The After-Match

It was a long weekend for Trooper

The Match is in the books. Whoopie. If you remember, my German Shepherd Dog Club agreed to hold an AKC Sanctioned GSD Specialty B Match in conjunction with a breeder's annual BBQ.

We had ten regular entries and three in junior showmanship. We also offered a 4-6 month puppy (non-regular) class. Only one person entered that competition, making the class a waste of time and money. The trophy, rosette and ribbons cost more than the single entry fee we took in. I wouldn’t recommend offering it next time. (Live and learn, right?)

Participants and spectators seemed to have had a good time. I have mixed feelings about how things went. I'd like to share what worked, what didn't and what could be done differently -- just in case any of you ever think of doing this!

Know your audience -- I assumed that the match participants would be people new to the sport and/or with new dogs. I overestimated the group! Most of the match participants were absolutely clueless about dog shows. They didn't know what class to enter their dogs in -- they didn't even know what classes were! We were sharing leads and collars, reminding people to keep dogs on the left and explaining what a stack was from the ringside. A couple people showed up in flip-flops and ended up running around the ring barefoot.

Our entry form asked for email addresses. After the show I sent an email to all entrants. It included links to a few AKC resources to help make their next dog show experience even more enjoyable. I referred them to Info Dog to find shows, saying that nearby Ocala has several every month. I also emailed some information about the German Shepherd Dog Club of North Florida with links to our website and FB page.

Ribbons, trophies and baskets, oh my!

Know your location -- I wasn't able to visit the property beforehand. As such, decisions made based on photos were changed during set up. The area used for the ring was in a corner of a field surrounded by large trees to keep it shaded during the morning. We used the existing fence for most of the ring. The BBQ festivities were being held at the other end of the property so we decided not to put up our large, labor-intensive canopies. In hindsight, it would have been better to just grab a few necessary items and transport those instead of towing the entire club trailer. The trailer hadn't been reorganized since the Specialty shows. Overloaded and off balance, it would sway every time we went over 55 MPH. This added an extra hour to our drive and put too much stress on my husband our truck.

Know your budget -- We only took entries the day of the match. This made paperwork and money handling easier. It probably brought in a few last minute entries too. However, it made things hard to shop for. We ordered 1st through 4th place ribbons for every class offered. It's customary to give toys to each match entrant. Having no idea how many people would be coming, I bought 30 just in case. Even being frugal, they add up. Sure, we can use the leftover toys another time, but the cost is still added to this event's bottom line. I'm hoping that we broke even, as our club doesn't have much in the way of disposable income.

Know your expectations -- I expected the match to be a practice show with new but semi-knowledgeable people handling their own dogs ... like every other match I've ever attended. Apparently, the breeder and her people did not. 90% of them used the same two teenagers to run their dogs around the ring and they had no clue as to what was taking place. 

Our club was told that hosting the match would be a great way for the northeastern Florida GSD community to meet the central Florida GSD community, "a source of potential new members." Unfortunately, hosting the match as a way to promote the German Shepherd Dog Club of North Florida was a bust. Only one person at the BBQ expressed any interest in the club. It's been a week since my email went out and nobody has responded.

Best in Match was Trooper's brother! See the resemblance?

Know your limitations -- This endeavor was too much for me and Hubby to shoulder alone. Several of the people we thought were going to help pulled out at the last minute for various reasons. Others showed up late or left early because they had double-booked for the weekend. And honestly, the distance from Jacksonville to Dunnellon was longer than most club members wanted to drive.

Finally, I’m a little miffed that nobody from the German Shepherd Dog Club of Orlando or the Tampa Bay German Shepherd Dog Club showed up – especially since we had to jump through hoops to get permission from both of them to even hold the match. Will I do this again? No. If asked, I would suggest one of the following options:

• Find another host. The breeder should reach out to the German Shepherd Dog Club of Orlando or the Tampa Bay German Shepherd Dog Club. They are closer and would have an easier time getting club members to help out. They are also more likely to local members. Being that the AKC claims Dunnellon is in those territories, they wouldn't have to petition for the permissions that we did to hold the match.


• DIY Fun Match. Since the breeder isn't an AKC sanctioned club, she isn't bound by the rules that we are. My GSD club couldn't hold a fun match because we were opening up to non-members. Because we held a B Match, we had to use AKC's rules of judging. This upset a bunch of people with neutered dogs who wanted to enter. (These people obviously don't understand the intent of conformation dog shows in the first place -- but that's a post for another day.) The breeder, however, can just set up a ring and do whatever she wants. Judging by the skill and interest levels of breeder's clientele, I doubt the would mind -- or notice -- that it wasn't a "real" match.

So there you go -- the good, the bad and the ugly of my first time as Match Chair. If you ever take on that role, please learn from my mistakes. Be better than me. And send me an invitation to the match! See you around the ring, -- K

2019 Specialty Shows

Our 2019 Specialty Shows are over. Trooper was among two dozen beautiful German shepherds vying to be judged Best of Breed. SPOILER: Trooper wasn't that dog. But he did look good. See:

He's looking for Mom

Look at that beautiful flying trot!

Trooper looks good from any angle

Still not fond of the exam, but at least Trooper cooperated

Trooper was handled by co-owner PG, and the photos were taken by co-owner J-Lyn with J-Lyn Photography. My job was to pray that he wouldn't do anything stupid.

Trooper started limping during his last pass around the ring in the morning show. I don't know why. Did he step wrong? Could he have pano? (He's in that age range.) Whatever the cause, I pulled him from the afternoon show. I didn't want to exacerbate anything. Plus, Trooper was entered in two more shows that weekend. I gave him rest and Rimadyl. J-Lyn and I re-evaluated his gait each morning. Fortunately, he seemed okay. He took Reserve Winners Dog both days. Basically, that's first runner-up. Not great -- and worth zero points -- but we'll take it!

Checking out the ring before the show starts

Trooper's wins. Both days looked the same.

Trooper is going to take a break from the show ring. He needs time to mature. He has his big-boy body, but still has a little-boy brain. He needs to gain some confidence and learn self-control. We'll reassess in the fall. In the meantime, I've signed him up for a Manners class, with hopes of working toward Canine Good Citizen and Trick Dog titles. Hopefully we'll have plenty to share. Later, -- K

Match Frustration

With Trooper at a fun match in Reddick, FL

As you may remember, my dog club has agreed to hold a GSD Specialty Match in conjunction with a breeder's annual BBQ next April. I volunteered to take on the role of Match Chair. It’s going to be great and we’re going to have fun. (At least that's what I keep telling myself.) Unfortunately, the AKC doesn't make things easy.

I’ve been reading through the AKC Match Regulations (very dry, btw) and have gleaned some important information.

Since my club is an AKC sanctioned club, we must hold an A or B match; a fun match (which is what I wanted) would be authorized if it was restricted to club members only. “Any event for which the club solicits or accepts entries from nonmembers must be approved by AKC as a sanctioned match.” Which means paperwork. Ugh. However, a B match is a less formal than an A match, so I suggested we go that route. Everybody agreed.

Part of the paperwork includes a formal application. Per AKC, the application needs to be approved before we can start advertising the match –- therefore, the sooner the better! Required info on the match application includes:

• Match date and start time
• Exact location of match
• Will match be held independently, concurrently with a show or in the evening after a show?
• Will match be held indoors, outdoors or both?
• Is match for all breeds, group only or specialty (single breed)?
• Is match an A match or B match?
• Is match conformation? Obedience? Rally? Tracking? Combination?
• Which classes will be offered?
• Name/address/phone/email of Match Chair
• Name/address/phone/email of Match Secretary

I gathered the Match Committee and started asking questions:

Who will take on the role of Match Secretary? Unlike regular shows, a Match Secretary must be a club member. The duties are similar to that of a Show Secretary: take entries, hand out armbands and keep track of the judge’s book. We must have a name for the application. Fortunately, a B Match does not need to produce a Premium or a Catalog. YAY!

Which classes should we offer? The standard classes are: 6-9 Puppy, 9-12 Puppy, 12-18 Months, Novice, Bred by Exhibitor, American-Bred and Open. We agreed to those plus 4-6 Puppy and Juniors classes. We can offer “Non-Regular” classes as well, but we need to tell AKC what they are ahead of time. I asked AKC what non-regular classes were and got an answer that didn't make any sense whatsoever. There is no list defining available non-regular classes (I asked). However, it's not a whatever-you-want catchall either because the one I asked for -- sterilized pet class -- was emphatically disapproved by the AKC rep.

Who will judge? We don’t need to have an AKC judge. A professional handler or experienced breeder would be fine, as long as he/she knows GSDs and doesn’t have dog in the ring. We're courting a few professional handlers.

So we made the necessary decisions and I sent in the application. It was sent back. The AKC didn't recognize the address as one listed in their system and we needed to clarify a few things. I did and resubmitted.

With Jedi at a fun match in Jacksonville, FL

Then the application was sent back again. The address listed is outside of our designated territory so we need written permission from both of the German Shepherd Dog Club of Orlando and the Tampa Bay German Shepherd Dog Club before our application is granted. Two questions here:

1. Why couldn't the AKC have said that the first time? (Obviously someone looked at the address.) and
2. How can the small town of Dunnellon belong to both clubs? (BTW, there isn't a published list of designated geographic territories -- I looked.)

I've emailed the presidents of both clubs and now we are waiting. Again.

People -- including me -- complain that there aren't many matches for beginners and young dogs to get their feet wet. Old-timers will tell you that once upon a time there were matches nearly every weekend. Now you're lucky to find 2-3 a year. It's sad. And frustrating.

The AKC makes the entire process as difficult as possible. Newbies must learn how to put on a match (or show!) on the fly. There are stacks of dry, vague rules but no concise step-by-step instructions for beginners. Ferreting out info online is tedious. And the "help" I get from the AKC is akin to the "help" I received from Microsoft when Windows crashed. I guess this is why the all-breed clubs use superintendents to put on their shows. And why matches have been abandoned. Seriously, if a club is going to go through all the trouble of finding a location, filling out mountains of paperwork, soliciting volunteers and buying ribbons (yes, the AKC has specific ribbon requirements) then why not just hold a regular show? What a pain this has turned out to be! I'll keep you posted. -- K

The Show Must Go On

My current expression

(if I were an adorable pup)

I'm a little frustrated right now. When I gave up the presidency of my dog club last month, I was looking forward to having less responsibility and more free time. Like I said many times, there are a lot of little things that come with the office. Those little things quickly become a large time suck. My intention was to concentrate on competing with Jedi and looking for another show puppy.

Well, plans change. At the May club meeting I was told that the two women who’ve planning our dog shows for the past few years have called it quits. Just. Like. That. Even more frustrating: for two years I tried to get them to share information about show planning -- I even had someone willing to take it all in -- but said women guarded the information like a virgin guards her hymen. Now we need to come up with a Plan B.

Channeling my inner Butterfly McQueen

Only a handful of club members have any experience with conformation dog shows, and all but two -- me and RK (the new Club president) -- have stated they want nothing to do with putting on the show. Grrr . . . So the choices are:

1. RK and I do it ourselves (and hope that others change their minds about helping) or
2. It doesn't get done.

I've wrestled with this for a few weeks now. I worked so hard the past two years to build this club up, I'd feel guilty letting it flop. Hubby wants me to relax and concentrate on my health -- "Honey, remember what happened in February? You need to slow down." (Why does he always get to be the voice of reason?!)

From what I can gather, the club is required to put on a show to keep our AKC sanction. How often we have to do it is in unclear. I know there are problems with securing and/or giving up assigned show dates if they conflict with another nearby show. It’s very confusing and I can't find any definitive answers on the internet.

Recently I discovered that an AKC Show Committee Seminar being held in Greenville, South Carolina at the end of the month. I signed up. It's a six hour drive (each way) for a four hour seminar. (Fortunately, I have family in Greenville that I haven't seen since last August, so this is a great excuse to visit.) RK found a pdf of the 2017 AKC Show Manual online. It’s 192 pages long -- eek! -- and I’ve been going through it slowly. It very detailed. And surprisingly empowering.

So, guess who’s putting on a dog show? I’m unbelievably nervous. And strangely excited. True to Kelley fashion, I’ll share our efforts over the next nine months and we’ll see how this baby turns out together. And out of respect for my husband, I will try to watch my stress levels while doing it. Wish us luck! -- K

Tuesday Training Crew

A couple months ago I told you that I was finally able to reinstate the German Shepherd Dog Club's weekly training. The good news is that it's still going, despite the afternoon downpours of late. We have a few dedicated members of "The Tuesday Training Crew." And we have a couple more that show up sporadically. I'm disappointed (though not surprised) that we don't have more participants. Any ideas on how to impress upon club members that they should take advantage of this free opportunity to work their dogs and make friends?

Here are a few pictures from Tuesday nights. Don't mind the goofy chick, just look at the beautiful German shepherd.

Working automatic sits. The shirt is Teddy the Dog

and says "Come to the Bark Side." LOVE it!

Jedi's front positions are getting better. The shirt says

"Leave me alone, I'm only talking to my dog today."

Our trainer is a 5 foot tall, 75 year old woman who knows more about training

dogs than I ever will. It's amazing to see her work.

Believe it or not, it's Wordless Wednesday. One of these days the Moderator is going to give me a stern talking to about my overly wordy posts. But for now, just enjoy! Don't forget to click around below and see what others are sharing today! -- K

P.S. No rain last night, so Tuesday Training went on as planned. Yippie!

Show-n-Go

K-9 Obedience Club of Jacksonville (my other dog club) holds an Obedience and Rally Show-n-Go on a regular basis.

A Show-n-Go is a practice trial. There are (unofficial) judges, ring stewards, competitors and classes. The judge scores your performance, but there are no ribbons or placements. Unlike a real trial, you can use treats, toys, praise and corrections in the ring.

The idea of a Show-n-Go is to create as much of a real trial atmosphere as possible so you and your dog can get used to being in a competition without the full stress (or entry fees) of an actual trial. It's a great way to:

• Rehearse the full set of exercises for a trial, especially if you or your dog are new to the ring.
• Find out what the dog will and won't do when you can't carry a treat or reward her after every exercise.
• Cure the ring-wise dog who hates being in the ring because you've never rewarded him with food or play or a toy during a real trial.
• Desensitize the dog who thinks judges and stewards are scary and evil.

Show-n-Gos are $5 a run, and are a small money maker for the club. The events manned by volunteers. The club offers one free run to anybody who volunteers. The club announced another Show-n-Go was being held on Saturday and RK suggested that we volunteer to:

• Learn more about how a Rally trial works
• Use the free run to see how Jedi and Chili perform in a different environment
• Get feedback from someone other than our regular trainer

In a moment of false bravado I agreed. Then I spent next five days stressing myself out. Our Tuesday training has been rained out for the last month. I meant to practice regularly at home. I didn't. (Surprise!)

I waffled back and forth about taking Jedi to the Show-n-Go and possibly making a fool of myself. Eventually I put on my Big Girl Panties and . . . ended up not doing it after all. I had car trouble and rode to the training site with RK. I volunteered, but Jedi stayed at home. I put on my Big Girl Panties for nothing! I'm so bummed out. Guess I'll go play with Jedi and hope it doesn't rain again on Tuesday. -- K

Nosework News

Jedi looking for odor 

Some interesting things are happening for us regarding nosework. First of all, our favorite trainer is back in Jacksonville once a week to teach a class. We're very, very excited about that. As I mentioned earlier, the AKC has joined the nosework game. They're calling it Scent Work and the rules are slightly different from what we've been doing. However, I think the changes are more difficult for me than they are for Jedi. For him the rules are pretty much the same:

1. Find odor
2. Tell Mom
3. Get cookie

Trainer has been working with the AKC for a couple of years to get this program launched. She's already an approved AKC scent work judge. The classes she's teaching incorporate AKC scent work as well as UKC nosework, so we should be good to go when trials officially start in the fall. The biggest of challenge for us is buried hides. Jedi will now have to find a particular odor that has been buried in dirt.

More exciting news: my German Shepherd Dog Club has applied for licensing to hold official Scent Work trials. We have to prove to the AKC that we are knowledgeable and capable. We sent the application in last week. I think we have a shot! About a quarter of our members have experience with canine scent work. We have a trainer/UKC nosework judge, a retired K-9 officer with experience detecting explosive and narcotics (it counts!), and members with titles through UKC (the United Kennel Club) and NACSW (National Association of Canine Scent Work). We have successfully put on AKC conformation shows so the AKC knows we can follow procedures, fill out all the necessary paperwork, hire judges, secure venues, obtain insurance, advertise, etc. Cross your fingers we get approved!

Jedi chillin' in the hotel before the trial

Jedi, Hubby and I went to Ocala in early April for UKC nosework trials. This was the weekend before the German Shepherd Dog Club's show weekend. I was super stressed and ended up sick. I was achy and nauseated and could barely keep my eyes open. Hubby would wake me up so I could trial and then I would go back to sleep in my beach chair. Needless to say, I don't have any pictures from that weekend. Despite my illness, we did pretty good. We got one leg for our Advanced Containers title. He missed the second hide, and I blame it on handler error.

The following day was Handler Discrimination. That one's tough. I had a cotton glove with my scent on it. It was hidden in one of 12 boxes and Jedi had to find it. To make it more challenging, we were outside surrounded by feral cats. Jedi thinks cat poop is much more interesting than boxes. Still, he found the right box both times, earning two of the three legs he needs for the novice title!

We're going to continue to train but I don't see anything exciting happening on the nosework front until October. Hopefully we'll be prepared. I'll let you know! -- K

2017 Shows

The 2017 German Shepherd Dog Club of North Florida dog shows are over. We held three shows in two days. The turnout was better than it has been in the last few years (over 50 dogs each show!) and we received a lot of positive feedback. That being said, putting on the shows was a lot of work for the entire club. As usual, I overextended myself. In addition to heading up concessions and running around trying to do last minute things, I also stewarded the afternoon show. I was exhausted and didn't take any pictures (gasp). Here are a few I stole from my friends off Facebook.

The dogs (males) lining up

Last minute grooming before going into the ring

Dogs in x-pens awaiting their turn

Our concessions are always well-received . . .

And our raffle baskets can't be beat!

The highlight for the clean-up crew: We got to meet Rumor! (And her owner/handler, Kent Boyles.)

Rumor won the Westminster Dog Show this year.

Regular readers know that I love dog shows. This year I was fortunate enough to sit next to a judge during a show and get his running commentary. I learned more in that hour than I have in the entire year. It was awesome! If you'd like to learn more about dog shows, check out my Dog Show Info page. Not only does it have my A to Z of Dog Shows posts (seriously, I wrote 26 alphabetical posts for dog show beginners!) it also has links to some of my favorite dog show-related pages. And if you're ever in the North Florida area, let me know. I'd love to meet up and watch a show together. See you ringside! -- K

I'm Not Dead Yet

And once again I’m writing an “I’m not dead” post. Surprise! Yeah, I have reasons for my extended absence. Some are good, some not so much. Regardless, I’ll share them below. But to be honest with you, my life is crazy. I’m disorganized. I make great plans but my follow-through sucks. And even though I know better, I try to do too much and become overwhelmed. At that point I revert to my old standbys: booze, brownies and profanity. (Mmmm . . . brownies.) Humor, sarcasm and caffeine are the threads that holds my ragged, overstuffed life together. I'm a mess. So, what's been keeping me away from the keyboard?

One of 40 raccoons I've handled over

the last five months

• Work -- My job is just as crazy as I am. But it’s fun (sometimes) and it's rarely boring. Click on “Animal Control” on the right to see some of weird stuff I deal with. And stick around! I’m working on another "crazy work stories" post now.
• Raccoons, Coyotes and Yuppies -- Currently they are the bane of my existence. I’ll try to explain more when I can use polite words. It may take a while.
• My Health -- So, diabetes sucks. It exacerbates everything. For example, what I thought was a simple stye became a raging infection, encompassing half my face in less than 24 hours. The antibiotics for that gave me a yeast infection which quickly mutated to a kidney infection. I spent waaay too much time in the doctor’s office. I’m thankful for health insurance (and kick-ass painkillers), but damn . . .
• German Shepherd Dog Club -- It’s a busy time of year for us. I’ve been working hard to energize the club with various activities. Plus we had our annual dog shows last month. As President everything passes through me, despite my efforts to delegate. I enjoy the position, but it’s more time consuming than I had imagined. Fortunately my term ends next month, giving me more time for "other stuff." Even better, the woman taking my place is awesome. I’m excited to see what she has in store for us.
• Training -- Jedi and I train formally twice a week. We have obedience/rally class on Tuesdays and nosework class on Thursdays. I try to squeeze in practice at home when possible. (Reread paragraph one to guess how that’s going.)
• Barn Hunt -- Jedi and I are loving Barn Hunt! We been trialing every other month since January. Unfortunately, there is no place to train locally. We take workshops when possible and go into the ring with fingers crossed. I promise to tell you all about it soon -- whether you want to hear it or not!

So I’m going to wrap this up for now. I'm trying to write individual posts elaborating on the points above. I'll post again soon. Thanks for sticking around. -- K

2nd Annual Dog Walk

I KNOW it's Wordless Wednesday, so I'll try to make this brief. Last year my German shepherd dog club got together with a local German shepherd rescue group to walk our dogs through historic St. Augustine. The weather was perfect. We saw old friends and made many new ones. It went so well that we decided to do it again this year. And I think we outdid ourselves! Imagine 50+ German shepherds (and the occasional Shih Tzu) walking down the street. Yep, we stopped traffic and turned heads. Take a look!

Breathtaking, hunh? But don't stop here. It's Wordless Wednesday! Click around below and see what others are sharing today. -- K

Mission Accomplished

Jedi and I working on the Front position

When I took over the presidency of my German Shepherd Dog Club 18 months ago I had five goals:

1. Familiarize everybody with the breed standard, terminology and what makes a GSD
2. Get out more with our dogs
3. Energize meetings with door prizes, guest speakers and mini-workshops
4. Network with other local dog clubs/groups
5. Reinstate weekly training meetings

I've done OK with the first goal, and really well with the next three. The last one, however, has been difficult. There were quite a few roadblocks.

• We had a trainer willing to do the classes, but she’s 75 and doesn’t like to drive at night. This means we had to find a training site that was close to her.
• It was hard to get club members involved. Everyone said they’d like weekly training but very few were willing to look for a location.
• We had a member with the space on his property, but his home owners insurance said no, despite that fact that our club has a $1 million policy.
• We approached a couple businesses, but they said no, even though the Club has insurance.
• We found a few City parks but they were either too far, closed at dusk, poorly lit at night, or prohibited dogs.
• THEN we had a hard time picking a date/time for weekly training. (And when we finally did people complained about the drive. GRRR.)

But after a year . . . voila. We found a public park with adequate lighting and parking. It has restrooms with flushing (albeit gross) toilets. It’s five minutes off a major freeway and a straight shot on a major road. And we have eight committed members taking classes. I feel good knowing that I'll leave my position in June having accomplished everything I set out to do.

So how's training going? Pretty good! We're only three weeks into it, so . . . Currently we’re working on socialization and basic obedience/rally skills. Our goal is to enter the Rally Novice trials in October. I look forward to sharing Jedi’s progress. Later, -- K

Trials -- Nosework and More

It's been busy around here! Since my last post:

• A new guy started at work
• We've had two GSD Club meetings
• A major hurricane blew through Florida 
• I hosted the K-9 Obedience Club meeting -- and it was spooktacular!
• Jedi and I had two weekends of UKC nosework trials

WHEW! This is the first time I've had the opportunity to sit down and blog. I missed it. Truthfully, I hate writing catch-up posts, but there's not enough time to break it down into individual posts. Plus, some of it is old news anyway. So, here you go:

New Guy: The new ACO trainee started on October 3. It's been a rough month. It's difficult to train someone to do your job while still doing your job. And contrary to what most people think (including New Guy) mine is not an easy job. There's a lot of multi-tasking and thinking on your feet. We have standard operating procedures, but no two situations are alike. New Guy was supposed to be up and running at the end of four weeks. Didn't happen. Week five starts tomorrow and Management is breathing down my neck to have him ready to go. Unfortunately, New Guy has never worked in civil service or in an enforcement role. More challenging is the fact that he has very little computer or office technology experience. (But his lack of a criminal record, zero drug use and no visible tattoos or piercings made him my boss's #1 pick.) My work is cut out for me. This last month has really stretched my teaching skills. Suggestions, prayers and happy thoughts are most welcome!

HBOT

GSD Club Meetings: St. Francis Animal Hospital has moved into a new building. It's so high tech! One member convinced the hospital to give us a behind the scenes tour and let us use their conference room for our October meeting. How cool was that?! St. Francis has a new veterinary Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) chamber and the staff was thrilled to tell us all about.

The regular meeting was followed a Meet-the-Breed Committee meeting at a nearby restaurant. I shared last month that our club is hosting the GSD Meet-the-Breed booth at the AKC National Championship shows in December. Did I mention that I'm terrified? Thankfully, I have another member heading it up.

Hurricane Matthew: This storm gave us all quite the scare. The news was forecasting "catastrophic conditions" for the east coast of Florida. Something happened last minute and our storm damage turned out to be much lighter than predicted. BTW, we're not complaining! However, most of us learned that we've become complacent. We haven't had a hurricane hit in over a decade and we need to prepare better for the next one. I'm working on a post about that now and hope to have it ready for you soon.

Some of the fun foods offered at the meeting

K-9 Obedience Club: (This is my other dog club -- 'cuz you can't have just one!) Every December K-9 Obedience Club passes around a sign-up sheet asking members to provide refreshments for the monthly meetings. Last year I volunteered to host October. At the time I had no idea how busy this month would be. UGH. But an equally fun friend joined me and we went all out, theme and all. The menu included: monster fruit cups, candy-filled shot glasses, mini pumpkin pies, vampire donuts and jack-o-lantern carrots and cucumbers (with a not-so-spooky ranch dip).

Back-to-Back UKC Nosework Trials: We hit Ocala one weekend and St. Petersburg the next. All-in-all Jedi had 11 different trials. He passed 10 of them. He walked away with a Novice Vehicle (NV) title, a Novice Exterior (NE) title and a Novice Interior (NI) title. He also passed PTs in clove, myrrh and vetiver. I learned a lot about my dog, met some great people and came home with a handful of ribbons. One thing I didn't do was take a single picture. Fortunately, someone else did so I can show you this:

One scented Q-tip hidden among 12 identical boxes -- and he found it!

OK, so you're caught up. Told you I was busy! And things were busier than I wanted. I had originally asked for several days off this month (Sundays are my regular work day) so I could attend the ORT and the UKC trials. Even though I have 200 hours of personal leave on the books, my request was denied. I was told by my bosses "We don't know your job well enough to train the new hire, so you'll have to adjust your hours if you want to go." That means I've been working 10-hour shifts Monday through Thursday, packing and travelling on Fridays, competing on the weekends, then returning to work on Monday to repeat the cycle. I'm exhausted!

Hubby took this at the hotel in

St. Pete. Jedi and I were pooped!

There's more I'd like to share with you, but it's already after noon and I really need to get going. This is a short weekend for me. I'm returning to my regular Sunday through Wednesday schedule. Yesterday was Catch-Up-On-Chores Day -- not fun! My weekend is being cut even shorter by a work-related community relations event this afternoon. I'm getting paid, but I'd really like to sleep. (Though more likely, I'd end up writing the agenda for next week's GSD Club board meeting.)

Thanks for sticking around. I've missed my blogging buddies. (BTW, even when I'm not posting I'm lurking on my favorite blogs.) I have more news and several posts in the works, so please come back. Hopefully New Guy will be ready to go soon and I'll have more time -- and energy -- to share with you all. Until next time, -- K

Why Won't People Do Things With Their Dogs?!

Stock photo, not one of mine

When I took over as president of the Dog Club, one of the things I wanted to do was get people out and doing more with their dogs. (We have German shepherds -- these are not good dogs for sitting around the house doing nothing.) Well, this goal has proved to be more difficult than I thought. I've found all kinds activities for members and their dogs that were inexpensive (if not free). Very seldom do I get more than a half dozen people to show up. It's disheartening.

Last Saturday the Club held a Canine Good Citizen test. I put a lot of work into this. I found a park and tried to pick a date that didn't conflict with anything. I sent the requirements out via email months in advance and told people to practice -- it's not as easy as you may think. I sent out multiple reminders. I had the club member administering the test do a presentation at our monthly meeting. The Club charged $5 -- just enough to cover the cost of forms -- and the administrator promised to retest any dog that didn't pass for free at a later date. (Seriously, you can't find a better deal anywhere!) Well, four people showed up. FOUR. I was disappointed. So much so that I've deleted the first few drafts of this post because they were too negative -- even for me. *sigh*

Me and Jedi in St. Augustine

I can't understand why people don't want to do things with their dogs -- especially people who go out of their way to join a dog club. I've been trying to reinstate the Club's weekly training get-togethers for over a year now. Members all say "Great idea!" but when I ask for specifics like "Please scout out locations" or "Pick a regular day and time" the membership instantly becomes apathetic.

Roxy and I enjoying

a picnic at the beach

I'm frustrated. I estimate that 75% of the dogs in our club seldom leave their houses. What kind of life is that for a dog? (Even more tragic for a breed that needs physical activity and mental stimulation.) After every lackluster turnout a nagging voice reminds me that all the time and energy I spend setting up activities for members and their dogs takes away from time and energy I could be spending with my own dogs.

OK, enough whining. I know it's not productive. When I was elected president I told the Club that I would only do two years, so I'm done in June regardless of what happens. I'll continue to do my best until then, hoping that the few who do show up enjoy themselves. In the meantime, do you have any ideas to increase interest? How do I convey the fun, excitement and -- dare I say -- emotional fulfillment you get from doing things with your dog? Or should I just say "Screw it, let them figure it out themselves" and play with my pups instead? -- K

Eukanuba News

I've told you about the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship dog show in the past. I LOVE it! The Orange County Convention Center in Orlando is taken over by dogs for a whole week. Forget Disneyworld, THIS is the happiest place on Earth for me. There are:

• conformation dog shows
• agility, obedience and rally trials
• dock diving contests
• grooming competitions
• seminars and demos
• lots of freebies
• AKC representatives
• dog show 101 tours
• meet-the-breed booths for every AKC recognized breed
• over 100 dog-centric vendors selling things you don't even know you want yet
• 5000+ gorgeous purebred dogs from around the world

I've been to the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship dog show twice and have already scheduled this year's vacation around it. It's one of the country's biggest dog shows (probably second only to the Westminster Kennel Club dog show) and it's only a three hour drive from my house. So why am I talking about the show three months in advance? Well, a couple of Eukanuba-related things have come up lately that I think are worth sharing.

First off, there's not going to be an AKC/Eukanuba National Championship dog show this year. Don't panic! (I did.) There's still going to be a week of dog shows in Orlando this December -- it's just that Eukanuba isn't hosting it any more. For the next 15 years the show is going to be sponsored by Royal Canin. (To be honest, my picky dogs won't eat either dog food brands, so I don't care who's doing it.) Royal Canin has promised that the show will be just as wonderful as ever. The most notable difference will be the décor. It will change from Eukanuba pink to Royal Canin's signature red and gold. For information about other changes and to see the line up of events, check out this article from the Canine Chronicle.

And the second bit of news is even more exciting. The German Shepherd Dog Club of North Florida -- my club! -- has been asked to host the German Shepherd Meet-the-Breed booth at the show. We feel honored. And excited. And overwhelmed. And a tiny bit terrified. (OK, maybe that's just me.) We're still in the early stages of this so I don't really have specifics. However, I will be at the AKC National Championship Dog Show Presented by Royal Canin (what a mouthful) in Orlando, Florida on December 17 and 18. If you are going to be there to, please stop by the GSD meet-the-breed booth and say "Hi." I may even have Jedi with me. (It's OK, I know you'd rather meet him.)

Exciting news, isn't it? I'll keep you up-to-date as things develop. And I'll try to remember to take lots of pictures in December. However, longtime readers now I suck at taking pictures. It might be best if you come to Orlando. You know you want to! See you at the show, -- K

Hello Again!

Oh My! It's been almost two weeks since my last post. Bet you thought I forgot all about you, hunh? I didn't! I've been so busy with dogs, dog club stuff, nosework and work stuff that I haven't had the time to sit down and type. I think things are slowing a bit, so I'm going to try to get details out over the next week (or two). But here's the Reader's Digest version:

DOGS:

Ever since the April Shows, I can't get the idea of Obedience out of my head. I saw the beginner novice trials and something in my said "You can do that." Was that my meds talking? Am I having delusions of grandeur? I don't know. All I know is that I. Want. It. Now I'm on a mission! I can't find a beginner class, so I've taken to books and the internet. I've read several books (I will share reviews later) and have signed up for an online class with Fenzi Dog Sports Academy. The class starts on June 1st. I will definitely tell you all about it!

DOG CLUB STUFF:

My first year as president of the German Shepherd Dog Club of North Florida is coming to an end. Whew, it's been quite the year! And it's a lot more work than I had imagined. I agreed to do one more year (I've got a few more ideas), but then I'm stepping down. I want to get another show puppy and try again with conformation.

The Club has had some great outings this year, but we've decided to stop for the summer. It just gets too hot for the dogs. (And me!) Our last dog-friendly event was a free intro to nosework workshop. We had nine dogs come and try it out. It was a lot of fun. Pictures and details later!

For the most part, club members are tired. We're still reeling from our April shows -- that was a lot of work! -- and our bylaws stipulate a bunch of things around election time. As president, I have to make sure committees are formed and audits done. It's tedious. To make things a little more challenging, our regular meeting place closed down (RIP Village Inn) and we're trying out new places. Wish us luck.

NOSEWORK:

My other dog club, K-9 Obedience Club of Jacksonville, held their first nosework trial this month. I couldn't compete, but I did volunteer. It was great! I'll tell you all about it soon. Promise.

Jedi and I are still working hard on our nosework training. We're now doing exterior and vehicle searches. It's a whole other game for Jedi. You'd think he had never sniffed before. Trainer says not to be frustrated -- but I am.

NOSEWORK NEWS: There are back-to-back UKC trials in October -- one in Ocala and one in St. Petersburg. I want Jedi and me to be ready. If done right, we could come back with a title. I'm also trying to make it an all girls road trip. Sound fun to you?

WORK STUFF:

The weather is warming and the school year is ending. The beaches are packed and there are often dogs off leash accompanying beach goers. I spend waaay too much time on the beach. We're in the middle of kitten season right now. (I'm fostering a mom and three kittens as we speak.) Bites also increase this time of year, as well as dogs locked in hot cars. I've been a busy little ACO.

Additional challenges this year include the construction of a new police building (finally!) and yet another partner change. New Girl took a job at a neighboring city for more money. Of course, so did the three partners before her. You'd think the City would get a clue . . . (Trust me, there will be a rant about this later. get your popcorn ready!)

Well, that's it in a nutshell. I'll elaborate on things later. Thanks for stopping by! -- K