AKC DELEGATE'S REPORT 2009 April

AKC DELEGATE'S REPORT 2009 April

Highlights from the March 2009 AKC Delegates' Meeting The following Delegates were elected to the AKC Board of Directors Class of 2013: Lee Arnold, Carl Ashby III, Alan Kalter, and Dr. Robert Smith. After the election, the new Board re-elected Ronald Menaker as AKC Board Chairman and Dr. Thomas Davies was elected new Vice-Chairman.

The Beagle Field Trial Rules were amended, effective January 1, 2011, to differentiate Beagle Field Trial Championships by the three distinct hunting styles demonstrated in different field events.

A discussion on mixed breeds in Companion Events took place. The Delegate body voted to proceed with looking into this.

Information on the proposed Group Realignment was distributed. The 10 Groups proposed are: Group 1 – Sporting – Pointers and Setters; Group 2 – Sporting – Retrievers and Spaniels; Group 3 – Scent Hounds; Group 4 – Sight Hounds; Group 5 – Working; Group 6 – Terriers; Group 7 – Toys; Group 8 – Companion; Group 9 – Herding; Group 10 – Northern. AKC published the following statement: The Board of Directors of The American Kennel Club may add other breeds to the foregoing list whenever in its opinion sufficient evidence is presented to said Board to justify its belief that such other breeds have been in existence as distinct breeds for such length of time as to justify being designated pure breeds. The Board of Directors also may remove any breed from the foregoing list or may transfer any breed from one group to another group whenever in its opinion sufficient evidence is presented to the board to justify such removal or transfer.

Information from AKC

AKC announced a new program to reward its core constituents that will begin May 1, 2009. All Parent Clubs may provide an electronic list of names and e-mail addresses of participants at their National Specialty who would like to receive free coupons from the AKC. The list must be e-mailed to David Roberts at: dwr@akc.org. AKC will e-mail each participant 5 coupons redeemable in the AKC Online store worth a total of $20.00. Each coupon will have a value of $4.00. (Most reports available in the Online store cost $4.00 each). This program is available for all Parent Club National Events – not just conformation.

AKC announced the first stand alone AKC Meet the Breeds event which will take place at the Javits Center in New York City on October 17-18, 2009. Pet Partners, Inc. will be the anchor sponsor and the Cat Fanciers Association will participate displaying 41 breeds of cats. The event will emphasize responsible dog ownership for both dogs and cats.

Parent Clubs are invited to participate by hosting a Parent Club informational booth and the public will participate in a Best Booth in Show contest.

AKC's Government Relations Department released the following news from the State Capitols: Many states kicked off their 2009 legislative sessions in January and the AKC's Government Relations team is already hard at work tracking over 600 state bills and working with local federations and dog clubs to protect the rights of owners and breeders. Many local municipalities are also considering ordinances that will have a tremendous impact on dog owners and breeders. Please contact AKC for further information: (919) 816-3720 or doglaw@akc.org.

AKC has created a new online Canine Health Resource Center at: www.akcdoghealth.com. This comprehensive website pulls together the latest in canine health research news, access to major health registries, archives of educational podcasts, newsletter and articles and links to find the latest information about genetic tests available to help eradicate diseases in dogs.

The Westminster Kennel Club named the Canine Health Foundation as the recipient of their 2009 charitable donation. A total of $50,000 was raised through entries of dogs shown at their annual show at Madison Square Garden on February 9th and 10th. They have chosen to sponsor Grant 1105 Understanding the Dynamics of Canine Influenza Virus Transmission in Dog Populations and Intervention Strategies for Reducing Transmission. Also Purina Parent Club Partnership Program and Alliance with International Kennel Club of Chicago presented the Canine Health Foundation with $313,000.

The AKC/Eukanuba National Championship will be held in Orlando in 2011 at the new “state of the art” Orange County Convention Center, the 2nd largest convention center in the nation.

Remember, I represent you with The American Kennel Club. Please feel free to contact me anytime. Phone and fax: (434) 374-4051. E-mail: Lynhar@verizon.net.