Page 5 - Issue 2_2018

Message from the President

William I. Christensen, MD, MPH

I returned from the Memorial Day National Minutes of the Annual Membership Meeting will also be published. It
Specialty in beautiful (and cool) Asheville, N.C., was announced that the board had voted lifetime membership for
with much to be grateful for. First to be thanked Marge Reignier and Sandra Weigle in acknowledgement of the lifetime
would be Kendall and Mike Liga, the specialty contribution of each to the breed through their excellent breeding
co-chairs, who worked over the past couple of stock as well as their ongoing work for the club. It was announced at
years and seemingly full-time during the specialty the banquet that the AKC Sportsmanship Medallion was awarded to
to produce an outstanding event. The hotel was Alexa Samarotto, past president and current board member of the club.
both pleasant and friendly, the show-site easy of This is well deserved and probably overdue.
access and parking, the food, overseen by Susan Mason, excellent, and
the pleasure of seeing and showing dogs within the extended Aussie- Sandra has now retired as Facebook Editor, and the membership and
owner family unbounded. board are most interested in identifying an individual who can assume
this role, which is critical in promoting and popularizing our breed.
Minutes of the board meeting will be published. However, notable Anyone who feels qualified is urged to contact me.
action items included unanimous approval by the board of our up-
dated bylaws, on which Grace Massey and Sherrill Yates have worked Julie Seaton announced that 12 new members had joined ATCA since
tirelessly for almost two years. The initial stimulus for revision was to our last specialty, and those present were officially welcomed. Kreg Hill
simplify the membership application procedure, including juniors, to announced that future specialties would be in Longmont, CO (2019),
encourage new members. Also added are provisions for electronic Grayslake, IL (2020), Sacramento, CA (2021) and Trenton, NJ (2022). An
voting by the membership, now legal in New Jersey, the state of our exciting and diverse lineup!
incorporation, if we wish to use this procedure, and adjustment of our
fiscal year to more closely correspond to the calendar year. You will Kreg Hill, AusTTrust Treasurer, reported that the AKC Canine Health
soon receive a copy of the bylaws changes for your vote. Please make Foundation has acknowledge the 2017 contributions by the Trust of
sure that you do vote and return the ballot, as the results must be $6000 to the Hemangiosarcoma Study and by the Trust and ATCA,
returned to the AKC for their final approval. AKC considers not only including an AKC match, of $5000 to the Tick-borne Disease Initiative.
the number of members voting for the changes but also the number For a small parent club, these represent very generous donations.
of members who vote. Darlene Evans is working hard on the 60th Commemorative Publica-
tion. If asked by her to submit material, please do so soon. Informa-
Measures other than a simplified application procedure which would tion on early Aussie breeders and kennels not included in the 50th
encourage new Aussie owners to become members were also dis- Commemorative is especially desired.
cussed. We were reminded by Julie Seaton that new puppy buyers
are eligible for a one-year free membership to the Talkabout. Breed- Grace Massey reported on the outstanding success of the 2018 Aussie
ers simply need to send the buyers’ email addresses to Julie. Grace calendar, which required a re-printing. Sponsorship and photos are
Massey has further refined the process for awarding an ATCA scholar- being solicited for the 2019 edition.
ships to Junior members, and the board approved her proposal to
expand this program to two per year. ATCA members who know of a Once again, I would like to thank Mike and Kendall Liga and their spe-
Junior member who may be eligible for an ATCA scholarship should cialty committee for a wonderful specialty, greatly enjoyed, and to Dr.
contact Grace. If there is a Junior member who may be eligible for an Jerold Bell, for his foundational work in researching and describing the
AKC veterinary school scholarship, please contact me. genetic history of our wonderful breed.

The Education Day presentation by Dr. Jerold Bell, Cummings School I would also like to thank the members of the Judges Education Com-
of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, began with a detailed pedi- mittee, Kerrie Bryant, Jane Tenor, Ida Ellen Weinstock and Petie Schree-
gree analysis of the Australian Terrier breed, going back 88 (!) genera- der, for organizing the videotaping of Australian Terriers for the AKC
tions to the breed founders. His 3-hour presentation was too detailed judges online course and especially Petie and Jane for helping on-site
to review here, but he was kind enough to permit professional by selecting dogs and getting them to the video and still photography
videotaping of his presentation, including power-point slides. The sessions. Magen Leavell, AKC Online Education Manager was instru-
presentation will be professional edited and available for purchase on mental in arranging and organizing this session, and Meredith Scozza-
the Aussie Store. The expense associated with this production was fava, always pleasant and agreeable, was head of the on-site team. She
underwritten by the Australian Terrier Trust. A predisposition to dia- felt that the team had been able to obtain sufficient videos of Aussies
betes does exist within our breed and is genetically dispersed within moving and enough still photos for an excellent on-line judges’ course.
the population. Subluxated patellas also occur more frequently than Thanks to “breed experts” Ida Ellen Weinstock, Jane Tenor, Marilyn
in some other breeds, but, fortunately, the existence of degenerative Harban and Alexa Samarotto for agreeing to be videotaped while
myelopathy has not been documented in Aussies, despite a genetic discussing the breed.
marker for it in 1/3-1/2 of the breed as well as in some other terrier
breeds. Dr. Bell strongly encouraged Aussie breeders to perform the In considering the long pedigrees behind the wonderful dogs shown
testing required for CHIC listing. Every ATCA member who breeds or in Asheville, as well as those conscientious Aussie breeders who have
is considering breeding Aussies should purchase his presentation and contributed to all of our lines, and in acknowledgement of Memorial
spend time carefully reviewing it as this presentation must form the Day, we should reflect on a quotation from Sir Isaac Newton: “If I have
basis of any program for insuring the “sustainability” of our breed. seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

5
5