HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE DECEMBER 2008 AKC DELEGATES MEETING
Highlights from the December 16, 2008 meeting of the AKC
Delegates in Long Beach CA are as follows:
The Kennesaw Kennel Club was elected a member club of The
American Kennel Club.
Chapter 17, Section 2, of the Rules Applying to Dog Shows was
amended to enable AKC to bill event fees to superintendents on a monthly
basis for event fees.
Chapter 9, Section 11, of the Beagle Field Trial Rules and
Standard Procedures for Brace, Small Pack Option Field Trials and
Two-Couple Pack Hunting Tests was amended to create a Championship event
for gundog brace beagles.
A vote on two amendments to the Beagle Field Trial Rules and
Standard Procedures, which would have differentiated Beagle Field Trial
Championships, based upon the types of trials in which they were earned,
was postponed until March.
The fourth quarter Community Achievement Awards for AKC
Responsible Dog Ownership day events were announced:
o Upper Potomac Valley Kennel Club; Delegate J. Milton Haderer
o Greenville Kennel Club; Delegate Linda Ayres Turner Knorr
o Trap Falls Kennel Club; Delegate Christopher L. Sweetwood
Honorable Mention:
o Obedience Training Club of Chugiak
o Peninsula Dog Fanciers Club; Delegate Joanne Jaytanie-Duncan
The Delegates running for a Board position in the class of 2013:
We had to listen to 3 minute speeches from all candidates and there was a really good Q&A forum before the speeches. Most interesting is Alan Kalter, a multi-billion dollar executive who runs the advertising company doing things like the Marley & Me promos. He’s done thousands of dollars of free promo work for AKC and has told nobody. He needs a better PR firm.
Dr. Lee Arnold, Bedminster, NJ, Southern
Colorado Kennel Club
Carl C. Ashby III, Greensboro, NC,
United States Kerry Blue Terrier Club
Dr. Fred C. Bock II, Mankato, MN, Key
City Kennel Club
Judith V. Daniels, Acton, CA,
Mt. Baker Kennel Club
Carl E. Gomes, Bronx, NY, Pacific Coast
Boston Terrier Club
Alan Kalter, Ann Arbor, MI, American
Bullmastiff Association
John P. Nielsen, Rockville, MD, English
Setter Association of America
Dr. Robert D. Smith, St. Stephens Church,
VA, Memphis Kennel Club
DECEMBER CHAIRMAN'S REPORT
-- AKC's 125th Anniversary Celebration in 2009 --
New York, NY - Next month when we ring in the New Year, we will also
kick off the celebration of our 125th Anniversary.
We will mark not only our growth over the last century-and-a-quarter but
celebrate the wonderful experiences, friendships and traditions that the
sport of purebred dogs has given generations of American dog lovers.
In 1884, AKC began its all-breed purebred dog registry with just 9
breeds. As of January 1, 2009 the AKC will recognize 161 breeds. When
you add the 60 plus breeds in our Foundation Stock Service, AKC actively
promotes more than 200 breeds in the U.S. today.
Our first office in 1887 in the Wall Street area consisted of nothing
more than a 15 by 20 foot room with a desk, a few chairs and a single
file cabinet. Today, we have two locations - our headquarters in
Manhattan and Operations Center in Raleigh with nearly 400 employees to
handle our daily business. At our bi-annual Open House in New York this
February, we will include a special 125-year timeline exhibit from the
AKC archives.
The AKC Gazette, which began continuous publication in 1889, has
certainly chronicled our growth. So has The Complete Dog Book, which
still reigns as the most widely published dog book with more than 2
million copies in print, since 1929. To add to this published record of
AKC and the sport, we are planning an updated sourcebook to be released
in the fall of 2009. This book will be a revised edition of the first
sourcebook published in 1984 to celebrate our centennial.
As a "club of clubs" our growth has been explosive. From a handful of
founding clubs, we now boast more than 600 member clubs and their
Delegates who voluntarily contribute to the governance of the AKC.
In 1926, AKC conducted its first dog show in conjunction with the 150th
anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It took
another 58 years until we held our next - The AKC Centennial Show in
1984 in Philadelphia - and since the turn of the century we have held
the annual national championship event which took place this past
weekend.
A year from now in December 2009, as a fitting tribute to AKC's 125th
Anniversary, the ninth installment of the AKC / Eukanuba National
Championship will waive its invitational format and offer classes at the
breed level along with championship points. Already national and
regional breed clubs are planning to hold their specialty shows and
supported entries with us in Long Beach, on Dec. 12th and 13th. This
special event will be joined once again by the Bred-by-Exhibitor
competition, Eukanuba World Challenge, AKC National Obedience
Invitational and the AKC Agility Invitational. I want to thank The
Kennel Club of Beverly Hills, the Los Encinos Kennel Club and the Long
Beach Kennel Club for making us feel so welcome year after year as we
join them at their venue. Next year's show will be a birthday party not
to be missed. I hope you will join us!
Finally, to help us and our clubs mark this banner year and promote our
iconic brand to the public we have created a special 125th year
commemorative AKC logo. We encourage AKC clubs to use this in
conjunction with their club logo wherever possible throughout 2009. The
logo can be found on the AKC web site under the "Clubs" tab at:
http://www.akc.org/clubs/logo/index.cfm. We encourage all clubs to help
us celebrate AKC's 125th year - it's a unique and significant
accomplishment that underscores our commitment to dogs.
Sincerely,
Ron Menaker
Chairman
AKC Lifetime Achievement Awards
Conformation: Wendell J. Sammet
Wendell J. Sammet, of Bryantville, Massachusetts, became active in the sport of purebred dogs after World War II, in which he fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was a P.O.W. He began breeding Dalmatians under the Dalmatia banner in 1950, finishing many Champions.
In the early 1950s, Mrs. Henry T. Kaiser asked Wendell to breed and exhibit white Standard Poodles for her Alekai Kennel in Hawaii. In 1984, she turned the line over to him, at which time he changed the name to Ale Kai.
Through the decades, Wendell has prided himself in breeding for health, temperament and breed type. Along the way, he has always found time to serve as mentor for newcomers to the breed and the sport, as well as an advisor to his peers. He has been an active member for both the Poodle Club of America and the Dalmatian Club of America. Today he co-breeds many of his Poodles with Karen LeFrak of On Fifth fame.
Over the years, Wendell has garnered numerous accolades, including: Dogdom’s Professional Handler of the Year (1977); Dogs in Review Achievement Award as Best Breeder-Owner-Handler (2004); and breeder of Dogs in Review Top Non-Sporting Sire (2007). Wendell was the inaugural recipient of the Anne Rogers Clark Hall of Fame Award in 2008, as well as the first AKC Breeder of the Year Award in 2002.
Companion Events: Kenneth A. Buxton
Kenneth A. Buxton, of Kingwood, TX, and his wife Donna purchased their first St. Bernard in 1966, deciding Saints should be able to earn at least a Companion Dog title, breed championship and tracking title. The first and only Saint accomplishing this until almost 10 years ago was a dog from their first home-bred litter, Ch. Twin Oaks Cinnamon Bear UDT. Starting at Queen City Dog Training Club, Ken trained several dogs to their UD’s. Eventually, exhibiting changed to judging. Ken currently judges all classes in Obedience, Rally, and Tracking, plus four groups (Sporting, Working, Non-Sporting and Herding).
Ken has been active in Queen City Dog Training Club, Clermont County Kennel Club (lifetime member), St. Bernard Club of America, and now Baytown Kennel Club in Texas. In these clubs he served in various positions including President, Vice President, Board of Directors, Show Chairman, Obedience Chairman and Director of Training. He was on the 1988 AKC Obedience Advisory Committee and the committee for the Illustrated Commentary of the St. Bernard. Currently, he is on the Board of the American Dog Show Judges, serving as benefit chairman.
Ken was in the Marine Corps and has degrees in finance and economics. He was an accountant, serving as accounting manager before retiring. Hobbies include working out at the YMCA, computers, investments and two grandsons, 7 and 8-years-old.
Performance: Mary Jo Trimble
Mary Jo Trimble, of Carterville, Illinois, has been involved with Brittanys since the mid-1960s. She was a charter member of the Sahuaro Brittany Club in Arizona and the Illinois Brittany Championship Association. She is Treasurer for the Illinois Brittany Club and has served as Executive Secretary of the American Brittany Club (ABC) since 1998.
Mary Jo is a Hall of Fame recipient and was recently elected to the Field Trial Clubs of Illinois Honor Roll for her service to that organization. Her dogs have won numerous AKC Championships, including the National Open Brittany Championship, and awards such as the IAMS All-Age Dog of the Year, and the Brittany Field Trial Hall of Fame.
Mary Jo is the ABC’s AKC Legislative Liaison, and a Director and Legislative Committee Chair for the Field Trial Clubs of Illinois. She attended the first AKC Parent Club Conference as a presenter and has twice been invited to attend AKC’s Lobby Day in Washington, D.C. The American Field, The American Brittany Magazine and AKC Afield have published her articles on legislation.
The Illinois General Assembly declared May 28, 2006 as Trimble Day, to recognize Mary Jo’s and her husband Ray’s contribution to the sport of field trialing and for their efforts to help acquire 16,000 acres of new public land, including two new championship-type field trial areas in Pyramid State Park. With Ray having won the AKC’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000, Mary Jo makes the Trimbles the first couple to both win this prestigious award.
