Page 64 - Chow LIfe - Winter 2019
P. 64
AKC Delegate
Report
September 2019 by Margaret DiCorleto, Delegate
I attended the Delegates quarterly meeting Septem- The chairman proposed the formation of a new
ber 9 and 10 in Newark, NJ. joint subcommittee composed of members of the
All-Breed Clubs and the Parent Club committees.
Highlights from the Parent Club Committee:
The goal would be to develop guidelines for clubs
Sheila Goff, VP of Government Relations, reported to identify and assist dog owners in their clubs and
that the latest Legal Conference held in Washington, communities who are having trouble taking care of
DC was very successful. She emphasized the serious their dogs. This is not an uncommon problem. The
public health problems related to imported “rescue” idea is to have a pro-active plan and intervention so
dogs that are not properly vetted. that raids and confiscation of dogs, and the associ-
ated bad press, does not happen. Dog owners may
The AKC Disaster Relief Trailer program continues become “at risk” for any number of reasons such as
to grow and there are now 76 trailers in 29 states. loss of income, age or illness, or by having too many
There is a new disaster readiness training kit avail- dogs. Guidelines would need to be carefully formu-
able to clubs that want to help with local disaster lated to be positive and non-judgmental and to re-
relief. Before responding, individuals must complete spect the privacy and dignity of those being helped.
the FEMA training for volunteers. Details can be People may be too proud to ask for help or not
found at www.akcreunite.org/local or email relief@ know where help is available. AKC can help with
akcreunite.org to request a kit. interventions related to substandard conditions, but
The AKC Market Place continues to be a work in the chairman said that these guidelines would be
progress. Parent Club members are eligible for a more like providing assistance to a family member
25% discount. in need. She added that the subcommittee would
work closely with the AKC Legal Department.
Mark Dunn, Executive VP, explained the new AKC
PuppyVisor Service. The call center often gets ques- It was pointed out that if large numbers of dogs are
tions from prospective puppy buyers about specific confiscated, it can seriously impact a parent club’s
breeds or the Market Place that they cannot answer. rescue funds.
The PuppyVisor Service is a pilot program that I will be a member of this subcommittee. If anyone
began in March of this year. For a one-time fee of in an all-breed club has had experience dealing with
$249.00 a person gets individualized attention-un- an “at risk” situation with a club member, please
limited calls for questions about breeds and breeder email me chowmom@dicorleto.com.
selection, breeder screening coaching, and life-time
access to the Vetline and Helpline. Assistance is Another proposal from this committee was for the
available 24/7 through a toll-free number. creation of levels of achievement for the National
Owner Handler Series (NOHS) similar to the levels
Members of the Parent Club Committee have begun of the Grand Championship title. The recommen-
a Code of Ethics Project. Issues related to exhibitors dation will be sent to the AKC Club Development
maligning other exhibitors through social media Department for consideration.
need to be addressed.
The Forum on September 10 that preceded the
A committee member expressed serious concern meeting was “AKC Purposefully Bred Pure-bred
that the Statistics Reports that Parent Clubs pay Dogs” and the preservationist breeders who bring
for are known to have errors and no corrections them into the world. Presenters were Bill Shelton
are sent out to ensure the reports are accurate. He (AKC Herding Group Breeder of the Year 2017)
would like this matter addressed. and Doug Johnson (AKC Sporting Group Breeder
Highlights from the All-Breed Clubs Com- of the Year 2005). Words are powerful; the language
mittee: we use in the dog world is changing. Dog pounds
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