THE CAVALIER CHRONICLE
AUGUST 2023
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
As I write this, we are in the middle of quite the heatwave. You know it is bad when they say the cold front coming through will drop temperatures down to 90.
We had a board meeting a week ago which was heavily focused on planning for our Winter Specialty 2024 at the beginning of February. While we have most of the paperwork filed with the AKC, the Superintendent, and the Kennel Club, we still have work to do. There are three items I am asking for you to consider at this time:
- Sponsoring our awards – the store on our website has been opened up and is now taking sponsorships including Best of Breed, Best of Opposite, Best Puppy, Best Veteran, and many more.
- Donating a basket to our raffle – these have proven very popular and help significantly in de3fraying some of the costs of putting on a show.
- Donating an item to our Exhibitor Bag – we have had zipped cloth bags with the club logo donated for this purpose. We have already received some other donations, but need more items to make them special.
I would also like to take this time to invite everybody to our house on September 17th. The invites have been sent out and you can also go to the website to get the details. On top of playing with puppies, we plan to have a discussion on the breed standard (printouts of the standard will be available). We have several very prominent breeders known worldwide in our club, some of whom will be attending. This will give you the opportunity to pick their brain as they are all dedicated to the preservation of the breed and the health of our dogs. We will also have a discussion on the various cavalier clubs and national rescue organizations, as we have many new members who may not be aware of them.
Lastly, I would like to mention the Small Dog Club Helpers raffles. These are raffles coordinated by them to help small dog clubs offset the costs of hosting shows. They have coordinated a couple of raffles for us already, earning $175 for the club and all we had to do was cash the check. We are planning on having them coordinate a raffle closer to our specialty to help defray the costs of the judges. They have many raffles and many popular items available to purchase slots for. Look them up and support their efforts as you deem appropriate. Please keep an eye out for a future announcement on the timing of our next raffle and help support our shows.
Keep safe and hopefully, I will see many of you on September 17th.
Thanks
Jim
EDITOR'S MESSAGE
NEWSLETTER EDITOR NEEDED
This is a wonderful opportunity for a club member to participate in a very meaningful way. If you would like to become the new The Cavalier Chronicle editor please contact me and we can schedule a training session.
Mark Fitchpatrick, Newsletter Editor
2023 MEETING SCHEDULE
September 17 (Sunday) – Quarterly Puppy Social at the Utych’s
October 17 (Tuesday) – Board Meeting (zoom)
November 14 (Tuesday) – Board and Regular Meetings (zoom)
December Board – TBA (zoom)
December Holiday Luncheon - TBA
SEPTEMBER PUPPY SOCIAL
Mark your calendars to be sure to attend our next puppy social at the Utych’s in Alpharetta.
It is Sunday, September 17 from noon to 4 pm.
We will be in the fenced backyard with artificial turf. We will have an Xpen set up for the littles.
Please be sure to RSVP to the Evite invitation that was emailed to members. It will contain all the details.
We plan to have a discussion on the breed standard (printouts of the standard will be available) and a discussion on the various cavalier clubs and national rescue organizations as we have many new members who may not be aware of them
DECEMBER HOLIDAY LUNCHEON
We are in the midst of finalizing the date and location of our Holiday Luncheon. As soon as the locale (same place as last year) is secured, we can send out invitations with all the details! We are shooting for Sunday, December 10 so place a tentative hold on that date to join in on the merriment!
Start searching for that ugliest sweater for our Ugly Sweater Contest and also that perfect White Cavalier gift that will be the envy of all to steal! Ham will be on the menu as the main and club members will bring the sides! We had so much fun last year and hope you can attend this year!
Do You Have A New Title Holder in 2023?
If your cavalier achieved a new title in 2023 (can be conformation, therapy, Canine Good Citizen, Performance, Obedience, Agility, Trick Dog, etc.) please let us know as we plan on a year-end celebration of our 2023 new title holders during the Holiday Luncheon. Email Sharon Utych with the following information no later than November 17, 2023:
Dog’s AKC Registered Name, Call Name, New title(s) earned in 2023.
2024 WINTER SPECIALTY
Did you know that our Sunday Specialty show will be our 30th Specialty show given as a club?! WOW! What a milestone! We would like to put together some photos of our specialty through the years, so if you have any photos to share, please email them to Sharon Utych (utych@earthlink.net)
Additionally, our Sunday Specialty is in memory of the late Marlene Anderson. We will have a cake ringside on Sunday to celebrate her life. If you have any memories or photos to share, please email them to Sharon Utych by December 1, 2023.
And remember, we need your support to help put on another fabulous Specialty weekend! We already have some great zippered exhibitor bags donated with our club logo on the front now we just need donations to fill them! If you are so moved to donate items for our bags, we need about 80 items as we make 80 bags. We typically fill them with water, poop bags, tissues, snacks, doggie treats, pens or pencils, etc.
We also will continue to have our ringside basket auction which is always highly successful due to YOUR generous donations. Think about donating a theme basket as they go over really well!
LaVada McCosh is working on finalizing our Saturday evening social menu. We are looking to have a Mexican-themed meal this year and it should be a great time with a few very special live auction items available to bid on at the social. If you are so moved to donate funds toward the catered meal, please let Lavada know!
And lastly, our sponsorship page is now OPEN on our website! Again, due to YOUR generosity, we filled ALL slots at our last specialty – let’s do it AGAIN!
https://ckcscatlanta.org/2024-february-specialty-placement-sponsorship-store
THE AMERICAN CAVLIER KING CHARLES SPANIEL CLUB (ACKCSC)
Have you wondered what people are referring to when they talk about the “Parent Club”? Our parent club is the ACKCSC and they hold “the National” every spring along with an Independent Specialty show. You can become a member (associate first, then regular) in the ACKCSC and all information can be located on their website (www.ackcsc.org)
Below is a brief history of how the ACKCSC originated. Many of our new members may not have knowledge of our parent club and activities and this is a good read to understand how the parent club was formed (taken from the ACKCSC website).
Also, join us at our September puppy social as part of our discussion will be not only the breed standard but also the various organizations including our parent club!
How the ACKCSC was founded
After the May 1994 CKCSC, USA vote on AKC recognition was defeated, the breed was left in a precarious position. The American Kennel Club had made its intentions very clear - Cavaliers would be recognized. The CKCSC, USA had also made its position very clear - they did not want to become the parent club for the breed.
It is up to a breed's parent club not only to protect the breed but to also write the breed standard, write the illustrated guide to the breed, film the breed video, hold educational seminars for judges to teach them about the breed, hold specialty shows, help local clubs form, etc.
Who would now become the Cavaliers Parent Club? There was great concern since the Border Collie had just been recognized without a parent club and the AKC was doing all the things a parent club normally does. Many Cavalier owners were very concerned about this, and rightly so. The welfare of the breed was far more important than any social club. How could we abandon this wonderful breed that we all loved, and allow it to be turned over to strangers, who would, in turn, make all the important decisions for the breed?
After much discussion, about 150 Cavalier breeders, owners, and exhibitors, many of them long-standing and most being members of the CKCSC, USA, including the top breeders and owners of the top stud dogs, as well as two sitting board members, decided that the only way to protect the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was to form a new club, the American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club, Inc. The first Officers and Board of Directors were John D. Gammon, Meredith Johnson-Snyder, Martha Guimond, Hazel Arnold, Douglas Clevenger, Stephanie Abraham, Susan Adams, Patricia Kanan, Joanne Nash, Robert A. Schroll, and Julie Sturman.
The goal was to protect the Cavalier and represent its interests in the AKC. It was further decided that after all the trouble caused by the recognition issue, this new club’s Regular members must be active breeders and exhibitors. Therefore, a separate type of membership was established, called Associate, which had all the privileges of Regular membership with the exception of voting, being counted in a quorum, and holding office. A Breed Standard, Constitution, and Bylaws were written and members soon began to join.
When the CKCSC, USA learned of this club, the founding members (which have been referred to as a splinter group) were told that they must resign from the newly formed club or they would be brought up on charges. When they refused, a hearing was held in Chicago in September 1994 and all were suspended for a period of two years and each fined $2,000.
In December of 1994, the ACKCSC, Inc. went to the AKC and asked to be the Parent Club for the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and this request was granted. In March of 1995, the AKC opened its Stud Book, and Cavalier owners began to register Foundation Stock. The rest of that year was very busy as the Club continued to organize, began to publish a magazine, hold match shows, and fly from one end of the country to the other holding judges' education seminars.
On January 1, 1996, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel became AKC’s 140th recognized breed - over 40 years after Trudy Brown Albrecht and Sally Brown had first made their request - and for the first time, the Cavalier was eligible to compete as a recognized breed at AKC events, with the American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club, Inc. as its Parent Club. The American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club, Inc. held its first National Specialty in May of 1997.
NATURAL REMEDIES
FIBER
http://www.animalplanet.com/pets/dog-food-benefits-high-fiber-dog-food/
Mmm, fiber. Just what your dog is craving, right? OK, maybe not. After all, we humans don't really think of fiber as being particularly delicious, but we know that it's something we need in our diets. Most of the time, we get all we need from our regular diet. The same is true for our dogs: Fiber isn't considered an essential nutrient for them, but it's found to some degree in all commercial dog foods. Occasionally, we need a little more fiber to help keep things moving, and so do our canine companions. A diet high in fiber can even help with other health problems, as well as promote overall colon well-being for both you and your pet.
Let's back up a second, though. What exactly is fiber? It's a term used to describe plant material that isn't digested by our bodies, also known as roughage. There are two different kinds of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber absorbs water, breaks down into a stringy, mucilaginous (mucus-like) material and ferments, releasing gases as it passes through the colon. Insoluble fiber also absorbs water, but it doesn't ferment. Soluble fiber also ferments at different rates -- slow-fermenting fiber sources include peanut hulls and cellulose, while bran, pectin and soy fiber ferment more quickly. Beet pulp, a common source of fiber in dog food, is somewhere in the middle. A mixture of different types of soluble fiber is best; too much fast-moving fiber can cause diarrhea, while slow-fermenting sources may not make a difference.
If your dog needs more fiber than what he's getting from his regular food, it can be a little more challenging than when you hit the fiber supplement aisle at the pharmacy. That's why there are high-fiber dog foods available on the market. Most contain a mix of both soluble and insoluble fiber. Not all of them are created equal, though. Some inexpensive dog foods could contain sources of fiber that you may not be happy feeding your dog, such as shredded paper. Of course, the label won't use those words, but ingredients like cellulose, for example, can come from a wide variety of sources. Your best bet is to do your research. All dog foods have ingredient lists, which will list the amount of crude fiber (a general term for any kind of fiber) as a percentage. Look for specific sources of fiber (like those mentioned above), and ask your veterinarian what he or she recommends. Now that you know all about fiber, read on to learn exactly how a high-fiber diet can benefit your dog.
Typically when we think of high-fiber foods, we think of constipation. High-fiber dog food can help treat constipation because insoluble fiber absorbs water, creating softer, larger stools. Larger stools stimulate the colon's muscle contractions. There are many conditions that can cause constipation in dogs, so if it's a chronic problem, you should get him checked out by the vet.
It might surprise you to know that high-fiber food can also help dogs that have diarrhea. Insoluble fiber absorbs excess water in the colon, while the fermenting action of soluble fiber can balance acidity levels in the colon and create more friendly bacteria. Again, chronic diarrhea may be a sign of a more serious problem, so just switching to a high-fiber food isn't necessarily the answer.
All dogs have scent glands located on either side of their anus, which secrete oils when they defecate. These anal glands give their feces a unique scent -- yet another way for dogs to mark their territory. Unfortunately, these glands can get clogged, which can be very painful for your dog and can result in anal gland disease. The bulking action of high-fiber foods creates larger stools that press against impacted glands, releasing them.
If your dog is overweight, he may need to go on a weight-control dog food. When you read the ingredient list, you'll probably notice that "diet" dog foods are also high in fiber. Fiber makes your dog feel full without adding a lot of calories, so it can help him shed those extra pounds.
Dogs who have been diagnosed with diabetes can also benefit from a high-fiber dog food. The bulk of insoluble fiber slows digestion, which keeps blood sugar levels from spiking. According to veterinarian Denise Elliot, fermenting soluble fiber may also influence the release of hormones that affect a diabetic dog's sensitivity to insulin (making him less sensitive to it), although research doesn't yet show exactly how this works.
Finally, high-fiber dog foods can reduce your dog's risk of contracting colon cancer. Fiber speeds elimination, which means less time for the carcinogens your dog may have consumed to hang out in his intestinal tract. When soluble fiber ferments, one of the byproducts is a short-chain fatty acid. These fatty acids provide needed fuel for cells lining the walls of the intestine, which aid in repairing the cells of the intestine.
Now you may be gung-ho about switching your dog to a high-fiber food, but it's imperative that you consult with his vet first. Too much fiber can cause frequent stools, diarrhea and gas, and it can even interfere with the absorption of vitamins and minerals. So listen to your vet and take it slow.
RECIPE OF THE MONTH
Applesauce Carrot Dog Treat - High Fiber
Ingredients
• 1.5 cups whole wheat or white flour
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 cup grated carrot
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium-sized bowl mix flour, applesauce, cinnamon, and grated carrot together. It will be a little sticky so add additional flour to make it less sticky.
3. Roll out your dough on a floured surface to about 1/4” thick.
4. Shape the dough by hand or use a dog bone cookie cutter. I used a medium size. To make it even easier to remove spray it with cooking spray and place it on a parchment-lined or lightly greased edged cookie sheet.
Bake for 35 min. or until golden brown color and remove and let completely cool before serving to your pet.
BRAGS
Carolyn and Ashley Powell (Monticello Cavaliers) would like to brag on their two girls, London & Stassie. During this past weekend in Tampa, FL, London (GCH CH Monticello Crown Jewel) won Best of Breed two days and Select Bitch three days. Stassie (Monticello Like Dreamers DO CGC) won Best of Winners one day and Winners Bitch another day. So proud!
NEED SOME SUNSHINE?
Do you know a club member who needs some sunshine?
Our Sunshine Committee Chair is Ashley Powell. If you know of a club member that needs to be remembered or encouraged, please be in touch with Ashley.
Ashley can be reached at
770-905-7067
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
THE CAVALIER CHRONICLE
CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIEL CLUB OF GREATER ATLANTA
Mark Fitchpatrick, editor