Sundevil Seas Blazin’ for Shore (Qwik) Curly Coated Retriever Aubry LaCross CH Nyehyrst Edge of The Dock CD RN( Diesel) Curly Coated Retriever Brandon LaCross (handled by Aubry)

AFFILIATE CLUB ACTIVITY. Clubs planning specialty shows in 2009 should be aware of an additional class now approved by AKC for events held on or after January 1, 2009. It is the Amateur Owner Handler class. Qualifications for this class are as follows: The Amateur-Owner-Handler class shall be for dogs that are at least six months of age that are not champions. Dogs must be handled in the class by the registered owner of the dog. This class is restricted to exhibitors who have not, at any point in time, been a professional dog handler, AKC approved conformation judge, or employed as an assistant to a professional handler. Additionally, members of the immediate family or household of a current professional handler are ineligible for this class (as defined in Chapter 11, Section 13). Professional handlers are defined as any person who belongs or has belonged to a professional handlers organization, distributed rate cards, or otherwise advertise or represented themselves as handling dogs for pay. This class should certainly encourage participation by new exhibitors or those of us who feel that we cannot compete with the grooming and presentation of the professional handler. Note that the handler of the dog in this class “must be... the registered owner of the dog”. It does not include members of the family. I also strongly encourage specialty clubs to allow ample time to complete all of the necessary paperwork for their planned specialty shows. The process is not all that difficult or time-consuming. It is quite easy to download from PCA’s website the Instruction Sheet, the Specialty Show Applica-

tion, and the Medallion Request. When I receive the specialty show application form I check it over for the necessary information and, if all is as it should be, I send an approval in to AKC. AKC will not approve a specialty show without PCA’s prior approval.

As most of you know, PCA offers a sterling silver medallion for Best Of Breed at one specialty show per year. The medallion must be listed as the prize for Best of Breed in the premium list. After I receive the premium lists for the event, I will mail the medallion to the club. Specialty Clubs which designate the classes at an all breed event as their own specialty show must remember that only at independent specialty shows is a PCA Best of Breed medallion awarded. There is no “Best of Breed” award at an All Breed event. I am available to help the Affiliate Clubs in any way I possibly can. If you have questions, please contact me. I want to express my tremendous appreciation and thanks to Arlene Scardo who served for so many years to send out the medallions to the Affiliate Clubs. She kept accurate records and has sent everything to me to help me build my files so that I may better serve the best interests of the Affiliate Clubs and PCA members. Helen Lee James Second Vice President Poodle Club of America e-mail: [email protected] telephone: (303) 979-7638

From Nancy Hafner Toy Rep. Have had several complaints from those who had purchased Poodles from pet stores and the many web sites. However, very few inquires to forward on to our membership for a puppy sale. Wishing everyone a wonderful Happy Holiday Season, travel safe and see you in April. Nancy Hafner

The Poodle Papers

From Mike Wahlig Standard Rep.

Page 13

Membership Roster

At their October 13-14 board meeting, the AKC Board of Directors accepted the report of the AKC Group Realignment Committee. The Board is seeking additional comment and indicated in the minutes that they will next act on this matter at the January meeting. Practically speaking it would seem that any implementation of the group realignment would be at least a year away and possibly longer. Much has been written about the work of the Committee and their recommendations. If you are interested you can go to the AKC.org web site and read the details of the report which is attached to the minutes of the Oct. 13-14 board meeting. Part of the work of the committee included soliciting input from the parent clubs of affected breeds. PCA was contacted about the proper placement of the Standard Poodle. As you probably know, after a comment period, the PCA Board of Governors recommended that the Standard Poodle be a member of the newly named Companion Group. Before making the recommendation, the Board clarified that the placement of the Standard Poodle in the Companion group would not affect its participation in WC, WCX or hunt trial events. In addition Standard Poodles will continue to be able to participate in tracking events. It is interesting to note that the only other group that was considered for the Standard Poodle was the Sporting - Retrievers and Spaniels group. That group is now proposed to consist of 6 retriever breeds and 12 spaniel varieties and breeds. I believe that the Standard Poodle is well placed in the Companion Group along with the Miniature Poodle. The proposed Companion Group will consist of the Bichon Frise, Boston Terrier, Bulldog, Chinese Crested, French Bulldog, Lhasa Apso, Miniature Poodle, Standard Poodle, Tibetan Spaniel, Tibetan Terrier and the Xoloitzcuintli. I noted in the Committee’s report that of all the breed clubs that were contacted by the committee for their input, only two clubs requested a change of group for their breed and in both instances the change was made by the Committee. The Italian Greyhound will be in the Sight Hound group and the Dalmatian will be part of the Working group. I would like to thank everyone who participated in the dialog with respect to the group placement of the Standard Poodle. It was a positive and educational interchange. I think the Standard variety will thrive in the Companion group and will still be able to show the versatility it is known for in other events.

This quarter the Roster will be completed for 2009 -2010. Please send any last minute updates to me by November 20th and I’ll be sure to get them in. You have a choice of receiving this new roster by email or traditional mail. The roster will also be uploaded to “PCA On Line” . It can be accessed from the file section of the groups page. Every member has access to the files. Once the roster is made available it will be updated quarterly. Our “Constitution and Bylaws” & “Policy book” are now available in the file section of the groups page as well. If you would like it emailed directly to your computer please send me post ([email protected]) and I will be happy to send it in a word document. Best to all of our members, Peggy McDill Corresponding Secretary

Check List for Affiliate Clubs How do you rate your Affiliate Club? Is your club financially sound? Does your club have an active membership? Does your club work together as a whole? Does your club have a good Breeder referral contact? Does your club have a rescue contact? Does your club actively participate in rescue in your clubs area? Do you hold a stand alone specialty or a supported event each year? Has your club ever thought of hosting a Regional? Does your club have a code of ethics? and practice them? Does your club follow your clubs Bi -Laws? Do you have a legislative watch member or director? Does your club encourage new members into the breed? Do you, yourself work for your club? Does your club work within the guidelines of the parent club, PCA?

The Poodle Papers

Texas Twist on WC/WCX Venue

Page 14 Saturday’s judges were Dave and Vicki Christianson. Four standard poodles competed in the WC on Saturday, with two passing:

By Sherri Smith Houston’s Bluebonnet Poodle Club (BPC) held its third annual WC/WCX trial and Novice Mark and Fetch stakes the weekend of October 25 and 26 on the grounds of Bass Pro’s

• Leap N La Tee CD, WC, WCX, JH (PP646785/02) owned by Sheree Melancon. • Hattie Mae La Rey RN, WC (PR045464/03) owned by Boone and Amy Pyatt. Three standard poodles competed in the WCX on Saturday with one passing: • Deaux Rey’s Splash N Fah So, JH, WC (PR045464/06) owned by Sheree Melancon. Sunday’s judges were Don Koster and Blaine Fabre. Four standard poodles competed in the WC on Saturday, with the same two passing:

Outdoor World—a huge recreation, sporting goods store, and restaurant—located south of Houston in Pearland. The facility allowed us to publicize our event with posters in the store and on their Web site, which resulted in a great audience for the trial and a few Mark and Fetch competitors. The weather was great, if a bit warm, and the pond was fresh, clean and free of hazards for the dogs. Sheree Melancon, event chairman, did a superb job of seeking out and gaining access to the venue, which we plan to use again next fall, as well as executing a flawless event. She was ably assisted by trial secretary, Lisha Salathiel, who handled all the publicity and paperwork. Karen Cade served as marshal on both Saturday and Sunday. Mary Cooper, Sherri Smith, and Mindy Ingles also served on the trial committee. BPC couldn’t have staged the event without the support of Lone Star Poodle Club’s Amy and Boone Pyatt who provided the field equipment set up. William Salathiel, Jimmy Melancon, Boone Pyatt, and judge Blaine Fabre’s son, Garret, ably manned the wingers during the trial getting a bit more sun than they bargained for. Bambi Kaminski of Austin served as trial photographer.

• Leap N La Tee CD, WC, WCX, JH (PP646785/02) owned by Sheree Melancon. • Hattie Mae La Rey RN, WC (PR045464/03) owned by Boone and Amy Pyatt. Three standard poodles competed in the WCX on Saturday with two passing: • Deaux Rey’s Splash N Fah So, JH, WC (PR045464/06) owned by Sheree Melancon. • Leap N La Tee CD, WC, WCX, JH (PP646785/02) owned by Sheree Melancon. Fah So completed his WCX title on Saturday, and Hattie Mae earned her bronze medallion (both pending PCA verification). Highlighting each day was the Novice Mark and Fetch, which was open to all dogs of all ages. Not only did we have poodles of every size participating, we had an Australian Shepherd puppy, a Lab puppy, and 2 Mastiffs, who couldn’t wait to get in the water and cool off! The only dog to both mark and fetch both days was 12-week old, standard puppy, Deuce,

The Poodle Papers

cont. on page 15

cont. from page 14

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ancon • Dolly, silver standard poodle owned by Mary Cooper

a third generation hunter. Toy poodle, Macy, was quite a swimmer, easily going after her toy-sized bumper. Angus, the Mastiff, did a credible water retrieve after enjoying the water a while. Saturday’s Mark and Fetch competitors included: • Sophie, white standard owned by Mindy Ingle • Merla, black standard owned by Dawn Zack • Ari, black mini owned by Sherri Smith • Lulu & Mia, black standards owned by Bambi Kaminski • Angus & Rumor, Mastiffs owned by Dennis McKibben • Mis Chief, black standard owned by Lisha Salathiel • Frankie, standard poodle handled by William Salathiel • Macy, white toy poodle owned by Amy and Boone Pyatt • Deuce, black standard poodle puppy owned by Amy and Boone Pyatt

•

Star, white standard poodle owned by Sheree Mel-

Sunday’s Mark and Fetch competitors were: • Merla, black standard owned by Dawn Zack • Mis Chief, black standard owned by Lisha Salathiel • Deuce, black standard poodle puppy owned by Amy and Boone Pyatt • Star, white standard poodle owned by Sheree Melancon • Dolly, silver standard poodle owned by Mary Cooper • Asti, black mini owned by Patti Felli • AC, white standard owned by Sheree Melancon • La Vie, white standard owned by Kellie Black • Marcus, black standard owned by Kellie Black • Ziggy black standard and two standard puppies owned by Susan and Neil Belden • Ike, black lab puppy owned by Garrett Fabre • Rooster Cogburn, Australian Shepherd puppy owned by Lara and Micah Davis BPC is planning to hold next year’s WC/WCX at the same location at and at approximately the same time of year. We’ll be adding a dinner on the restaurant patio with poodles welcome next year after the Saturday trial. Plan to join us. More information will be available by PCA in April. Check out BassPro. com for a location near you.

*photos by Bambi Kaminski & Sherri Smith

The Poodle Papers

Page 16

Working Poodle As the days get shorter and the weather cooler we hope everyone is training hard and smart. April will be here before you know it. We look forward to seeing everyone. Dana Stewart Working Poodle Program Director

Greetings from the Working Poodle side of the fence. As the Poodle Papers are being published we are about 6 months from the National Specialty. We have some new and exciting changes taking place. First of all the PCA Board has approved the addition of a tracking test to be included with all the other venues during the National Specialty. The test will be held April 17th at the Fair Hill Natural Resource Area. Fair Hill is located at 300 Tawes Drive in Elkton, Maryland. You can address any questions to the event secretary Kim Raymond at 863.660.2776. Next, we are moving the location of the AKC Hunt Test (chaired by Linda Miller) and WC/WCX (chaired by Joyce Carelli) which will take place on April 18th (hunt tests) and 19th (WC/WCX). The new location is Anatidae Farm. It is located at 4635 Maiden Forest Road in Rhodesdale, Maryland. The farm is owned by Frank Durham. Frank has been a big supporter of working poodles and we have used his farm for the training day prior to past events. Frank has 440 acres and has had new ponds dug. We are looking forward to running the event at this new location. Our hope is that the tracking event can also be held here in the future. The Judges for this year’s hunt tests and WC/WCX will be Tom Lehr and Megan Baker. Tom and Megan are wonderful people and are real supporters of Poodles in the field. Several of us have run under them in the past. The dynamic duo has agreed to judge all three stakes of the AKC Hunt test – Junior, Senior and Master. Both Megan and Tom also train and run their own dogs in AKC Hunt tests and are not only experienced but are also a lot of fun to be around! For WC/WCX ONLY non-floatation vests may be used by all dogs. A copy of the Rules and Guidelines for WC/WCX is available on the PCA web site in the performance area.

Volunteers needed! It’s that time of year again (actually past that time of year) where you have the opportunity to volunteer to do one of the most interesting jobs at PCA - be on the WC/WCX Committee and help our working poodles and their people put on a successful test. We will be at a new location this year just northwest of Salisbury (about the same distance from the Civic Center as the previous location but in the opposite direction). Date is the Sunday prior to PCA week. I’m looking for committee volunteers plus volunteers who would be interested in working in the field or helping out with hospitality or anything else in connection with the tests. You’ll never see a happier bunch of poodles as those at the tests and I guarantee that their enthusiasm for retrieving is positively infectious. Please let me know if I can count on you to help out! If you need personal recommendations for how much fun this is, feel free to contact Scott Olund, Mike Wahlig, or Bill Cunningham who have all helped out in the past. (thanks guys -- how about this year?????). You can e-mail me at [email protected] or call me at 828-693-7134. I’d love to hear from lots of you, especially new PCA members! Joyce Carelli

We are praying for the same weather as last year. Warm and Sunny.

The Poodle Papers

Page 17

P.C.A. Rescue This is the first of what I hope to be continuing columns on PCA Rescue. With each issue, I will present different aspects of Rescue, the good, the bad, and the problematic. A newcomer to Rescue myself, I am currently on a very steep learning curve. In the past few months since I was invited to join the PCA Rescue team, I have seen success and I have seen failure in Rescue. I have discovered that the failures drive us on even more than do the successes. The failures point up our mistakes. We learn from those and hopefully do not repeat them. I encourage everyone who reads this to do their part to help in our Rescue efforts. In the not-for-profit community, the mantra for members is “give, get or go away.” For Rescue, I would like to propose “give (money or time), get (a dog out of a shelter) or go away. We all love our breed and we take pride in their accomplishments – in the Breed ring and in competitive performance events. Let’s do what we can to help those unfortunate Poodles that are abandoned and neglected, those that have never known the fun of agility or the cheers from ringside. Please be generous. Cut or copy the coupon below this text and send it back. The Rescue community is made up entirely of Volunteers. Your donations are used to help refund money already spent by volunteers for spay and neuter, for hip and eye surgery to make some Poodles more adoptable, for heartworm and parvo treatment to save lives and on and on.

PCA Rescue Foundation

Please think about a tax deductible donation to PCA Rescue before the end of the calendar year. One hundred percent of your donation goes to support the efforts of volunteers all over the United States to rescue Poodles from abandonment and find them permanent safe, loving homes. Clip and return this coupon to the address below. You will receive an acknowledgement of your donation by mail and in the 2009 PCA catalog. NAME ___________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ AMOUNT _______________________ Send this form and your check to: Anne Stokes, Treasurer 4014 Duplin Drive Greensboro, NC 27406 The Poodle Papers

Rescue Stories

Page 18

This is the first of what I hope to be continuing columns on PCA Rescue. With each issue, I will present different aspects of Rescue, the good, the bad, and the problematic and the stories and pictures of adoptable Poodles. Below is the story of “Roxie.” I am letting Amanda Clayton, of the Poodle Patch Rescue in Texarkana, tell you about her in her own words. I could not do any better. If anyone is interested in adopting Roxie, please get in touch with me and I will send you on to Amanda. Cindy Crawley [email protected]

Roxie “Roxie,” pictured below, is available for adoption. She is such a laid back, low-key girl. She had a really awesome home going through the application process but they had to back out. We are on the picky side and we have turned down a few applicants on her. I know there is someone out there for her just for her. They will find us soon. When Roxie was surrendered, a male, Rocky, was also turned over. He came with his AKC papers and she came with Dog Registry of America-formerly US Kennel Club papers, so we know their birthdates. Neither were chipped.

The two were owner surrendered to an individual who then contacted The Poodle Patch in Texarkana. Basically this person saw the condition these dogs were in and offered to take them. This individual then began asking around at work about what to do with them. One contact led to another and they ended up in our Rescue. I got a call at 9:45 PM one evening in September, from a young girl sobbing about the condition of these Poodles and how she could not let them stay where they were but could also not afford to help them. By 8:30 the next morning, Roxie, Rocky, and myself were sitting at my vet clinic getting evaluated.

Roxie and Rocky were neglected/borderline abused. She had ulcers on her rear larger than golf balls from sitting on concrete. The fleas were so heavy you could see them crawling all over both dogs from several feet away. Poor Roxie’s coat

had been hacked up with scissors or some device (I suppose so she could nurse) as she had just weaned a litter of pups when we got her, All the pups, all purebreds, had been turned over to a huge local kill shelter. We do not know what happened to them. Once we had her vetted, Roxie tested positive for heartworms which delayed her adoption date. She has completed her treatment and is now in great shape. She only weighed 42 pounds when we took her in and she now weighs 58! Both Roxie and Rocky also had what my vet described as a “bumper crop” of hooks and whips as well.

Rocky has been adopted and now lives in Plano, TX and has a Standard brother who you would guess was his twin. Roxie is now fostered in my home with my 2 Standards, 1 Miniature, and my cat. She is going to make someone an excellent companion. She is one of the most trouble free fosters I have ever had. She is alert to someone coming near the house, she nudges you to pet her, she is alert to strangers approaching the house, she walks great on a leash, and she just has no bad habits at all. We are in Texarkana Texas 75503. We are just a few blocks from Arkansas. We are 1.5 hours from Shreveport, LA, 2

The Poodle Papers

cont. on page 19

cont. from page 18

Page 19

hours from Little Rock, AR (my hometown) and 3 hours from Dallas, TX. I also have 2 rescued Standards who are Certified Therapy Dogs. My Mom operated her Poodle Grooming Shop my entire life, so that’s how I got hooked. I was raised Poodle! Amanda Clayton, The Poodle Patch

Congrats on a new title! Just wanted to send in a brag for the upcoming poodle papers for Field Poodles. “Cooper” achieved his JH (AKC) title on Sept 7, 2008 amatuer owner handled all the way!

Optic Nerve Hypolplasia (ONH)

This is a problem I am hearing more about more in miniature Poodles, a problem that can be found in an early CERF exam between 8-12 weeks of age. This is not something that comes later in life; puppies are born with it. After speaking with several vets in my area, many who do CERF clinics, believe that the Poodle breeders as a whole are not doing CERF exams as often as they use to. Many are just doing the OptiGen test, period. CERF exams routinely are just as important for other inherited eye issues as the OptiGen PRCD test. Could this be a reason for the increase of ONH in miniatures? After I emailed Sue Pearce-Kelling, the new president of OptiGen, she sent back an email that the company is considering studying ONH. I hope that toy and Miniature Poodle breeders will participate in this study. This would be one more test we could have to breed away from .This disease causes varying degrees of loss of eyesight, from partial to complete blindness, affecting one or both eyes. I hope that breeders will support this new study and help find a genetic marker test for this problem. OptiGen would need to collect 20-25 samples from ONHaffected (unrelated) dogs and their parents. This would provide a resource for ONH research. We need owners who are open and willing to share their dogs’ eye exam diagnosis of ONH with OptiGen. Sue would need the following: Blood samples (~5ml) from ONH affected dogs and their parents. Diagnosis should be definitively optic nerve hypoplasia. Bilateral ONH would be preferable to having only one eye affected for this stage of the research. Pedigrees (5-6 generations) from the affected dogs Eye exam reports for the affected dogs and their parents.

He is well on his way to be an outstanding working dog At least 20 samples from ONH-affected dogs that have no in the field, as well as a reliable hunting companion! Cooper is the First apricot/red hunt titled poodle in the grandparents in common. USA. SHR SOUTHERN STANDARDS RED CREOLE JH WC Angie & Rich Louter

This is a real issue in the breed. I hope people will support this new endeavor. FMI- email me at [email protected] Thanks for your help in advance Leslie Newing

The Poodle Papers

Page 20

P.C.A. Foundation News 2009 PCA Foundation Seminar The 2009 PCA Foundation Seminar is scheduled for Tuesday, April 21. In addition to updates from researchers studying poodle health problems, the seminar will feature Claudia Orlandi, Ph.D., and her highly regarded program “The ABC’s of Dog Breeding: What Every Breeder Should Know.” Dog breeders across the nation have responded enthusiastically to the step-by-step approach based on Dr. Orlandi’s belief that anyone can and should understand practical rules of animal breeding and canine genetics in the quest to breed better, healthier dogs. In addition to discussing key breeding tools and concepts, she will address kennel blindness and many of the common misconceptions that are handed down from dog breeder to dog breeder. The seminar will include a “hands-on” workshop on how to evaluate forequarter and hindquarter angulation and placement. Copies of “The ABC’s of Dog Breeding” home study program will also be available. Watch PCA’s Web site for more information and to pre-register. Dr. Orlandi’s involvement with the dog fancy began some 40 years ago as a junior handler. Although she has owned and shown various breeds, for about 20 years her passion has been breeding Basset Hounds. The Orlandis have bred more than 100 champions under the Topsfield prefix, including the top producing Basset Hound dam and the top Group

winning Basset Hound (Ch. Topsfield Bumper Cars, CD, ROM) in breed history. Ch. Topsfield Vision Silvernoodles is currently among the nation’s top hounds competing for show dog of the year honors. Dr. Orlandi has served on the Basset Hound Club of America’s Health and Research Committee and Judge’s Education Committee and currently chairs Member Education. Submitted by Pat Forsyth

News from Tom: Here is the list of grants we have made this past month-the details can be checked out on the CHF website $7,000.00 to Dr. Gary Johnson at the U. of Missouri”Mapping and Characterization of Canine Epilepsy L: oci” $2,500.00 to AKC-CHF to help sponsor the “Cardiovascular Disease Research Symposium”” at New Orleans on Oct 6,2008

PCA Foundation

Enjoy Spring off right with a donation to the PCA Foundation. You can contribute to this worthy cause by simply filling out the form below. The Foundation acknowledges all contributions. I wish to contribute $ ________________ to the Poodle Club of America Foundation, Inc., in the name of ______________________________________________________________________. This contribution is made in memory/ honor of __________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ I wish this contribution to be used for _________________________________________ (Please specify a specific area, i.e. PRA, Hips, SA, vWD, or to the General Fund) Mail your check to : (note Donations are Tax Deductible) The Poodle Club of America Foundation, inc. 208 Crosbytown Rd, Quitman, Ga 31643 The Poodle Papers

Page 21

OptiGen

During the 3rd quarter of 2008, OptiGen tested 124 Toy Poodles for prcd-PRA. The results were as follows: Normal - 85 Carrier - 36 Affected - 3 During the 3rd quarter of 2008, OptiGen tested 132 Miniature Poodles for prcd-PRA. The results were as follows: Normal - 82 Carrier - 45 Affectes - 5 During the 3rd quarter of 2008, OptiGen tested 32 Dwarf Poodles for prcd-PRA. The results were as follows: Normal - 19 Carrier - 13 Affected - 0 These poodles were from the following countries: Andorra Austria Canada Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Israel Italy Netherlands Norway Russia Spain Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom USA Sincerely, Kate Earle Office Assistant

Foundation News

WE have not finished all the plans for April but here are part of them. We have arranged for a limited number of test kits from VetGen for vWD at $99.00 each this is a $41.00 savings and if you would like to to do NE at the same time it is $50.00 instead of $65.00 If you want to be certain of obtaining one reserve it by April 1 by contacting me at the address below. WE are planning a Cerf Clinic on Tuesday,more details later. Dr. Gordon will be with us on Thursday and Friday and will be doing her testing again-Advance reservations are $75.00 but $125.00 the days of the show- other than poodles can be tested but they are $125.00 these reservations must be made by April 1-use the following address NIH will be with us to collect samples for their research projects- a Tuesday event Pat Forsyth should have more info on the Tuesday program. AKC DNA kits will be available throughout the week Send reservations with name address-etc to Tom Carneal-PCAF President 25904 State Highway EE Maryvill6,Mo 64468-7306 Ph 660 582-4955 Cell 816-294-2831 e-mail [email protected]

Note from Tom: Frank Fretwell’s niece has contacted meshe will be sending part of Franks’ papers to the Poodle Museum Collection but she still has the Library and several paintings and drawings to dispose of. If anyone is interested they should contact her-the Library is extensive and covers more than just dogs

OptiGen, LLC Cornell Business & Technology Park 767 Warren Road, Suite 300 Ithaca, NY 14850 phone: 607-257-0301 fax: 607-257-0353 email: [email protected] web: www.optigen.com

Susan Fretwell-Attorney at Law ph-864-948-0280 or [email protected] The Poodle Papers

JUMPING JEHOSHAPHAT!

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The poodle owner that decides to compete in obedience or agility is faced with many jumping issues. Following are some of my thoughts on the subject of dogs’ jumping ability. I believe that a dog’s jumping style and ability is totally controlled by the physical and mental make-up of the dog, including his eye-sight. There is the usual array of easilydiagnosed slipping stifles, and hip and elbow dysplasia that make jumping difficult or impossible for a dog. But there is a misconception among performance people that if the dog’s knees, hips, and elbows check out, and no bones are broken, that he is “sound” and should be fine to jump. There are so many parts of the dog that, when constructed in certain ways, can cause poor jumping ability, it would be impossible to list them all. A few are: top-line and flexibility of the spine; length, carriage and flexibility of the neck; relative length and angles of the various bones in the shoulder; relative length and angles of the various bones in the hind-quarters; the tilt of the pelvis; the relative bulk of the dog’s skeleton and musculature; and any extra weight he carries. We are very lucky in poodles that our dogs are generally light in bone compared with other breeds, long of leg compared with other breeds, not heavily-muscled (like pit bull-type breeds), and have longer necks and high head carriage, which all can contribute to ease in jumping. Because of these factors, many poodles that are not constructed very well are still able to get over the jumps without hitting them. Through experience, many dogs with high energy and/or a willing heart, learn by themselves to compensate for their physical imperfections in a myriad of ways. In other words, by exerting extra effort, a dog may learn to clear a jump, IF hitting the jump bothers him. (See more on this subject below.) A dog which jumps well hits the apex, or highest part of his jump arc when his chest is over the bar. If his rear is constructed in such a way that he cannot adequately tuck his hind legs or extend them straight back to keep them from hitting the jump, then he may learn to jump, say, 25% higher than a dog that can do this in order to keep his hind legs from hitting the jump when he goes over. The apex of his jump may be at the moment when his hind feet are over the jump. If the dog’s shoulders are constructed so that he cannot lift his forelegs up out of the way, he also jumps higher to clear his dangling legs. A dog whose depth perception is faulty may take off way early, as he thinks he is closer than he is. This type of dog also learns to jump higher in order to clear the jump. He hits the apex of his jump well in front of the jump, and is on his way down when he actually goes over the jump. The comment you hear from owners of dogs that compensate in these ways is, “He thinks he can fly!” No, he

thinks he’s trying to get over the jump as best he can manage due to the trainer’s insistence that he do so. Some dogs love to “catch air” when they jump, but most dogs that appear to be jumping much higher than needed to clear a jump are doing it because that is the only way they can figure out how to get over the jump without hitting it. There are physical reasons they jump “too high.” Often, a big factor that influences whether dogs clear jumps or not is their sensitivity to pain. Most (not all!) Poodles are more sensitive to pain than many other breeds. Most poodles notice and care if they hit a jump. Many breeds, such as those that were originally bred for police work, or retriever breeds that hunters want to “bust brush” and jump into icy water to retrieve birds, and herding dogs that are expected to keep going after getting kicked by the livestock, are bred to be insensitive to pain, and don’t seem to experience any unpleasant sensation when they hit jumps. I’ve seen dogs race at top speed around whole agility courses mowing down every jump, and eager to go knock down some more when they come off the courses. Most of these dogs are perfectly physically able to clear the jumps, but clearing the jumps would require them to slow down a bit to gather themselves more before taking off. The discomfort of hitting the jump is apparently not so great as to get their attention and cause them to do this. Trainers of these dogs sometimes use metal bars or bars that deliver an electric shock, or make the bars harder to displace, hoping that at some point these dogs will find a level of pain that is unacceptable to them when they hit jumps. As I said before, we poodle owners are lucky in that poodles usually do try to avoid hitting bars. If they misjudge jumps, or we distract them, such as with ill-timed front crosses, and they hit jumps, they usually jump higher the next time to avoid doing it again. Poor footing can also cause dogs to hit jumps. One of my pet peeves (that ranks up there with judges who aspire to make a course that no one can run successfully) is agility clubs that pay scant attention to the jumping surface at their trials. Most of the trials in our area are on dirt at horse arenas. If the dirt is not wet enough, then the dogs sink in or slip when they take off. Considering that neither my dog nor I can reach top speed (which in my case is a slow lumber) in soft loose dirt, then there are dogs that would otherwise make time and clear jumps that are not doing so. Spending the considerable money to enter and attend a trial in which I cannot pass due to lack of traction on the surface “gets all over me.” All arenas have some means of watering the dirt, they are just lacking someone who cares. At our club’s trials, I am well-known for staying after the trial is over and sprinkling the arena with a hose for hours, while everyone else has gone to dinner, to keep the surface from drying out too much overnight.

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One jumping concept that I teach and adhere to is being cognizant and respectful of the impact over years that jumping has on a dog. Although dogs have the ability to jump, it is not a natural activity for them as we practice it in agility. Their structures were not designed to do 50 or more shoulder-high or higher jumps a day, as we might ask of them in an agility trial (including warm-ups). It puts stress on their joints and tendons, particularly when they land. Many of the surfaces on which we jump them are hard. If the dog is running as fast as he can go, the stress on the shoulders is even greater when he lands (mass times speed equals “ouch!”) Just as human joggers wear out their knees and feet faster than people who do not jog, dogs that are doing repetitive jumping wear out their joints and connective tissues faster that dogs that do not. Beginner trainers, and those who think they have something to prove, think that there is some esteem connected to getting their dog up to “full height” (or higher) quickly, then always jumping at that height. But I think of the subject in this way: A dog has a finite number of jumps that he can do in his lifetime. When they’re gone, they’re gone. We don’t know how many jumps this is. We can use them up frivolously, or we can conserve and thus extend the jumping life of the dog. How does one conserve? In all teaching and practicing of obedience or agility with my dogs, I keep the jumps much lower than the dog must jump in competition. I pick a height that the dog cannot walk over—he must at least hop a bit so that he gets the idea of what he is supposed to do. This might be 4 inches for a toy poodle, 8 for a miniature, or 16 for a standard. Keeping the jumps low in the learning process serves the dual purpose of saving the dog’s joints AND building confidence due to the ease with which he can do it. When the dog is fully trained for whatever event I am aiming towards, and jumping and taking direction with speed and confidence, I GRADUALLY work the dog up to the height he must jump in competition. I don’t raise the jump a notch until I see his full speed and confidence return at the level we are working. When he is confident at the required height, then I enter the shows. When I am further practicing or working on handling maneuvers that result in repetitive jumping, I lower the jumps back down. Dogs usually go faster if the jumps are lower. They get in the habit of going faster in practice because it is so easy for them. This habit of going faster sticks with them when they compete. A trainer can also get more work out of the dog before he gets tired in practice by keeping the jumps lower. I believe that jumping dogs full height all the time shortens their competitive life. It is also de-motivating. Another factor to consider in jumping dogs is the necessity of keeping them in good physical condition. The more they weigh, the harder it is for them to jump. Carrying extra weight causes more strain taking off, and more pounding on

the landing. I see more dogs reluctant to jump because their shoulders or elbows are sore than dogs whose hindquarters seem to be hurting. They don’t want to jump because they know it’s going to hurt when they land. They gingerly take two or three characteristic short strides after landing that say “ouch” to the observer. Keeping the dog on the lean side is the best thing a trainer can do for his pal, along with seeing that the dog gets enough exercise to keep him strong. Some dogs exercise on their own—they’re never still. A high activity level is more common in poodles than lethargy. But if one has a lethargic dog and wants to do agility or obedience, then he must find a way to get and keep the dog moving on a daily basis to build and keep his muscles toned and his stamina adequate. Retrieving games, taking the dog on long walks, or exercising the dog beside a bike or car are ways to do this. One might take a lethargic dog to the veterinarian for a checkup, but some dogs are simply laid-back by nature, and do not have low thyroid, anemia, or other factors that we associate with a low energy. I don’t believe a person can teach a dog to jump better, but I believe a great deal of money is spent trying. This is just like people trying to look and feel younger. A person is never going to get younger, but probably 25% of the gross national product is spent trying. I am always amused when I see advertisements for jumping clinics for dogs. It is possible that a HANDLER can learn to avoid causing a dog to drop bars by such means as getting out of his way, getting a more right-angle approach to the jump, refraining from distracting him when he is jumping, and refraining from exciting him so much prior to his run that he is nuts when he runs. It is possible that weight loss, better conditioning of the dog, or building confidence in the dog might make him jump better. But if a dog can’t jump, all the “clinics” in the world are not going to improve his conformation or eyesight. I have seen flyers for these clinics which advertise “guaranteed results.” In the next sentence, the seminar-giver offers a cut rate for people repeating the seminar. If results are guaranteed, why would anyone need to attend a subsequent seminar? I’ve often thought that I should give an agility jumping clinic. My clinic would be very short. (No need to provide lunch.) I would say that if you are here because your dog can’t jump, and you want to compete in agility, I would advise you to get a new dog that can jump. If there are those who are resistant to that advice, I would demonstrate by running and trying to jump over a series of jumps myself, knocking them all down. Then I would ask if anyone were present who thinks he could teach me to be an Olympic hurdler. ‘Nuff said. Some can jump well, and some can’t. By Joann Neal

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Tracking “Tracking Poodles Debut Finally, due to the amount of work required to put on a successful tracking test and the small number of dogs that can at run in a full test, tracking tests are often a money-losing project for the sponsoring club. They require fund raising 2009 National Specialty!” or financial support from other more monetarily successful By Carol Pernicka The Poodle Club of America is offering a Tracking Test for the first time at the 2009 National. It will be held at Fair Hill Natural Resource Management Area in Elkton, Maryland on April 17 which will provide an opportunity for everyone attending the Specialty to learn what tracking is all about. Tracking is undoubtedly the least known of the all-breed events available through AKC. A significant reason for this is very likely due to the necessity of holding tracking events separately from other all-breed activities. While agility and obedience can be offered at conformation shows, tracking cannot. As a result, many people have never watched a dog track. Tracking also has much greater limitations upon the number of dogs that can participate at any one test. It is the most labor-intensive sport offered by AKC. Two judges must individually plot each track the day before a test; a tracklayer will walk the flagged track the day of the test and pull the flags, which mark the path walked. Each tracklayer generally lays only two or three tracks. Additional people help with the hospitality (most clubs offer breakfast and lunch to

all participants and spectators), manage the equipment and handle transportation for judges and exhibitors. TD tests are limited to only 12 dogs because of the amount of time required to plot tracks the day before (each dog runs its own track). Many clubs offer fewer tracks than the maximum allowed due to land limitations.

trials and shows offered by clubs. For this reason, there are considerably fewer tracking tests put on by clubs than any other titling event, making it more difficult to get the opportunity to earn a tracking title. Fortunately, tracking is the only AKC title a dog can earn which calls for the dog to be successful only once instead of the multiple legs or wins other events require. Despite this combination of problems, those who try tracking find it to be an exciting sport for them and their dogs. Poodles, even the small varieties, generally have a wonderful sense of smell and are good trackers. They also enjoy working scent, and learn “nose games” quickly. With the proper motivation, they quickly learn to follow the tracklayer’s scent, following the route walked to find the glove left behind at the end of the track. Tracking also is an excellent way to build confidence in young puppies as well as older dogs. The dog leads the way down the track, and taking charge helps many youngsters gain more assurance. This will carry over into other activities. In breeds where displaying erect ears is important for correct expression in the breed ring, knowledgeable handlers will often track their dogs to help develop attitude. They also know that the dog will be no more likely to sniff its way around the ring than a dog trained concurrently for both the breed and obedience rings will sit while showing. Poodles are smart enough to learn the difference between wearing a harness in the field and a show lead in a ring. To protect the show coat, most dogs wear either a tee shirt or full body suit under the tracking harness when training. Tracking is as easy to train as obedience or agility. There are really only two behaviors that the dog needs to learn. The first is to follow the tracklayer’s scent, the second to indicate the glove at the end. Following scent comes instinctively. By using rewards valued by the dog such as treats or games with the glove at the end of the track, the Poodle will learn to commit to the track without losing its concentration as it passes other interesting odors along the way. If distractions become a problem, the solution can generally be found in enhancing the rewards for staying on task.

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The Poodle must learn to find the scent again if he loses it. The most common way for a dog to lose scent is when the track makes a turn. As dogs learn to work corners, they develop individual styles. The observant handler learns to recognize his dog’s corner indication and help the dog when it occurs. Some dogs overshoot the corner and work back to it; their handlers learn to back up to stay out of the dogs’ way or to encourage their dogs to work behind them. Other handlers need only stand still until the dog starts down the next leg. Most dogs make circles as they work a corner, although the size will vary. A dog that works back and forth across the forward path of motion is more commonly checking the path of another person or animal that crossed the track.

The Poodle must also learn work in varying weather. Heat and cold, winds or melting snow all present different scenting conditions. It is fascinating to watch dogs learn to adapt. It gives us a window on how the dog processes the olfactory information upon which he relies so heavily. Because the human nose is unable to perform the tasks the canine one handles automatically, seeing how easily the dog processes and uses his scenting ability often seems miraculous. Solving these problems is not difficult for most Poodles. Their intelligence and appreciation for interesting games enables them to quickly learn the skills necessary for successful tracking. It is more often the handler, in fact, that slows the team down as she learns the skills she needs: to lay track and find it again later when working the dog, read the dog, and introduce the elements needed to successfully complete a track in a logical progression. Fewer dogs earn a tracking title than any other title offered by AKC. In many ways, tracking is the most rewarding of any for the handler, however. It encourages confidence in the dog and develops a system of mutual trust between handler and dog to be successful. The relationship between man and dog that results strengthens the bond between them, as well as enhancing their teamwork in other endeavors and training venues. Those of us who track, anticipate and hope

that with the addition of a Tracking Test at PCA’s National Specialty, additional Poodle owners will discover this rewarding sport. Photo’s by Ron Pernicka

OFA News! Notice of fee Increase effective 1/1/08

P lease note the following fee increase which will go into effect for applications received after January 1, 2008. This is the OFA’s first fee increase since 2001. The increase only applies to applications requiring radiographic evaluations. There is no fee increase for soft tissue applications (cardiac, thyroid, patella, etc). OFA fee schedule for hip and elbow evaluations effective January 1, 2008 Animals over 24 Months: Hip Dysplasia Evaluation . . . . . .$35 .00 Elbow Dysplasia Evaluation . . . . $35 .00 Hip Dysplasia/Elbow Dysplasia Evaluation (submitted together) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $40 .00 Litter Rate (Hips, Elbows, or Hips and Elbows).$90.00 Kennel Rate (Minimum 5 applications, submitted as a group, owned or co/owed by one common owner) . . .$15 .00 per dog Animals under 24 Months (Preliminary Evaluations): Hip Dysplasia Evaluation . . . . . . $30 .00 Elbow Dysplasia Evaluation . . . . $30 .00 Hip Dysplasia/Elbow Dysplasia Evaluation (submitted together) . . . . . . . . $35 .00 Litter Rate (Hips, Elbows, or Hips and Elbows) . $60.00 Kennel Rate (Minimum 5 applications, submitted as a group, owned or co/owed by one common owner) . . . . . .$15 .00 per dog 2300 E Nifong Blvd, Columbia, MO 65201 Phone: (573) 442-0418; Fax: (573) 875-5073 www.offa.org

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I am a breeder.....

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I am a breeder.

My food receipts for a family of 7 and my dog food bills match My water bill has doubled My electric has tripled It is I, a breeder, who when my fridge quit, saved the dog meds and let the food go bad. My feet find the way to the kennel before I have even grabbed a cup of coffee in the morning and the kennel is my last stop before bed. While my friends are on a cruise to the Bahamas and my family meets for Christmas I am home delivering puppies I haven’t had a real vacation in 7 years, but maybe soon. All plans are made around heat dates, whelp dates and vet dates. I shower and 10 minutes later my grand kids say I smell like a dog My clothes are all stained with faecal matter, urine, afterbirth or bleach I have to remember to clean my shoes before church Most of my friends breed dogs who else can you call at 3 am for support? Who else has the experience I sometimes need, the med I sometimes need, or just an uplifting word I sometimes need ? Who else would understand how it feels to have invested hours and hours and hours in a weak puppy to lose it? Or the joy in investing hours in one that lives? I have slept on the floor beside a litter until the crucial 2 weeks have passed. I have bottle fed a litter of 12..feeding every 2 hours and it taking 90 minutes to do for weeks at a time. I have learned to be proficient at micro chipping, vaccinations, sub q fluids, bottle feeding and tube feeding. My vet knows me by first name the vet knows my children the vet now knows my grand children My vet knows it was I who added on the wing to the vet clinic I am a breeder It is to me that 63 days takes on new meaning still excited by every new life. It is I who delivers all my pups, towels and heat lamps on ready, happiness and sadness sometimes intermingled Even though it increases my work load, I look forward to the 10 day stage when eyes open, and puppies begin to emerge from the helplessness of newborns. Puppy breath, a first bark and a heart of exploration. I am not uneducated, unemployable, illiterate or lazy as some Animal Rights folks would imply of breeders. I am a conscientious lover of animals and I have found my niche.

And although I feel no shame there is a part of me that feels the need to hide from powers that could come to invade my home and take my dogs ...maybe for finding a mild infraction, a leaf in the water dish? A kennel not yet cleaned for the day? A rash I am home treating? I tell my children and grand children to hush, do not tell others we are dog breeders, and I wonder when did breeding puppies go into the same secret place as criminal activity? I am a breeder and I am not cruel, dumb, uncaring or criminal. I am not raking in money while sitting on my butt. Every penny I make I earn through blood, sweat and tears. My greatest joy is a healthy puppy and a wonderful home. The cards of thanks and the pictures of my puppy with its new family is the fringe benefits of my efforts. I am an animal lover, nurse, midwife, heavy labourer, customer service representative, and marketer. AND I am a breeder. Lori Hallfrisch of Southernstyle kennel Forwarded with permission of the author for use by anyone for the benefit of our fight against the AR movement.

Sent in by Nancy Hafner

Deadline for the next issue of the Poodle Papers is January 30th for the Winter Edition, This issue will have all the information for the National in April. Please mark your calendar for this date!

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AKC News:

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Congrats to Linda Morris and Barbara Furbush! American Kennel Club Honors Salisbury Maryland Kennel Club with a Community Achievement Award New York, NY – The American Kennel Club® announced recently that the Salisbury Maryland Kennel Club (SMKC) has been named a recipient of the AKC® Community Achievement Award for its longtime dedication to educating the public about the responsibilities of dog ownership. The SMKC received one of three awards for the third quarter of 2008– Linda D. Witouski of Myrtle Beach Kennel Club and Lyons Township Dog Training Club also received recognition. The AKC Community Achievement Awards support and recognize outstanding public education and legislation efforts of AKC-affiliated clubs, AKC-recognized federations and their members. The AKC selects award recipients who promote purebred dogs and responsible dog ownership within their communities or who have successfully introduced, monitored and responded to legislative issues affecting dog ownership. As an AKC member club since 1953, the Salisbury Maryland Kennel Club has long been involved in activities that promote the maintenance of a dog-friendly community by not only protecting and advancing the interests of purebred dogs, but also promoting better care and control of all dogs. To this end, the club’s AKC Delegate, Barbara Furbush, is a valued member of the city of Salisbury’s dog park committee and Wicomico County’s dog ordinance committee. The club’s two all-breed shows and obedience, agility and rally trials have been lauded by the county’s Department of Tourism manager as a major economic boom to the community, saying, “Our restaurants and hotels are full, and they [exhibitors] shop and visit the businesses of Wicomico County during their stay.” The county official says that dogshow visitors have more positive financial impact on the county than any other type of business travelers or tourists. Much of this success is due to the club’s positive relationship with local businesses, ensuring that exhibitors and their dogs will be graciously received. The SMKC offers AKC Canine Good Citizen testing and a full slate of training classes to approximately 800 dogs a year, and the club’s Canine Ambassadors have educated thousands of dog lovers of all ages in the county.

lent job of highlighting the economic benefits of AKC dog shows to its community,” said Noreen Baxter, AKC’s VP of Communications. “The relationship the club has with area businesses and dog lovers is an important one. AKC is honored to present its members with this award.” Nominations for the AKC Community Achievement Awards are accepted year-round. Up to three honorees are named each quarter. They receive a certificate of appreciation and a $1,000 check payable to the club or federation’s public education and canine legislation efforts. To nominate a club, visit http://www.akc.org/public_education/community_achievement.cfm

More AKC News:

American Kennel Club News Article New Obedience Regulations Launch in 2009 Date of Article: October 23, 2008 New Obedience Regulations Launch in 2009 The AKC Board of Directors recently approved the recommendations of the AKC Obedience Advisory Committee. The recommendations include changes designed to improve the overall obedience program and offer exhibitors more chances to compete. The majority of these changes will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2009, while other changes will become active in 2010 or 2011. In addition, clubs will have the option of offering new Optional Titling classes and Non-Regular classes starting in 2009. The Board approved these new classes in 2007 as part of the AKC Obedience Business Case. Click here to review all the changes and their effective dates. In addition, the AKC has provided the answers to some commonly asked questions about the new classes that start on Jan. 1, 2009: OPTIONAL TITLING CLASSES 1. Three optional titling classes have been developed from current regulations: Graduate Novice Graduate Open Versatility

“The Salisbury Maryland Kennel Club has done an excel-

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2. Are clubs required to hold these optional titling classes? No – Clubs may hold these classes only if they wish to do so.

ercises, except for the signal exercise in Utility, is to be encouraged and not penalized. Handlers may give additional commands, but they will be penalized accordingly.

3. Are there any prerequisites required to enter my dog in these classes? No – A dog may be entered in these classes without any pretitle requirement. Once a dog has earned the Graduate Novice or Graduate Open titles, they may no longer compete in the titled class. Once a dog has earned the Versatility title, it may continue to compete in that class indefinitely.

MASTER PROGRAM

4. How does my dog earn a title in an optional titling class? The dog must earn a qualifying score as described in the Obedience Regulations. A qualifying score means that the dog has earned more than 50 percent of the points for each exercise with a total score of at least 170 points. 5. Do the optional titling classes compete for Highest Scoring Dog from the Regular Classes? No. WILD CARD CLASSES – New Non-Regular Classes 1. Three new non-regular classes have been added to the Obedience Regulations: Wild Card Novice Wild Card Open Wild Card Utility 2. What do you mean by Wild Card? The designated classes follow the Obedience Regulations and requirements for each class level: Novice, Open, and Utility. The difference is that, when checking in for the class, the handler will identify one of the required exercises in that class as their wild card. The handler may choose to perform or not to perform the exercise, but in any case the dog and handler will receive a perfect score for this one exercise. If the handler chooses to perform the exercise, they must comply with the regulations in their performance. The wild card exercise is not meant to be a training opportunity for the dog and handler. 3. Are there any prerequisites required to enter my dog in these classes? No – A dog may be entered in these classes without any pretitle requirement. 4. Can I talk to my dog while performing the required exercises of the class? Yes – The class exercises will be performed and judged as in the regulations, except that verbal praise during the ex-

1. What is the Obedience Master Program? The Master /Grand Master title program was developed to recognize consistently high scoring dogs within the sport of obedience. Dogs can work their way through 10 Master levels, and once they have attained the 10th level, they will be awarded a Grand Master title. The Grand Master title will not have a numerical designation. 2. When does my dog become eligible to compete in the Master/Grand Master title Program? Obedience Master title and Obedience Grand Master title points will be recorded for dogs that have earned the Utility Dog title. 3. What does my dog have to do to compete towards these titles? Obedience Master Points will be recorded for those dogs earning a score of 190 or better in Open B or Utility B, according to the schedule of points established by the AKC Board of Directors, which appears below. 4. How many points does my dog have to earn to attain a title? Dogs will be required to earn a total of 200 points, based on the established point schedule. Points are awarded for scores of 190 or better from Open B or Utility B. For a title to be earned, 30% of the points earned (60 points) must come from Open B and 30% of the points (60 points) must come from Utility B. The remaining 40% of the points earned (80 points) can come from either Open B or Utility B. 5. How does my dog progress through the Master title program to the Grand Master title? When a dog earns a total of 200 points based on the below point schedule, it will be awarded an Obedience Master title. Obedience Master titles will be awarded for nine levels and upon completion of the 10tth level, a dog will be awarded an Obedience Grand Master title. Points accumulated in excess of the 200 points required for each level will be applied towards the next level of award if available. Only one title for Obedience Grand Master will be awarded. Upon being awarded an Obedience Master title or the Grand Master title, dogs will be permitted to display the title of Obedience Master (OM#) or OGM after their names.

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Hypothyroidism Is Difficult to Diagnose; Regular Testing Recommended

Point Schedule. Dog’s Score 190 190.5 191 191.5 192 192.5 193 193.5 194 194.5 195 195.5 196 196.5 197 197.5 198 198.5 199 199.5 200

Points Awarded 6 6 6 6 9 9 9 9 9 9 12 12 12 12 15 15 15 15 15 15 15

Hypothyroidism, the end stage of autoimmune thyroid disease, is the most common endocrine disorder in dogs, yet it can be difficult to diagnose. “Thyroid hormones determine the body’s metabolic rate and the oxygen consumption of most every tissue in the body,” says Duncan Ferguson, V.M.D., Ph.D., DACVIM, DACVCP, head of Veterinary Biosciences at the Uni­ver­sity of Illinois Collegeof Veterinary Medicine and a longtime researcher of canine hypothyroidism. “In most cases, autoimmune thyroiditis is a hereditary condition that develops when a dog reaches midlife, usually between 2 and 5 years of age.” Though not life-threatening, hypo­thyroidism affects a dog’s quality of life. The condition begins when a dog’s own antibodies attack and destroy thyroid cells. When there is little thyroid tissue left, a dog cannot make enough thyroid hormone and becomes hypothyroid. The thyroid gland produces two hormones, called triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4), which control the rate of metabolism. When the thyroid gland fails to function properly, it can lead to systemic signs associated with hypothyroidism.

Therapy dog at work!

Managing hypothyroidism consists of administering a veterinarian-prescribed synthetic version of the T4 hormone and having blood tests taken periodically throughout a dog’s life. If left untreated, a dog rarely dies from hypothyroidism but is at greater risk for infection and obesity, which can strain the heart. Testing for Hypothyroidism The most common tests used to diagnose hypothyroidism are measurements of total T4 and thyrotropin (TSH) concentrations. Many non-thyroid illnesses, such as fever, diabetes and several chronic, debilitating conditions, affect hormonal levels. These conditions are known as non-thyroidal illnesses, or euthyroid sick syndrome.

Bred by Canadian PCA member, Mrs. June Thompson and Peggy McDill - She is to her friends - Can Am Ch Margaret Rose.

Signs of hypothyroidism are usually gradual, and many dogs show no signs yet may be significantly affected. Anti-thyroid antibodies, T3AA, T4AA and TgAA, the markers for autoimmune thyroiditis, can begin forming long before a dog shows any clinical signs of hypothyroidism.

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This is compounded by the fact that the onset of hypothyroidism usually doesn’t begin until a dog is 1 year of age or older, and a dog that tests negative for the condition at 2 years of age could still become positive later in life. Four tests are commonly used to detect thyroid disease in dogs: • The measurement of total T4 concentration determines the concentration of the main thyroid hormone produced by the thyroid gland. When T4 is normal, it can help to rule out hypothyroidism in 90 percent of cases. A low value does not necessarily reflect hypothyroidism; therefore, further testing of TSH or free T4 measurements is necessary. • The TSH assay detects thyroid stimulating hormone, a substance that stimulates the thyroid to produce T3 and T4. A high value adds specificity to the observation of a low T4 or free T4 value for making the diagnosis of primary thyroid deficiency. • The free T4 (FT4) assay checks the amount of available or unbound T4 in the dog’s blood. Most of T4 is bound to blood protein; the FT4 test checks the small fraction that is not bound and readily available to cells. It is the single test that when considered alone correlates with the tissue thyroid status of an animal. • The anti-thyroglobulin assay (TgAA) determines the amount of antibodies produced against the main protein in the thyroid gland. These autoantibodies, the first indicator of auto­immune thyroid disease, react to a dog’s thyroglobulin (Tg), a protein that stores a large amount of thyroid hormone. One of the reasons hypothyroidism can be difficult to diagnose is the common practice of doing only one thyroid blood test — the one that measures T4 levels, Ferguson says. Com­plete testing is recommended; otherwise, it is possible to miss a diagnosis. “In a subset of dogs with autoimmune thyroiditis and positive TgAA, the presence of anti-T4 autoantibodies (T4AA) can result in a normal total T4 when free T4 is low,” says Ferguson. “Anti-T4 autoantibodies are seen in about 2 percent of hypothyroid dogs. The presence of antibodies invalidates the result of the T4 immunoassay and accounts for 10 percent of cases in which a normal T4 concentration incorrectly rules out hypothyroidism.” The difficulty diagnosing hypothyroidism is being studied in Ferguson’s laboratory at the University of Illinois, where genetic techniques are being used to improve specificity and sensitivity for thyroid diagnostic assays. “Our focus is on development and improvement of thyrotropin (TSH) assays for domestic animals,” he says.

“When a person’s thyroid starts to fail, in virtually every case the TSH goes up early and is easily detected through a blood test,” he explains. “This doesn’t necessarily happen in dogs. We know we miss about 25 percent of dogs with autoimmune thyroid disease because their TSH level does not increase.” Making Breeding Decisions Autoimmune thyroiditis probably developed in certain breeds because it happened to be linked genetically with a desirable trait, Ferguson hypothesizes. “The ability to eliminate the condition from a breed will become possible only when a true genetic test is developed,” he says. Autoimmune thyroiditis is believed to be a simple recessive condition, meaning an affected dog must receive a copy of the gene mutation from both parents. Though the parents are carriers — they inherit one copy of the causative allele — they are not affected. When carriers are bred, 25 percent of the offspring are affected, 25 percent are normal, and 50 percent are carriers. “With the completed sequencing of the canine genome, we’re hopeful that sometime in the near future we will be able to screen animals prospectively,” says Ferguson. “For now, annual testing for TgAA is the best way to determine whether a dog has auto­immune thyroiditis, although testing will not necessarily identify unaffected carriers. “Since the disorder can develop over a range of years, the difficulty is knowing if the normal animal you are working with today will remain normal in a year or two,” he says. “Owners and breeders need to keep in mind that dogs with hypo­thyroidism don’t always show clinical signs of disease.” Used with permission from the Purina Pro Club Update newsletter, Nestle Purina PetCare.

“ Love doesn’t make the world go ‘round; love is what makes the ride worthwhile. “ Franklin P. Jones

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In Memoriam David Gammons Dorothe Matzner David passed away September 24, 2008. I received a phone call that was completely expected because I had just spoken to him just a few days earlier. David was born in Tennessee and was always a Southerner at heart. You could always hear the Southern tone in his voice, no matter how long he lived in New York. He first taught school in Silver Springs, Maryland, where his subjects were art and English; then he moved north and taught art in Valhalla, New York, until he retired, in 1996. Many people don’t realize that David was an accomplished artist himself, with many art shows to his credit. He also had his own television show, called “Let’s Paint,” on a cable station in the New York area. He was full of talent in his love for music and brilliant piano playing; he could also do a host of other handcrafts, such as quilting, knitting, crocheting, and tatting. Often he would do art work for fellow poodle fanciers. He knew no boundaries in what he could create. David also bred black and apricot miniature Poodles under the Cartouche prefix. He began with the black line, with De Vent and Daktari-Apogee prefixes behind his black family of dogs. David then ended his black family for an apricot line. He fell in love with an apricot miniature named Ch Lyca Dime Store Novel, Brodie, who figured heavily into his new direction in Miniatures. David continued this line until he retired from breeding. His love of the sport was endless. His commitment to the breed showed in his dedication and mentoring of new people in the sport. I was lucky enough to find David when I was beginning in the breed. My mother and I spent endless hours with David with our first miniature, learning how to brush her out and manage coat care. It was a whole new adventure after my years of successfully showing horses. David had endless patience for everyone. The teacher showed in all he did for everyone he mentored in the breed. David was a member of Poodle Club of America and Quinnipiac Poodle Club. He is survived by his life partner Robert Distasio of White Plains, New York. Submitted by Leslie Newing

March 21, 1932 – Sept. 21, 2008. Concord, CA. Dorothe and I met when she lived in Denville, NJ. through Jim and Jenny Lester. She had purchased Ch Longleat Fancy Pants from them which if I remember correctly was her first champion.. Dorothe and I had many good times while we both lived in New Jersey, vacationing in Spain, Broadway Theater, holiday dinners and parties. I remember one of our times at the theater in almost front row seats. Harold & Ed went outside during the intermission bringing back hotdogs with sauerkraut and we sat there in our Sunday finest, munching on them. Dorothe was a member of the Watchung Mountain Poodle Club in New Jersey until she moved out to California. As she was in northern CA and I was in San Diego, we were not in touch as often but she was still very active. Dorothe was a member for 25 plus years of Mission Trail Poodle Club and she was a founding member of VIP. She was an advocate for poodle rescue for many years both for NorCal Poodle Rescue and Bay Area Poodle Rescue.

She bred and finished over 30 Standard Poodles under her kennel name d’Kamron, many also with Obedience, Agility and Rally titles. She was very adamant on doing all the genetic testing and was very quick to remind others that they should be doing the same. Dorothe had a very strong personality and definitely believed in her convictions, passing them on to anyone who bred to or bought one of her dogs. Submitted by Norma J Strait

Helen Allen Member of Orlando Poodle Club and Poodle Club of America. Helen is survived by her husband William. Helen was always a lady and she was well loved in the sport. Helen always attended Westminster every year that she could, even after she retired from breeding her beloved miniatures. Long time Miniature Poodle Breeder, bred under the Pomallen prefix.Barbara Humphries was her handler. Two of her well known specials were Ch. Pomallen Frankly My Dear and Ch Pomallen Scarlet Ohara.

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Group Realignment Committee Report

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The Board reviewed a copy of the report submitted by the Group Realignment Committee. It was VOTED (unanimously) to accept the report with the gratitude and appreciation of the Board; to direct staff to publish the report; and to encourage input. General input should be sent to the Executive Secretary: James Crowley, Executive Secretary American Kennel Club 260 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10016 Email: [email protected] Fax: 212-696-8252 Breed-specific comments should be submitted through the breed Parent Club. A copy of the report, including the proposed realignment is attached (Attachment A). This will be considered by the AKC Board at its January 2009 meeting. Any input should be received before January. ATTACHMENT A Report of the AKC Group Realignment Committee October 13, 2009 On October 8, 2007, the Board of Directors of the American Kennel Club, appointed an exploratory committee, chaired by Dr. Thomas Davies, to evaluate the current alignment of breeds within the seven variety groups, to determine if a different alignment would better serve the Sport now and in the future, as new breeds become registrable. The Committee included: Karen Burgess, Dr. Thomas Davies, Robert Fisher, Marieann Gladstone, Tim James, Dr. Alvin Krause, Dr. William Newman, John P. Nielsen, Dr. Robert Smith, Robin Stansell, and R. William Taylor. The committee met together three times, and has discussed its recommendations via email, as well. The initial basis for the discussions centered on the increasing number of new breeds being brought into the AKC Stud Book, as well as the number of breeds awaiting acceptance currently in the Foundation Stock Service (FSS) listing. In its deliberations, the committee considered several sources of information. The historical data suggested that the makeup of the groups for conformation judging was by no means a static listing. There were many changes in the distribution

of breeds for show purposes (and for listing in AKC’s Stud Book), and, in fact, no official, recorded group judging appears to have occurred prior to 1924. Group awards became official in 1925 with competition in five groups (Sporting, Working, Terrier, Toy and Non-Sporting). In 1930 the Sporting Group was split into the Sporting and Sporting (Hound) Groups. In 1983, the Working Group was split into the Working Group and the Herding Group. The committee also considered two (non-official, non-scientific) polls, neither of which, in and of themselves, demanded a particular realignment. The general sense, however, was that it was time to do something about the burgeoning sizes of several of the groups, as well as the actual makeup of breeds within groups. The Delegate’s Dog Show Rules Committee had conducted a short survey which indicated that about 75% of the respondents favored change. A much larger survey (1341 responders) appeared on the Infodog. com web site where only 17% of the respondents suggested that things were fine as they stood. The first few months of the committee’s existence was taken up by a thorough study of the Group system and a more detailed understanding of the history, form and function of the various breeds within the current group structure. Additionally, the makeup of groups around the world was reviewed.

After careful examination of the groups and the breeds that make them up, the committee decided that two of the current groups, which in a short time span could approach 40 breeds, can easily and logically be divided into two similar components. The Sporting Group can be divided into Sporting — Pointers and Setters, and Sporting — Retrievers and Spaniels. Functionally, this split made sense to the committee. Secondly, a logical division of the Hound Group would be Scent Hounds and Sight Hounds. The third major change would be the creation of a new group, consisting of the Northern or Spitz type breeds. To populate this new group, we took the Norwegian Elkhound (from the Hound Group); the Akita, Alaskan Malamute, the Siberian Husky and the Samoyed (from the Working Group); the American Eskimo, Chinese Shar-Pei, Chow Chow, Finnish Spitz, Keeshond, Schipperke and Shiba Inu (from the NonSporting Group); and the Swedish Vallhund (from the Herding Group). The Parent clubs of these breeds were contacted and asked for their input. We also chose to rename the Non-Sporting Group, since in fact it is (in addition to non-sporting) a non-hound, nonworking, non-terrier, non-toy and non-herding group. After struggling with an appropriate name, we selected the Com-

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Robin L. Stansell R. William Taylor

panion Group as the “new” name for this group. In addition to moving the above mentioned Northern/Spitz breeds into a new group, we considered the group placement of several other breeds, which we considered as possible candidates for relocation. Each of these was based on careful study of the history, form and function of the particular breed. In each case, the Parent breed club was contacted and asked to weigh in on their thoughts. Each of those contacted chose to remain in their current group alignment except two. The Italian Greyhound wished to move to the Sight Hound Group and the Dalmatian requested a move to the Working Group. The committee did discuss the issue of varieties; however, it was felt that this was somewhat beyond the scope of our charge at this time. Our recommendation would necessitate the addition of three groups to the listing currently in place (7 groups). This would require Delegate approval to make changes to Chapter 3, Sections 1, 15, 17, 18, 19 and 20, and Chapter 6, Section 3 of the Rules Applying to Dog Shows. It may be useful to remove the reference to the number of groups from all of the above sections, except Chapter 3, Section 1. In addition, Chapter 2 of the Rules Applying to Registration and Discipline refers to the number of groups, and would require Delegate approval to change. The committee, by submission of this report, would request that the Board of Directors of the American Kennel Club, in accordance with Article XX of the Bylaws of the American Kennel Club, propose and submit the necessary amendments to the Delegate body, to be read at the December meeting of the Delegate Body, published in two issues of AKC Gazette, and voted upon at the March, 2009 meeting of the Delegate Body. Attached is a listing of breeds and groups as proposed by the Committee. Respectfully submitted, The AKC Group Realignment Committee Karen Burgess Dr. Thomas M. Davies, Chair Robert Fisher Marieann Gladstone Tim James Dr. Alvin W. Krause Dr. William R. Newman John P. Nielsen Dr. Robert D.Smith

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 (11) (12)

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 (17) (18) 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 (14) (17)

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 Treeing Walker Coonhound — Miscellaneous 1/1/09

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cont. from page 34 Group 4: Sight Hounds (11) Afghan Hound Basenji Borzoi Greyhound Ibizan Hound Irish Wolfhound Italian Greyhound Pharaoh Hound Rhodesian Ridgeback Saluki Scottish Deerhound Whippet

Group 5: Working (23) (25)

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 (28) (29)

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

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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 (21)

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 (11) (12)

Bichon Frise Boston Terrier Bulldog Chinese Crested French Bulldog Lhasa Apso Lowchen Poodle (Miniature) Poodle (Standard) Tibetan Spaniel Tibetan Terrier Xoloitzcuintli — Miscellaneous 1/10/09

Group 9: Herding (20) (21) 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

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Puli Pyrenean Shepherd — Miscellaneous 1/1/07; Full Recognition 1/1/09 Shetland Sheepdog

Group 10: Northern (13) (16)

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

From the AKC Website

DELEGATES REPORT As you all know September was my first official Delegate’s Meeting held in Newark, New Jersey. It was a very enlightening experience. I was able to see first hand just how hard the AKC works to make these meetings information worthy, efficient, and remarkably interesting. The first day I attended the Parent Club Committee Meeting. During this meeting one of the topics discussed was the importance of the Parent Clubs to come up with a template for mentors, since all mentors are not equal. Eventually, the plan will be to put each Parent Club’s mentor list on the AKC judges website. Also, another issue brought up at the meeting was a compilation of Parent Club Code of Ethics. The committee is trying to determine enforcement options and possible repercussions, so they will be requesting copies of Parent Club Code of Ethics, Constitution and By-Laws, and Membership Applications.(By the way when this topic came up, the AKC legal advisor used PCA’s application as an example of how much information can be requested.) There were reports given by David Roberts with respect to various registration statistics. I was surprised at how few breeders are picking up the full registration process. I then went to the Delegate’s general caucus meeting. This meeting is just for Delegates with no AKC personnel attending. September’s was a bit different because the Realignment Committee chose this meeting to present their report. They pointed out that all the breeds, (About 22), affected with potential changes had honored Parent Club requests. I have discussed these changes in other articles and will not go into it again. Suffice it to say that if and when the AKC

Board decides to approve the recommendations, it will then be presented to the Delegate body, printed in the Gazette twice and only then will the Delegate body vote. (Please remember the Delegate body will not be voting on specific breed changes, [that is up to the AKC Board], only whether to accept the new group realignments.) The second day was the official business meeting. We voted for the Delegate Standing Committees. Barbara Furbush graciously introduced me as the new Delegate from the Poodle Club of America. By the way for those of you who don’t already know, Barbara received an award for 25 years of service as a Delegate for Salisbury Kennel Club, and her Club received a monetary service award. We then voted on various changes to Field Trial rules. A lively discussion arose over semantics. It seems that the description of “poisoned bird” was not considered politically correct, so it was changed to “diversionary”.(For those of you who are not field savvy, the birds are not really poisoned but I believe they are scent compromised.)

But probably the most insightful report was presented by the Chief Financial Officer, the President and the Chairman. It seems that registrations are so down at the American Kennel Club that the Core earnings are down. The core earnings are decided by registrations, pedigree sales and event fees. It was stated that if this does not turn around, event fees could end up being $20 an entry. If it was shock value they were aiming for, that surely did the job. So they are trying to come up with ideas to solve the problem. One of them is the Demand AKC Papers Classified Advertising Program for Clubs. Since there are now more than 30 other dog registries competing for this core income the AKC is asking the Delegate Clubs to take part in an aggressive campaign with the goal of reaching puppy buyers at the grass roots level.The recently Board approved program called ”Demand AKC Papers” are asking clubs to place classified ads in their hometown papers (Parent Clubs are recommended to place ads where Nationals and Regionals are held) that direct puppy buyers to www.demandakcpapers.com, www. puppybuyerinfo.com or www.akc.org to locate information and resources that will asisst them in making smart decisions throughout the process of acquiring a new pet. The next meeting is in December and will be held in Long Beach, California directly after the Eukanuba dog show. I will be attending and will continue to keep you as informed as possible. If you have any questions I can help with please e mail me at me at me [email protected]. Mary Ellen Fishler AKC Delegate for Poodle Club of America [email protected]

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Congratulations Joann Neal! I would like to honor Joann for all her accomplishments with her Poodles. Recently she earned a triple championship on CH OTCH MACH Songbird Sandstorm Saketumi TD RA . A triple champion, is a breed champion, an OTCH (Obedience Trial Champion) and a MACH (Master Agility Champion) There are only a total of four poodles that have ever earned a triple championship, and Joann is responsible for three of them. These dogs are a wonderful example of their breed and the versatility of poodles. Joann’s ability to achieve such high performance goals is a tribute to her training skills and dedication in the sport. Joann’s dedication to poodles continues in her on going articles in “ The Poodle Papers “, where her poodle training column continues to educate Poodle fanciers to understand and train this wonderful breed. Her quick whit and knowledge about all things dog training makes her articles, both enjoyable to read and informative. She has continued this column with praise from all who delight in reading a new article in each issue of the Newsletter.

titles in style, was in the AKC top 20 last year in both agility and obedience, and qualified for both the AKC agility national, and was invited to the AKC obedience invitational . Sake has also earned 2500+ MACH points to date, and just needs a few more of those pesty QQ’s for her MACH2. What an incredible accomplishment. What a dog! I’m so proud of them both. Ch OTCH MACH Braylane Betty’s Bein’Bad UDX3 TD VCD3. Betty is the first Poodle of any variety to be an AKC “Triple Champion”, and one of only a handful of dogs in any breed to accomplish this. Betty is a Breed Champion, Obedience Champion and Master Agility Champion. CH OTCH MACH Sandstorm Skirt Alert VCD3 UDX2 RE OF, is Betty’s daughter and the third Poodle to become a triple champion. Skirt also has a son, CH MACH Sandstorm Skedaddle UDX , owned and handled by Ronda Clark DVM, “Skid” is closing in on his triple championship. CH OTCH MACH Songbird Sandstorm Saketumi VCD2 UDX RE, Sake is triple Champion number four (the third owned by Joann....do you see a pattern here?) CH Sandstorm Slick Chick CD MX MXJ . Chick is the baby dog, and Skirt’s daughter, and may someday be another triple CH in Joann’s cap....which would make three generations of triple champions. All of us are very proud of all you have accomplished. Nancy Palauskas Songbird Miniature Poodles

Pictured above is CH OTCH MACH Songbird Sandstorm Saketumi TD RA after earning her OTCH . Sake has become only the fourth poodle of any variety to earn this title. “Sake” is owned and handled by Joann Neal, of Lubbock TX. Sake is five years old and has earned these

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THE MOST COLORFUL PERSON I EVER MET IN THE SPORT By Luis Aizcorbe

Occasionally when I get together with a group of friends and acquaintances involved in the sport of showing dogs and the conversation centers on personalities of the game in years past, talk usually drifts, or more accurately I can’t resist the temptation to guide it in the direction of, who in my opinion is the most interesting, outrageous and unorthodox, judge ever in the game. If Alva Rosenberg was, regarded as the best judge in the old days, Helena Hotchkiss Neal certainly was the most colorful and one who would have never been allowed to display the unique personality that made her one of a kind under the judges’ approval and advancement process that the AKC now has in place. Aside from the fact that I had promised myself not to write another piece about yesteryear’s judges so recently, an additional concern was that having to rely exclusively on the written word, my limited descriptive abilities might not be enough to trigger in the readers’ minds images, vivid enough to clearly depict this picturesque lady. I knew little about Mrs. Neal when I first entered under her at the West Palm Beach show during the 1962 Florida Circuit, other than the fact that she was licensed to judge all Terrier, Toy and Non- Sporting breeds and that she lived in Delray Beach, Florida. Being aware that competitive advantage would benefit others unless I quickly learned about the judge’s procedures and preferences, upon arriving at the show I sat by Mrs. Neal’s ring and watched her judge various breeds and varieties including several terriers and Standard Poodles. It did not take me long to realize she liked her dogs showing well, in good body weight and with the proper coat texture and condition. Poodles in particular had to be collected, presenting a cohesive picture. Additionally, her placements appeared to reward the dogs she liked regardless of who held the leash, a perception that was later confirmed as I saw her officiate at future shows. She dressed neatly in the style of the day, but appeared very stern, severe, as there was neither a hint of humor nor benevolence in her expression. Mrs. Neal was all business in the ring and when she saw it fit to address an exhibitor, she did so curtly, directly, softening her words neither in content nor tone of delivery. What amazed me, however, was the ritual Mrs. Neal would consistently go through after reaching every important decision. She would place her left foot slightly ahead of the right one, joining her hands

in front of her chest with fingers intertwined as if in prayer, after which she would extend her arms, joined hands now reversed, palms of her hands facing out. At this point, Mrs. Neal would loudly crack her knuckles After balancing her body slightly backwards, with her left foot slightly lifted off the ground, Mrs. Neal .would then project herself forward, forcefully lifting her right arm over her head in the direction of the winner in a motion reminiscent of a baseball pitcher delivering an overhand fastball, as the award was loudly announced. To this day I wonder how Mrs. Neal could manage to crack her knuckles so many times within a day without the reduction in percussive intensity that normally results from such repeated activity. We undertook the challenge of showing under Mrs. Neal later in the day with mixed feelings. Our very young small brown dog, Ch Aizbel Collector’s Item (Hector) was entered in the

Specials class, and his maturity, outstanding showmanship and condition in spite of his youth, we thought would please Mrs. Neal. We were further reassured, after watching earlier judging, that anyone would get a fair shot, but at the same time showing under this unusual lady could be an intimidating experience. Florida Circuit shows of the day were very competitive and this one was no exception. Many of the top handlers of the day were there, including Annie, Jane, Wendell, Maxine, Bill Trainor, Pat Norwood, and several others. After going over each special, Mrs. Neal pulled out Annie with one of the Dunwalke bitches, either Garland or Black Tulip, can’t remember with certainty, and Hector, ordering the others to the far corner of the ring before working her

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favorites for quite a while. At some point Wendell, probably feeling neglected, attempted to join us with his brown bitch. Mrs. Neal, abruptly asked him whether he had misunderstood her instructions, adding that she had previously gone over every special, that she did not care for those sent to the far side of the ring, and that there was no point in wasting her time on those not under consideration. While Mrs. Neal’s attention was drawn elsewhere, Annie reversed her bitch’s direction so that she now faced left, towards the bright sun, bringing attention to an area where my brown dog could not match her bitch: her very dark eyes; obviously hoping I would follow suit. I hoped Mrs. Neal would see through Annie’s move and resent that it was taken without authority. After the temporary distraction, Mrs. Neal returned to the “battleground” area to find the two dogs facing each other. With hands on hips, she blurted out “Annie, you know better than that.” A few minutes later, Hector was awarded the Variety, but before releasing the rosette, Mrs. Neal, with ire reflected in her face, punctuating her words, subjected me to a severe tongue lashing informing me that the dog had won in spite of my dreadful handling, adding that she had never before been made as nervous by a handler. In spite of my concerns, Mrs. Neal enthusiastically and dramatically awarded us the group that day over several of the top winning Non-Sporting dogs of the day. Nearly two years went by before I showed one of our dogs again to Mrs. Neal, although Maria and I had successfully shown under her a couple of toys owned by a dear friend. By this time I could read Mrs. Neal like a book as she consistently rewarded Poodles with lots of presence, attitude, and a finished look about them. Dauphin, Ch. Aizbel the Dauphin de Usher, was a handsome black dog, a pick of litter which I then co-owned with Elaine Usherson, from Hector’s first litter. I quickly finished the dog and specialed him a handful of times with excellent success before Dauphin was sent to Jane Kamp and later Barbara Humphries winning a Best in Show with each. After watching her judge on several other occasions it appeared that the degree of intensity that Mrs. Neal displayed during her routine as she pointed to her winners, was in direct relation to the level of competition and the enthusiasm she felt for the winner. That being the case, we were very optimistic about our chances of going all the way that day, provided Dauphin could make it through the group, as Mrs. Neal was awarding BIS and her gestures as she made Dauphin her variety winner were out of the charts. Forrest Hall, an all-rounder from Texas, was judging the group and as we had feared, he placed Dauphin second behind a very sound standard that lacked some of the nuances sought by many of the admirers of our breed. As Mr. Hall was about to hand me the rosette, Mrs. Neal, who had stormed into the ring, started her onslaught of comments regarding the gentleman’s knowledge, or in her opinion lack thereof, while

arguing for our miniature’s superiority. Mr. Hall, while lowering his voice exercising discretion, responded that he did not care for our dog’s movement going away. Mrs. Neal, obviously agitated, raised her voice, making those sitting ringside third party participants in the discussion, while asserting that there was nothing wrong with the dog’s rear action, before subjecting Mr. Hall to an additional dose of verbal castigation for what she believed was his error in judgment. She then rushed out of the ring, as I followed holding Dauphin and the red rosette, with the realization not only that a certain Best in Show had gone by the wayside, but also that now everyone had been made aware about the dog’s fault.

It took the admonishment of the AKC Representative, Billy Lang, to get Mrs. Neal to examine the Standard and the Toy Poodle as she judged Best in Show later in the day, and even then she did so just superficially, as she concentrated her efforts on the other four finalists. Her disregard for the standard should be obvious, although she had awarded him the variety earlier in the day. The toy group had been adjudicated by another judge to the multiple BIS winning Toy Poodle, whose owner- handler’s methods of obtaining a competitive advantage were rumored not to fall within the parameters of fair play according to Mrs. Neal’s interpretation. A big winning American Foxhound was less than enthusiastically awarded Best in Show that day, if we were to judge by Mrs. Neal’s facial expression and understated body language. The following day Mrs. Neal sat at ringside as Mrs. Sadie Edminston gave us the group while placing the same Standard Poodle fourth. Mrs. Neal entered the ring as we stood on the podium and extended her hand to Mrs. Edminston while saying: Congratulations, that’s what I call judging” Having previously participated in a dog show held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, we would regularly receive a publication dealing with dog news within the island. My attention was drawn to a photo in one of the issues depicting Mrs. Neal awarding Best in Show to a black Labrador Retriever which could at best be described as one of questionable quality. Several stateside handlers with quality dogs, including Bill Trainor and Barbara Humphries had attended the show, and I also knew of several worthy local dogs that were shown, so the picture of the winner made little sense to me. During the next Florida Circuit I questioned Bill Trainor about Mrs. Neal’s Best in Show choice. Those lucky enough to have met Bill knew him as a great handler, and an outstanding human being. He was also a fabulous story teller with an understated sense of humor. As Bill, in his unique style related the events leading to the Lab’s win, I could not keep tears of laughter from rolling down my cheeks. Following, I will attempt to, in my words, recreate the series of events leading to the outcome of the show, as told by Bill Trainor, which remain etched in my memory.

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Reportedly Mrs. Neal, with her flair for drama, decided to make the contest for Best in Show one between the two top winners in the island: an Afghan owned by the Millers from San Juan and a Boxer, whose owner was Willie Vicens from the southern city of Ponce, between which a heated rivalry had developed. She would move the Afghan and the Boxer once and again while the corresponding partisans would hoot, holler and waive banners in support of their favorite. The production Mrs. Neal made of the whole process further contributed to the excitement of the crowd energizing it almost to the point reaching a crescendo. Probably realizing that passions had been built almost to the point of frenzy and that her safety might be in jeopardy should she rule in favor of either one of the local favorites, Mrs. Neal decided to bestow the BIS award upon a Standard Poodle puppy handled by Barbara Humphries. As she walked decidedly across the ring approaching the Poodle, Mrs. Neal forcefully raised her arm well above her head following her customary routine, as she loudly called out the award. The inexperienced Standard, fearing he was about to be struck, got loose from his unsuspecting handler and left the ring. All this took place within fractions of a second; there was no time. The arm had to come down selecting a winner. The Lab was closest to where the Standard Poodle had been set, immediately behind it; … and that was how the Lab became the Best in Show winner that day. Knowing how sensitive Mrs. Neal was about being involved in a situation that might give the perception of impropriety, my wife and I decided it would be best never to engage Mrs. Neal in conversation outside the ring, The only time either of us ever exchanged words with her outside the ring was at a show in Lawton, Oklahoma, and it was Mrs. Neal who initiated and ended the brief conversation. A few months before, Col. Frank Foster Davis awarded Onilio, Ch. Aizbel the One and Only, his first group win in Georgia, when the dog was just thirteen months of age. Col. Davis commented that he had just returned from California where

he had put up the well known, Ch. Frederick of Rencroft handled by Frank Sabella. Col. Davis further shared with my wife his opinion that with six months’ maturity, our dog would run circles around Frederick. About six months later we noticed that he was scheduled to judge a straight shot at the Lawton- Fort Sill show. We had never attended a show held that far away, but I was scheduled to attend a business seminar in Minneapolis the week preceding the show and this appeared like a good opportunity for Onilio to win his first Best in Show. Maria drove to Dallas with a friend and I took a flight on Friday from Minneapolis to Dallas where Maria picked me up at the airport on the way to Lawton. In order to help with expenses, we also decided to take a brown Toy Poodle, who needed a major to finish, owned by a then friend, as Mrs. Neal was judging toys and we thought she would like him. Maria not only got the major on the Toy Poodle, she also handled him to a Variety win over a well known BIS winning special, finishing him. She also won the Miniature Variety with Onilio under Col. Davis. Groups were being judged in catalog order, which meant that the Toy group judging would immediately precede the judging of the Non-Sporting group. This posed a potential problem: Onilio would get extremely excited at dog shows and he was really devoted to Maria. I feared that if she left to show the Toy Poodle in the group and then returned, he could be so wound up and out of control, that his chances of winning might be jeopardized. I made the decision to handle the Toy Poodle in the group and I did, placing second under Mrs. Neal after the dog’s performance was not on par with the one he gave during the variety judging. Onilio won his group and as I was watching the Best in Show judging, Mrs. Neal approached me and without the cour-

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tesy of the customary salutation, inquired why my wife had not shown the toy in the group. As I began to explain, Col. Davis pointed at Onilio awarding him BIS. Mrs. Neal curtly interrupted me saying: “ I see, you came all this way to go Best in Show; and you did….. Congratulations” as she turned her back and walked away. Almost all our miniatures would eventually develop massive, dense, crispy coats, but some would take longer than the usual time in doing so. Onilio was one of those, so when we had previously been presented with the opportunity to show him under Mrs. Neal, we decided to pass even after he had garnered a number of groups and his first BIS. By the time he turned two, Onilio was in the “plush” coat condition that we knew would please Mrs. Neal and we entered him at Daytona, where she was the variety and group judge. It was obvious that Mrs. Neal liked the dog, but she seemed bothered by his size, asking Maria more than once how tall the dog was. Concerned that Mrs. Neal had not believed her when she stated the dog was 14 ½ inches tall, my wife suggested that the Mrs.Neal have Onilio measured. She thought it was an excellent idea and the measuring committee was called into the ring. During those days, every show had to appoint a committee for such situations. A committee member would then remove the dog from its handler and struggle to measure it with a heavy metal contraption which as often as not would be accidentally released, forcefully impacting the dog’s withers. As Onilio was returned to Maria, Mrs. Neal announced that she was delighted as the dog had measured in and admonishing my wife that if in the future any judge were to question his size, she should inform that judge that the dog had been “officially” measured at 13 ¼ inches. After smelling the dog and saying “Chanel No Cinq”, which of course, was worn by the handler instead, Mrs. Neal did not take long in awarding Onilio the variety and then the group. Not surprisingly, Helena Neal was the central character in one of the most humorous scenes I ever witnessed at a dog show. She had nearly completed judging the Toy group at one of the Florida west coast summer shows, Clearwater if my memory serves me right, when she decided to place the winners on the move, a rare departure from Mrs. Neal’s usual procedure. Unlike presently, when in order to prevent confusion, judges are required to line dogs in order before placing them on the move, Mrs. Neal had the dogs scattered all over a huge ring as she sent them in a circle. She briskly walked in the direction of her winner, a white Toy Poodle handled by Johnny Murdock, pointing and calling the placement in her usual overstated fashion. As she quickly pivoted searching for her second place dog, a Pug that by this time was approaching the opposite side of the ring, the heel from one of her open toed shoes broke but remained semi attached to her shoe sideways. Undaunted, Mrs. Neal continued walking in the Pug’s direction handicapped by a severe limp caused by

the broken heel, As she was close enough to point, Mrs. Neal tripped , her pace temporarily accelerated as she struggled to regain her balance. It was at that point, after placing the Pug, that Mrs. Neal shook the damaged shoe off. While searching for her third place dog, still limping one shoe off, the other on, Mrs. Neal rid herself of the other shoe, her gait finally steadied as she completed her placements barefoot. The poor lady must have walked nearly half a mile, under adverse conditions to say the least, repeatedly crossing almost the entire expanse of the large ring in search of the next exhibit to place. The whole scene was reminiscent of a Keystone Cops style routine, the humor of which totally escaped the subject of this article, who hardly changed her expression throughout the whole ordeal. On more than one occasion I overheard Helena Neal bluntly ask exhibitors whether they ever fed their dog; she was so disgusted when a severely underweight dog was presented to her. Once I heard Mrs. Neal inform an exhibitor showing a Miniature Poodle bitch that if she had a pair of scissors at her disposal, the bitch’s long, curled eyelashes would be cut then and there. Her fear of Chihuahuas was such that about every exhibitor of that breed was questioned about their dog’s temperament before she would examine it. Mrs. Neal was hardly diplomatic. She was stern, direct, opinionated, impulsive, spontaneous, outspoken, impatient, set in her ways, highly individualistic, demonstrative, animated, dramatic, even extravagant and outrageous. Most of these traits would hardly qualify anyone to be a judge under our present standards; but she had certain qualities that made her dear to my heart, although I never knew her on a personal basis. She was as honest as any judge I have ever shown under, and I can think of no virtue that outranks honesty in the list of requirements a good judge must possess. Mrs. Neal was also consistent, easy to follow, with a singleness of purpose when she judged: to put the best dog up and satisfy herself and no one else in doing so. Mrs. Neal was also very serious (I never saw her smile), but also extremely humorous without realizing it. Watching her judge often brought a smile to my face. Helena Hotchkiss Neal was one of a kind: the most colorful person I ever met in the sport.

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” Abraham Lincoln

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talking about good legislation with other fanciers. Legislative News: Where to Start NAIA is a great website for ideas on writing meaningful dog legislation. Patti Strand and her group have set up begin? this site so that you can compose your own letters using By Peggy McDill Two years ago in California the dog fancy was confronted by AB1634. Legislative action had come and gone in years past but was for the most part, poorly organized and easy to defeat or deflect. Puppy lemon laws were put on the books but no $$ were allocated to enforce them. AB1634 came on the scene with lots of $$ and was well organized by grass roots Animal Rights groups. “PETA”, “H$U$” and a new group called “Social Responsibility” Few of us knew much about legislative action beyond writing our local representatives. This bill and the possibility of the end of the sport of dogs for California were beyond comprehension. What to do? So much information - where to start? AKC sent legislative directors along with their lobbyist to California to help organize the dog fancy. Groups were formed: California Groups: PETPAC -www.petpac.net California Federation of Dog Clubs - www.cfodconline. org Concerned Dog Owners of California - www.cdoca.org National Organization: National Animal Interest Alliance - www.naiaonline. org Each group brought a different dimension and plan of attack to the battle. We contributed to them all, equally, both as individuals and through our club affiliations. We sent fanciers to every state hearing; every city counsel meeting; every legislator’s district and state office. We networked via the telephone and the internet. We carpooled to the state capitol. We kept our tempers, dressed well, smiled and looked the part – like a person who votes. The first thing we all can do as poodle lovers is support rescue. Every poodle in jeopardy must be rescued and re-homed. For that matter, we need to be sure that we as purebred dog fanciers help one another where ever we can. Next, we can support the local groups that care for all of the rest of mixed breed dogs, cats and pets. Heck, we have a “PCA” here in southern California - Possum Club of America. They rescue the darn things. Who knew?

the statistics and ideas that they make available. The real shelter statistics are listed by state and county. I printed the NAIA graphs and distributed them on visits to the state and district offices. These “true” numbers are far different from the ones quoted by the Animal Rights groups If you can, skip a puppy entry this month and make a donation – either to rescue or to your local or national legislative group. Our 4 day cluster donates $1 per entry to support the groups listed above. hat was $6,000 last year. Most of all – work together. Talk with one another. Our legislative committee is here to assist. I can be reached at [email protected] Sandy Marshall can be reached at [email protected] Ellen Fishler can be reached at megcamelot@aol. com Together we can do it! Peggy

Mentoring Have you mentored anyone new in the breed lately? Lets encourage people to enjoy the sport of dogs and the breed we love so much. Mentor someone new today in Poodles.

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THOUGHTS AT THANKSGIVING

Page 43 many tough times over the years when I have forgotten this advice.

This year I am grateful for two new puppies. A brown bitch and a black bitch. They are here by shear accident. Their mother finished her career by going Best of Breed over all the miniature specials at one of the California regionals. Over her lifetime she was bred several times. She was smeared and progesterone tested but never conceived. We had decided it was just not meant to be, but she decided differently. She had been waiting for just the right male because after all, she was only going to do this one time. These puppies are beautiful and exciting and they made me realize the importance of gratitude. “Gratitude can require effort.” In the dog show world of competition we focus on all the things we don’t have: that last major, that new puppy champion, better judges, more advertising . That spacious minivan on the TV reminds me that my Blazer leaves for shows crammed to the ceiling and looking like its owned by gypsies fleeing the area. Instead I should be grateful that the Blazer is reliable, in this current economy I can still pay for the gas, and dog shows can still be fun.

For me, “an enduring sense of gratitude requires practice.” As this year comes to its end these two puppies have reminded me of how easily the shortage of gratitude tends to enhance the negative. Yes the economy is volatile, impending dog legislation across the country hangs over the dog world, entries are dwindling-making majors hard to find, and my handlers just raised their rates. But this year I am going to reclaim and practice gratitude. I still enjoy the excitement of seeing my dogs shown to their successes, and my passion for the sport of pure bred dogs has not dwindled. I am thankful for modern science - so health issues like PRA are no longer a holocaust and especially thankful for the friends and family I have developed in this sport. So, as I get ready for another dog show cluster, another Garden or another National in this coming New Year, I am taking the time for a bit of self reflection on all the reasons there are to be grateful to the dogs and people who surround my daily life. Which reminds me that I have a phone call to make. I don’t think I ever thanked my co-breeder for sharing the dam of these puppies with me.

by Mary Ellen Fishler “Imagine if gratitude came as easily as worry and dissatisfaction.” It is so easy to complain about someone’s judging, or only see the negative in other competitors *This article was derived from an article by Dr. Krista dogs, or be annoyed by what could only be the poli- Beyer tics of showing dogs. Instead, remembering and being grateful for having those healthy beautiful puppies in my life and all the enjoyment (and surely some frustration) I am going to experience throughout their lives should be the ultimate goal. “ Is it so small a thing Many years ago when I was working for a very sucTo have enjoy’d the sun, cessful professional handler and my first toy achieved To have lived light in the spring, its championship, (I had planned the breeding, raised and trained the puppy) he gave me some very memTo have loved, to have thought, to have orable advice. First, try to always remember how I done...” felt at that moment because he knew there would be many more champions in my life and they should all be as exciting. Secondly, to be genuinely grateful for the luxury of pursuing what had become my passion - Mathew Arnold breeding and showing poodles. Thirdly, to have enduring gratitude for my mother and all the dog knowledge and poodles she had shared with me. There have been The Poodle Papers

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The Poodle Papers