AKC DELEGATE’S REPORT
September 2011
The Tails of Hope Foundation will be honoring the men, women and canine search and
rescue partners who worked at Ground Zero on September 11, 2001 at a special
Recognition Ceremony at 1 p.m., Sunday, September 11, 2011 at Liberty State Park
immediately across New York Harbor from Ground Zero. A special Vizsla, Prairie
C’Cruiser Pistol Pete handled by Sharon Malnar, was part of the S&R dogs that worked
in New York City on 9/11. The Vizsla Club of America recognized the dog and his
owner at their annual membership meeting that year. Unfortunately, all the dogs that
worked at the destroyed World Trade Center became ill and died. The AKC Delegates
meeting was held across the Hudson River in Newark, New Jersey at the same time the
disaster struck. We could see the planes hit the Twin Towers and the Delegates meeting
was postponed after prayers were offered.
The 2012 AKC Pointing Breed Gun Dog Championship will be held at the historic
Ames Plantation in Grand Junction, Tennessee beginning Monday, February 27th.
Tennessee was where it all began as the first organized field trial in the United States was
held near Memphis in 1874. Grand Junction is also the home of the Bird Dog Museum,
which preserves the history of the sport. The AKC Championship is the largest National
Championship open to all pointing breeds. The traditional format of the event will be
modified in 2012 to fit the historic courses at Ames, with only one Championship stake
run. The one hour, non-retrieving, two series event will run for a total of 12 days on
birds native to the Plantation. The entry will be capped at 132 dogs. For more
information, visit:
www.akc.org/events/field_trials/pointing_breeds/gun_dog_championships. The page
will be updated throughout 2011.
AKC held a Legislative Liaisons Conference on August 27-28, 2011. It focused on the
following subjects: Political Participation, Ballot Initiatives; Media Training for Dog
Advocate; Inspiring Your Grassroots; Federation Building Forum; Legislation 101;
Advocacy 101; Using AKC Government Relations as a Resource.
The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Heath Inspection
Service (APHIS) distributed proposed rules that provide guidance to federal agencies
tasked with enforcing a 2008 law that amends the federal Animal Welfare Act. This
measure limits the importation of dogs under the age of 6 months into the United
States for the purpose of resale. The proposed rule is necessary to implement this law
and further ensure the health and welfare of America’s dogs. The AKC believes the
proposed regulations, as written, are a reasonable interpretation of the statute. The rules
state prohibit the importation of dogs from any part of the world into the continental
United States or Hawaii for purposes of resale, research, or veterinary treatment,
unless the dogs are in good health, have received all necessary vaccines and are at
least 6 months of age. These proposed rules do not prohibit individuals from bringing
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foreign dogs into the United States for their own use or breeding programs, nor target
certain breeders for undue hardship.
AKC will be holding a Responsible Dog Ownership Day on Saturday, September 24th
on the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, NC. Thirty different AKC
recognized breeds will be present for an “AKC Meet the Breeds” including three newly
recognized rare breeds. AKC encourages Responsible Dog Ownership Days across the
country.
At the AKC Delegates meetings held on September 12th and 13th, 2011, there will be a
number of proposed amendments voted on: Article VI, Section 5 and 7 of Charter and
Bylaws of the American Kennel Club; Chapters 1,3,4,5,6,7 of Rules Applying to Dog
Shows. The results of these amendment changes will be reported in my next column.
A proposed amendment to Chapter 7, Section 1 of the above would eliminate the
prohibition of a person connected with dog food, dog remedy or kennel supply companies
in the capacity of solicitor or salesman, from becoming an AKC judge.
The AKC Scholarship Program for Veterinary Medicine has existed for 20 years and
the awards are given annually. 2011 Awards were just announced. Each of the 28
AVMA accredited U.S. veterinary school nominates four scholarship candidates. From
these students, the recipients are selected on the basis of academic achievement, activities
with purebred dogs or related research and need.
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@aol.com.
Lynn Worth Smith,
AKC Delegate
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