PNW Regional Championship

Hello Everyone,

Just a quick update on the PNW Regional Championship. www.pnwchampionship.com

• The trophies and plaques are all here. Thank you to all of you that sponsored a trophy. They do look good.
• The grass for tracking will be about calf high, maybe a little higher. The practice tracking fields will be similar to the event tracking.
• The competition field is being worked on and will be in top condition for the event.
• We are working on a suitable location to host the Judges dinner and the PNW Regional meeting. So far we have the Tyee Center and Grill. It will all depend on how many people will attend.
• We are also working on the raffle. Any donation will be greatly appreciated.
  

As you probably noticed, we are not charging the $100 + entry fee everyone is charging. It seems to be the norm at a Regional event. God knows the sport is expensive with travel, hotel etc., We did not want to add an extra burden to the participants. We hope everyone attending the Championship will support the club by purchasing lunch and raffle tickets.

We at CSV, plan to have a top of the line event. Our members are working hard to make it so, not only for the participants, but for the spectators, vendors and sponsors.

Hope to see you all there,

Best Regards,

Les Flores, Event Coordinator
www.pnwchampionship.com
www.cascadeschutzhundclub.com

FY 2011 Budget

Some of you are aware that there is a motion in front of the Executive Board to approve the FY 2011 budget. Keeping in mind that changes can be made to the budget during the General Board meeting in Reno, and that this proposed budget includes a dues increase that MUST be ratified by the General Board, having the Executive Board approve this budget does send the message that the EB approves of running the organization in the manner proposed by these expenditures and revenues.

Of course, the dues increase is the highly controversial part of the proposed budget, and it is highly tempting to blame the dues increase entirely on the passage last fall of the bylaws amendment prohibiting membership in competing GSD organizations and the subsequent loss in membership. According to the numbers I’ve seen (and many of you have seen them too, on USA-GSD and elsewhere), that drop does not account for the shortfall facing USA. The loss of a $35,000 sponsorship from Royal Canin is where the hole lies. The officers tell us they have also cut about $6000 in expenses from last year’s budget, and although we (the rest of the EB) weren’t provided a copy of last year’s to compare, I can tell you that expenses are comparable overall. The proposed budget does provide a “cushion” of about $17,000 (about 3%), some of which is proposed to be used for badly needed upgrades to a variety of record-keeping and electronic database functions (a need I personally soundly endorse). An earlier proposal to spend $15,000 on a website facelift was withdrawn so more bids could be solicited, but that subject has not resurfaced. The other interesting data is from VP Craig Groh, who pointed out we haven’t had an increase in membership dues in 14 years, and that the intervening inflation makes $60 in 1996 worth $85 now.

The punch line is that the voting on this ballot closes at midnight Wednesday night, and I have been holding off waiting to get this message out and get some feedback. I will tell you that I am sorely tempted to vote NO based on the fact that in a downturned economy it is inappropriate to consider “Cadillac dues for a Buick product” (with all due apologies to you Buick fans out there). I would consider a dues increase of 50% and a flat budget, with the idea that a successful bid for further sponsorship dollars could be used to cover additional upgrades to our electronics as well as for further educational and enrichment activities like fighting MSN and BSL issues.

Please let me know your thoughts on this. Relevant info on the proposal and the attached budget can be found at: http://www.germanshepherddog.com/members/index.htm#EBallots.

Yours in the sport,
WJ

PS – This year’s budget includes $25000 in new income and $25000 in new expenses arising from the new policy of USA providing basal support for the WDC and Nationals. Thus, if you just look at the totals, it appears we are spending and receiving more money than last year but these two things more or less cancel out unless the two national events are utter disasters.

Please note the following good news forwarded from Lyle Roetemeyer(see below). Stephanie Dunion, Karen MacIntyre and several others have been working hard to establish the relationship with the IRO, and it's nice to see it has paid off.

From Lyle:
Today we received the very good news from the IRO that USA's membership application has been accepted.
Thank you for your support in this matter as we continue to offer more for our membership!

Best regards,
Lyle Roetemeyer
President
United Schutzhund Clubs of America
From: Verena Ruthner
Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 2010 9:37 AM
To: k9-kuriers@attglobal.net
Subject: IRO membership

Dear Mrs. Dunion!

We are pleased to inform you that United Schutzhund Clubs of America has been admitted membership to the IRO, pls. see documents attached.
The signed “originals” will be sent to you via postal mail.

With best regards

Internationale Rettungshunde Organisation - IRO
Verena Ruthner
Moosstrasse 32
A - 5020 Salzburg

10 March 2010

Dear Regional USA members

There has been a flurry of activity in the last 24 hours over the question of the location for the 2010 USA Nationals. To make a long story short, there are two bids for the nationals – one from Jim Alloway and the Mid Ohio Schutzhund Club to hold it in Columbus, Ohio, and the other from Tim Burke and the Blue Tahoe Schutzhund Club to hold it outside Reno in Carson City. The Executive Board has a motion on the floor for a vote for one of these two host/locations, and that vote expires on next Tuesday (March 16). I am getting lots of input from around the country but would rather have input from my region before voting on this issue. Please contact me at wjonesk9 at gmail dot com with your opinion.

Thanks!!

Warren Jones
PNW Regional Director

President's Statement

November 12, 2009

During the past year I committed myself to open a dialogue between the WDA and USA for the betterment of the German shepherd dog in the United States. Those discussions actually led to an agreement to work out details of a merger. However, the possibility of a merger unfortunately dissipated when the WDA signed a contract to continue their association with the GSDCA.

As an organization, we should be very proud of our accomplishments over the past thirty three years. The United Schutzhund Clubs of America, as a breed club, has played a most significant role in reestablishing the German shepherd dog in the United States as a truly utilitarian breed. I was recently reminded, by a GSDCA member that the GSDCA is the oldest German shepherd dog club in the world with the exception of the SV. Isn’t it strange, as to the severe differences in both structure and temperament that now exist?

The recent by-law change that was presented at the General Board Meeting was done so with one thought in mind: to protect the United Schutzhund Clubs of America and the FCI breed standard for the German shepherd dog by eliminating the “Conflict of Interest” that is evidenced by those members who are also members of competing German shepherd dog organizations. This by-law change was accepted by the necessary 2/3 majority vote of the General Board. Several of those that were in the 1/3 minority have admitted to being members of the GSDCA and GSDCA WDA. Obviously, this is a conflict of interest, whether they were conscious of it or not.

The by-law is now in effect for anyone seeking membership in the United Schutzhund Clubs of America and will affect current members when they renew their membership.

I have received many letters and phone calls of support for this by-law change from our membership and of course have also heard from those that are unhappy with the outcome. Many have expressed that they are not happy about being told what they can or cannot do. I ask you to think of the future and the necessary steps to protect our breed and our organization from those who may attempt to destroy it and you will possibly come to the same realization as those members of the United Schutzhund Clubs of America whom voted in favor of this by-law. This by-law shall make evident that we, as an organization, cannot and will not sacrifice thirty three years of effort to reestablish the FCI and WUSV standard for the German shepherd dog in the United States to those organizations that have a completely different mind set about the character of the German shepherd dog. Please take into account that the WDA as an organization is not recognized by the WUSV but the GSDCA is recognized by the WUSV.

As we enter into the Holiday Season, I ask each of you to take the time to be thankful for what we have accomplished over the past thirty three years as an organization. If all of us were to put forth the positive and selfless effort, on even the smallest scale that is exhibited by many of our members in our local clubs, committees and boards many more will be able to experience success with their dogs. I am pleased to say that we continue excellent relations with the SV as a full member club within the WUSV. I look forward to continuing our working relationship between the SV and the United Schutzhund Clubs of America in the months and years to come.

As always, I wish to express my sincere thanks to each and every member for their continued support and their spirit of camaraderie in furthering the goals of the United Schutzhund Clubs of America. For more than thirty-three years, the efforts of our membership to protect and preserve the German shepherd dog through the use of our breed evaluations have continued to ensure that our future generations will be able to experience the joy of owning a German shepherd dog with true working temperament.

I wish each of you happiness and success with your dogs in all walks of your life!

Lyle Roetemeyer
President
United Schutzhund Clubs of America
for the German shepherd dog

Twin County SchH Club Trial Report

Karen sent a nice trial report and tribute to Rudi Mietzner. Read it on the Club Reports page.

More on the Bylaws amendment from those in the know.

The following are the text of two messages from members of the Executive Board in support of the bylaws amendment restricting USA members from being (for all intents and purposes) members of WDA or even GSDCA. The first is from Johannes Grewe, and the second is from USA National Breed Warden Tim Burke. I hope that you find them enlightening.