National Specialty - Spinone Club of America

A! QUARTERLY! P UBLICATION!OF!THE! SPINONE! C LUB!OF! AMERICA!•! VOLUME!22,! ISSUE!4 !•! FALL! 2014!
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President’s Letter, by Jeff Rhodes ............................................................................................................... 2!
2014 SCOA National Specialty, Loveland, CO, by Debby Forry ............................................................... 3!
And!from!the!Co.chair, by Susie Pool!..............................................................................................................................................................!5!
Hunt!Tests, by Judge Liz Bodell!..........................................................................................................................................................................!5!
NAVHDA!Tests, by Joe Masar!..............................................................................................................................................................................!6!
Bracco!Show, by Marilyn Vinson, Chair!...........................................................................................................................................................!7!
National!Specialty!Week!Results!......................................................................................................................................................................!7!
Fun!Match, by Dana Graff, Judge!.......................................................................................................................................................................!7!
Fun!Match, by Stacey Belt, Chair!........................................................................................................................................................................!7!
Junior!Showmanship:!Judge!Robin!Hug!.........................................................................................................................................................!8!
National!Specialty!High!In!Trial:!Judge!Sue!Oviatt.Harris!.....................................................................................................................!8!
National!Puppy!&!Veteran!Sweepstakes, by Robin Hug, Judge!...........................................................................................................!8!
National!Specialty, by Dr. Michele Ivaldi, Judge!..........................................................................................................................................!9!
Parent!Club!Specialty!Sweepstakes, by James A. Fehring, Judge!.....................................................................................................!11!
SCOA!Parent!Club!Specialty!2014, by Jo Ann Colvin, Judge!...............................................................................................................!11!
Obedience!&!Rally!Candids!!.............................................................................................................................................................................!13!
Junior!Showmanship—The!Future!of!Our!Breed….Candids!!............................................................................................................!14!
Trophy!Candids…!.................................................................................................................................................................................................!14!
Candids…!..................................................................................................................................................................................................................!15!
Spinone!Olympics:!Fun,!Games!!and!Even!Fashion, by Patti Hight!..................................................................................................!19!
2014!Photo!Contest!Winners, by Bobbi Benson!......................................................................................................................................!20!
Bronze!Head, by Bobbi Benson!.......................................................................................................................................................................!20!
Sports!Medicine!Talk, by Dan Graff!...............................................................................................................................................................!20!
Deb!Davenport!receives!AKC!Sportsmanship!Award, by Ros Duda!...............................................................................................!21!
“Say!Cheese”!and!Save!the!Date, by Patti Brusk!........................................................................................................................................!21!
SCOA!Awards!Committee, by Heather Jenner!..........................................................................................................................................!22!
Columns ....................................................................................................................................................... 23!
About!Myself, by Bob Wendling!......................................................................................................................................................................!23!
My!Spinoni,!Pheasants!&!Me, by Will Tremont!.........................................................................................................................................!25!
Regional Reports ......................................................................................................................................... 26!
Midwest!Region!Report, by Kathy Hamaker!..............................................................................................................................................!26!
Blue!Ridge!Meet!Up, by Ros Duda!..................................................................................................................................................................!26!
First!Midwest!Regional!Specialty, by Val Lewis!.......................................................................................................................................!26!
Committee Reports..................................................................................................................................... 27!
Judges!Education!Report, by Suzanne Hudson!........................................................................................................................................!27!
Judges!Education!Guidelines, by Suzanne Hudson!.................................................................................................................................!28!
Much!Ado!About!Hunting, by Alyssa Pease!................................................................................................................................................!28!
Volunteerism!Committee!Report, by Ros Duda!.......................................................................................................................................!29!
Juniors!Committee!Report, by Kathy Hamaker!.........................................................................................................................................!30!
New!Members, by Laura Penfold!....................................................................................................................................................................!30!
Ways!and!Means!Report, by Teri Turner!.....................................................................................................................................................!30!
Meeting!Minutes, by Sue Acquistapace!.......................................................................................................................................................!31!
Minutes!of!SCOA!Annual!Business!Meeting!05.28.14,!Loveland,!CO!...................................................................................!31!
Minutes!of!SCOA!Board!Meeting!05.07.14!......................................................................................................................................!31!
Minutes!of!SCOA!Board!Meeting!05.28.14!......................................................................................................................................!31!
!
1!
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President’s Letter, by Jeff Rhodes
First!I!would!like!to!thank!Debby!and!Chuck!Forry,!Susie!Pool,!and!their!committee!for!taking!on!
the! 2014! National! Specialty.! I! also! want! to! thank! all! of! the! members! of! their! committee! and!
everyone! that! helped! with! this! huge! undertaking.! There! are! far! too! many! to! name! as! I! would!
surely! miss! someone.! Please! take! the! time! to! thank! anyone! you! know! who! helped! make! this!
another! successful! National! for! SCOA.! I! would! also! like! to! thank! all! of! you! that! attended! the!
National!and!helped!to!contribute!by!spending!your!hard!earned!cash!on!items!that!were!for!sale!
and!at!the!auction.!I!am!very!sorry!that!I!could!not!attend!this!year!as!it!sounds!like!people!had!a!
great!time!and!enjoyed!themselves!during!the!entire!week.!
I! would! also! like! to! say! thank! you! to! the! Bracco! Italiano! Club! of! America! (BICA)! for! joining! us! in! the! first! ever!
shared!National!Specialty.!I!have!heard!nothing!but!great!comments!and!positive!feedback!from!both!BICA!members!
and!SCOA!members.!We!are!in!discussion!to!repeat!this!again!for!next!year!in!Wisconsin.!
Thank!you!to!Patti!Brusk!for!putting!together!a!proposal!for!the!2015!National!in!Wisconsin.!Everyone!can!now!
start!making!plans!to!attend!the!2015!National!!
The! Board! would! love! to! see! proposals! for! future! Nationals! as! the! farther! out! that! we! can! plan! the! better! for!
obtaining!judges’!availability!early!on.!When!you!look!at!all!the!different!venues!we!have!that!require!judges,!you!can!
see!where!finding!the!right!judges!can!be!an!issue,!as!most!judges!plan!out!up!to!three!years.!
I!hope!everyone!had!a!safe!trip!home!and!is!now!rested!up!and!ready!to!start!planning!for!the!upcoming!year.!I!
wish!everyone!a!great!training/testing!season!and!good!luck!to!all.!
!
Thank!you,!
Jeff!Rhodes,!President!
!
!
!
2!
2014 SCOA National Specialty,
Loveland, CO, by Debby Forry
A! great! time! was! had! by! all! at! the! Colorado! “Spinone! with! Altitude”! National! Specialty,!
held! May! 24–30! in! Loveland,! CO,! the! gateway! city! to! beautiful! Estes! Park.! We! had!
attendees!from!coast!to!coast—Alaska!to!New!York!and!beyond!!The!experience!was!one!
not!to!be!missed!!
This!National!was!also!the!inaugural!National!for!the!Bracco!Italiano!Club!of!America!
and!it!was!a!pleasure!to!work!with!their!show!chair,!Marilyn!Vinson,!and!hunt!test!chair,!
Ron! Boehne.! Their! National! was! also! a! huge! success! for! them! and! we! hope! to! see! them!
again! next! year! for! another! Bracco! &! Spinone! Italiano! experience!! The! Bracco! club! was!
invited!to!attend!our!hunting!events,!educational!seminars,!meals!and!show!events.!It!was!
a!pleasurable!learning!experience!for!both!clubs!to!see!how!the!other!dogs!were!different!
in! conformation! but! so! much! the! same! in! loving! temperament! and! hunting.! I! thank! the!
Bracco!Club!of!America!for!the!opportunity!to!work!with!them!and!believe!that!all!enjoyed!
their!hospitality.!!
National!week!started!out!with!two!AKC!Hunt!Tests.!Each!test!was!judged!by!our!own!SCOA!members!Liz!Bodell!
from! Providence,! RI! and! Karen! Lucky! from! Glen! Head,! NY,! along! with! Leo! Bowan! from! Milford,! NE,! and! Michael!
O’Donnell!from!Stafford,!CT.!The!weather!was!perfect!for!our!dogs!and!entrants!with!a!few!stormy!moments!off!in!the!
distance!but!they!luckily!never!intruded!on!our!festivities.!We!had!a!great!crew!of!volunteers!show!up!and!assist!in!
making!the!hunt!test!very!successful.!Chuck!and!I!thank!each!and!every!one!of!them!!A!special!thanks!goes!to!Alyssa!
Pease!for!all!magical!things!that!she!does!every!year.!Her!knowledge!and!expertise!is!invaluable!to!say!the!least!!We!
had! some! bumps! along! the! way! with! the! planning! of! the! hunting! events! with! location! and! regulations! (and! the!
portable!toilet!).!However,!in!the!end!it!all!worked!out!well!and!we!prevailed!with!a!nice!test!site,!great!company!and!
most!Spinone!and!Bracco!entered!finishing!with!new!legs!towards!their!hunting!titles!!A!huge!thank!you!goes!out!to!
Becky!Koch!and!Dirk!Subota!as!the!two!of!them!were!very!generous!with!their!time!and!awesome!cameras!taking!lots!
of!photographs.!They!did!a!beautiful!job!capturing!all!the!hunt!test!moments!!!
The! host! hotel! was! the! Best! Western! Crossroads,! and! GM,! Todd! McIntyre! and! his! entire! staff! was! very!
accommodating,!professional!and!a!pleasure!to!work!with.!If!the!National!ever!comes!back!to!Colorado,!I!would!not!
hesitate!to!work!with!them!again.!!
I’d!like!to!share!some!pictures!of!the!table!decorations!used!in!the!banquet!rooms!at!the!hotel.!The!arrangements!
definitely!captured!the!“Spinone!with!Altitude”!theme!and!with!that,!a!huge!thank!you!to!Susan!Doty,!the!local!Denver!
artist!that!was!very!generous!with!her!time!decorating!each!and!every!beautiful!balloon.!She!definitely!made!the!room!
look! like! a! balloon! festival! of! its! own!! Also,! Thanks! to! the! Rocky! Mountain! Regional! members! for! getting! together,!
making! the! paper! mache! balloons! in! preparation! for! Susan! to! do! her! magic!! Kudos! to! Mat! and! Abby! Hughey,! Susie!
Pool,!Pam!Ramirez,!Barbara!Ray,!Evelyn!Sullivan!and!my!sister!Rebecca!Van!Ess!!!
“The! Ranch”,! home! of! the! specialty! and! events! during! the! week,! proved! to! be! a! perfect! venue! for! this! year’s!
specialty!! The! staff! made! the! complex! planning! portion! of! this! event! an! easier! task! and! their! assistance! was! much!
appreciated!!
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3!
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I!would!also!like!to!thank!my!sister,!Rebecca!Van!Ess!for!all!her!ideas!and!talent!in!designing!the!decorations;!she!is!
a!class!act!for!sure!!The!venue!definitely!looked!like!what!Susie!and!I!had!envisioned!when!she!was!finished.!!
It!takes!a!mountain!of!volunteers!to!pull!an!event!like!this!off!and!if!I!missed!anyone!specifically,!I!want!you!all!to!
know!that!I!thank!you!all!for!your!commitment!and!assistance!in!putting!on!a!great!National!Specialty!!!
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!
4!
We!offered!fun!events!for!the!juniors!attending!our!National!this!year.!
The!National!Juniors!committee!did!a!fabulous!job!bringing!these!young!
people! together! with! a! “Meet! &! Greet”,! Ice! Cream! social! and! grooming!
seminar.! Leslie! Miller! was! a! class! act! in! regards! to! these! events! with!
these!juniors!and!her!hard!work!was!appreciated.!Each!junior!received!a!
special! welcome! packet! put! together! by! the! committee! and! I! was!
informed!from!them!all!that!they!enjoyed!the!events!and!interacting!with!
each! other.! Leslie! took! time! to! watch! and! support! the! junior!
showmanship! competition! and! they! all! appreciated! her! help! and!
guidance!! Great! job! juniors! committee!! Thank! you! Jeanie,! Shannon! and!
Leslie!!
The!specialty!committee!offered!some!really!good!seminars!this!year.!
The! schedule! was! tight,! but! I! think! all! in! all! the! seminars! were! well! attended! and! received.! Thank! you! to! all! the!
volunteers! that! participated! in! the! planning! and! execution! of! the! educational! seminars! and! this! event.! There! were!
volunteers!both!visible!on!the!scene!and!volunteers!behind!the!scenes.!Judges!coordinator,!Geri!Rosman,!played!a!very!
important!role!in!making!sure!our!judges!were!taken!care!of!from!start!to!finish.!This!is!a!very!time!consuming!job!
that! a! lot! of! people! forget! about,! she! sends! out! judges! contracts,! coordinates! travel! arrangements,! dietary! requests!
and!much!more.!A!big!thank!you!to!Kim!Vanderbilt!for!her!role!in!judges’!communication!as!well;!she!was!a!great!asset!
in!speaking!with!our!foreign!judges.!All!in!all!I!am!very!grateful!for!all!the!help!I!received!with!the!National!Specialty!
and!the!Colorado!experience!was!one!to!enjoy!and!remember!for!years!to!come.!I!could!not!have!done!this!without!the!
help!from!everyone,!from!the!committee,!the!SCOA!board!and!our!members,!exhibitors!and!supporters!!Thank!you!all!
again!!
I!look!forward!to!seeing!you!all!at!the!Olympia!Resort!in!Oconomowoc,!WI.!!
Sincerely,!Debby!Forry,!Show!Chair!
!
And from the Co-chair, by Susie Pool
As!Co.chair!it!was!quite!a!week—actually!quite!a!year.!It!was!A!LOT!of!work!but!I!loved!being!involved!and!helping.!
Even!though!there!were!a!few!issues,!all!in!all!it!was!a!great!week.!The!hunt!test!went!off!without!a!hitch!thanks!to!all!
the! people! who! jumped! in! to! help! where! needed.! The! weather! cooperated,! thank! goodness,! because! you! just! never!
know! what! the! weather! is! going! to!be! like! in!Colorado! in! May.! We! had! quite! a! few! items! for! our! raffle! and! our! live!
auction,!and!it!was!a!success!!!THANK!YOU,!EVERYONE,!for!donating.!And!a!special!thanks!goes!out!to!Brian!and!Mat!
for!being!the!auctioneers,!to!Patti!and!Carol!Toth!for!keeping!track!of!what!was!sold,!and!to!the!junior!handlers!for!
helping!by!walking!around!with!the!items.!We!had!so!many!things!that!we!had!to!continue!the!next!night!!
We!had!a!fantastic!entry!in!all!of!the!classes!with!a!very!good!representation!of!our!breed.!All!of!the!judges!were!
very!pleased!with!the!entry.!Congratulations!to!all!of!the!winners.!We!really!had!an!impressive!entry,!especially!since!
this!is!the!first!time!the!National!Specialty!has!been!in!Colorado.!Everyone!seemed!to!have!a!good!time,!but!what!is!not!
to!like!about!being!around!friends!you!haven't!seen!for!quite!a!while!and!the!dogs!!Remember,!it!is!about!the!Spinoni,!
having!a!good!time,!getting!together,!and!being!a!good!sport,!whether!you!win!or!lose.!!
I!hope!you!all!enjoyed!Colorado!and!were!able!to!do!a!bit!of!sight!seeing.!A!week!is!really!not!long!enough!!So!come!
back!and!visit,!and!we'll!go!have!a!Colorado!beer!!!
THANKS!AGAIN!TO!EVERYONE!WHO!HELPED,!WE!COULDN'T!HAVE!DONE!IT!WITHOUT!YOU!!
Susie!Pool,!Co.chair!
!
Hunt Tests, by Judge Liz Bodell
Approximately!130!Spinoni!arrived!in!weather.perfect!Loveland,!Colorado!for!the!Spinone!Italiano!National!Specialty,!
fabulously!organized!by!the!indefatigable!show!chair!Debby!Forry!and!co.chair,!Susie!Pool.!Field!events!were!held!at!
beautiful! Cobb! Lake! SWA! in! Fort! Collins,! and! all! other! events! and! seminars! were! held! at! the! enormous! “Budweiser!
Ranch! at! Larimer! County! Fairgrounds.”! The! Best! Western! Crossroads! Inn! and! Conference! Center! was! a! wonderful!
host!hotel.!The!staff!bent!over!backwards!to!make!our!stay!great.!
We! were! thrilled! to! welcome! our! “cousins,”! The! Bracco! Italiano! Club! of! America,! as! participants! in! our! national!
specialty!events.!
Five!a.m.!on!Saturday,!May!24th!saw!our!untiring!Hunt!Test!Secretary,!Alyssa!Pease,!rounding!up!Hunt!Test!Judges!
by!waving!coffee!under!their!noses!and!bustling!us!into!crates…ummm…I!mean!cars!to!head!off!to!Cobb!Lake!for!the!
first! day! of! hunt! tests.! Two! teams! of! judges,! Leo! Boman! with! Mike! O’Donnell,! and! Karen! Luckey! with! yours! truly,!
alternated!on!a!beautiful!course!with!spectacular!views!of!the!snow!peaked!Rockies!in!the!distance.!We!had!a!good!
number! of! qualifiers,! but! more! importantly! we! saw! some! really! excellent! Spinoni! and! Bracci! in! the! field.! We! were!
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5!
privileged!to!watch!one!junior!hunter!Spinone!entrant!perform!a!superb!impromptu!“duck!search”!on!his!way!to!the!
bird!field!(all!judges!WANT!that!dog).!
Watching! the! Bracci! and! Spinoni! work! the! cover! using! that! ground.eating! trot! is! truly! a! thing! of! beauty.!
Sunday!brought!another!full!day!of!hunt!testing!and!Monday!the!NAVHDA!test,!hosted!by!the!Rocky!Mountain!Chapter!
of! NAVHDA.! We! welcomed! senior! NAVHDA! judge,! Ron! Boehme,! (and! owner! of! Multi! Bello! Bracci,)! who! joined! the!
tireless! Leo! Boman,! and! SCOA! member! judge,! Jack! Clendenny,! to! judge! the! test.! The! Hunt! Test! Event! Chair,! Chuck!
Forry,!came!through!with!flying!colors!when!he!single!handedly!solved!the!missing!porta.potty!debacle.!
!
NAVHDA Tests, by Joe Masar
The!NAVHDA!(North!
American!
Versatile!
ROCKY MOUNTAIN
20140106
5/26/2014
Hunting! Dog! Association)!
Test! was! held! on!Monday,!
May! 26.! For! me! it! is! the!
highlight! of! the! testing!
done! at! the! National.! This!
year!there!were!eight!dogs!
participating:! two! in! the!
Utility! test! and! six! in! the!
Natural!Ability.!There!were!
a! total! of! four!Spinoni.!
These! tests! are! only!
accomplished!
by!
a!
dedicated!
crew!
of!
volunteers! and! judges!
without!whom!we!could!not!
have! done! it.! Many! thanks!
go! to!NAVHDA! judges!
Jack!Clendenny,!
Leo!
Bowman,!and!Ron!Boehme.!
Hats! off! to! the! Volunteers:!
Bobbi!
Benson!
and!
Jeff!Henke,!Debby!and!Chuck!Forry,!Mat!Hughey,!Elizabeth!and!Lowell!Kaufhold,!Tony!and!Becky!Koch,!Joe!and!Penny!
Masar,!Dirk!and!Candice!Sobota,!and!all!those!whose!names!have!escaped!me.!!
For!those!not!familiar!with!a!NAVHDA!test,!there!are!two!categories:!Natural!Ability!(any!pup!under!16!months!of!
age)!and!Utility!(no!age!limit).!Utility!consists!of!field!work!and!water!work!phases!with!judging!based!on!a!specific!list!
of!criteria!to!be!met.!There!were!no!Spinoni!participating!in!this!test.!The!Natural!Ability!test!consists!of!three!phases:!
search! in! the! field,! tracking! of! a! live! pheasant,! and! swimming.! Dogs! are! judged! on! Nose,! Search,! Water,! Pointing,!
Tracking,!Desire,!and!Cooperation.!Any!dog!meeting!the!criteria!is!then!awarded!a!prize!classification:!Prize!I,!Prize!II,!
or!Prize!III.!Scoring!is!done!numerically!with!112!points!being!the!maximum!score!possible.!Please!see!above!for!the!
results! of! all! tests! completed! that! day.! Since! this! is! just! considered! a! snap! shot! (roughly! sixty! minutes)! of! a! dog’s!
ability!it!does!not!always!reflect!the!true!ability!of!a!dog.!Everyone!who!ran!should!be!proud!of!their!dog!in!knowing!
that!in!possible!failure!they!still!have!an!animal!better!trained!than!most.!
In!addition,!for!whoever!takes!this!on!in!the!future,!don't!be!afraid!to!ask!for!guidance!where!needed.!People!who!
have!participated!in!these!know!what!it!takes!to!put!them!together.!
NATURAL ABILITY TEST
DOGS NAME
BIRD MTNS KILL EM ALL
SIRE-QUODIAN'S GLEN TALLOCH
DAM -KONZA VADASZ HUNTER COUNTY
SEX
(M)
BREED YR-MO
N S W P T D
WV
0-5
4
3
4 4
4
4
BREEDER- BRYAN JOHNSON
AMANDA L JOHNSON
CACCIA CANE JEDI PRINCESS
SIRE-CACCIA CANE IAN OF ISIS
DAM -CACCIA CANE HER HURLEY GIRL
(F)
SP
COLLINA D'ORO TORNADO ALLE AT CACCIA CANE
SIRE-DARBY CANYON MICK JAGGER
DAM -CACCIA CANE IVY LEAGUE COLLINA D'ORO
(F)
SP
1-3
4
2
4 4
BREEDER- STACEY A BELT
LORNE A BELT
IVAN VOM STILLWATER
SIRE-VC SHARP SHOOTERS MAN IN BLACK
DAM -VC GILLY VOM BERGLAND
(M)
GS
1-1
4
4
4 3
4
BREEDER- TATE D STRATTON
SAGEBRUSH'S LILY OF MOUNTAIN VALLEY
(F)
SIRE-BRIER CREEK NOCELLO DI DEMETRIO AT MOUNTAIN
DAM -MOUNTAIN VALLEY LOIS LANE
SP
1-0
4
4
4 4
4
BREEDER- JOSEPH H MASAR
PENNY MASAR
SAGEBRUSH'S RUELLIA OF MOUNTAIN VALLEY
(F)
SIRE-BRIER CREEK NOCELLO DI DEMETRIO AT MOUNTAIN
DAM -MOUNTAIN VALLEY LOIS LANE
SP
C
4
TOT
107
2
92
III
NAVHDA-SP-002619 WHELPED-8/27/13 Not Gun Shy
TEMP-Normal COAT-Medium Dense Medium Harsh
HANDLER-JEFFREY J HENKE
3
4
98
III
NAVHDA-SP-002565 WHELPED-2/20/13 Not Gun Shy
TEMP-Normal COAT-Dense Medium Harsh
HANDLER-BOBETTE L BENSON
4
3
106
I
NAVHDA-GS-014804 WHELPED-4/15/13 Not Gun Shy
TEMP-Normal COAT-Dense Medium Harsh
HANDLER-WILLIAM M HENDERSON
4
4
112
I
NAVHDA-SP-002552 WHELPED-5/18/13 Not Gun Shy
TEMP-Normal COAT-Dense Medium Harsh
HANDLER-JOSEPH H MASAR
3
3
86
None NAVHDA-SP-002597 WHELPED-5/18/13 Not Gun Shy
TEMP-Normal COAT-Medium Dense Medium Harsh
HANDLER-DIRK K SOBOTA
T/OUT
44443
TOT
185
OWNER- BRYAN JOHNSON
AMANDA L JOHNSON
0-8
4
2
4 4
3
3
BREEDER- BOBETTE L BENSON
Prize
II
NAVHDA-WV-000719 WHELPED-12/18/13 Not Gun Shy
TEMP-Normal COAT-Medium Dense Medium Harsh
HANDLER-BRYAN JOHNSON
TEETH: PUPPY TEETH
OWNER- BOBETTE L BENSON
4
OWNER- BOBETTE L BENSON
TEETH: MISSING 205
OWNER- DWIGHT S ANDERSON
OWNER- JOSEPH H MASAR
PENNY MASAR
1-0
4
4
4 0
2
BREEDER- JOSEPH H MASAR
PENNY MASAR
OWNER- DIRK K SOBOTA
UTILITY TEST TEST
DOGS NAME
KILLBUCK'S TEX
SIRE-VC CEDARWOODS LEXINGTON BROWN
DAM -KILLBUCK'S MONA
SEX
(M)
BREED YR-MO WATER
FIELD
PP
3-10
12444
44444
BREEDER- WILLIAM ATHENS
Prize
None NAVHDA-PP-002670 WHELPED-7/24/10
TEMP-Normal COAT-Medium Dense Medium Harsh
HANDLER-WILLIAM M HENDERSON
OWNER- WILLIAM M HENDERSON
MARSHFIELD'S EKHART V MONTE
SIRE-SCARECROW'S WINOOSKI RIVER
DAM -MARSHFIELD'S AOIDE
(M)
GS
3-10
33444
44334
BREEDER- TODD D CHRISMAN
OWNER- CRAIG R MCLAUGHLIN
JANA MCLAUGHLIN
!
6!
44433
TEETH: EXTRA 205
186
II
NAVHDA-GS-012751 WHELPED-7/22/10
TEMP-Normal COAT-Dense Medium Harsh
HANDLER-CRAIG R MCLAUGHLIN
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Bracco Show, by Marilyn Vinson, Chair
As! show! coordinator! for! the! Bracco! Italiano! Club! of! America! at! the! Nationals! in! Loveland,! I'd!
like!to!express!our!thanks!for!the!wonderful!time!you!all!gave!us.!
Most!Bracco!people!are!new!to!shows!run!by!AKC!rules!and!what!a!great!introduction!you!
gave!us!!The!hunt!tests!were!outstanding.!The!friendly!support!and!encouragement!of!Spinone!
people!made!it!so!much!fun.!A!number!of!Bracco!won!ribbons!in!Junior!Hunter!and!they!plan!to!
complete! the! AKC! title.! The! judges! were! wonderful,! knowledgeable,! encouraging! and! fun.! It’s!
great!when!you!can!see!they!are!enjoying!what!they!do!and!the!dogs!!
Conformation! was! a! blast!! We! so! appreciate! the! judges! you! shared! with! us.! Everyone—
winner!or!not—had!a!great!time.!The!ring!set!ups,!the!decorations,!the!dinners,!lunches,!favors;!
SCOA! is! a! class! act.! You! made! it! look! easy! to! learn! how! a! Nationals! functions! and! we! look!
forward! to! doing! it! with! you! again.! Mostly,! thank! you! for! the! friendliness! shown! to! all! of! us.! You! made! it! such! a!
positive!experience!and!one!we!want!to!repeat.!
Special!thank!you!to!Debby!Forry!for!her!patience,!knowledge!and!expertise.!Thanks!to!each!and!every!one!of!you!!
National Specialty Week Results
Fun Match, by Dana Graff, Judge
My! BOB! winner! was! Dry! Grass! Rhythm! of! My! Heart! and! my! BOS! was! Amico! Peloso!
Snowbird!at!Standfast!(Daina!Hodges’s!Feathers).!I!did!enjoy!it!a!lot!and!Bob!Steele!as!my!
ring!steward!was!a!great!help.!I!also!enjoyed!judging!the!Bracci!and!was!thankful!that!the!
Bracci!owners!were!so!nice.!I!really!can’t!tell!you!who!my!winners!were!because!I!never!
really!got!their!registered!names.!I!can!tell!you!that!I!was!very!impressed!with!the!puppies!
Best%Puppy%&%Best%In%Match.
coming!up.!Their!coats!were!wonderful!and!I!saw!a!lot!of!very!nice!puppies.!
Dry!Grass!Rhythm!Of!My!Heart!
!
Best%Opposite%Puppy%In%
Match.Amico!Peloso!Snowbird!
at!Standfast!
Fun Match, by Stacey Belt, Chair
The! 2014! Spinone! National! Fun! Match! was! FUN!! There! were! beautiful,! funny! young!
puppies,! the! youngest! being! 15! weeks! old! and! Open! class! dogs! and! bitches! who! aren’t! !
champions,! but! show! real! promise.! Dana! Graff,! with! a! gentle! hand! and! soft! voice! greeted! these! young! dogs,!
occasionally!laughing!at!the!typical!Spinone!antics!!Judge!Graff’s!ring!was!expertly!and!with!humor!organized!by!Bob!
Steele.!Best!of!Breed!was!awarded!to!Dry!Grass!Rhythm!of!My!Heart,!handled!by!Helena!Van!Ess!from!the!9.12!mo.!
Dog!class,!and!BOS!to!Daina!Hodges!Amico!Peloso!Snowbird!at!Standfast!from!the!6.9!month!Bitch!Class!!All!the!pups!
entered!in!the!fun!match!were!awarded!a!new!‘stuffie’!!
!
7!
!
!
Junior Showmanship:
Judge Robin Hug
National Specialty High In Trial:
Judge Sue Oviatt-Harris
Best%Junior:%Matelyn!
Cobban.!Open!
Intermediate!
CH!Amico!Peloso’s!
Here!Comes!The!Sun!
Handled%by:%Mattie!
Cobban,!Novice!B!
Class!
CH!Amico!Peloso’s!
Here!Comes!The!Sun!
National Puppy & Veteran Sweepstakes, by Robin Hug, Judge
What!an!honor!it!was!to!judge!your!Spinone!Italiano!sweepstakes.!The!first!puppy!dog!walked!into!my!ring!and!I!
thought!“wow,!what!a!lovely!puppy,!this!could!be!my!Grand!sweepstakes!winner.”!But!to!my!delight!the!dogs!just!kept!
getting!better.!I!had!only!one!or!two!“naughty”!dogs!and!really!they!were!just!not!trained!as!well!as!some!of!the!others.!
Gorgeous!heads!with!good!proportions,!good!bone,!correct!topline!and!coats!with!correct!texture!was!the!norm!with!
this!lovely!entry.!I!was!thrilled!with!having!to!make!some!very!critical!decisions,!as!the!entry!was!so!good.!The!bitches!
were!as!good!if!not!better!then!the!males.!
When! the! Best! in! Sweepstakes! was! assembled,! it! was! a! beautiful! sight! filled! with! outstanding! young! Spinoni!
Italiani.! I! again! had! to! be! very! critical! and! weigh! (as! a! breeder! would)! what! would! be! deemed! most! important!
qualities.!So!I!reexamined!and!gaited!the!dogs!and!awarded!Best!in!Sweepstakes!to!the!handsome!9.12!month!male!
and!Best!of!Opposite!to!the!lovely!9.12!month!bitch,!both!with!exceptional!movement!as!well!as!type.!!
Not!to!be!outdone!by!the!youngsters,!the!Veterans!came!in!and!one!by!one!I!worked!through!sound!conditioned!
Spinone!Italiano!Veterans.!Again!I!had!choices!and!really!it!came!down!to!who!showed!the!best!as!all!of!my!veterans!
had!excellent!Spinone!qualities.!I!
awarded! Best! Veteran! to! a!
sound,! conditioned! Veteran!
bitch! who! exuded! type.! I! was!
pleased!with!my!entry!and!while!
taking! photos! with! these! lovely!
dogs! was! informed! that! my!
Sweepstakes! winners! were!
siblings! and! my! Veteran! was!
their! dam.! Thank! you! again! for!
allowing! me! the! pleasure! of!
judging! your! lovely! Spinoni!
Italiani.!
!
Best%Puppy%In%Sweeps!.!Dry!
Grass!Rhythm!Of!My!Heart!
Best%Of%Opposite%In%Puppy%
Sweeps%>!Dry!Grass!Dagenham!
Girl!
!
8!
!
!
Best%Veteran%In%Sweeps!.!CH!
Mountain!Valley!Imagine!That!JH!
CD!RN!
Best%Of%Opposite%In%Veteran%Sweeps%
.!CH!Gisa’s!Fantasia!Of!Isis!CD!RE!BN!
National Specialty, by Dr. Michele Ivaldi, Judge
Thank!you!again!for!the!invitation.!I!have!really!
enjoyed!the!show!and!I!wish!I!had!more!time!to!
stay! in! Colorado,! to! attend! the! trials! and! to!
socialize!with!the!breeders.!I!hope!to!be!able!to!
attend!another!National!as!spectator!or!maybe!
as!an!exhibitor.!
Here!are!a!few!comments!about!the!general!
quality! of! the! exhibits.! My! impression! is! good,!
especially!on!Brown!Roans!that!have!shown!to!
me! more! rusticity! than! White! and! Oranges.! I!
had!the!impression!that!B/R!dogs!are!more!in!
the!hands!of!“the!connoisseurs”,!while!W/O!are!
more!for!the!show!fanciers.!I!have!judged!as!a!
breeder/specialist! and! not! as! an! allrounder! of!
course;!it!means!that!I!didn’t!care!much!of!the!
grooming,!presentations!and!weight!conditions!
of! my! exhibits.! I! have! to! admit! that! many!
dogs! were! groomed! too! much! and/or! in! a! Best%Of%Breed%.!CH!Couchfield’s!Puccini!Del!Mucrone!
completely! wrong! way,! probably! by! Best%Of%Opposite%Sex%.!CH!Applaus!For!Princess!Three!Colour!Beauty!
groomers!that!have!never!read!the!Standard.! !
My!advice!for!them!is!to!groom!a!Spinone!with!the!Standard!in! one!hand!and!the!stripping!knife!in!the!other!hand,!
even!if!I!believe!that!the!ideal!coat!shouldn’t!need!any!stripping.!Some!dogs!and!bitches!were!in!overweight!so!I!had!to!
imagine!them!in!working!conditions!and!with!not!much!grooming!to!have!the!real!picture!of!their!quality,!and!I!think!
it!worked.!!
I! would! like! to! suggest! the! breeders! to! dock! tails! longer:! a! tail,! when! bent! down,! should! reach! to! cover! the!
“genitals”,! and! most! of! the! exhibits! were! docked! too! short.! What! is! really! a! positive! sign! is! that! I! have! found!
outstanding!dogs!from!the!Puppy!to!the!Veteran!class,!and!it!means!that!the!breed!is!living!a!golden!age.!It!would!have!
been!a!bad!sign!to!find!good!dogs!only!among!the!Champions!and!the!Veterans.!
I!am!writing!these!notes!after!having!checked!the!catalogue!and!the!pedigrees!of!some!dogs!I!placed!and!liked!and!
I!am!impressed!by!the!good!job!many!breeders!have!done!not!only!by!importing!well,!but!also!combining!the!Italian!
blood!lines!right,!I!really!hope!that!this!has!worked!also!on!the!health!side!and!not!only!on!the!conformation/hunting!
side.!!
The!Spinoni!on!my!final!line!up!would!win!in!any!country!of!the!world.!!
!
9!
Best%Of%Winners,%Winners%Dog%.!Collina!D’Oro!Rock!You!Like!A!Hurricane!
Select%Dog%.!GCH!Dry!Grass!Chill!Winston!Uncleruckus!JH!
Select%Bitch%&%Best%Veteran%.!CH!Mountain!Valley!Imagine!That!JH!CD!RN!!
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Award%Of%Merit%.!GCH!Darby!Canyon!Mick!Jagger!
Award%Of%Merit%.!CH!Couchfield’s!Donatella!Del!Mucrone!(not!pictured)!
Award%Of%Merit,%Winners%Bitch%&%Best%Bred%By!.!Dry!Grass!Dagenham!Girl!
!
Reserve%Winners%Dog%.!Bela’s!Plan!B!!
Reserve%Winners%Bitch!.!Pureimagination!Up!All!Night!To!Get!Lucky!CGC!
Best%Puppy%.!Dry!Grass!Rhythm!Of!My!Heart!
!
!
10!
Field%Dog!.!GCH!Stellar!Point!
Worth!The!Wait!JH!CGC!
!
Parent Club Specialty Sweepstakes, by James A. Fehring, Judge
I!want!to!first!say!thank!you!for!the!opportunity!that!was!recently!provided!to!me!to!judge!the!sweepstakes!events!at!
the!SCOA!Parent!Club!Specialty!in!Colorado.!I!considered!it!to!be!an!honor!and!privilege!to!be!able!to!judge!both!your!
youngsters!and!your!veterans!and!be!able!to!see!such!a!large!number!of!quality!representatives!of!your!breed.!I!have!
been!watching!your!breed!since!its!addition!to!the!AKC!Sporting!Group!and!can!attest!to!the!quality!of!the!dogs!that!I!
see!in!the!rings!today.!You!are!to!be!commended!and!I!hope!you!continue!to!breed!and!exhibit!such!excellent!quality!
Spinoni.!
I!found!that!there!were!a!lot!of!very!nice!dogs!to!choose!from!in!the!Sweepstakes.!But!for!me,!my!SBIS!and!SBOS!
winners!stood!out!from!all!the!other!class!winners.!I!attempted!to!select!my!placements!based!on!finding!dogs!with!a!
correct!square!profile!with!appropriate!broken!topline!and!solid!well.arched!loin!as!well!as!that!lovely!Spinone!head!
(including! its! divergent! planes).! Additionally! muscular,! powerful,! vigorous! and! robust! dogs! that! were! balanced! and!
neither! overdone! or! slight! were! preferred! in! my! placements.! Coat! quality! and! thick! skin! were! also! included! in!
selecting!the!dogs!with!the!most!virtue.!My!final!selections!were!pulled!from!my!class!winners!based!on!that!special!
Spinone!“look”.!They!both!had!that!almost!human!expression!that!would!melt!your!heart!and!make!me!want!to!take!
either!of!them!home!with!me,!which!in!all!of!my!judging!is!my!final!criteria.!
I! was! very! excited! to! learn! after! my! judging! was! completed! that! my! Best! In! Sweepstakes! winner! was! also!
WD/BOW! to! finish! his! championship! at! the! National! Specialty! and! my! Best! of! Opposite! Sex! winner! was! WB/JAM!
under!respected!breed!specialist!Dr.!Michele!Ivaldi!from!Italy.
I! have! to! admit! that! I! have! come! to! admire! this! breed! and! hope! to! be! able! to! be! considered! a! good! judge! of! the!
breed!when!I!apply!to!judge!them!for!later!this!year.!I!certainly!hope!that!all!the!exhibitors!enjoyed!my!judging!and!
felt!that!I!gave!everyone!an!equal!opportunity!to!showcase!the!virtues!of!their!dogs.!I!know!that!I!thoroughly!enjoyed!
this!assignment!and!would!put!it!at!the!very!top!of!my!all.time!favorite!Sweepstakes!assignments!(I!have!done!many,!
including!at!the!ASC!Flushing!Spaniel!Show!and!other!very!large!entry!competitions).
I! also! wanted! to! express! my! thanks! to! your! judge’s! education! folks.! This! was! my! third! time! attending! the! SCOA!
Judge’s! Education! Seminar! and! Hands.on! Workshop! and! the! SCOA! presentations! are! top! notch,! and! I! can! say! that! I!
have!never!attended!any!that!I!would!consider!to!be!better.!Suzanne!Hudson!and!Carolyn!Fry!are!to!be!commended!
and! you! should! all! be! very! proud! of! the!
wonderful! job! they! do! in! educating! judges!
about!this!wonderful!breed.
Last! but! not! least,! I! want! to! thank! Debby!
Forry! and! her! show! committee! for! their!
excellent!National!Specialty!and!for!taking!care!
of! arranging! my! accommodations.! Your! dinner!
and! auction! was! excellent.! I! would! have! loved!
to! mingle! a! bit! at! the! dinner! and! auction,! but!
with!my!judging!the!following!day,!that!was!not!
appropriate.!The!judge’s!gift!I!received!and!the!
Welcome!Basket!that!I!was!given!on!check.in!at!
the!Hotel!were!very!much!appreciated.
GREAT! JOB! EVERYONE! IN! SCOA! WHO!
WORKED!TO!MAKE!THIS!EVENT!A!SUCCESS!!
Best%In%Parent%Club%Puppy%Sweeps!.!Collina!D’Oro!Rock!You!Like!A!Hurricane
Best%Of%Opposite%In%Parent%Club%Puppy%Sweeps!.!Dry!Grass!Dagenham!Girl!(not!pictured)!
Best%Veteran%In%Parent%Club%Veteran%Sweep%.!GCH!Bella’s!Presto!Change.O!
Best%Of%Opposite%in%Parent%Club%Veteran%Sweeps%.!CH!Spinfandel!In.!A.Tizzy!Ezabella!JH!
!
SCOA Parent Club Specialty 2014, by Jo Ann Colvin, Judge
I!would!first!like!to!thank!SCOA!for!inviting!me!to!judge!the!2014!Parent!Club!Specialty.!The!accommodations!show!
site,!and!hospitality!were!perfect.!
I’d!like!to!share!a!few!words!about!the!dogs/bitches!that!I!placed.!My!priorities!were!outline,!top!line,!head,!coat!
texture,!side!movement,!and!tail!set.!In!my!opinion!the!dogs!I!placed!were!square!in!outline.!They!had!a!correct!two.
piece!top!line!with!arch!of!neck.!I!especially!liked!the!reach!and!drive!on!the!side!of!all!the!exhibits!I!placed.!Best!of!
Breed!is!an!exceptionally!typey!bitch!with!a!lovely!and!correct!head.!The!Best!of!Opposite!was!a!male!of!good!size!and!
substance,!rustic!but!elegant!with!a!correct!coat.!
!
11!
I! try! to! judge! looking! at!
positives! rather! than! faults.!
There! were! some! concerns,!
however,!that!struck!me.!First!
was! the! amount! of! grooming!
in! a! breed! that! should! be!
basically! natural.! Grooming,!
especially! of! the! heads,! was!
confusing.! I! believe! any! breed!
should!
be!
instantly!
recognizable! as! that! breed!
only.!One!should!not!look!at!a!
Spinone! and! think! Otter!
Hound! or! Deerhound.! When! a!
perfectly! nice! and! correct!
head!is!groomed!to!look!like!a!
hound!or!working!breed!it!is!a!
disservice! to! the! animal.! Less!
is! more!! The! Spinone! is! not! a! Best%Of%Breed!.!BISS!GCH!Couchfield’s!Giada!At!Dry!Grass!
“fancy”! dog.! Overuse! of! Best%Of%Opposite%Sex%.!GCH!Darby!Canyon!Mick!Jaggar!
products! in! the! coats! tended!
to!soften!some,!once!again!downplaying!a!breed!hallmark.!Please!note!these!are!man.made!faults!and!easily!corrected.!
Several!years!ago!I!judged!the!sweepstakes!at!the!SCOA!NSS!in!Illinois.!Looking!back,!I!found!the!present!group!of!
dogs!in!Colorado!to!be!much!more!consistent!in!type.!There!is!also!a!great!improvement!in!soundness!and!movement.!
Temperaments!were!excellent.!All!in!all,!your!breeders!can!be!proud!of!their!progress!and!anticipate!a!bright!future!
for!the!breed.!
!
!
Best%Of%Winners%&%Winners%Bitch%.!Camkota!The!Contender!
Winners%Dog%.!Mountain!Valley!Perro!Arnold!
Select%Dog%.!CH!Couchfield’s!Puccini!Del!Mucrone!
Select%Bitch%.!GCH!Del!Mare!Keep!My!Resolution!!
!
!
Award%Of%Merit%.!GCH!Bela’s!This!Time!It’s!Hudson!
Award%Of%Merit!.!GCH!Quattro!Zampe!Micca!JH!
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12!
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Obedience & Rally Candids!
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13!
Junior Showmanship—The Future of Our Breed….Candids!
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All!the!candid!pictures!taken!at!the!National!can!be!viewed!at!the!below!links!below,!Click!on!the!!"Drop!Box"!links!to!
view!the!pictures.!ENJOY!!
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https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2sh5qq0wqlxfl5m/AAAmiZXQf1z1XPFJp14tOQCxa!
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6amysoni3zgh2td/AAAEg8bwv5BrgVyoogniRnQ2a!
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/f4tx6eep9vi2t11/AAC9UfSBRB0N5vEzSdnmVlJYa!
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8487g04edb1qld2/AAAfRsVPu5cRK5OXPP4dCKbH!!
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18!
Spinone Olympics: Fun, Games
and Even Fashion, by Patti Hight
This!year’s!national!was!a!great!time!filled!with!fun!events.!The!Spinone!Olympics,!held!at!the!
end!of!the!week,!was!a!prime!opportunity!for!owner!and!dog!pairs!to!have!a!blast!together.!And,!
they!didn’t!disappoint!!
The! Olympics! kicked! off! with! the! popular! Musical%
Circles,!similar!to!musical!chairs,!set!to!the!tune!of!circus!
music.!The!cheering!gallery!did!a!great!job!rooting!for!the!
Olympians!as!they!worked!with!their!owners!in!tow!!
Our!next!event,!the!Tennis%Ball%Retrieve,!had!owners!
scrambling! in! a! sea! of! tennis! balls! encouraging! their! dog!
partners! to! please! pick! up! and! deliver.! And,! in! a! similar!
but! much! more! comic.filled! effort,! we! ended! our! annual!
games! with! the! Milk>Bone% Retrieve.! This! one! had! our!
cheering! gallery! in! stitches! as! many! dogs! enjoyed! their!
free!snack!while!their!owners!encouraged!them!to!do!less!chewing!and!more!retrieving.!!
For!our!closing!ceremonies,!the!Spinone!Olympics!included!perhaps!the!most!exciting!highlight!of!all:!the!Costume!
Contest.!And,!what!a!show!!Below!is!a!list!of!our!distinguished!gold.medal!winners:!
!
Best%Highest>Flying%Spinone:%
Spinone%with%Altitude%River!(with!
Evan!Emmons)%
Best%Air>Powered%Spinone:%Kite%
Ember!(with!Sam!Emmons)!
!
!
Best%Rock%Star:%Elvis%
Samuel!as!Elvis!(with!
Barbara!Ray)!
!
Best%Extinct%Animal:%Dinosaur%
Maizie!
Best%Outdoor%Activity:%Butterfly%
Catching%Stella!with!Kim!VanReman%
Best%Insect:%LadyBug%
Gracie%
!
Best%Royalty:%Princess%
Lucy!(with!Francesca)!
%
Best%Road%Team:%Bad%
to%the%Bone%
Floyd!with!Becky!Tevis!
!
!
!
!
Many!thanks!to!all!who!participated!!You!make!this!event!so!much!fun.!We!can’t!wait!to!do!it!again!next!year!!
!
19!
2014 Photo Contest Winners, by Bobbi Benson
Thank! you! to! everyone! who! submitted! photos! for! the! contest! this! year.! There! were! many! great!
pictures!and!Kandi!and!I!will!have!a!lot!to!work!with!getting!the!2015!calendar!ready!to!print.!Also!
a!huge!Thank!You!to!everyone!who!helped!put!the!contest!together!and!counted!the!ballots.!Your!
hard!work!did!not!go!unnoticed.!Well!done!!
!
Each!winner!will!receive!a!free!copy!of!the!2015!SCOA!Calendar.!Congratulations!!
!
Puppy:!Falco,!Owner:!Cynthia!Myers!
Best%Friends:!Mr.!Moots,!Owner:!!
Dianne!Zinchini!
Just%Being%Spinone:!Arnie,!Owners:!!
Penny!and!Joe!Masar!
Field%and%Water:!Floyd,!Owner:!Becky!Tevis!
Cover%Winner:%Floyd!!
!
Bronze Head, by Bobbi Benson
Tina! Steffans! from! Holland,! a! Bracco! breeder! and! member! of! the! Bracco/Spinone! Club! of!
Holland!very!generously!donated!a!lovely!bronze!head!to!SCOA.!Ms.!Steffans!hopes!it!could!
be!awarded!to!the!top!‘dual’!dog!or!top!‘working’!dog!at!the!National!Specialty.!The!bronze!
was! turned! over! to! the! Awards! Committee! to! decide! how! best! to! honor! the! donation.! We!
look!forward!to!their!decision!and!seeing!the!bronze!awarded!in!2015.!
The! board! would! like! to! extend! our! sincere! Thank! You! to! Ms.! Steffans.! We! enjoyed!
meeting!you!at!the!Spinone/Bracco!Specialty!in!Colorado!and!hope!to!see!you!again!in!the!future.!
!
Sports Medicine Talk, by Dan Graff
Dr.! Wendy! Baltzer,! DVM,! Assistant! Professor! of! Canine! Sports! Medicine! and! Rehabilitation! at!
Oregon! State! University,! gave! a! very! enjoyable! and! practical! talk! titled! 'Raising! a! Sporting! Dog—
Genetics,! Nutrition,! Exercise! and! Preventing! Injury'! at! our! recent! annual! meeting.! It! was! well!
attended!and!received.!She!held!a!lively!question!and!answer!session!afterward!for!our!members.!
Following!is!a!summary!of!key!points!and!we!hope!to!link!to!her!full!slide!set!on!the!website.!
For%reduction%of%hip%dysplasia%by%as%much%as%50%:%
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Use! Penn! Hip! scores,! as! young! as! 16! weeks,! to! guide! breeding.! She! feels! these! are! far! more! accurate! than! OFA!
style!X.rays,!which!have!a!much!higher!false!positive!(acceptability)!rate.!!
Keep!the!pregnant!bitch!well!fed!but!lean!to!reduce!oversized!pups!that!have!higher!rates!of!dysplasia.!
Spinone! weanlings! and! puppies! should! also! be! kept! lean,! roughly! at! level! 3! of! the! Purina! chart! common! to! vet!
offices.!Ribs!should!be!easily!seen!!Fattening!treats!should!be!kept!at!a!minimum!and!supplements!be!avoided!for!
young,!healthy!dogs.!
Feed!large!breed!puppy!foods,!which!have!lower!mineral!(calcium/phosphorus)!levels!than!standard!foods.!Pups!
should!be!switched!to!large!breed!adult!food!at!4!months!for!their!lower!calorie!levels.!
She! discouraged! raw! diets! unless! nutritional! consultation! was! sought! from! centers! like! UC! Davis! because! of!
frequent!imbalances!in!bone!nutrition!minerals.!Likewise,!she!discouraged!boutique!newer!brand!premium!foods!
for! fast! growing! pups! because! they! more! readily! promote! overweight! and! their! mineral! content! may! be!
inaccurately!listed!on!the!bag.!
To%preserve%healthy%joints:%
1.
2.
3.
4.
!
Avoid!slippery!flooring!that!can!commonly!cause!joint!injury.!
Delay!intense!physical!training!until!at!least!9!months.!
Allow!canine!athletes!a!15.minute!warm!up!and!cool!down.!Stretch!muscles!as!part!of!the!warm!up!either!directly!
or!with!controlled!exercises,!especially!if!recovering!from!injury.!
Recognize!that!stress!and!stressful!activities!impact!the!joints!and!need!appropriate!pre.event!conditioning!and!
post.event! rest.! Consider! a! special! 'safe! from! stress'! collar! to! signal! that! medical! testing! or! stressful! training! is!
finished!for!a!time.!
20!
5.
6.
Minimize!exposure!to!the!antibiotic!Baytril!and!related!fluoroquinolone!medications,!which!may!stress!or!directly!
injure!joint!cartilage.!
Restrict! puppies! from! speedy! staircase! running! and! high! jumps.! Avoid! repetitive,! high! speed! stop! and! start!
activities!like!ball!retrieving.!
To%enhance%conditioning:%
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
30!minutes!of!exercise!each!day!to!maintain!fitness.!!
To!enhance!fitness!try!swimming,!hill!climbing,!weight!belt!or!weight!pulling,!road!work.!
Add! balance! activities! like! agility! training! to! prevent! injury! but! especially! when! recovering! from! injury.! Learn!
about!dancing!with!your!dog!and!Cavaletti!training.!
Offer!both!plain!water!and!canine,!not!human!(often!excess!sugar),!electrolytes!after!extended!exercise/hunting.!
Carbohydrate! replacement! (Polycose! and! others)! recharges! muscle! energy! if! given! within! 30! minutes! after! a!
workout.!Avoid!this!if!another!event!will!begin!in!less!than!2!hours.!
Link! to! her! article! to! get! specifics! on! supplements! for! older! or! injured! dogs! and! more! specifics! on! dog! food!
ingredients,!protein,!fat,!carbs,!minerals!and!fiber.!
Deb Davenport receives AKC Sportsmanship
Award, by Ros Duda
This! award! honors! those! individuals! who! deserve! special!
recognition! that! have! made! a! difference! in! the! sport! of! purebred!
dogs,!embodied!the!AKC!Code!of!Sportsmanship,!and!have!been!an!
active! and! valued! member! of! an! AKC! member! club.! As! read! at! the!
Awards!dinner!at!the!2014!National!Specialty:!!
“This& person& served& on& the& SCOA& board& during& a& time& of& difficult&
transition&and&has&been&the&chair&for&our&National&Meeting&and&very&
active&in&our&club.&She&has&provided&information,&friendship,&support&and&mentorship&
for& existing& and& new& SCOA& members.& Whether& in& club& meetings,& one& on& one,& on&
Spinone& email& lists& or& even& on& Facebook& ,& she& is& known& for& her& diplomatic&
communication&and&interest&in&hearing&both&sides&of&an&issue.&Win,&lose&or&draw&she&congratulates&all&participants.&
Even&at&the&National&Specialty,&she&was&overheard&saying,&“I&am&so&happy&for&the&winners&and&even&though&he&got&
cut&I&am&happy&for&the&recognition&my&dog&got&under&Dr.&Ivaldi.”&This&year's&AKC&Sportsmanship&award&goes&to&
Deb&Davenport.”&
!
“Say Cheese” and Save the Date, by Patti Brusk
2015%Spinone%National%and%Parent%Specialty%
!
Site:%Olympia!Resort,!Hotel!and!Spa!in!Oconomowoc,!Wisconsin!
Website:%www.Olympiaresort.com!
Dates:%May!3!–!May!9,!2015!
!
Olympia! Resort! has! hosted! dog! show! events! since! 1999.!
Located! 38! miles! from! Milwaukee! and! 48! miles! from! Madison,!
Chicago’s!O’Hare!Airport!is!107!miles!and!Midway!is!124!miles!
from!the!host!hotel.!Airport!Shuttle!service!is!available.!
The!facility!features!an!indoor!show!ring,!access!to!show!site!from!hotel,!on.site!full.service!restaurant!with!buffet,!
full.service!bar,!meeting!rooms,!full.service!spa!and!many!other!amenities.!There!is!RV!parking,!and!though!there!are!
no! hook.ups,! external! generators! are! OK.! Sanitation! service! can! be! hired! for! RV! pumping.! There! are! full.service! RV!
grounds!nearby.!
John!and!I!visited!the!facility!in!October!of!2013!during!the!Alaskan!Malamute!Club!of!America!National!Specialty.!
During!our!visit,!we!had!an!opportunity!to!speak!with!many!of!the!attendees,!who!gave!the!facility!high!reviews.!
The! Hunt! Tests! are! tentatively! scheduled! for! the! NAVHDA! test! site! Bong! Class! I! Fields,! near! Kenosha,! WI,!
approximately!1!hour!from!host!hotel.!AKC!tests!are!tentatively!scheduled!for!Southern!Kettle!Moraine!Class!I!Fields,!
approximately!20!minutes!from!host!hotel.!The!sites!are!tentative!pending!a!scheduling!meeting!in!January,!2015.!
Committees! will! be! forming! shortly.! Anyone! interested! in! volunteering,! please! contact! Patti! Brusk! at! email:!
[email protected].!
!
21!
SCOA Awards Committee, by Heather Jenner!
The! Awards! Committee! has! gotten! quite! a! bit! accomplished! this! past! year.! We! made! updates! and!
necessary! changes! to! the! Awards! section! in! the! Standing! Rules.! We've! also! updated! the! Awards!
Nomination! Form! and! developed! an! Awards! Receipt! form! that! will! hopefully! help! us! avoid!
miscommunication! we've! had! in! the! past! regarding! the!
annual!awards!that!are!handed!out.!!
Just!last!month!at!the!SCOA!National!Specialty!week,!
we! presented! awards! to! the! recipients! of! the! 2013!
annual!awards.!!
!
The! Kemo% Cup! is! given! in! recognition! of! the! top! performance! in! the!
field! by! a! Spinone.! Our! Kemo! Cup! recipient! is! NAVHDA! VC! CH! KS! Bella!
Margherita! Di! Morghengo,! known! as! Maggie,! owned! by! Dan! and! Barb!
Spence.!!
The! VC% Cup! recognizes! all! Spinoni! who! qualify! as! NAVHDA! Versatile!
Champions.! Our! VC! Cup! recipient! is! NAVHDA! Versatile! Champion! CH! KS!
Bella!Margherita!Di!Morghengo,!known!as!Maggie,!owned!by!Dan!and!Barb!
Spence.!
The! Rufus% Cup% recognizes! the! Spinone! that! has! demonstrated! exceptional! performance! in! the! field! and! in! the!
conformation!ring.!Our!Rufus!Cup!recipient!is!BISS!GCH!CH!Bellebravo!Bruno!MH,!known!
as!Bruno,!owned!by!Dan!and!Barb!Spence.!
The% Ty% Cup!recognizes!the!Spinone!that!has!demonstrated!exceptional!performance!
in!3!or!more!venues,!thus!proving!the!Spinone!is!truly!versatile.!Our!Ty!Cup!recipient!is!
Etta!James!of!Darby!Canyon!CDX!BN!GN!RE!TD!JH!CGC,!known!as!Etta,!owned!by!Berdell!
Koch.!!
The!Cos%Cup!recognizes!the!ultimate!companion!dog.!Our!Cos!Cup!recipient!is!Capo!Di!
Paura!Carter!BN!RE!THD,!known!as!Jimmy,!owned!by!Ellie!Biancanello.!
Asti's%Compassion!recognizes!the!Spinone!who!is!giving!of!himself,!but!never!expects!
to!receive,!through!all!types!of!therapy!work.!Our!Asti's!Compassion!recipient!is!CH!Drago!
Castellano! of! Trollbo! SH! CD! RA! CGC! TDIEVA! TWT,! known! as! Drago,! owned! by! Chris!
Sweetwood!and!Lauren!Friedman.!!
!
The! Award% of% Recognition! recognizes!
the! dog! or! bitch! that! has! produced!
offspring!of!significance!to!the!breed.!Our!
Award! of! Recognition! recipient! is! CH!
Naplands! Isabella! Di! KaLa! RN,! known! as!
Isabella,!owned!by!Kathy!Haymaker.!
!
The%Top%Show%Dog!award!recognizes!the!
Spinone! that! has! accumulated! the! most!
breed!points!from!AKC!shows!during!the!
previous!year.!Our!Top!Show!Dog!of!2013!
is! GCH! CH! Amico! Peloso's! Double! Dare!
You,!known!as!Mugs,!owned!by!Kay!Fritts!
and!Leslie!Kunz.!!
!
The! Volunteerism! Committee! has!
developed! a! new! annual! trophy! that!
recognizes! the% Volunteer% of% the% Year.!
Our!Volunteer!of!the!Year!is!Debby!Forry.!!
!
!
Respectfully!submitted,!!
Heather!Jenner,!Ed!Gebelein,!Diana!Cannon,!Dan!Graff,!Seth!Beckman!
!
22!
Columns
About Myself, by Bob Wendling
I!have!hunted!upland!birds,!doves,!and!waterfowl!with!dogs!for!nearly!50!years.!Now!retired!from!teaching,!I!live!in!
North!Carolina!during!the!winter!and!Maine!during!the!summer.!I!have!had!the!opportunity!to!own,!train!and!hunt!
over! several! breeds! of! bird! dogs! including! the! Boykin! Spaniel,! Brittany,! Chesapeake! Bay! Retriever,! English! Pointer,!
English!Setter,!German!Wirehair!Pointer,!Gordon!Setter,!Pudelpointer,!and!of!course!the!Spinone.!I!have!also!had!the!
opportunity! to! hunt! in! a! number! of! states! from! the! east! coast! to! as! far! west! as! Arizona! and! Idaho.! Retirement! has!
allowed! me! to! spend! nearly! 60! days! a! season! hunting! a! variety! of! birds.! Though! raised! in! central! Illinois! hunting!
pheasants! I! have! also! hunted! 5! species! of! quail,! sharp.tail! grouse,! ruffed! grouse,! spruce! grouse,! sage! grouse,!
Hungarian!partridge,!mourning!dove,!several!species!of!waterfowl,!and!woodcock.!I!primarily!hunt!wild!birds,!though!
in!March!I!guide!and!clean.up!hunt!on!shooting!preserves!just!to!extend!the!season.!
Everything! in! this! article! is! based! on! my! experiences,! interactions! with! many! other! bird! hunters,! and! lots! of!
reading,!but!it!is!not!the!final!authority!on!the!subjects!presented.!
Summer%Training%
Based!on!my!experiences,!I!offer!the!following!opinions!and!recommendations,!but!everyone,!including!bird!hunters,!
have!differing!demands!and!limitations!on!their!lives!(e.g.,!family,!work,!time!and!money,!availability!of!areas!to!work!
their!dog,!and!more)!and!thus!we!all!have!to!work!with!what!we!have,!but!I!live!by!the!motto!"where!there's!a!will,!
there's!a!way".!
As!I!have!aged!and!"wizened"!I!realized!that!conditioning!for!the!upcoming!hunting!season!is!important!for!BOTH!
the!dog!and!hunter!(it!may!be!even!more!important!for!the!hunter!as!he/she!gets!older).!Bird!hunting!involves!a!lot!of!
walking!on!the!hunter's!part!and!even!more!running!by!the!dog(s).!On!numerous!hunting!trips,!especially!those!out!
west,! I! have! walked! 8! to! 10! miles! a! day.! I've! also! been! "told"! by! other! bird! hunters! that! dogs! cover! an! estimated! 3!
miles!for!each!mile!we!walk.!It!would!seem!logical!then!that!a!fast!running!and!wide!ranging!dog!would!cover!even!
more!ground.!!
Regardless,!hunting!dogs!are!athletes!and!like!all!athletes!do!best!when!they!have!been!trained!and!conditioned,!
have! the! proper! nutrition,! and! are! healthy.! Following! is! a! description! of! the! "things"! I! do! in! preparation! for! my!
hunting!season!running!from!September!thru!March.!
Health:%This!is!where!preparation!really!begins.!My!dogs!are!given!physicals!and!blood!chemistry!tests!in!July,!and!
it! might! not! hurt! for! the! hunter! to! get! a! physical! as! well.! I! do! this! early! just! in! case! a! treatment! is! needed! before!
hunting! season! begins.! I! also! have! their! teeth! checked! and! cleaned! since! there! is! some! data! indicating! that! bad!
teeth/gums!are!related!to!serious!health!issues.!All!vaccinations!are!updated!and!in!addition,!because!I!live!and!hunt!
in! areas! with! venomous! snakes,! my! dogs! are! given! a! venomous! snake! vaccine.! The! vaccine! my! vet! uses! does! not!
protect! against! all! species! and! reaches! its! maximum! level! of! protection! in! 6! months! then! begins! to! taper! off.!
Consequently,! and! because! I! hunt! over! such! a! long! period! of! time! and! train! during! the! off.season! I! have! begun!
vaccinating!twice!a!year.!
Feed:!A!basic!component!of!health!is!quality!feed.!There!are!more!articles!and!advertisements!about!dog!food!than!
the! average! dog! owner! would! ever! read! and! I! have! been! doing! it! for! years! now.! However! a! very! large! amount! of!
research!has!been!conducted!on!dog!food!and!I!strongly!recommend!reading!it.!The!focus!of!such!research!includes!
ingredients,!protein/fat!levels,!wet!vs.!dry!food,!when!to!feed,!how!often,!and!how!much.!Here!are!the!guidelines!I!use:!
I!prefer!dry!food!over!wet/canned!simply!because!the!moisture!content!is!very!high!in!most!canned!food!so!you!
end!up!paying!a!lot!for!moisture!and!not!food.!Because!I!travel!so!much!I!find!dry!food!easier!to!keep!and!handle!than!
canned! and! I! don't! have! to! worry! about! opening! and! disposing! of! cans.! Also,! most! of! my! dogs! are! medium! to! large!
breeds!and!feeding!them!canned!food!on!long!hunting!trips!is!problematic.!
Two!months!before!hunting!season!opens!I!begin!feeding!a!very!high!quality!dry!that!contains!a!large!number!of!
meat!products,!not!meat!by.products.!During!the!first!week!I!mix!their!off!season!food!with!the!new!food!gradually!
switching!over!to!the!new!food.!This!procedure!has!prevented!diarrhea!in!most!of!my!dogs.!
A! considerable! amount! of! research! has! been! conducted! on! the! importance! of! fat! in! dogs'! performance! and! even!
resistance!to!injuries.!The!food!I!use!during!hunting!season!contains!38%!protein!and!18%!fat!while!my!off.season!
food!is!much!lower.!(Notes:!First,!I!train!and!hunt!my!dogs!probably!more!than!the!large!majority!of!bird!hunters!and!
consequently,!somewhat!lower!levels!of!fat!and!protein!"may"!be!more!applicable!for!those!who!hunt!less.!Second,!I!
have!tried!dry!foods!with!protein!levels!in!the!40%!plus!range!on!all!3!of!my!active!hunting!dogs!and!all!developed!
diarrhea!which!only!ended!when!changed!to!a!lower!level!protein!food).!
Dogs!digest!food!slowly!and!consequently!I!never!feed!my!dogs!immediately!prior!to!training!or!hunting.!Research!
indicates! that! dogs! need! 10.12! hours! between! feeding! and! lengthy/rigorous! activity! such! as! bird! hunting.!
!
23!
Consequently,!I!feed!the!night!before!(note:!though!I!feed!dry!food!during!the!off.season!I!mix!it!with!water!hunting!
season.! This! is! important! when! hunting! not! only! in! arid! or! dry! climates! but! also! in! cold! climates.! Regardless! of!
hot/dry!or!cold!conditions!dogs!need!extra!water!when!hunting!though!obviously!hot/dry!conditions!put!even!greater!
demands!on!dogs).!
I! read! feeding! directions,! but! I! have! found! that! dogs! like! humans! vary! in! their! rates! of! metabolism! as! well! as!
activity!levels!and!thus!recommended!amounts!of!food!may!not!be!applicable!to!your!dog.!I!have!had!two!dogs!that!
had!a!very!difficult!time!maintaining!weight!and!then!another!that!seemed!to!gain!weight!when!she!looked!at!food.!
When! neutering! is! added! to! the! equation! even! more! deviation! from! feeding! directions! may! be! necessary.! And! of!
course!we!can't!forget!hunting!season!when!dogs!are!asked!to!do!even!more!in!some!very!demanding!conditions!(e.g.,!
low!and!high!temperatures,!snow/ice/rain,!dry/arid!conditions,!dense!brush!or!cover,!abundance!of!birds!or!very!few!
birds,!both!possibly!resulting!in!using!more!energy,!and!so!on)!and!consequently!may!need!more!food!than!directions!
specify.!
Grooming%and%Nail%Clipping:!Since!I've!owned!and!hunted!both!long.haired!and!short.haired!dogs!for!a!number!
of! years! you! can! rest! assured! that! long! hairs! DO! require! more! maintenance! regardless! of! what! you! do,! short! of!
shaving! your! dog! bald.! I've! had! a! number! of! hunters! tell! me! that! certain! greases,! oils! or! Vaseline! would! solve! the!
problem.!They!don't!and!you!in!essence!trade!one!evil!for!another.!Grease!and!oil!can!mat!hair,!attract!dirt!and!weed!
seed,!and!is!"fun"!to!wash!out!of!the!dogs!coat!especially!after!a!long!day!in!the!field.!What!I!have!found!most!effective,!
though!not!a!total!remedy,!is!to!trim!hair!around!the!mouth,!eyes,!beard,!ears,!chest,!elbows,!feet!(incl.!between!toes),!
stomach,! rear! end,! and! tail.! This! does! reduce! collection! of! most! weed! seeds! including! cockleburs! and! grass! and/or!
sand!spurs.!I!use!boots!in!areas!where!grass!or!sand!spurs!are!found!and!also!in!snow!because!I!have!found!that!long.
hairs! seem! to! have! a! greater! tendency! to! develop! ice/snow! balls! between! their! toes.! Again! this! is! only! a! partial!
solution.! You! will! still! have! to! remove! seeds,! burs! and! all! kinds! of! plant! material! from! long! hair.! I! use! a! metal! fork,!
comb!and!my!fingers.!It's!a!good!idea!to!wear!rubber!or!latex!gloves!when!picking!out!burs,!spurs,!cacti,!and!thistles.!
Regardless!of!hair!length,!nail!length!can!be!a!problem!resulting!in!injuries!that!end!the!hunt.!Remember!that!bird!
dogs! are! covering! a! lot! of! territory! with! all! kinds! of! potential! hazards! on! the! ground.! Long! nails! add! to! the! risk! of!
injury.!I!do!not!have!a!set!or!recommended!length!since!I!have!found!that!each!of!my!dogs!vary!in!nail!growth,!wear!
and!size.!I!do!keep!an!eye!on!their!nails!year!around!and!make!it!a!point!to!keep!them!trimmed!back.!Remember,!like!
people!nails!and!hair!grow!faster!on!some!animals!than!others.!
Equipment:!This!would!include!but!is!not!limited!to!whistles,!beepers,!e.collars,!GPS!collars,!your!GPS!or!compass,!
boots,!guns,!and!so!on.!Common!sense!would!tell!you!that!if!it's!new!equipment!learn!how!to!use!it!before!dog!training!
begins! (though! it! might! also! be! part! of! the! dog's! pre.season! training).! If! it's! old! equipment! check! and/or! replace!
batteries! (when! storing! equipment! I! always! remove! batteries! to! avoid! corrosion),! clean! and! service! the! equipment!
(which!should!really!be!done!at!the!end!of!the!previous!season),!make!sure!it's!operating!correctly!and!give!yourself!
an!"in.service"!on!using!it.!With!regards!to!the!dog's!everyday!collar!make!sure!it!is!in!good!condition!and!that!your!
name! and! phone! number! are! on! the! collar! and! clearly! legible.! I! also! have! a! chip! put! in! all! of! my! dogs! early! in! their!
lives.!
Yard%Training/Reminders:%Since!my!expectations!and!activities!are!quite!different!between!bird!season!and!the!
off.season,!I!begin!by!reminding!my!dogs!of!expected!command!behaviors!as!well!as!behaviors!that!should!not!require!
a!command!prior!to!fieldwork.!This!will!vary!among!hunters!depending!on!the!previous!training!done!and!might!be!
such! commands! as! come,! sit,! drop,! heel,! hand! signals,! response! to! a! whistle! if! used! and! so! on.! Expected! behaviors!
without! commands! would! include! retrieving! and! backing.! Pen.raised! birds! might! be! used.! Reintroduction! to!
equipment!(e.g.,!collars,!beepers,!whistles)!is!also!recommended.!
When,%Where%&%How%Much:!I!begin!field!work!in!July.!Yes!I!know!that!this!is!the!hottest!month!of!the!year!in!most!
of! the! US,! especially! in! the! south! (where! I! lived! year! around! during! my! younger! days)! and! the! southwest.! Though!
some! of! my! training! actually! included! what! I! call! "skill"! training"! (e.g.,! backing,! retrieving,! working! with! pen.raised!
birds)!the!majority!of!my!prep!work!is!conditioning!the!dogs!and!me.!If!you're!working!with!a!pup!or!young!dog!more!
work!will!focus!on!skill!training).!
To%combat%the%heat%and%humidity%I%do%a%number%of%things%that%include:%
• Beginning!at!the!crack!of!dawn!and!finishing!by!8!.!8:30!am.!Late!evening!work!is!also!an!option.!
• Working!near!water!and!including!water!exercise!(e.g.,!retrieving,!following!me!in!a!canoe).!I!also!carry!water!
bottles!for!the!dog!with!me.!
• Keeping!water!in!the!dog!crates/boxes!and!also!putting!frozen!water!bottles!in!them.!
• Using!fans!in!my!crates!and!always!parking!in!shade.!
• Coat.trimming!on!my!longhair!dogs.!
• Finally,! keeping! a! close! eye! on! their! behavior! and! not! allowing! them! to! over.heat.! Dogs! can! die! or! suffer!
serious!injury!from!over.exertion!in!heat.!
• One!more!thing,!don't!forget!about!yourself!when!working!in!the!heat.!Drink!plenty!water!and!rest!when!you!
get!hot!which!benefits!your!dog!as!well.!
!
24!
If!you!live!in!or!near!a!large!metro!area!the!availability!of!training!and!conditioning!areas!may!be!very!limited!but!
they!can!be!found.!Years!ago!I!lived!in!a!Chicago!suburb!but!found!empty!lots,!undeveloped!fields,!ponds/lakes,!and!
the!Cook!County!Forest!Preserve.!I!also!took!them!jogging.!Obviously,!those!hunters!who!live!in!more!undeveloped!or!
rural!areas!have!more!opportunities.!
One!of!the!most!limiting!and!dangerous!things!you!can!do!is!to!hunt!overweight.!That!includes!you!as!well!as!the!
dog.!At!the!very!least!it!will!limit!the!amount!of!time!you!and!the!dog!can!spend!afield,!and!at!the!worst!it!can!result!in!
serious! injury! or! death! to! dog! and! hunter.! Thus,! my! pre.season! training! does! NOT! include! the! use! of! an! ATV! to!
exercise!or!condition!my!dogs.!I!walk!in!the!same!fields!they!work!in!and!just!as!long!as!they!do.!
My!length!of!training!varies!and!I!make!it!a!point!to!include!frequent!water!exercise.!As!mentioned!earlier!I!train!
early!in!the!morning.!The!first!week!I!usually!limit!land!exercise!to!30.40!minutes!and!then!15!minutes!of!water,!but!
these!times!are!not!written!in!stone.!I!try!to!schedule!5!workouts!each!week!and!by!the!fifth!week!workouts!are!up!to!
2.1/2!to!3!hrs.!I!realize!that!not!everyone!can!do!this!so!please!note!that!when!younger!and!fully!employed!field!work!
was!limited!to!an!hour!or!less.!I!firmly!believe!that!some!workout!is!better!than!none!for!both!dogs!and!people.!
Remember,!planning!and!preparation!are!key!ingredients!to!a!safe!and!good!hunting!season.!Wishing!you!the!very!
best!!
!
My Spinoni, Pheasants & Me, by Will Tremont
Vol.%1%No.%6%
Every!Spinone!owner!has!had!to!answer!this!question,!“What!kind!of!dog!
is! that?”! Then! after! admitting! that! yes,! the! name! does! sound! like! a!
dessert,! the! follow! up! question,! especially! in! bird! hunting! circles,! is!
usually,! “How! did! you! end! up! picking! a! Spinone?”! I! answer! that! query!
with!the!following!little!story.!!
!In! 1999! my! wife! Kate! and! I! decided! to! get! a! dog.! We! were! down! to!
our!last!cat!and!that!cat!was!getting!old!so!we!decided!that!when!the!cat!
died!we!would!get!an!English!Bulldog,!the!breed!of!my!wife’s!childhood!
pet.!Then!in!the!fall!of!2000,!while!on!a!walk!down!the!lane!on!my!Uncle!
Lewie’s!farm!in!southeast!Iowa,!my!wife!Kate!and!I!were!startled!by!the!
wild!flush!of!rooster!pheasant.!I!hadn’t!pheasant!hunted!since!high!school!
but! over! the! previous! few! years! my! desire! to! start! pheasant! hunting!
again! had! been! piqued! by! the! sight! of! photos! stuck! to! my! Uncle’s!
refrigerator.!Post.hunt!pics!of!Uncle!Lewie!and!my!cousins!kneeling!in!front!of!the!faded!barn!door,!870s,!Model!12s!
and!BPSs!in!hand,!behind!a!row!of!colorful!rooster!pheasants!and!flanked!by!my!cousin!Jim’s!black!lab!named!Brands.!
Those!evocative!photos!coupled!with!that!heart!pounding!wild!flush!almost!compelled!me!to!ask!about!hunting!with!
them!that!fall.!But! this! was! before! Spinoni! had! entered! our! lives! or! were! even! a! thought,! we! were! going! to! adopt! a!
bulldog!after!all.!Plus!I!hadn’t!fired!a!shotgun!since!1970,!didn’t!even!own!one,!so!I!let!the!impulse!remain!dormant.!!
In!June!of!’01!my!wife!and!I!joined!a!trap!shooting!club!and!got!involved!in!shotgun!sports.!After!a!summer!of!trap,!
skeet!and!sporting!clays!I!felt!confident!enough!in!my!ability!to!handle!a!shotgun!safely!to!ask!my!family!in!Iowa!if!I!
could!hunt!with!them!that!November.!They!enthusiastically!said,!“Yes”.!
After!two!Iowa!hunts!that!fall,!over!my!cousin’s!lab!and!a!sweet!GSP!named!Daisy,!I!said!to!my!wife!Kate,!“Instead!
of!a!bulldog!let’s!get!a!bird!dog!and!let’s!not!wait!until!the!cat!dies!either.!What!do!you!think?”!Kate!agreed!!I!literally!
researched!bird!dog!breeds!for!seven!months!before!we!decided!on!a!Spinone.!Then!it!took!nine!more!months!on!our!
breeder’s!waiting!list!until!our!pup!was!born,!Cara!Mia,!aka!Ruff!Creek!Orabella.!What!a!long,!winding!road!but!it!was!
definitely!worth!the!wait!!Now,!thirteen!years!later,!with!numerous!Iowa!hunting!trips!under!our!belts!and!countless!
birds!in!the!bag,!our!third!Spinone,!Seven!Pines!Hannah!whom!we!call!Chezzie,!has!joined!our!pack!and!we!have!never!
looked!back.!Being!owned!by!Spinoni!can!be!that!way.!
In!my!last!column!I!detailed!Cara’s!first!Iowa!pheasant!hunt!in!October!of!2003.!This!time!I’d!like!to!leave!you!with!
a!story!from!the!closing!hunt!of!her!freshman!season!in!January!of!2004.!Cara!and!I!drove!out!to!Iowa!on!January!3rd,!
arriving! just! ahead! of! five! or! six! inches! of! new! snow.! The! next! day! Cara! and! I! hunted! an! abandoned! farm! near! my!
cousin’s! place! that! usually! held! a! few! birds.! After! hunting! our! way! through! deep! and! drifted! snow! along! few! fence!
rows!and!a!creek!bottom!and!having!no!luck!I!decided!to!head!back!to!the!truck,!hoping!we!could!avoid!getting!mired!
in!the!snow!on!the!unplowed!dirt!county!road!that!lead!back!to!the!paved!highway.!About!a!hundred!yards!from!the!
truck!Cara!locked!up!into!a!hard!point!on!a!few!stems!of!foxtail!sticking!out!of!a!thirty.inch!deep!snowdrift.!The!snow!
was!unbroken,!pristine,!showing!no!sign!of!a!pheasant!anywhere,!but!I!looked!at!Cara!on!point!and!thought!of!that!age!
old!bit!of!bird!hunters!conventional!wisdom!that!goes,!“Always!trust!your!bird!dog’s!nose.”!So!I!took!a!step,!a!leap!of!
faith!in!Cara’s!nose,!into!the!snow!drift!and!to!my!surprise!and!delight,!a!rooster!pheasant!came!blasting!out.!That!bird!
!
25!
broke! the! surface! of! the! snow! like! whale! breeching! or! a! submarine! launched! intercontinental! ballistic! missile!
breaking!the!surface!of!the!ocean.!In!what!seemed!like!a!slow!motion!flurry!of!beating!wings!as!the!rooster!broke!free!
of!the!snow!cavern!where!he!had!been!waiting!out!the!storm,!the!air!filled!with!a!misty!swirl!of!cold!crystals!that!the!
stinging!breeze!spun!around!my!head.!I!shouldered!my!gun!and!it!felt!like!I!was!shooting!from!inside!a!snow!globe!at!
the!fleeing!rooster.!The!bird!fell!and!Cara,!the!only!one!of!the!three!of!us!not!surprised!by!this!turn!of!events,!broke!her!
point!and!fetched!up!the!bird!that!would!become!the!next!Sunday’s!dinner.!That!was!our!only!bird!that!trip!but!the!
experience!was!well!worth!the!price!of!admission.!!
When&he’s&not&chasing&Iowa&ringnecks,&Will&lives&in&Cary,&Illinois&with&his&wife&Kate&and&their&three&Spinoni,&Cara,&Cash&
and&Chezzie.&You&can&email&Will&at&[email protected]&
&
Regional Reports
Midwest Region Report, by Kathy Hamaker
Greetings!from!Michigan!!Mike!and!I!had!a!wonderful!time!at!the!Nationals!in!Colorado!this!year.!
Many!people!from!our!area!were!there.!So!happy!to!see!that!Angela!Matias!and!Ava!who!had!a!great!
time! showing! at! Nationals,! got! Best! of! Opposite! at! the! Longmont! show,! supported! entry.! Ava! has!
also!received!her!Championship!and!her!Junior!Hunter!title!this!year.!!
Our!puppy!Gemma,!had!a!great!time!in!Colorado,!as!did!Maki,!her!brother,!who!belongs!to!new!
member,!Sharon!Keranen.!Sharon!was!unable!to!attend!due!to!a!broken!foot.!
Things!were!hopping!in!Michigan!this!year!on!the!4th!of!July.!There!was!a!Sporting!Dog!Show!
immediately!followed!by!a!Spinone!Specialty!show.!This!is!an!exciting!event!for!us;!many!people!supported!this!show.!!
Nationals!are!returning!to!the!Midwest!next!as!we!will!be!in!Wisconsin.!Hope!to!see!everyone!there!!If!you!have!
news,!new!titles,!new!dog!or!whatever!you!would!like!to!put!in!this!column,!let!me!know!([email protected])!!
!
Blue Ridge Meet Up, by Ros Duda
The! Blue! Ridge! Spinone! Club! held! a! Spinone! Meet! Up!
May! 18,! 2014! in! Fredrick,! MD.! We! had! 25! Spinone!
gather!for!a!day!of!fun.!Here!is!a!picture!of!most!of!our!
participants.!Some!we!could!not!get!out!of!the!pond.!We!
invite!all!Spinone!enthusiasts!in!VA,!MD,!and!DC!to!join!
us!! Heck! we! even! had! friends! from! PA! come! to! play!!
(www.blueridgespinoneclub.com)!
!
!
First Midwest Regional Specialty,
by Val Lewis
The!Blue!Water!Spinone!Association,!held!its!first!ever!Midwest!Regional!specialty!
in!conjunction!with!the!Michigan!Sporting!Dog!Association!&!Ann!Arbor!KC!shows,!
July!4th!weekend.!The!specialty!would!not!have!come!about!if!it!had!not!been!for!
the!tireless!work!of!Val!Lewis,!Ruthann!Dewey.Weldon!and!Sue!Moen.!Twenty.one!
Spinoni! (plus! traveling! buddies)! arrived! in! Monroe! for! 4! shows! in! 3! days,! and!
majors!were!won!in!all!four!shows.!For!the!specialty:!BOB!went!to!
Ricco,!(GCH!Klondike’s!Frederico!Ilario).!BOW!Lela,!(Bellaebravo!
Absolute! Passion).! BOS! Ava,! (Ch! Grand! Bays! Gianna! Peicolo! JH).!
Select! Dog! Diogi,!(GCH! Javal! I’m! Movin! On! To! Hootwire! RN! BN!
CGCA)! &! Select! Bitch! Ch! Adagio’s! Di! Sonata! Al! Montagna!
Maverick.!
The! Michigan! Sporting! Dog! Association’s! second! show! with!
450! sporting! dogs! had! a! Spinone! entry! of! 20.! BOB! and! Group! IV!
was! Flora,! (Ch! Busy! B’s! Bellaebravo! Millefiori).! BOW! Lela,!
(Bellaebravo! Absolute! Passion).! BOS! Diogi,! (GCH! Javal! I’m! Movin! On! To! Hootwire! RN! BN! CGCA).! Select! Dog! GCH!
Bellaebravo!Bruno!MH!&!Select!Bitch!Ch!Adagio’s!Di!Sonata!Al!Montagna!Maverick.!!
!
26!
We!continued!into!the!weekend!with!the!Ann!Arbor!KC!shows.!Diogi,!(GCH!Javal!I’m!Movin!On!To!Hootwire!RN!BN!
CGCA)!received!the!BOB!ribbons!on!both!Saturday!and!Sunday.!BOW!went!to!Kala’s!Sorcerer’s!Stone!Of!Wizards!CGC!
on! Sat.! and! Sweetbriar’s! Junebug! on! Sun.! BOS! to!Ch! Adagio’s! Di! Sonata! Al!Montagna! Maverick! Sat.! and! Ch! Busy! B’s!
Bellaebravo!Millefiori!Sun.!Select!dog!was!GCH!Klondike’s!Frederico!Ilario!both!Sat.!&!Sun.!Select!bitch!Ch!Grand!Bays!
Gianna!Peicolo!JH!on!Sat.!and!Bellaebravo!Absolute!Passion!on!Sun.!
The!judges!commented!that!we!had!made!their!jobs!difficult!because!of!the!quality!of!Spinoni!brought!to!them.!So,!
kudos!to!the!handlers!for!great!ring!presentation.!
We! enjoyed! a!Saturday! evening! potluck! with! great! food! and! camaraderie.! We! have! already! started! planning! for!
next!year,!so!mark!your!calendars,!because!on!July!3,!2015,!Monroe,!MI,!is!the!place!to!be.!
!
Committee Reports
Judges Education Report, by Suzanne Hudson
Letter%From%Mr.%Steven%Gladstone%to%Fellow%AKC%Board%Members%and%Delegates%
To! follow! is! an! important! letter! written! by! AKC! Judge! and! Board! Member! Steven! Gladstone! to!
fellow! members! of! the! AKC! board! and! all! delegates,! with! permission! to! cross.post.!
http://caninechronicle.com/?p=52429!
&
&
Gretchen!and!all,!
The!biggest!frustration!I!have!had!on!the!Board!is!being!unable!up!to!now!to!have!much!influence!in!changing!our!
awful!judging!approval!process.!
Our!approval!system!has,!in!my!opinion,!done!more!to!destroy!our!shows!and!sport!then!anything!else.!We!grant!
retiring! professional! handlers! multiple! groups! in! the! time! we! grant! breeders! multiple! breeds! at! best.! We! hire!
professional!handlers!to!become!our!field!reps!who!we!charge!with!watching!our!judges!and!deciding!which!judges!
are!the!best.!We!create!instant!all.rounders!out!of!handlers!who!have!never!judged!a!class!of!dogs!in!their!lives!when!
we!hire!a!pro!handler!as!a!field!rep!and!let!them!evaluate!a!judge’s!placements!of!any!breed!a!month!after!hiring!them.!
Then!we!let!them!advance!their!past!colleagues.!
Last! month! when! I! tried! to! discuss! the! hiring! practices! of! staff! in! hiring! handlers! rather! than! judges,! I! was! told!
such! conversations! were! inappropriate! for! Board! discussion.! I! think! staff! should! not! be! allowed! to! hire! a! field! rep!
without!the!advice!and!consent!of!the!Board.!
We!must!take!the!field!reps!out!of!the!business!of!observing!and!commenting!on!the!merits!of!judge’s!selection!of!
awards.! Field! reps! should! observe! beginning! judges! to! make! sure! they! can! follow! the! rules,! mark! the! judge’s! book!
correctly,!examine!the!breeds!appropriately!and!treat!the!exhibitors!properly.!After!that!they!should!have!nothing!to!
do!with!observing!and!advancing!judges.!
We!need!scores!if!not!hundreds!more!judges!eligible!to!judge!groups.!
Gretchen,!you!know!I!agree!entirely!that!our!judging!should!move!back!to!emphasis!on!breed!judging!not!group!
judging.! How! about! letting! any! judge! who! does! one! or! two! breeds! in! a! group! judge! the! group?! Group! judging! is!
nothing!but!the!icing!on!the!cake.!What’s!the!difference!if!a!Wolfhound!expert!breeder!judge!doesn’t!have!approval!to!
judge!other!hounds.!Let!her!judge!the!hound!group.!And!if!there!are!10!such!hound!judges!at!a!show!pull!1!of!the!10!
names! out! of! a! hat! to! do! the! group.! There! is! nothing! magic! about! being! a! group! judge.! Let’s! let! anyone! do! it.! That!
would!make!the!playing!field!dead!level.!
We!would!then!stop!the!race!of!judges!constantly!trying!to!judge!more!and!more!breeds!in!order!to!judge!groups.!
Our!show!chair!could!have!hundreds!of!breeder!judges!to!hire!without!needing!to!fly!in!half!a!dozen!hugely!expensive!
anointed!few!who!we!call!multi!group!judges.!The!entire!structure!of!our!shows!would!change.!Costs!would!plummet.!
Breed!judging!would!sky!rocket.!Exhibitors!might!actually!have!some!faith!in!judging!and!come!back!to!our!all!breed!
shows.!Quality!of!group!judging!would!not!suffer!if!the!proposition!that!handlers!are!now!winning!with!inferior!dogs!
is!accurate.!
Even!if!a!single!breed!judge!judging!the!group!did!not!do!a!great!job,!the!result!would!be!the!same—an!inferior!dog!
was!placed.!Only!the!reason!for!the!inferior!dog!placing!would!change—incompetence!instead!of!favoritism.!What’s!
the!difference?!Let!any!breeder!judge!the!group!and!we!won’t!need!something!like!the!NOHS.!
And!by!the!way,!the!only!way!something!will!change!is!by!a!rule!change!forcing!staff!and!the!Board!to!live!with!it.!
Our!current!system!is!too!ingrained!with!rhetoric!to!be!fundamentally!changed!from!within.!
Radically!yours,!
Steve!
!
27!
!
Judges Education Guidelines, by Suzanne Hudson
1.
Self! examination! for! the! mentor/presenter! is! of! utmost! importance.! While! we! all! learn! from! our! experiences! in!
the!show!ring!and!our!experiences!with!our!own!dogs,!we!must!have!the!ability!to!separate!ourselves!from!the!
desire!to!promote!"ours"!even!in!the!most!subtle!or!"accidental"!way.!While!blatant!targeting!or!promoting!of!any!
dog! could! have! us! all! removed! from! the! position! of! mentoring! and! educating,! a! more! subtle! self! promotion! or!
targeting!is!equally!as!unethical.!We!are!working!for!the!Spinone!Club!of!America.!
There!should!be!no!mention!or!discussion!of!your!personal!dogs.!!
There!should!be!no!mention!or!discussion!of!show!records!of!your!own!or!any!other!dogs.!!
There!should!be!no!mention!of!specific!kennel!or!owners!names.!!
No!dog,!kennel,!or!person!should!ever!be!singled!out!or!targeted!while!mentoring!or!in!JED!presentations.!
It! is! best! to! use! a! positive! approach! for! educational! purposes;! however,! positive! is! not! always! possible.! Being!
vague!is!not!educational!for!judges.!So,!for!example,!if!one!"rear"!is!in!question,!a!good!idea!might!be!to!point!to!a!
different!"rear"!in!the!ring!and!ask!the!judge!to!evaluate!and!compare!the!two!on!his/her!own!and!then!discuss!
what!is!seen.!!
Type! issues! in! this! breed! are! of! paramount! importance;! however,! it! is! also!important! to! remember! there! are!
different! "styles"! that! are! correct! type! also.! Personal! preference! is! to! be! avoided! and! the! highest! consideration!
given!to!what!does!fit!in!the!standard!and!what!does!not!fit!in!the!standard.!!
Fault!judging!should!be!considered!an!easier,!but!less!than!adequate!way!to!judge,!especially!in!this!breed.!Always!
encourage!looking!at!the!dog!as!a!whole!first.!!
Publicly!disagreeing,!either!blatantly!or!subtly,!with!the!SCOA!presentation!or!other!presenters!is!to!be!avoided!at!
all! costs.! JEC! welcomes! discussion! and! questions! and! changes! if! needed.! However,! a! subtle! or! blatant!
disagreement,!either!in!private!conversations!with!judges!or!to!the!judges!group!as!a!whole,!is!detrimental!to!the!
work!and!progress!that!SCOA!and!the!JEC!are!attempting!to!achieve!for!the!breed.!A!team!effort!and!a!consistent!
presentation!in!every!seminar!by!every!presenter!are!of!the!highest!importance.!Disagreements!or!suggestions!for!
changes!in!the!presentation!should!be!handled!privately!with!the!JEC!and/or!the!SCOA!board.!
2.
3.
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5.
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9.
!
Much Ado About Hunting, by Alyssa Pease
Notes%from%the%Hunt%Test%Committee%
Spectacular! scenery,! wild! weather! and! terrific! dogs! were! all! on! display! at! the! SCOA! AKC! and!
NAVHDA! tests! held! in! Fort! Collins,! CO! in! conjunction! with! this! year’s! national! specialty.! The! test!
site! at! Cobb! Lake! SWA! had! awesome! views! of! the! Rockies! which! served! as! a! backdrop! to! some!
Weather!Channel.worthy!thunderstorms,!which!made!for!a!few!anxious!moments!but,!fortunately,!
cruised!past!us!each!day!without!hindering!our!progress.!We!were!able!to!complete!three!very!full!
days! of! testing! due! to! SCOA! members! who! stepped! up! in! many! areas! including! judging! (Liz! Bodell! .! AKC,! Jack!
Clendenny!.!NAVHDA!and!Karen!Luckey!.!AKC)!and!field!help!(Bobbi!Benson!&!Jeff!Henke,!Debby!&!Chuck!Forry,!Mat!
Hughey,! Elizabeth! &! Lowell! Kaufhold,! Becky! &! Tony! Koch,! Joe! &! Penny! Masar,! Dirk! &! Candice! Sobota! and! many!
others).!Ever!seen!a!substitute!port.a.potty!manufactured!onsite?!Check.!!
Also! many! thanks! to! the! Bracco! Italiano! Club! of! America! for! joining! us! this! year.! The!
judges! were! extremely! complimentary! of! the! field! performances! that! they! saw! from! the!
Bracci.!In!addition!BICA!member!Ron!Boehme!acted!as!our!Senior!Judge!for!the!NAVHDA!test!
that! was! sponsored! by! the! Rocky! Mountain! Chapter.! Without! their! backing! we! would! have!
had! an! extremely! difficult! time! conducting! the! test;! the! fact! that! it! was! on! their! home!
grounds!gave!us!the!confidence!that!successful!events!for!both!sanctioning!bodies!could!be!
held.!If!you’re!out!at!a!NAVHDA!or!AKC!test!and!
run! into! judge! Leo! Boman,! please! give! him! the!
iron! man! salute,! as! he! came! in! and! judged! all!
three! days! of! tests! for! us.! Also! thanks! to! judge!
Karen Luckey
Mike!O’Donnell,!who!wins!the!furthest!distance!
traveled! by! a! non.club! member! award.! All! of! our! AKC! judges! helped! us!
out! of! a! major! bind! when! the! permitting! agency! for! the! test! grounds!
threw!us!a!major!curveball!in!February,!causing!us!to!have!to!start!from!
scratch! after! all! of! our! judging! panels! had! already! been! submitted! and!
Lilly
approved,! so! hats! off! to! all.! Congratulations! to! the! following! dogs! and!
owners!for!earning!qualifying!scores!in!the!May!AKC!&!NAVHDA!Tests:!
!
28!
!
AKC:%Saturday,%May%24%
Water%Test:%
• Sagebrush's!Ruellia!of!Mountain!Valley!(Sobota)!
• Amico!Peloso's!Still!They!Ride!(Rasmussen)!
Junior%Hunter:%
• Samuel!Matteo!of!Mountain!Valley!(Ray/Ramirez/Koch)!
• Brier!Creeks!Demetrios!Nocello!At!Mountain!Valley!(Koch)!
• Mountain!Valley!Lucille!(Koch)!
• Amico!Peloso!Nebbiolo!(Kaufhold)!
• Dry!Grass!SciFi's!Timekeeper!(Jenner)!
• Ibizstars!Fiore!Sardo!(Koch)!
• CH!Dry!Grass!Sway!Me!To!Memphis!(Forry)!
• Mountain!Valley!Perro!Arnold!(Masar/Koch)!
• Bellaebravo!Bere!L'Arancio!Koolaid!(Clendenny)!
Orie
• Sagebrush's!Lily!of!Mountain!Valley!(Masar)!
• Amico!Peloso's!Still!They!Ride!(Rasmussen)!
• GCH!CH!Del!Mare!Keep!My!Resolution!(McGregor)!
!
AKC:%Sunday,%May%25%
Water%Test:%
• GCH!CH!Collina!D'Oro!Pretty!Boy!Pink!Floyd!JH!(Tevis)!
• Bellaebravo!Bere!L'Arancio!Koolaid!(Clendenny)!
• Kosmic!Del!Subasio!(Tevis)!
Junior%Hunter:%
• Mountain!Valley!Lucille!(Koch)!
• CH!Dry!Grass!Sway!Me!To!Memphis!(Forry)!
• Sagebrush's!Lily!of!Mountain!Valley!(Masar)!
Bobbi
• Samuel!Matteo!of!Mountain!Valley!(Ray/Ramirez/Koch)!
Benson
• Amico!Peloso!Nebbiolo!(Kaufhold)!
• Ibizstars!Fiore!Sardo!(Koch)!
• Sagebrush's!See!Piper!Soaking!(Sobota)!
• Mountain!Valley!Perro!Arnold!(Masar/Koch)!
• Bellaebravo!Bere!L'Arancio!Koolaid!(Clendenny)!!
• Brier!Creeks!Demetrios!Nocello!At!Mountain!Valley!(Koch)!
• Amico!Peloso's!Still!They!Ride!(Rasmussen)!
• Kosmic!Del!Subasio!(Tevis)!
!
NAVHDA:%Monday,%May%26%
Natural%Ability:%
• Collina!D’Oro!Tornado!Alle!at!Caccia!Cane!(Benson)!98!Points,!Prize!II!
• Sagebrush’s!Lilly!of!Mountain!Valley!(Masar)!112!Points,!Prize!I!
• Caccia!Cane!Jedi!Princess!(Benson)!92!Points,!Prize!II!
!
Watch!the!SCOA!website!for!final!details!on!upcoming!events!–!see!you!in!the!field!in!the!fall!!
!
Volunteerism Committee Report, by Ros Duda
As!we!formally!announced!at!the!annual!meeting,!the!Volunteerism!committee!is!in!full!swing!and!here!to!provide!the!
following:!
Area%of%responsibility:%%
To!promote,!coordinate,!report!on!and!reward!the!spirit!of!volunteerism!throughout!the!membership!and!functions!of!
the!Spinone!Club!of!America!
Scope%of%Duties:%%
1. Survey!and!annually!report!to!the!board!and!membership!on!volunteerism!throughout!SCOA.!
2. Provide!a!coordinating!body!for!identifying!new!volunteers!and!volunteerism!needs!for!SCOA.!
!
29!
3.
4.
5.
Promote!and!assist!in!further!developing!current!SCOA!volunteers.!
Act!as!a!resource!to!any!group!within!SCOA!that!requires!newly!volunteered!skills!with!which!to!fulfill!its!mission.!
Annually!vote!for!a!'Volunteer!of!the!Year'!award.!!
!
We!are!currently!interviewing!committee!chairs!to!identify!needs!for!all!committees.!If!you!have!a!talent,!skill!or!
interest!you!would!like!to!put!to!use,!we!would!love!to!have!you!join!a!committee.!Committee!contact!is!Ros!Duda.!
!
Juniors Committee Report, by Kathy Hamaker
I!was!so!thrilled!to!have!so!many!juniors!represent!us!at!our!National!Specialty.!All!of!them!got!to!compete!for!Best!
Junior!Handler.!Unfortunately,!the!revolving!trophy!for!Best!Junior!Handler!was!not!given!out!due!to!the!fact!that!the!
winner!was!not!a!member!of!SCOA.!Please!remember!how!important!being!a!member!of!your!breed!club!can!be!for!
you!as!a!dog!owner.!If!you!are!not!a!club!member!or!you!know!a!junior!who!is!not!a!club!member,!please!join!or!help!
them!join.!SCOA!is!a!great!group!to!belong!to!and!you!can!gain!knowledge!and!friends!as!a!member.!
Debby! Forry! and! her! group! did! a! great! job! with! the! junior! activities! this! year.! Next! year,! when! we! all! meet! in!
Wisconsin,!we!are!planning!a!big!extravaganza!again.!We!have!new!members!coming!onto!the!juniors!committee!and!I!
am!chairing!the!event.!The!Site!for!2015!is!fantastic!!!
Please!sign!up!your!junior!and!attend!!
Please!send!me!any!wins!or!any!other!accomplishments!you!have!done!with!your!dog!to!put!in!this!column.!My!
email!is!kalabrits@!aol.com.!!
!
New Members, by Laura Penfold
Welcome%to%our%newest%members! %
Elaine! &! Kevin! Bergenheier,! Bonnie! Blink! &! Danny! Baisey,! Debra! Bowden,! Jack! &! Diane! Buckley,!
Todd! Cowart,! Cathy! &! Dale! Green,! Sharon! Lynn! Keranen,! Jackie! Spiars,! Rebecca! Van! Ess,! David! M.!
Brooks!and!Jan!Naigus.!
!
!
Ways and Means Report, by Teri Turner
The! Ways! and! Means! committee!is! made! up! of! Teri! Turner,!Kathy!
Cooper,! Jolene! Newcomer,! Rita! Monte! and! Nancy!
Young.! We've! added! drool! towels,! tall! drink!
glasses,! and! still! have! copies! of! the! book,! Lo%
Spinone,! along! with! other! items! we! still!have! in!
stock.!We!are!working!on!a!few!new!items!for!this!
year! that! will! be! revealed! when! everything! comes!
together.! We! are! also! working! on! updating! the!
merchandise! page! on! the! website.! We! are! always! looking! for! new!
ideas!so!if!you!have!anything!that!you!would!like!to!see!offered!please!
let!one!of!us!know!and!we'll!see!what!we!can!do.!If!you!would!like!an!
item! we! currently! have,! contact! me! at! [email protected]! or!
[email protected].!
New! items! have! arrived!! Beautiful! berry! notched! sweatshirt,!
moss! or! berry! long! sleeve! T.shirt,! short! sleeve! tees! in! kiwi! or!
charcoal.!Pictures!do!not!do!these!shirts!justice.!The!colors!are!really!
very!nice.!Tees!are!100%!cotton!and!sweatshirts!are!80/20!(Med!–!
XXL! sizes).! Hurry! as! supply! and! sizing! are! limited! (sweatshirts! do!
run! small).! Short! sleeves! $20.00! +! shipping! (around! $6),! long!
sleeves!$25!+!shipping!(around!$6),!and!sweatshirt!$30!
+!shipping!(around!$8).!
!
30!
Meeting Minutes, by Sue Acquistapace
Motion!for!SCOA!to!procure!a!trailer!for!standard!SCOA!merchandise,!
items,!and!club!equipment.!Chuck!Forry,!Deb!Brookman!seconded:!by!
unanimous!vote!the!motion!was!referred!to!the!Board!of!Directors.!
Minutes of SCOA Annual Business Meeting
05-28-14, Loveland, CO
The! annual! meeting! was! called! to! order! by! Vice.President! Bobbi!
Benson!at!8:16pm!MDT.!
Announcements:% Patti! Brusk! announced! that! the! proposal! for! the!
2015! National! Specialty! Event! Week! to! be! held! in! Oconomowoc,! WI!
had!been!accepted!by!the!Board.!
The!Vice.President!welcomed!the!members!and!introduced!the!Board,!
including! incoming! new! Board! members! Ros! Duda! and! Sue!
Acquistapace;!Membership!Secretary!Laura!Penfold!(not!present)!and!
AKC!Delegate!Karen!Luckey.!President!Jeff!Rhodes!was!absent.!
Meeting!adjourned!9:34pm!MDT!
Minutes of SCOA Board Meeting 05-07-14
Present:! Bobbi! Benson,! Jack! Clendenny,! Dan! Graff,! Jeff! Rhodes! Ros!
Duda,! and! Sue! Acquistapace.! Membership! Secretary! Laura! Penfold!
(non.voting!member).!
A!quorum!was!declared!present.!
Minutes!of!the!2013!Annual!Meeting!were!previously!approved!by!the!
Board!and!they!were!printed!in!the!newsletter.!
Quorum!was!established.!The!meeting!was!called!to!order!by!President!
Jeff! Rhodes! at! 8:47! pm! EST.! Minutes! of! 4/30/14:! Motion! to! approve.!
(Jack/Ros,!passed,!unanimous)!!
Motion:!That!the!minutes!of!this!2014!annual!meeting!be!approved!by!
the!Board!within!60!days.!Sue!Acquistapace!(Secretary),!Karen!Luckey!
seconded:!passed,!unanimous.!
Report%of%Secretary:!
Vice>President’s% Report:! Vice.President! Bobbi! Benson! thanked! the!
Board! and! the! committees,! and! welcomed! new! members! and! people!
coming!to!the!nationals!for!the!first!time.!
• Sue!is!working!on!electronic!transfers!from!past!Secretary!!
• Bobbi!will!ask!Kim!about!finalizing!motion!to!rescind!and!time!frame!
for!distribution!to!!membership!!Motion!to!close!report!of!Secretary.!
(Dan/Bobbi,!passed,!unanimous)!!!
Vice.President!Bobbi!Benson!summarized!the!club’s!accomplishments!
for!the!past!year:!
• AKC!Rescue!Trailer!
Report%of%Treasurer:%not!applicable/no!report!!!
• Years!of!membership!pins!and!bars!
Committee% Report:% National! entry! numbers! are! in! –! nice! entry;!
ribbon!inventory!is!updated;!donations!coming!in!for!auction!
• Health!Committee!advocated!for!and!received!a!substantial!donation!
from! SCOA! for! cancer! !research! (golden! retriever! study)! which! was!
matched!by!AKC!
Membership% Applications% for% Approval:% still! coming! in,! pended! to!
next!meeting!
Unfinished%Business:!Don!Lamoureux!enters!meeting!at!9:17!pm!
• New!Volunteer!Committee!
• Discussion! of! proposal! from! Carolyn! Fry! for! work! on! illustrated!
standard,! photo! identification! for! publication! in! public! domain! and!
continued!training!of!judge!educators.!Motion!to!accept!the!proposal.!
(Dan/Ros,!passed,!unanimous)!!
• Co.joining!the!National!specialty!events!with!the!Bracco!Italiano!club!
%Report% of% Secretary:% !Secretary! Sue! Acquistapace! updated! the!
membership! on! the! current! transitions! going! on! with! the! Secretary!
position;! and! a! request! from! AKC! that! the! club! update! their! email!
notification!language.!!Motion:!That!the!club!may!send!club!notices!to!
members! via! email! provided! that! the! member! has! authorized! this!
method! of! communication.! The! member! may! revoke! authorization! at!
any!time!by!written!request!to!the!SCOA!club!Secretary.!Members!not!
authorizing!email!notification!shall!receive!club!notices!by!postal!mail.!
Ros!Duda!(Board!Member),!Liz!Bodell!seconded:!passed,!unanimous.!!
• Agreement! to! be! finalized! and! signed! by! May! 15th.!Motion! to! close!
Unfinished! Business.! (Bobbi/Dan,! passed,! unanimous)! New!
Business:! None!Motion! to! close! New! Business:! (Don/Jack,! passed,!
unanimous)!Next!board!meeting!set!for!Wednesday,!May!28,!2014!at!
7:30! am! (CST)! Motion! to! adjourn.! (Bobbi/Jack,! passed,!
unanimous)!Meeting!adjourned!9:50pm!EST!!
Minutes of SCOA Board Meeting 05-28-14
Report% of% Treasurer:% !The! Treasurer’s! report! was! presented! to! the!
membership!and!filed.!!!
Present:% Bobbi! Benson,! Jack! Clendenny,! Dan! Graff,! Don! Lamoureux,!
Sue!Acquistapace,!Jeff!Rhodes!(telephonic)!and!Ros!Duda.!Membership!
Secretary!Laura!Penfold!(non.voting!member)!was!absent.!
AKC% Delegate% Report:% Karen! Luckey! welcomed! the! Bracco! club! and!
commended!them!for!establishing!a!parent!club.!
Quorum!was!established.!The!meeting!was!called!to!order!by!President!
Jeff! Rhodes! at! 7:40am! EST.!Minutes! of! 5/7/14:! Motion! to! table! the!
minutes!until!completed!(Don/Dan,!passed,!unanimous)!!
She! reported! that! AKC! is! requesting! a! by.law! change! (when!
appropriate)!for!clubs!to!accept!electronic!balloting;!has!adopted!new!
Therapy! Dog! titles;! is! moving! toward! parent! club.driven! grants;! that!
$250,000!has!been!raised!for!rescue!trailers,!that!amount!was!matched!
by! AKC,! and! more! donations! are! being! sought;! AKC! is! seeking!
donations! for! their! PAC! (Political! Action! Committee)! and! is! currently!
attempting! to! clarify! APHIS! legislation;! and! encourages! community!
involvement! with! purebred! dogs! to! help! remain! in! a! pro.active!
position!against!negative!input!by!Animal!Rights!groups.!
Report%of%Secretary:%
• Bid!was!received!for!the!2015!National!!
• A! request! was! made! to! ask! Angela! Hansen! to! do! a! presentation!
regarding!the!Spinone!Health!!Foundation,!but!Angela!is!not!present!
at! this! year’s! annual! meeting! and! she! has! informed! us! that! their!
group! is! not! ready! yet! to! make! a! report! !Motion! to! close! report! of!
Secretary.!(Bobbi/Jack,!passed,!unanimous)!
Committee% Reports:! Reports! were! made! by! the! Awards,! Breed!
Standard,! Hunt! Test,! Health,! Judges’! Education,! Junior! Showmanship,!
Newsletter,! Registry! of! Merit,! Rescue,! Supported! Entry,! Ways! and!
Means,!Web!Site,!and!Volunteerism!committees.!
Report% of% Treasurer:! None! !Motion! to! table! report! of! Treasurer.!
(Jack/Dan,!passed,!unanimous)!!
Unfinished%Business:%There!was!no!unfinished!business.!
Committee% reports:!Health!Committee!annual!report!will!be!made!at!
the! meeting! tonight! Motion! to! close! committee! reports.! (Don/Jack,!
passed,!unanimous)!!!
New% Business:% Motion! to! rescind! the! motion! adopted! at! the! 2013!
annual! meeting! which! stated:! "That! all! unencumbered! and! future!
monies! collected! for! Spinone! Health! be! placed! in! a! restricted! fund!
dedicated! for! Spinone! Health."! Dan! Spence,! Sue! McGregor! seconded:!
passed,!unanimous.!
Membership% Applications% for% Approval:! !One! new! single!
membership!and!one!new!family!membership!approved.!Received!and!
approved! late! renewals! for! two! family! and! three! single! memberships!
(these!are!considered!new!memberships.)!!
!
!
31!
Unfinished%Business:%%
to! adjust! the! by.laws! to! reflect! this! update.! An! email! notification!
authorization! will! be! placed! on! Membership! forms! (Chris! Dickey!
working!on!this)!in!alignment!with!the!laws!of!the!state!of!Ohio.!!
• AKC!Sportsmanship!Award!
After! the! discussion! of! a! number! of! worthy! candidates,! a! unanimous!
decision! was! made! to! give! the! AKC! Sportsmanship! Award! to! Deb!
Davenport.!
• New! bronze! award! donated! by! Tina! Steffans! from! Holland! of! the!
Bracco/Spinone!Club!of!Holland!She!has!donated!this!as!a!thank!you!
for! allowing! the! Bracci! to! join! us! this! year.! She! wants! it! to! go! to! a!
dual!dog!award!or!a!working!dog!award.!Motion!to!turn!the!bronze!
head! donated! by! Tina! Steffans! from! Holland! over! to! the! Awards!
Committee!for!them!to!decide!how!best!to!award!it!in!future!years,!
giving! consideration! to! either! a! dual! dog! or! a! working! dog! award.!
(Bobbi/Ros,!passed,!unanimous)!!
Move!to!close!Unfinished!Business.!(Dan/Don,!passed,!unanimous)!
New%Business:%
• Patti! Brusk! .! presentation! and! proposal! for! the! National! Specialty!
Event! to! be! held! at! Oconomowoc,! WI,! 2015.! !Jeff! Rhodes! leaves!
meeting!at!8:43,!a!quorum!remains!Motion!to!accept!the!proposal!for!
Oconomowoc,!WI,!2015!National.!(Sue/Bobbi,!passed,!unanimous)!!
• Discussion!of!presentation!of!SCOA!accomplishments!for!the!year!!
• Motion! to! table! the! purchase! of! an! equipment! trailer! to! unfinished!
business.! (Don/Jack,! passed,! !unanimous)! !Motion! to! close! New!
Business:!(Dan/Ros,!passed,!unanimous)!Next!Board!meeting!set!for!
Wednesday,!June!18,!8:30!EST!Motion!to!adjourn.!(Jack/Ros,!passed,!
unanimous)!Meeting!adjourned!11:54am!EST!!
• Jeff!Rhodes!returns!to!the!meeting!!
• Motion! to! approve! payment! of! bill! for! $400.77! for! judge! education!
seminar!handout!information!for!members!and!judges.!(Bobbi/Jack,!
passed,!unanimous)!!
• Membership!Meeting!AKC!requests!that!the!membership!update!the!
issue!of!electronic!notification!for!members;!and!when!appropriate,!
!
2015 SCOA Calendar, by Bobbi Benson
Coming% in% November!! Proceeds! go! to! research! funding!
and! other! donations! that! benefit! the! breed.! The! beautiful!
calendars! feature! many! photos! taken! and!
submitted! by! members!! Cost! is! $22.00! each!
(includes! postage).! Make% checks% payable% to:!
SCOA.! Mail! to:! Bobbi! Benson,! 6442! –! 114th! Ave.,!
Wapello,! Iowa! 52653.! Please! include! name! and!
address,!quantity!and!amount!enclosed.!
!
Pam Linge, Newsletter Editor
Spinone Club of America
4114 N. Paulina St.
Chicago, IL 60613!
!
32!