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Club News - JUDGES ASSOCIATION QUERY (7/11/06)


JUDGES’ ASSOCIATION QUERY 

Due to comments from our readers re the Boulton case and the AKC Conflict Policy others, we sent the following to the three Judges Associations. 

Responses and lack of same are noted.  We will continue to follow this story on behalf of judges and of course, the exhibitors who support them and the clubs who hire them.

Senior Conformation Judges Assoc. President Dr. Richard Hilderman and SCJA Board,
Dog Judges Assoc. Of America President Jeffrey G.Pepper and the DJA Board.
American Dog Show Judges President Dr. Gerard Penta and the ADSJ Board


SCJA Ribbon

Senior Conformation Judges Association, Inc.
 

Wallace H. Pedé Chief Executive Officer
7200 Tanager St., Springfield, VA 22150
(703) 451-5656 Fax (703) 451-5979


We ask you to respond to the following questions:

#1 Does your association wish to present a united front, a cohesive representation of the verifiable (by poll or other means) position of your member judges on any issue of importance?

SCJA: Yes.  We frequently poll our membership on important issues. 

#2 If so, would you be willing to meet with, seek, or accept input from the other judges groups?

SCJA: Yes.  SCJA has sent them a letter regarding a meeting to discuss presenting a unified front for all in the judging community.

#3 Do the majority of your members support the following “Conflict Of Interest Policy”?
 “No AKC judge may have a significant interest in a dog registry or dog event-giving organization deemed by the AKC Board to be in competition with the American Kennel Club. Significant interest would include, but not be limited to ownership of, employment by, a directorship in, and holding office in.

“Any AKC-approved judge, who shall judge a purebred dog event in the U.S. not in accordance with the rules of AKC, which apply to such purebred dog events without the express permission of the AKC, may be disciplined even to the extent of having his or her AKC judging approval revoked.”

SCJA: No.

#4 Do the majority of your members support the so-called “Breed Take-away Policy”?

SCJA: No.

#5 Do you have a Legal Defense Fund to assist individual judges and if so, when instituted?

SCJA: No, we are working to establish a fund to defend the judge’s constitutional rights.


Second Request sent to both other Associations:

 

From: Barbara "BJ" Andrews [mailto:Editor@TheDogPlace.org] Sent: Sunday, July 23, 2006 12:00 PM
To: Jeffrey Pepper Cc: phnrh@earthlink.net; gkarengary@aol.com; jpurk@satx.rr.com
Subject: 2nd Request: JUDGES ASSOC. QUERY
 

At least one of you must have received the previous invitation to speak to issues confronting judges.  Our staff is confused because we assumed your group would appreciate an opportunity to address these questions.  I personally apologize if, by referencing published material from SCJA, we in any way discouraged your participation.  It never occurred to me that officers are in fact just “dog people” and as such, suffer from the same paranoia and territorial protectiveness as the rest of us J   But c’mon, I’m just doing my job.  If I have neglected contacting your group in the past, it means I have not done it well.  If you have not contacted the largest news and information outlet for dog people in America, you have not been doing your job either.

 

We receive a lot of communication from judges, some of which we are authorized to publish, some is only background information and whether you like me or trust me should not be an issue here.  For the record, I have never violated a professional confidence.  I don’t keep track of which associations a judge belongs to when we converse.  It simply doesn’t matter. 

 

As officers of a judges’ group, we just assumed you would be willing to speak on behalf of the members you represent.  I trust we were not being presumptuous.  This is for TheJudgesPlace, a prominent part of TheDogPlace.org.  Because it is important to all exhibitors and judges, it will be cited in TheDogPress.com with a link to TheJudgesPlace.  If that bothers you on an individual basis, I suggest you consult a shrink.  If you are reluctant to participate, perhaps you should poll your membership and ask why so many are subscribers to TheDogPress.com

 

For whatever I may have done to offend or annoy you, I sincerely apologize.  For taking AKC to task on various issues brought to our attention by judges, breeders, and exhibitors, I do not apologize. 

 

Please, if you have any questions or comments, call my private number (828) 286-9944 or reach me at the office after 9:30 EST (800) 776-0749 or (888) 515-DOGS.  I am on your side and trust you are on the JUDGES’ side.

 

Barbara (BJ) Andrews
Editor

 

From: Jeffrey G. Pepper [mailto:jg.pepper@sbcglobal.netSent: Tuesday, July 25, 2006 9:42 PM
To: 'Barbara "BJ" Andrews' Cc: phnrh@earthlink.net; gkarengary@aol.com; jpurk@satx.rr.com
Subject: RE: 2nd Request: JUDGES ASSOC. QUERY

 

Dear Ms. Andrews,

 

The Board of Directors of DJAA chooses not to respond.

 

Jeffrey Pepper

DJAA President


Responses from DJAA (Dog Judges Association of America) to TheDogPress and the SCJA


No Response from the American Dog Show Judges President Dr. Gerard Penta or any member of the ADSJ Board.  Editorial to follow in next edition.

___________________________________________

Senior Judges Assoc. Predicts Policy
in Letter to AKC Board which points out AKC bylaws, not appropriate. April 2006
AKC Conflict Of Interest Policy
The Policy That Launched A Rebellion May 2006
Senior Conf. Judges Assoc. Letter To Members
No Judges' Associations Were Contacted, SCJA Reacts, Seeks Input May 2006

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