Will the Beagle find the Easter Bunny?

                     CONYERS KENNEL CLUB APRIL 2010 NEWSLETTER

Hello Everyone, Welcome to the Conyers Kennel Club Newsletter.  Our meeting this month will be

Monday, April 12 at IHOP in Conyers.  We meet at 6:30 to eat and the meeting starts around 7:30.

Handling classes have started.  They are being held at the Pavilion in Old Town Conyers on Tuesdays.  The cost is $5.00 a lesson. 

Our match will be Sunday May 2^nd at Rockdale County Recreation Area,1400 Parker Road, Conyers, GA.  For details see Match Flyer

on our web site. http://www.conyerskennelclub.org/

 CONYERS KENNEL CLUB

Minutes - March 8, 2010

President Don Watson opened the meeting at 7:30 p.m. by welcoming members and guests. 

-Don asked for any corrections or changes to the Minutes as published in the March Newsletter.  Motion to accept the Minutes as published

was made by Rhea Spence and seconded by Jan Moore.

-Treasurer Rhea Spence passed out copies of the February and March budgets for member review.   No questions at this time.

-Linda Jackson reported that Handling Classes will begin on April 6^th at 7:00 p.m.  The cost will remain at $5.00 per handler.  The classes

will take place at the Pavilion in Old Towne Conyers for six weeks.   The last class will also be the graduation party. 

-Sue Shelton handed out copies of the Match Flyer to all members.  There will be a change to the Judges Panel.  Don will get the judges

information to Sue.  The Match will be May 2^nd and will be a cookout.  The porta potty will be ordered by Don and one with a lock will be

requested.  Sue reported that all judge contracts have been sent with the exception of the replacement judge.  Jerri will email flyers to

local clubs once the new judge information is received. 

-Steve and Nancy Donahue, Randall McCurry, Don Watson, and Jackie Dilworth have cleaned the storage unit.  The records and pictures

for the club have been located and need to be cataloged.  It was agreed that a historical book of pictures and memorabilia should be made

to display at Shows and Events.  A slide show to be displayed at the cluster show could be made and shown if the wall at the Expo Center

could be painted.  Don will ask the management of the Expo Center to get this done.

-The August show is well under way.  The Judges are to be picked soon.  The show dates are August 27^th, 28^th & 29^th. 

-Don asked for suggestions on speakers for upcoming meetings.  The AKC requires that at least two speakers must be booked per

year.  Suggestions for Field Trial and the AKC Field Rep were made.

-At this time there is no set date for the next Cluster Meeting.  It is expected to be held in July.

-Linda Jackson introduced the question of Responsible Dog Ownership Day.  This event must take place in September to qualify with

AKC.   Possible sites such as the Horse Park and the Pavilion will be looked into.

-Don has asked for someone to volunteer to be the club historian.  This person will begin assembling the club records and pictures.

-Audry Lycan has a set of VCR tapes on the Working Group if anyone is interested in these.

BRAGS:   Rhea Spence reported that Sonny won a 4 pt Major in Greenville!

                 Mike Shelton reported that Myst won WD & Puppy Group III!

                 Wayne Dandelske reported that Raider won Best in Show at the Internationial Dog

                 Show                               

With no further business to discuss Renae Watson made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Rhea Spence.

Recorded by Jerri Dandelske  Secretary

LEGISLATIVE REPORT

March, 2010

The Georgia General Assembly is in session.  All legislation that was introduced in 2009 is still active.  Below is a list of legislation

that the Georgia Canine Coalition, Inc. is monitoring for the 2010 Session.

Crossover Day, which is Day 30 of the 40 Day Legislative Session, was Friday, March 26, 2010. Bills that did not pass either the

Senate or the House by this date are pretty much dead for the year.  Below is an update on bills that we are watching.

HB 219: A bill to add a bittering agent to anti-freeze passed out of the Judiciary Committee.  This bill has passed the House and has

been read in the Senate and referred to Committee on February 3, 2010.

HB 429 a bill that provides protection for family pets relating to protective orders and consent agreements in family violence situations. 

March 4-House committee favorable report.  In House Rules Committee

HB 606:  A bill that would ban the grandfathered in carbon monoxide chambers.  This bill is dead.

HB788:  Another bill that would ban the grandfathered in carbon monoxide chambers that was introduced by Rep. Tom Knox, who

is the chief sponsor of HB 606.  This bill does not list HSUS or AHA to approve certification programs.  In Senate Committee.

HB 1153 Introduced February 9 would change certain provisions of the Georgia Code dealing with Animal Cruelty.  The GCC is in the

process of analyzing this bill, but sees some concerns. Update:  Bill passed out of committee, but did not pass Rules Committee.

HB1146 Introduced February 9 and is similar to HB 1153.  This Bill is dead.

HB 842 Bill that would amend the code relating to agriculture in order to allow Home gardens, coops and pens on private residential

property.  The food crops or animals or products thereof can only be used for human consumption by the occupants of the property. 

Would allow Chickens, rabbits, and goats. Passed the House Ag. Committee and is in Rules Committee.

HB 1106  Introduced February 5 and would require all shelters to scan for a microchip before  euthanizing any dog, cat or other large

animal traditionally kept as household pet.  This bill pertains to scanning for a microchip only.  Passed the House, passed Senate Ag.

Committee.  In Senate Rules.  GCC is supporting this bill.

Please let me know if you need more information.

Gail LaBerge

_________________________________________________________________________________________

     AKC ANNOUNCES BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION RESULTS

     -- Dr. Charles Garvin, Dr. William Newman & Patricia Scully Elected --

     New York, NY - The Annual Meeting of the AKC Delegates took place on March 9, 2010. Three new Directors have

     been elected: Dr. Charles Garvin, Delegate from the Marion Ohio Kennel Club; Dr. William R. Newman, Delegate

     from the Mastiff Club of America; Patricia Scully, Delegate from the Obedience Training Club of Hawaii. Dr. Newman

     was an incumbent candidate. In addition, Ronald H. Menaker was re-elected as Chairman of the Board and

     Dr. Thomas M. Davies was re-elected as the Vice Chairman of the Board at a meeting of the AKC Board of

     Directors, convened after the Delegate Meeting.

    * Ronald H. Menaker has been the Chairman of the AKC Board of Directors since 2002. Menaker represents

     the Greater Freeport Illinois Kennel Club and is Show Chairman for the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship.

     An active participant in the sport of purebred dogs for nearly 40 years, he bred and exhibited Giant Schnauzers,

     and has also shown Bedlington Terriers and Norfolk Terriers. A licensed AKC judge since 1994, Menaker is

     approved to judge Best in Show, all Working breeds, all Sporting breeds and several Terrier breeds. Menaker is

     also a member of the Board of Overseers for the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School.

     Menaker is a retired Managing Director and Head of Corporate Services of J.P. Morgan & Co. Incorporated of

     New York, and a past President and Director of J. P. Morgan Services, Inc. He is also the Vice Chairman and

     past Chairman of New York Downtown Hospital. Menaker resides in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey with his wife

     Kathy.

     * Dr. Thomas M. Davies, AKC Delegate for the Springfield Kennel Club, was first elected to the Board in 2000

     and has served on the Public Relations Committee, the Events and Clubs Committee, the Breeders Committee

     and chaired the Group Realignment Committee. 

     Dr. Davies has been involved in several breeds, but has had significant influence on the Bearded Collie. His

     involvement with the breed began before its official recognition by the AKC when he served as president of the

     Bearded Collie Club of America. While at this post, Davies was responsible for getting the breed into the AKC

     Stud Book. He is an honorary lifetime member of the club and is the author of the Bearded Collie standard.

     In the mid-80's, Dr. Davies became deeply involved in Siberian Huskies and Belgian Sheepdogs. He and his

     wife have bred and finished many champions in all three breeds. Dr. Davies continues to be an active member

     of the fancy.  He is an approved judge for the Herding Group, Akitas and Siberian Huskies. He has served as

     show chairman for the Springfield Kennel Club and for the Connecticut River Working Group Association, the

     country's first Working Group club. He has also served in various capacities for many all-breed and specialty

     clubs.

     Professionally, Dr. Davies retired from the Bayer Corporation after more than thirty years in various areas

     of scientific research and product development. He currently resides in Brimfield, Massachusetts with his wife

     Roberta. 

     * Dr. J. Charles Garvin, of Marion, Ohio, is a returning member of the AKC Board of Directors. He has been closely

     associated with Dalmatians since the 1960s. Since then, he has had 86 champions in the breed, most of them

     owner-handled. Dr. Garvin has judged at the Dalmatian Club of America (DCA) national specialty show five times,

     including the AKC Centennial Show in 1984, and has judged nationals in Canada and Australia. He is served multiple

     terms as DCA president and has sat on the club's board of directors for 28 years. A life member of the Central Ohio

     Kennel Club and the Marion Ohio Kennel Club, he has been Marion's AKC Delegate since 1990 and a club officer for

     27 years. Dr. Garvin is an ophthalmic surgeon and president-chairman of a 72-physician medical-group practice. He

     and his wife of 33 years, Lynn, have two sons and a daughter.

     * Dr. William R. Newman, of Bedford, Pennsylvania, has been a member of the Mastiff Club of America for 45 years. He

     has served the club as president, vice president, secretary, AKC Delegate, show chairman, and newsletter founding editor.

     Dr. Newman has produced numerous Mastiff champions and is the co-breeder of a three-time national-specialty winner. He

     has judged numerous Mastiff regional specialties and the national specialty show. Deeply committed to canine health, Dr.

     Newman has served the AKC Canine Health Foundation as a director and Millennium Founder. Dr. Newman is a board-certified

     radiologist and former hospital chief of staff. Newman holds a B.A. from Hofstra University, in New York, and an M.D. from the

     State University of New York.

    * Patricia Scully, of Suffern, New York, is a returning member of the AKC Board of Directors. She has been active in purebred dogs

     since 1962. She has been the Delegate for the Obedience Training Club of Hawaii since 1985, and was chairman of the AKC Delegates

     Obedience Clubs Committee at its inception. She has finished Pugs in obedience and conformation in several countries and has been

     an obedience judge for all classes for more than twenty-five years. Scully was a member of the 1996 AKC Presidential Search Committee

     and is a former president, director, and show and obedience chairman of the Pug Dog Club of America, of which she is an honorary lifetime

     member.

   MARCH CHAIRMAN'S REPORT

   -- AKC Award Programs Recognize Outstanding Contributions of Both People and Dogs --

   New York, NY - Just like the recent Academy Awards, AKC has its own awards programs to recognize the contributions and notable deeds

   among our dogs and our people.

   The AKC Outstanding Sportsmanship Award - founded in 2006 – recognizes the hard work and dedication of our volunteer club members.  Each

   year, the AKC provides an Outstanding Sportsmanship medallion to be awarded based on criteria that a member club selects.  Once a recipient

   has been selected we add their name to the list of winners on the AKC website.

   Another distinguished award - established in 1998 - is the Lifetime Achievement Award.   These awards recognize those who have spent a majority

   of their lives dedicated to the sport and to the dogs. Past honorees have included dog world greats such as Dorothy Nickles, Rachel Page Elliot,

   Dr. M. Josephine Deubler, Michelle Billings and Jane Forsyth, just to name a few.

   Only AKC member clubs are able to cast a vote for this award. For the first time this year, we have distributed the initial round of ballots to member

   clubs via e-mail. We ask that you please submit your choices for nominees by May 7th. Clubs may submit one nominee in each of three categories:

   Conformation, Companion Events and Performance.

   Three nominees receiving the most votes in each category will be selected as finalists. Later in the year member clubs get to chose the winner in

   each category. We look forward to your continued participation in this selection process.

   Finally, the award program where we receive the most amazing, heart-felt stories continues to be our AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence

   or "ACE" awards. For the 11th year we will be selecting dogs that have performed exemplary acts in one of five categories: Companion, Law Enforcement,

   Search and Rescue, Service, and Therapy.

   Heroes, like dogs, come in all shapes and sizes. ACE nominees range from skilled assistance dogs to brave law enforcement K-9s, as well as comforting

   therapy dogs.  Each year when we review all of the ACE nominations, it becomes clear the increasingly important role dogs play in our day-to-day lives as

   well as to protect and serve our nation.

   We encourage you to nominate a dog that has touched a life in some way or made the world a better place. The new deadline for submission is June 1st.

   For more information about ACE or any of AKC's award programs
   please visit www.akc.org.  We look forward to recognizing the people and dogs that have touched our lives.

   Sincerely,

   Ron Menaker
   Chairman

   crossposted
   LONG....BUT GOOD
   **
   by DIANE KLUMB

   Hi. My name is Diane, and I am a Breeder. I am good at it, and I am damned proud of it.  I bought my first show dog in 1969 and whelped my first

   litter in April, 1975.  I have, since that inauspicious beginning, in partnership with my long suffering husband and a few good friends produced a few

   dozen champions, some top producers, a handful of Specials, and a lot of superb close-working grouse dogs and well loved companions. *We kept

   a fair number over the years and sold the rest. (NOTE: I said sold, not 'placed'.*..we'll address that particular idiocy later.) We owned a kennel for

   many years, and trained gun dogs. This involved the killing of untold numbers of game birds, all of which we ate. I have more recipes for pheasant,

   grouse and woodcock than you can shake a stick at. We showed our hunting dogs and hunted over our show dogs. I do not believe for a minute

   that the whelping or sale of a single one of those purebred dogs is in any way responsible for the euthanasia of a million unwanted dogs a year

   at shelters around the country, any more than I believed that cleaning my plate when I was a kid could in any way benefit all the poor starving

   children in Africa, no matter how much the nuns or my mother tried to make me feel guilty about it. I couldn't see the logic then and I can't see it

   now (although today I would maybe refrain from suggesting that we bundle up Sister Edlita's meatloaf and actually send it to the poor starving children

   in Africa.) Look at it this way: If I go to a bookstore specifically to buy Matt Ridley's The Human Genome (which, as it happens, I recently did) and that

   bookstore does not have it, I will do one of two things - I will order it, or I will go to another bookstore that does carry it and purchase it there. What I will

   NOT do is take the same money and buy Martha Stewart's latest cookbook instead, because this is not what I want.
   *
   Guilt without logic is dangerous.
   *
   Show breeders are simply not responsible for the millions of unplanned and unwanted mongrels produced in this country. Period. So don't let anyone

   make you feel guilty about it. *I do not understand why the top horse farms in this country are not in the least embarrassed by the fact they make a lot of

   money doing it, yet in the world of dogs if one is to be respected, one is to lose one's ass financially. That is a load of horse shit, pure and simple, yet we
   accept it meekly and without question.*

   Why is that?

   Basic economic theory suggests that if we are not turning a profit, one of two things is wrong - we suffer from poor management, or we are not asking

   enough for our product to cover our production costs. What are our costs?  Well, if we are breeding good dogs, besides basic food and veterinary costs we

   ought to be adding in the costs of showing these animals, and advertising, and health testing, which are not expenses incurred by the high volume breeders

   (puppy mills).  OK, so we have much higher costs involved in producing our healthier, sounder animals. Yet the average pet shop puppy sells for about the

    same as the average well bred pet from show stock, and often they sell for much more.

   What's wrong with this picture?

   We're stupid that's what's wrong.

   Q. Why does a Jaguar sell for ten times more than a Hundai?
   A. Because it's worth more and everyone knows it.
   "And everyone knows it" is the key phrase here, folks. But somehow no one knows our puppies are worth more and we're embarrassed to tell them.

    Why is that?

   The difference between the sale price of a multi million dollar stallion and what he's worth as horsemeat on any given day at a livestock auction is quality.

   Yet we cannot address this issue in dogs because we are embarrassed to talk about money and dogs in the same breath.

   Why is that?

   OK, I'll tell you, because someone has to come out and say this sooner or later.
   *
   There is a war going on.
   *
   Unlike most wars, however, this one actually has three sides rather than two.

   1. We have Show breeders, who are producing a small number of purebred dogs.
   2. We have High-Volume breeders who are producing a large number of purebred dogs.
   3. We have Animal Rights Activists, who believe that neither group has the right to breed or even own purebred dogs, much less make a profit at it.

   While the first group is busy trying to get rid of the second group because they don't like the way they breed dogs (which by the way ain't gonna happen)

   as long as the American public wants purebred dogs and the first group won't produce them) the third group is winning the war.

   You think I'm making this up?
   Then how come we've started saying we "placed" our puppies instead of sold them? We talk about the new "adoptive homes" instead of their new owners.

   What's next? Instead of price of a puppy, we'll charge an "adoption fee?" What's wrong with this new language?
   I'll tell you -
   We didn't come up with it, the Animal Rights Activists did - we are just stupid enough to use it. We are stupid because it's based on the premise that we

   have no right to own dogs. It is based on the premise that dog ownership is the moral equivalent of human slavery, and that the species Homo sapien has

   no right to use any other species for any purpose whatsoever, be it food, clothing, medical research, recreation or involuntary companionship.
   Now, I don't know about you, but my politically incorrect opinion is:
   *Our species did not spend the last million years clawing our way to the top of the food chain to eat tofu. The stuff tastes like shit no matter how you cook

   it, and there is absolutely no sense pretending otherwise.*
   *
   Zoology 101:
   *
   Animals who kill other animals for their primary food source are called predators. Their eyes are generally on the front of their skulls, they have teeth

   designed to tear flesh from bone, and a digestive system designed to digest meat (like us). Animals that live primarily off vegetation are called herbivores.

   They have better peripheral vision, flat teeth for grinding, and the most efficient of them have multiple stomachs, which we do not (like cows). And lastly,

   Animals who live primarily off what other have killed (carrion) are called scavengers (think about that one long and hard.)
   Man like the canis, is a pack-hunting predator, which is probably why we get along so well. (If that fact bothers you, get over it.)
   How did we get to the top of the food chain?
   We are the most intelligent and efficient pack-hunters ever to suck oxygen from the atmosphere, that's how.
   We are certainly intelligent enough to understand that maintaining that position on this small planet depends on responsible stewardship, not guilt. And

   we are so damned efficient that we can support a tremendous number
   of scavengers in our midst. Like the Animal Rights Activists, for instance. (Me, I think we should dump the whole lot of them buck naked in the Boundary

   Waters and see how well this egalitarian philosophy of theirs plays out, but that's probably too politically incorrect for anybody else to consider. Sigh.)
   *
   So what do we do?
   *
   Well, to begin with we need to regain control. The first way we do this is with language, which is the tool they have been using on us. These people who

   don't want us to "own" dogs are likening themselves to Abolitionists. That's a fallacy, unless you accept the premise that dogs are really little humans in

   fur coats, which frankly is an insult to a species that has never waged war on the basis of religious differences. No, the group they really resemble is the

   Prohibitionists – remember them? A particularly annoying bunch of zealots who firmly believed and somehow managed to convince our duly elected

   representatives that alcohol was a bad thing, and any beverage containing it should be illegal in these United States of America. Very few Americans

   actually agreed with this, by the way, but by the time Congress got its head out of its collective you-know-what, a whole new industry had developed -

   Organized Crime. We look back at that whole debacle now and wonder how anything that stupid and wrongheaded ever happened. Well, boys and girls,

   in the inimitable words of the great Yogi Berra: Its's Déjà vu all over again. The Prohibitionists are back. And once again, we are buying it. Amazing.

    Article in Rockdale Citizen

Chris Miller once had a Canaan dog that had a unique way of getting table scraps not intended for canine consumption.

After dinner, when dishes with leftover food were sitting on the counter to be washed, the dog would run to the front door barking. Miller’s family would follow to see what all the commotion was about.

The dog would then run back into the kitchen, jump on the counter and eat the food.
“It’s always fun when your dog is smarter than you,” Miller said. “Most dogs know A then B. Canaans know A then B then C.”

Having raised and shown Canaans for 12 years, Miller is an expert on the rare breed from the Middle East which dates back thousands of years. Canaans are strong in herding, flocking and guarding, and can be used as guide dogs, military dogs and assistance dogs.

Miller said their intelligence, general good health and medium size — females weigh between 35 and 45 and males between 45 and 55 — made them appealing.

“That’s what really drew me to them,” she said.

She and her son Ethan, 14, travel monthly to dog shows throughout the Southeast and sometimes to other parts of the country to compete. Most recently, they returned from the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show where they didn’t score well enough to discuss, said Miller.

They’ve performed better in other competitions, especially in 2009 when Vala, Ethan’s dog, finished as the No. 2 Canaan dog in the country in breed points.

“Our success is within the breed,” said Miller, who added that Canaans can be a bit stand-offish during the stand for examination because of their aloof nature.

Miller said that at age 6 her son asked to start showing the dogs. He’s garnered much attention at shows, often winning out over his mother.

“He’s very competitive within the family,” said Miller. “He actually did very well. We won best of breed in an all-breed dog show, the Clemson Kennel Show. He beat the No. 1 Canaan dog.”

Because cerebral palsy has left Ethan with no fine motor skills in his left hand and limited use of his left arm, he must show dogs on his right side. Typically dogs are shown on the left side.

Judges will ask him to switch sides at first, but when they learn of his special needs, they are accommodating, said Miller.

“Most judges are embarrassed,” she said.  An eighth-grader at Peachtree Academy, Ethan also pitches for the Rockdale Youth Baseball Association and plays basketball on his school’s team.

“He’s an athlete, even with his challenges, he does very well at overcoming them,” said Miller.

Ethan is the fourth generation in his family to breed and show dogs. A charter member of the Clearwater Kennel Club in the 1930s, his great-grandmother showed boxers, and his grandmother, Merry Houchard of Rockdale County, showed Great Danes.

A resident of Rockdale since 1969 and a Heritage High School graduate, Miller said showing dogs is a wholesome pastime for her family.

“It’s a hobby and the AKC events are family venues,” said Miller. “It’s something I grew up with and Ethan enjoys it as well. He’s got his whole dog show family.”

Newsletter-Sandra McCurry

 southforkgolden@aol.com