May 2010

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

Monday, May 10,at IHOP in Conyers. We meet at 6:30 to eat and the meeting starts around 7:30

We have one more handling class next Tuesday and this will be our graduation. There will be a pizza

We all had a good time Sunday at the Match. Below are pictures of the winners. For more pictures go

Best Adult in Match was 15” Beagle, Gracie Best Puppy in Match was English Setter, Myst

Best Junior Handler was Taryn Hedrick Highest scoring in Obedience was the Cane Corso,

-President Don Watson opened the meeting at 7:30pm by welcoming members and guests, Denise Brooks and Glen Jackson.

-Don asked for any corrections or additions to the Minutes from the March Meeting. No corrections or changes. Motion to accept the minutes as published made by Rhea Spence, seconded by Jackie Dilworth. Motion passed.

-Treasurer’s Report was distributed by Rhea Spence. Settlement checks are in. A good profit was made on the February Show.

- Don asked for a Budget Committee to review and make recommendations for the 2011 budget. The budget committee will consist of Mike Shelton, Rhea Spence and Linda Jackson. These recommendations will be discussed at the next meeting.

-Show expenses were discussed and any suggestions to trim these costs are welcome.

-Linda Jackson reported that the Handling Class has had the best turn out yet. There were over 22 dogs at the first class. Linda thanked Don for his assistance with the class. Linda hopes everyone continues to support our club. Several people have said how they appreciate the cost of the class remaining at $5.00 per handler.

-Sue Shelton reported that the set-up for the Match will begin at 8:00a.m. On Sunday, May 2^nd. Everyone is to meet at the field. Don will get the poles for 2 conformation rings and 1 obedience ring. Flyers are available and have been put out at local events. Deadline for early entry is April 24^th. Merry Carol will do the books. Rhea Spence will take entries. Steve Donahue and Mike Houchard will do the cooking. Jackie Dilworth will do the trophies, ribbons and judges gifts. Randall McCurry, Mike Shelton and Mike Houchard will go to the storage locker to get the supplies. Mike and Sue Shelton will bring the ice, coffee and donuts.

-The Premium List is in for the August show. All three clubs will reduce the puppy entry fee to 6-9 months $10.00 and 9-12 months $15.00. There has been a disclaimer added to the Premium to state that the Cluster is not responsible for any work done on vehicles or motor homes that is done on the show site.

-Don and Renae are currently working on the judge’s panel for the February show and welcome any suggestions or input.

-Jackie Dilworth reported that she had made the delivery of food to the Rockdale Food Bank and that they are in very bad need of all the assistance they can get. The demand for help is high.

-Mike Houchard reported that the motion to realignment of the groups has been withdrawn. There is no scheduled time that the AKC will revisit the issue. The June AKC Meeting will be held in Atlanta. The Annual Report was given to Don is anyone is interested in reviewing it. The AKC no longer supplies each club with a Judges Book. This now must be purchased.

The Canadian Kennel Club is in serious financial trouble and the AKC is trying to help the Canadian Club to remain operational.

The Coalition Report is that the lawmakers are still concerned with the budget issues. At this time there is no troubling legislation but they are watching for any new bills that may include mandatory spay/neuter laws. There is a new law that will require all shelter to scan all animals before they can be euthanized. AKC is supplying scanners to shelters that do not have them. To keep current on Pet Laws you may find this site helpful (www.pet-laws.com).

-The issue of Mixed Breeds being introduced to Rally, Obedience and Agility events being held in conjunction with AKC Conformation was discussed among the members. Rhea made a motion to exclude mixed breeds from these events, seconded by Randall. Vote results – 18 to exclude / 1 to include. The club has advised Mike to vote to exclude mixed breeds.

-Mike Shelton and Jan Moore will be at the rest of the handling classes to assist Linda.

-Merry Carol Houchard asked about continuing the Essay Contest for the Responsible Dog Ownership Day. The club agrees that we should keep the contest. Merry Carol will start letting the schools know that we will continue. Much help will be needed in reading the essays due to the number of students entering.

-Mike Houchard will see if there are any local events in Conyers for the month of September that we may be able to join with. If not, he will try to find a place that is convenient with good traffic to attract people.

Mike Shelton – Myst won Sweeps and Best Puppy on Saturday and Reserve on Sunday in Charlotte.

We are writing to you so that you are aware of the facts concerning the Canadian Kennel Club and to put rumors to rest.

It is true that the Canadian Kennel Club sent a bulletin to their members describing that they are “in the midst of a financial crisis.” The reasons they state are very similar to those faced by kennel clubs around the world. Even though the economy in Canada is better than in America, the CKC has experienced declines in registration, entries, and membership. Their losses were in both the CKC organization as well as their publishing company, Apex. Unfortunately, as a result they have found themselves in a deficit position in terms of cash flow as their reserves were not sufficient to support their financial situation. Over the last few days we, along with our Chief Financial Officer Jim Stevens, have had conference calls with Joe Mauro, CKC’s Chief Executive Officer. We hope that the Canadian Kennel Club will make a full recovery as their organization is functioning, registrations are being processed, and entries and shows are continuing as always.

Chairman Dwain McLean voluntarily and temporarily stepped aside due to a family crisis. Under the leadership of Interim Chair Lee Steeves, the organization is facing their problems and they have appealed to their membership and clubs to assist with donations and have also implemented fees to increase revenue while she and their Board address expenditures, services, and obligations.

We along with AKC Management are addressing areas where we may be able to lend assistance to our neighbors with whom we have had an excellent relationship for almost one hundred years.

This unfortunate situation can trace its roots to a number of causes beyond today’s challenging economic conditions including changes in society, running a not-for-profit business in an increasingly competitive atmosphere, and lacking ample reserves.

As we have been reporting over the last few years and most recently at last month’s Delegate Meeting, the Board and Management of the American Kennel Club have diligently placed over $50 million in reserves so that it would be unlikely we are faced with a lack of adequate reserves. We continue to manage our organization’s finances conservatively and in line with our independent accounting firm’s recommendations.

The American Kennel Club will continue to lend assistance where possible to Lee, Joe and their team as we are dedicated to the well-being of the Canadian Kennel Club, its breeders, judges, and exhibitors.

Canine Health Foundation News Alert (1)

Podcast Released about Neurology with Dr. David Brewer [Thursday, April 8, 2010]

The Canine Health Foundation is pleased to announce the publication of the next podcast in the Genome Barks series.

This week on Genome Barks we welcome Dr. David Brewer, a resident in neurology at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Brewer discusses the various genetic tests that are available for neurologic diseases, and explains epilepsy - what it is, how it gets diagnosed and what treatment options are available.

The Genome Barks podcast series features lectures from the highly successful AKC and CHF Breeders Symposia and provides responsible breeders and pet owners an inside look at the work being done by the Canine Health Foundation.

New podcasts are released every two weeks and can be accessed from the Canine Health Foundation website at www.CanineHealthFoundation.org - click on "Podcasts." They are also available on Apple's iTunes or directly at www.genomebarks.com.

Clubs are encouraged to add the Genome Barks Podcast link to their home pages. Contact the Canine Health Foundation to obtain graphics and links

Canine Health Foundation News Alert (2)

New Presentation Video Released from the 2009 National Parent Club Canine Health Conference [Monday, April 19, 2010]

The Canine Health Foundation is pleased to announce the publication of the next video recorded at the 2009 National Parent Club Canine Health Conference held in St. Louis. The October conference, sponsored by Nestlé Purina PetCare Company, brought together leading researchers and representatives from national breed clubs to discuss the current state of canine health research, and where the future will lead.

The video released is Dr. Eric Ledbetter, "Canine Herpesvirus-1: a New Pathogenic Role for an Old Virus." Click here to view the this video and others from the 2009 National Parent Club Canine Health Conference.

Canine herpesvirus-1 (CHV-1) was first identified in the mid-1960s as a cause of severe morbidity and mortality in fetal and neonatal dogs. In the following decades, CHV-1 infections in mature dogs were sporadically and infrequently associated with several relatively mild conditions, including genital mucositis and respiratory tract disease. More recently, the significance of CHV-1 as an ocular pathogen in mature dogs has been recognized and investigated. In the past few years, several ocular diseases have been linked to primary and recurrent CHV-1 infection in mature dogs, including conjunctivitis, ulcerative keratitis, and nonulcerative keratitis. In addition, CHV-1 has been reported as the most common etiology of viral conjunctivitis in client-owned dogs and as a cause of large epizootics of ocular disease in group-housed dogs. The true prevalence and spectrum of CHV-1 ocular diseases remains unknown, but recent discoveries suggest a common and substantial role for this virus in the development of a variety of ocular diseases in dogs of all ages.

Eric C. Ledbetter is an assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists. After graduating from the University of Missouri College Of Veterinary Medicine, he completed a small animal medicine and surgery internship at Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and an ophthalmology internship at the Animal Ophthalmology Clinic in Dallas, Texas. His residency training in ophthalmology was completed at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Ledbetter's research program focuses upon ocular infectious diseases and non-invasive imaging techniques of the anterior segment of the eye.

Click here for additional information about the active research the CHF has funded.

You can help by providing financial support to the Canine Health Foundation's efforts; click here to make a secure online donation and please consider a recurring gift.

Contact:
Erika Werne
Director of Education & Communications
Canine Health Foundation
919-334-4010
888-682-9696
www.CanineHealthFoundation.org