August 2005 - Across The Board AKC Chairman's Report

AKC NOMINEES FOR 2006 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

AKC Lifetime Achievement Awards honor individuals whose efforts have made significant contributions to the sport of purebred dogs on a national level. As in the past, this year’s honorees were selected by AKC member clubs that cast their votes for one person in each of the following categories: Conformation, Companion Events and Performance. Three individuals who receive the most votes become nominees in each category. In a final round of voting, member clubs will vote for one finalist in each category. Ballots are due no later than October 14, 2005.

The AKC is honored to present the nine finalists who were selected by their peers in recognition of their exemplary actions and contributions to the sport and preservation of purebred dogs.

Nominees in Conformation:

Marian Mason Hodesson From Tucson, Arizona, Hodesson was drawn to Obedience and Conformation with her Collies, Shetland Sheepdogs and Miniature Poodles, finishing several dogs in her early years. She became an Obedience judge in the 1940s and in 1963 applied to judge Conformation. She is presently licensed to judge the Sporting, Working, Non-Sporting and Herding Groups. Hodesson has had the pleasure of judging throughout the United States and Canada, as well as in Mexico, New Zealand and Australia. A charter member of the Canada del Oro Kennel Club, Hodesson has been a member of the Collie Club of America and Tucson Kennel Club for over 53 and 35 years, respectively. Marian worked with her late husband, Samuel, a veterinarian for 23 years. They have been longtime contributors to the Veterinary School Library at The Ohio State University.

Dr. Harry Smith From Durham, North Carolina, Dr. Smith started with Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, showing them exclusively in retriever trials. Dr. Smith acquired his first Pug in the 1950’s and owned the first black Pug to win the Pug Dog Club of America Futurity. Co-founder of the Pug Club of Greater Cincinnati, he served as the Pug Dog Club of America’s AKC Delegate for 10 years. Dr. Smith began judging Pugs in 1966 and added his final group, the Hound Group, in 1999, becoming an AKC all-breed judge in that same year. Dr. Smith has judged on five continents, with judging highlights that include the Toy Group at Westminster, the Non-Sporting Group at the 2001 AKC/Eukanuba American Dog Classic, Best Bred-By-Exhibitor Toy Group at the 2005 AKC/Eukanuba National Championship, and all Groups and Best in Show at the Welsh Kennel Club Show.

Dorothy Welsh From Neillsville, Wisconsin, Welsh’s first breed was Pomeranians that she bred and exhibited with her mother until college. She actively bred and exhibited Collies from 1944 through 1969. She married AKC judge, J. Lynn Welsh in 1969 and began her own judging career that same year. Welsh currently judges all Hounds, Working, Toys, Non-Sporting and Herding breeds, and has judged in North and South America, the British Isles, Scandinavia, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Asia and Africa. Welsh is currently the AKC Delegate for the Chicago Collie Club. She served on the AKC Board of Directors for four years and has actively been involved with The American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog since its inception and serves on its Board. Welsh had the distinction of receiving the Gaines Fido Award for “Woman of the Year,” and has been inducted into the Ken L. Ration Hall of Fame.

Nominees in Companion Events:

Rosalie Alvarez Alvarez of Los Altos Hills, California, has been involved in Obedience since 1957. Ten of her Dobermans have earned Utility and Tracking degrees and she trained the first Doberman in the United States to obtain the UDT SchH 3 degree. Alvarez has numerous High in Trials to her credit, including two at the Doberman Pinscher Club of America’s National Specialty. In addition to Obedience, she has competed in tracking, flyball, agility events, and trained dogs for protection and scent work for bomb and narcotics detection. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department recognized her with a citation for developing and training their canine unit. Alvarez founded the Doberman Drill Team, which toured the United States and Canada for nearly 30 years giving demonstrations at hospitals and public events. Alvarez is an AKC Obedience judge and an active member of the Santa Clara Valley Kennel Club and the Northern California AKC Obedience Association. She is the training director of Town and Country and Deep Peninsula Dog Training Clubs. Alvarez has helped to organize and present four AKC Obedience seminars and judged the AKC Obedience Invitational in 2001.

Bonnie J. Baker Baker from Tomball, Texas, started Obedience in 1968 with her Cocker Spaniel. She was a member of her local obedience club, serving as an instructor, newsletter editor and trial secretary. After moving to Houston in 1974, she served as instructor, secretary, training director and president for the Breed Competition Dog Training Club and founded the Dogwood Obedience School. Baker has been judging Obedience since May 1979. Since 1981, Baker has had various roles as show chair in the Greater Houston Golden Retriever Club and the Houston Kennel Club. In 2004, she was approved as a provisional judge for Rally. She has been honored to judge several of the Gaines/Heinz events, the AKC Obedience Invitational in 1998 and again in 2003. During her 37 years in the sport, Baker has completed multiple CD’s, CDX’s, and UD titles, as well as finishing two champion Cocker Spaniels. Two of her dogs hold UDX titles. One of Baker’s Cocker Spaniels and five of her Golden Retrievers went on to become OTCH’s.

William R. (Sil) Sanders Sanders, of Stanwood, Washington, has been active in Companion dog events for 29 years. He has earned titles on several dogs and competed at the UDX level. Sanders has also trained his dogs to the Master Agility, TDX Tracking and Master Earthdog levels. He and his wife, Anne, have bred and shown Westies since 1972, with many national winners and top-ten dogs to their credit. As a West Highland White Terrier Club of America (WHWTCA) board member, Sanders formed the club’s first award honoring versatile Westies and has led the Club’s Companion Dog and Performance Committee since 1979. He helped the WHWTCA become licensed for Obedience, Tracking, Agility and Earthdog. He helped form two regional Westie clubs, both which offer Obedience at all their specialties and helped to form the Palo Alto Foothills Tracking Association (a tracking-only club) and the Puget Sound Earthdog Club (the first Earthdog-only club.) As a tracking judge, Sanders served on the most recent AKC Tracking Advisory Committee.

Nominees in Performance:

Harold Bruninga Bruninga, from Springfield, Illinois has been involved in Field Trials since 1970. He purchased his first puppy as a hunting companion and went on to win two puppy stakes in club trials. Since those trials he has been hooked on the sport. His highlights in the sport include training seven Labradors and Golden Retrievers to Field Champion and Amateur Field Champion titles. He won a 46 dog Derby stake in Madison, Wisconsin in 1971. He has also won the Amateur stake at Manitowac, Wisconsin in 1973 and the Open stake at Mid-Illinois in 1985. In 1989, Bruninga had the pleasure of judging the National Championship stake in Albany, Georgia. Over the years Bruninga has run several Nationals with his Golden Retrievers. He has been a member and club officer of the Mid-Illinois Retriever Club since 1970 and has judged more than 40 all-age and minor stakes.

Dr. Ray Calkins From Sherwood, Oregon, Dr. Calkins received his degree in veterinary medicine in 1972 from Iowa State University. In 1975 he and his wife, Lynn, established Cascade German Wirehaired Pointers, and they have been active in the Portland Kennel Club since 1981. Calkins has trained and handled eight of his dogs to field championships. Four of his dogs hold nine National Field Championships and two are Dual Champions, while seven hold Master Hunter titles and two hold NAVHDA Utility ratings. As a member of the German Wirehaired Club of America (GWPCA) since 1974, he served on the board of directors for six years and was Field Futurity Chairman for 12 years. Dr. Calkins was also a member of the GWP Field Trial Advisory Board from 1985-2000. Dr. Calkins helped to form the Upland Bird Dog Association to promote habitat preservation and restoration. He has judged the National Championships for seven AKC pointing breeds and was honored twice to judge the AKC Gun Dog Championships. Dr. Calkins serves as Show Veterinarian for local shows and speaks at seminars sharing his field experiences.

Marshall (Pete) Simonds From Morrisville, Vermont, Simonds got his start in Labradors in 1952. Simonds is an active member of five retriever clubs including the Labrador Retriever Club, Inc., for which he served as director and officer. He has judged retriever trials for over 40 years and has served as president and treasurer for the National Retriever Club. Simonds also served as the chair of the subcommittee on Rules of the Retriever Advisory Council for more than 20 years. Simonds has been serving as a Delegate to the AKC for over a decade and has been chairman of the Delegates Committee on Field Trials and Hunting Tests from its inception. He has served as a Director of the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals and had a major role in the planning and development of the Canine Health Information Center. Simonds has trained and handled Labradors across the country and has owned more than a dozen Field Champions and Amateur Field Champions. He has owned Brittanys, Pointers and English Setters. He owned the winner of the American Brittany Club National Gun Dog Championship in 2002.

Awards will be presented at a gathering of the delegate body during the AKC/ Eukanuba National Championship in Tampa, Fla. on Jan. 14-15, 2006.

AKC & BONHAMS AUCTION & APPRAISERS HOLD CHARITY BRUNCH

Look for this Feb. 12, 2006 and do your part too. Bonhams Auction House and the AKC will host Barkfest at Bonhams, a charity brunch and private pre-auction viewing of Bonhams’ prestigious collection of dog art. All proceeds of Barkfest will be donated to AKC’s charitable public art program DOGNY – Admission to the brunch is a $50 donation to DOGNY. For reservations, contact Maggie Brown in Bonhams Painting Department at 212-644-9001.

Bonhams announces a call for art: In addition to the Barkfest, AKC and Bonhams will host "DOGNY Appraisal Day" at the historic Morris and Essex Kennel Club Dog Show, in Colonial Park, Somerset, New Jersey on Thursday, October 6th. Alan Fausel, Vice-President, Director Fine Art, Bonhams will be at the AKC booth from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. to offer free appraisal of any dog art object that is brought by. A portion of the proceeds from every sale referred to Bonhams through the AKC will be donated to DOGNY.

"We are delighted that Bonhams New York has selected DOGNY as the charitable recipient of their Barkfest,” said AKC President Dennis Sprung, creator of the DOGNY project. “Dog enthusiasts looking for something fun and different to do with their dogs should enjoy this opportunity to visit the gallery. It is not every day that the public can view beautiful art with our dogs while also supporting a very important cause.”

Bonhams will consign objects for the sale until November 15. Paintings, bronzes, watercolors and prints are of particular interest as well as dog related ceramics and jewelry. Works by Wardle, Blinks, Osthaus, Rosseau, Barye, and Kirmse are being sought. For more information on this sale visit www.bonhams.com/us or www.akc.org.

AKC / CAR ENROLLS THREE MILLION PETS

AKC CAR announced that the number of tagged, microchipped and tattooed pets enrolled in its 24-hour-a-day recovery service has reached three million. AKC CAR’s database has continued to grow at an impressive rate due to its multiple recovery options, affordability, high quality service and overall success in recovering lost pets.

“AKC CAR, first and foremost, has achieved this milestone because of its exceptional record of reuniting lost pets with their families,” said Carmen Battaglia, President of AKC CAR. “Owners are spreading the word to fellow pet enthusiasts that AKC CAR enrolls all types of microchips and tattoos, and veterinarians and non-profits continue to inform the public that AKC CAR is the most successful and affordable pet recovery service available. We are proud that our increasing enrollments will translate into more animals being safely returned home.”

AKC CAR has several new programs that have contributed to its success, including:

* “Lost and Found”: AKC dog registrants can now enroll in AKC CAR, at the same time – and on the same form. For more information visit www.akc.org/lostfound.

* CAR ID Tag: imprinted with a unique identification number and toll-free number has become a popular choice for identifying a pet. To order a CAR ID Tag, visit www.akccar.org/enroll.

* Incentives to Vets and Non-Profits: AKC CAR’s half price enrollment fee ($6.25) for non-profit organizations will rebate veterinarians $2.00 from the standard enrollment fee.

AKC ANNOUNCES ENHANCED ONLINE REGISTRATION

-- Transfer Fees Eliminated for Online Registrations --

AKC is issuing dog registration applications containing a unique PIN code. Puppy registrants who obtained their dog from a litter owned by a single individual can log onto the AKC website, enter the PIN code printed on their dog’s AKC registration application, and complete their dog’s registration in just minutes. Typically, the registration certificate for a dog registered online is printed the next business day.

As an enhancement to AKC’s previous online dog registration system, the PIN system does not require the litter owner to enter a dog’s information prior to the new owner registering the dog. However, standard AKC rules and policies for registering a dog continue to be enforced via the new online registration process.

In October 2003, AKC debuted online litter registration, which today is utilized for more than 40% of AKC’s litter registrations.

(good for commercial breeders who often transfer to the wholesaler, pet store, then to the buyer) Supplemental Transfer Fees Eliminated for Online Registrations

In addition to introducing the PIN service, AKC is also allowing eligible PIN registrants to record all online supplemental transfers free of charge at the time of initial online registration. The process for paper supplemental transfers will remain unchanged, with a $5 fee for each supplemental transfer.

“Because online registration eliminates redundant data entry and makes the process more efficient for the AKC, we are able to offer savings to our customers as well as continue to obtain accurate records about the dog’s chain of ownership,” said Sprung.