July
2009
Official Publication of the Miami Obedience Club, Inc.
Canine Comments
Carol Clark
Next MOC Membership Meeting
DACOF 2009 is over, and I’d say it was a huge
success. The venue was beautiful and I think we’re
all looking forward to returning next year. Certainly
there are a few kinks to work out, but considering
it was our first time there, I’d say that the Silver
Spurs Arena and especially the DACOF committee
did an incredible job of putting it all together.
The idea was to have fun with our dogs and
promote teamwork, and I’d say we accomplished
just that. I drove home from Kissimmee feeling very
proud of both my dog and my team.
August 5 (Wednesday)
<< Meeting Starts @ 7:30 pm >>
Villa Napoli
17 Westward Drive
Miami Springs, FL 33166
305-885-9100
Carol
The Miami Obedience Club, Inc.
Officers:
President: Pat Kopco
Vice President: Randy Reed
Recording Secretary: Lynn Proe
Corresponding Secretary: Cori Gacusana
Treasurer: Nancy Atkins
Board of Directors:
Carol Ann Klein, Jackie Kurzban, David Proe, Keith Staub
Training Directors:
Obedience: Nancy Atkins & Cori Gacusana
Agility: Cecelia Armesto
Committee Chairs:
Agility Trial: Mike Orloff
Canine Good Citizen: Cori Gacusana
Club Phone Representative: Gina Reed (305) 681-5246
Education: Jacqueline Kurzban
Library: Trina Chicvara
Membership: Wien Yu
Obedience Trial: Jill Sidran
Sunshine: Debra Willey
Happy Birthday!!!
The following MOC members will celebrate B-Day’s in
August:
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Mylene Arza
Carol Ann Klein
Nancy Mulligan
Maki Nieto-Menendez
Vicki Phillips
Please join us to celebrate & hopefully enjoy some cake!
Scooper Editor: Carol Clark
23901 SW 157 Ave, Redland, FL 33031
E-mail: [email protected]
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Education continued)
Minutes of the General Meeting
July 1, 2009
The meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM by
President Pat Kopco at the Villa Napoli restaurant.
Cori called the roll and brags were shared. Gina
motioned to waive the reading of the minutes of the
June 2009 meeting, Dave seconded. Motion passed.
Breeders will be financially responsible if the tags are
lost. Veterinarians will now sell one and three year tags
for puppies and juvenile dogs.
Responsible Dog Ownership day is in September.
Jackie asked the membership if the club might like to
plan an event to involve the public to recognize the day.
If so, the AKC can provide educational packets.
Committees:
Library – No report.
Correspondence – The May obedience trial judges
sent a card to thank the club for a well run obedience
trial.
Treasurer – The treasurer provided her report.
Obedience Trial – The trial results are available on
the AKC web site.
Agility Trials – All preparations are set for the
upcoming October agility trial. Randy and Tracy
made changes to how the rings will be set up so that
the size of the rings will be identical. Mike has sent
the new ring information to the agility trial judges.
Obedience Training - A trainers meeting will follow
the August general membership meeting.
Agility Training – Classes have started in spite of
several rain delays.
CGC – Cori is scheduling a test in 4 to 5 weeks. The
tentative date for the test is July 20th at 8:30.
Scooper – Carol Clark is the new Scooper editor. There
is an issue in the club constitution stating that the
Scooper must be mailed and not emailed. The club is
considering revising this in the constitution. Erin made
a motion to change the constitution to include emailing
the Scooper. Discussion followed. Motion was tabled.
In the next Scooper, it will be published that the
constitution will be revised to include that the Scooper
can be distributed via email. Pat will review the
constitution regarding the Scooper distribution.
Website – Dave and Carol will work towards using the
Scooper as the main page of the website. Dave will
verify that the October agility trial premium is available
on the website.
Equipment – Randy informed the club that there will
be new requirements from the AKC for agility
equipment.
DACOF- DACOF is 4th of July weekend. Nancy
passed around the workers schedule. No food is
allowed inside the facility. Vendors will be available.
DOCOF – September 6th and closes July 16th. Carol
Ann is planning to send 1 full and 1 partial team. Please
email Carol Ann if you want to participate. There will
be a DOCOF practice at Paws in Motion on July 19th.
Membership – No report.
Sunshine – No report.
Education – An AKC field representative for
conformation and obedience shows in Florida, Michael
Sauve passed away on June 23, 2009 from a heart
attack. He was one of the founders of Take The Lead.
Donations can be made in his memory.
Old Business – O2 masks will be delivered to the fire
department on July 22nd at 10:00am in Doral. The
media will be at the presentation and there will also be a
press release to announce the clubs donation.
Information will be provided to the public to encourage
any additional donations.
New Business – The constitution needs to be updated.
Pat requested that the membership consider what
changes should be made. Mike drafted changes to the
constitution in 2004 that were never implemented. The
changes from 2004 should be included because a great
deal of thought and work went into them.
Hilda attended a motivational seminar in Houston. The
Everglades club would like to MOC to hold this
seminar as well. The seminar teaches motivation
techniques for obedience and rally. A committee has
been established to discuss the possibility of holding
this seminar.
Animal control is now issuing tags to breeders for
the registration of new puppies to owners. Micro
chipping is now also a requirement. Breeders must
now register pups with tags. The tags are shipped
via Priority Mail in boxes of 100 tags.
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June 2009
. Marilyn motioned that the highest scoring member in
the obedience trial plaque be reinstated and awarded
retroactively to include those who should have received
this award. Jackie seconded. Motion passes. Marilyn
also moved that the club make a donation to the
University of Florida Small Animal Oncology
Department. Discussion followed. Marilyn retracted
the motion.
New Members
Meeting Adjourned – The motion to adjourn was
made at 9:30pm by Dave and seconded Cecilia.
Submitted by Wien Yu
MOC Membership Chair
There were no new members in June.
Guests
Yvonne Nobile
Respectfully submitted by Lynn Proe, Recording Secretary
Note from Membership Chair
**MINUTES NOT APPROVED UNTIL NEXT MEMBERSHIP
MEETING**
In order to have correct information of our members, please
forward your new address, new phone number, and/or new
email address to Wien Yu ([email protected]) as soon as you
know about it. THANKS!
Submitted by Wien Yu
MOC Membership Chair
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
MINUTES
WEDNESDAY, July 1, 2009
The meeting was called to order at 9:30PM by
President Pat Kopco at the Villa Napoli restaurant. In
attendance were Dave, Lynn, Jackie, Cori, Nancy,
Keith, and Randy.
Debbie Willey
The club will continue to try to find a new meeting
place.
No sunshine this month.
DOCOF participants would like to have new polo
shirts for the competition this year. Carol Ann has a
design in mind and will negotiate a price with Kim
McElwee. Approximately fourteen shirts will be
needed for the competition. A range of $22.00 was
suggested. The board will vote on the DOCOF shirt
issue via email.
Meeting adjourned at 9:54PM. The motion was made
by Dave and seconded by Jackie.
Respectfully submitted by Lynn Proe, Recording Secretary
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Sunshine Chair
Agility
Sept. 12-13
Sarasota Obedience Training Club
Palmetto, FL
Entries close Aug 29
Sept. 19-20
Orlando Dog Training Club (indoors)
Orlando,FL
Entries close Sept. 2
Sell your extra dog-related items here, or post
“wanted” ads. Please submit your ad to
[email protected] to have items included in
the next issue.
Dumbbell
I need to re-home a J&J Invince-A-Bell
dumbbell, size 6 (3 inch ends, 3 1/2 inch
bit width, 3/4 inch bit diameter). It has
been Mal-tested, which means that it was
put in Dinah's mouth briefly enough for a
few bite marks - enough that I cannot
return it. It is too large for Dinah and I
would like to find it a good home. Any
reasonable offer considered. Contact
Debbie at [email protected].
Obedience and Rally
Sept. 6
DOCOF – Orlando
Oct. 3-4
Orlando Dog Training Club
Orlando, FL
Entries close Sept. 6
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Heat Stroke in Dogs
Understanding and Preventing Hyperthermia by Jenna Stregowski, RVT
Hyperthermia is a term describing an elevation in body temperature. This increase typically occurs as a response to a
trigger, such as inflammation in the body or a hot environment. When a dog is exposed to high temperatures, heat stroke
or heat exhaustion can result. Heat stroke is a very serious condition that requires immediate medical attention. Once the
signs of heat stroke are detected, there is precious little time before serious damage - or even death - can occur.
Dogs do not sweat through their skin like humans - they release heat primarily by panting and they sweat through the
foot pads and nose. If a dog cannot effectively expel heat, the internal body temperature begins to rise. Once the dog's
temperature reaches 106°, damage to the body's cellular system and organs may become irreversible. Unfortunately, too
many dogs succumb to heat stroke when it could have been avoided. Learn how to recognize the signs of heat stroke and
prevent it from happening to your dog.
Signs of Heat Stroke
The following signs may indicate heat stroke in a dog:
* Increased rectal temperature (over 104° requires action, over 106° is a dire emergency)
* Vigorous panting
* Dark red gums
* Tacky or dry mucus membranes (specifically the gums)
* Lying down and unwilling (or unable) to get up
* Collapse and/or loss of consciousness
* Thick saliva
* Dizziness or disorientation
What to do if You Suspect Heat Stroke
If you have even the slightest suspicion that your dog is suffering from heat stoke, you must take immediate action.
1. First, move your dog out of the heat and away from the sun right away.
2. Begin cooling your dog by placing cool, wet rags or washcloths on the body - especially the foot pads and around
the head.
3. DO NOT use ice or very cold water! Extreme cold can cause the blood vessels to constrict, preventing the body's
core from cooling and actually causing the internal temperature to further rise. In addition, over-cooling can cause
hypothermia, introducing a host of new problems. When the body temperature reaches 103°, stop cooling.
4. Offer your dog cool water, but do not force water into your dog's mouth.
5. Call or visit your vet right away - even if your dog seems better. Internal damage might not be obvious to the naked
eye, so an exam is necessary (and further testing may be recommended).
Tip: recruit others to help you - ask someone to call the vet while others help you cool your dog.
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Strike
tracking
and
Jerry
looking
handsome
Young Boo training the “SIT”
Long needed rest after a hard day’s work (stuffing
pillows).
Sarah at horseback
riding camp!
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DACOF 2009
Report by Nancy Atkins:
The Dog Agility Competition of Florida, commonly known as DACOF, was held this year over the 4th of July
weekend in Kissimmee, Florida. Teams from all over the state assembled to compete in agility at the Silver
Spurs Arena. Dirt was brought into the air conditioned arena to make running our dogs comfortable in the 90+
degree weather of Central Florida.
Miami Obedience Club sent two full teams this year, Chute For The Stars and Chute For The Moon. The
competition was tough, yet out of 37 teams, The Stars placed 13th and The Moon placed 23rd. Congratulations
to MOC!!
The biggest thank you has to go to Sandra Kurzban, who joined us as our only worker.
There were five rounds of agility courses over the two days and Sandra worked tirelessly the entire time. She
scribed, she set bars, she ran scribe sheets from the ring farthest from the scoretable. I think she walked about
ten miles over the weekend. Every time I asked her if she needed a break, her answer was, “No, thanks, I’m
fine.” What a trooper! Thank you, Sandra!
Our dogs and handlers had some spectacular runs. MOC’s biggest standout was Wilma, handled by Wien,
who placed 1st in the 24” Open level. Wilma’s sister, Queenie, handled by Peter, placed 2nd in the 24”
Excellent division. And, best news of all, I heard a rumor that they may be adopting a baby Malinois just to be
able to run next year in Novice at DACOF 2010. Thanks, Peter & Wien. The Miami Obedience Club
appreciates that!
Debbie and Dinah, Wien & Niki and others also had some great runs. I don’t
want to leave anybody out, so here are some of the placements MOC
achieved.
Seven of MOC’s dogs placed in the top 5 in their Level & Height category:
Excellent:
Queenie (Peter)
Dinah (Debbie Willey)
Niki (Wien).
Open:
Bentley (Nancy)
Wilma (Wien)
Lavender Brown (Cori)
Scout (Keith)
Great job!
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