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Piscataqua Obedience Club
April 2015
THE TELEGRAM
Next Meeting:
Thursday, April 16th, 2015
6:00pm Open Board Meeting
7:00pm General Club Meeting
Kittery Training Center, Cole Street
Piscataqua Obedience Club, Board of Directors 2015
President: Laura Jepson, [email protected], 207-676-2260
Vice President: Naomi Smith, [email protected], 207-332-1033
Treasurer: Joyce Earle-McCluskey, [email protected] 207-337-4495
Recording Secretary: Judy Coen, [email protected], 207-467-3646
Corresponding Secretary: Sarah Todd, [email protected], 207-451-3682
Board Members: Jolene DiFazio, [email protected], 207-957-2009
Mary Mace, mmace @ sau21.org, 207-439-5344
Mary Nedeau, [email protected], 207-468-3903
Sue Walsh, [email protected], 207-636-3268
4/6—Diane Canada
4/9—Shirley Renner
4/15—Carol Kelly
4/16—Barb Barreiro
4/18—Jill Ouelette
5/1—Ginnie Lee McCaddin
5/16—Kathleen Whalin
5/21—Shirley Rand
5/25—Lori Bardwell
The Telegram
Piscataqua Obedience Club’s Monthly newsletter
Please send submissions, suggestions, comments,
ideas & communications to:
Sarah Todd
17 Rice Ave
or [email protected]
Kittery, ME 03904
Newsletter Due Date:
Please have all submissions to The Telegram in at
least 12 days before the monthly meeting. thFor the
next issue, the deadline is: Saturday May 9 at noon.
The Telegram, April 2015, Page 1
PISCATAQUA OBEDIENCE CLUB, Board Meeting
March 8, 2015 (Rescheduled from February 19th)
Members Present: Laura Jepson, Naomi Smith, Joyce McCluskey, Sarah Todd, Judy Coen, Jolene DeFazio, Mary Mace, Mary Nedeau
Minutes prepared by Judy Coen
Meeting called to order at 3:45 p.m.
TOPIC
DISCUSSION
FOLLOW-UP
Registration
procedures
The Board followed up on suggestions to increase efficiency of the class registration processes. Club members will volunteer to direct registrants, hold dogs
and ferry paperwork to the registrar, who will be able to work in a quieter environment and deal with one registrant at a time. Sue W will contact members to
ask for volunteers
Follow-up assessment
of new procedure after registration for
the up-coming session.
Future
concerns
In anticipation of facing a facility change based on possible loss of the current
facility, the Board has been investigating some alternative sites. Rents for, at
best, marginal spaces were well beyond POC’s budget. The discussion quickly
turned to the viability and prosperity of POC. Several concerns and possible solutions were discussed.
 To afford the minimal reasonable rent of $3000/mo would require running at
least 6 more classes per session. Would 501c3 status encourage lower rents
by permitting landlords to write-off some as donation?
 Is there sufficient member interest in working for the sustainability of the
club? The diversity of interests and accompanying competitive schedules appear to have diminished the reliability of members supporting activities.
Many members are training elsewhere. We will use an electronic survey to
evaluate why some have left and what they would want to come back.
 How can we encourage those in basic classes to continue and possibly join?
Can we rewrite our class descriptions to make them more interesting? Should
we restore the use of a small amount of basic advanced class time to introduce various other fun training alternatives? The emphasis was fun, as we
recognize that the majority of our students have little interest in competition at this point in their training experience. A flow chart, prominently displayed, might also inform students of the various directions additional training can take. Potential new classes were discussed:
 Six-week “sport sampler” class (flyball, nosework, rally, agility, obedience, etc.) to let potential students try out a sport.
 Puppy play times, maybe Saturday mornings, to introduce POC to the
community in a positive way.
 Adding “fun” (non-competition) classes in various sports.
 Adding conformation classes to see if there is an interest.
 Investigating what other training facilities are offering.
 Would current instructors take on more? Is there a way to encourage new
instructors? Is our instructor validation process appropriate for all potential
classes or too cumbersome for some?
 Will additional advertising provide a larger enrollment? Should we highlight
that mixed breed dogs are welcome? Can we get flyers and promotional materials to vets and shelters in a more consistent way? Would video links on
the website be more enticing? Would enrollment suffer if we moved any distance from the NH border and I-95?
Discuss with the
membership at the
next general meeting.
Ask Scott to prepare
some simple, short
videos to load on
YouTube and link to
the site.
Instructor
validation
There was a short discussion of issues, but additional discussion should be based Discussion tabled to a
on proposed changes to the class schedule.
more appropriate
time.
Advertising
The Board discussed requests for ads in the Coastal Cluster ($50 plus $10 for a Sarah will place ads.
photo) catalog and the CynoSport business directory ($50 for a half-page). Both
requests were approved.
By-Laws
Lee F and Judy C, with input from several others, had taken a stab at drafting
Judy will work on the
suggested by-laws changes. Judy presented concepts and the Board was compresentation for the
fortable with the areas of concern and the suggested potential alternatives. Ju- next general meeting.
dy will prepare drafts for discussion at the next general meeting. Major areas of
change include moving detailed operating procedures to a Policies and Procedures
Manual (concurrent development), addressing concerns with Life-time membership, Board composition, and editing to reflect the evolution of POC activities
and goals. In order to maintain focus during the general discussion the Board
would like to present the By-Law edits section by section.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 6:30 p.m.
The Telegram, April 2015, Page 2
PISCATAQUA OBEDIENCE CLUB, General Meeting
March 19, 2015
Members Present Barb Barreiro, Cheryn Breeling, Judy Coen, Jolene DiFazio, Joyce Earle-McCluskey, Lee Friess, Susan
Fuller (pending), Karen Gatchell (pending), Wanda Jesonis, Sarah Juhlin, Charlene Lister, Kathleen Lyons, Mary Mace, Sandy
McCleary, Linda McKinnon, Shirley Rand, Naomi Smith, Sarah Todd, Monica Viel-Weiss, Sue Walsh, Liz York
Meeting called to order at 7:05 p.m. In Laura J’s absence, VP Naomi S conducted the meeting.
Minutes prepared by Judy Coen
TOPIC
DISCUSSION
FOLLOW-UP
Introductions
There were no guests present. Pending members Susan Fuller (GSPs) and Karen
Gatchell (Gordon Setters) were introduced to the group. .
No action required
Brags
Several members had successes to report, which will be presented in the Telegram.
Shirley R announced that Cheryn and Sandy are attending the nosework nationals in
Colorado and that she would be hosting a fund-raising bean supper ($10 donation) at
her home on April 18th. Cheryn and Sandy also have a GoFundMe page.
No action required
Minutes
Minutes of both the Board and general January meetings were approved as submitted.
No action required
Treasurer
Joyce M reported (in round numbers) income of $885 for this session, we are doing well
with drop-ins, checkbook balance of $9266, 18 month CD at $6900, and petty cash at
$165, for total assets of $16500. POC did well with utilities through January but Joyce
has not yet seen the current bill, which includes a very cold February.
No action required
Correspondence
Outgoing Correspondences:
Congrats on Lifetime Membership to Monica Viel-Weiss
Congrats on Lifetime Membership to Barb Barriero
Congrats on Performance at NOI to Merrillynn Hill
Sympathy to Lee Friess on loss of Ollie
No action required
Committee
Reports
Class Committee: Current registration is good, we are running puppy, basic and advanced at full. However, POC now has competition from a nearby, new commercial
venture. We must focus on the value POC offers (better facilities, lower cost, experienced instructors, willingness and skills to work with behavior issues, and keeping training positive and fun) in all our promotional efforts. Originally, agility expected 4 enrollments, but only three followed through, however the members agreed that once a class
has started it should run. (NOTE: Subsequent to this meeting the third participant in the
agility class dropped out and the class was cancelled. Prorated refunds will be offered.)
No action required
Advertising: The POC ad ran for two consecutive weeks before the current session in
the Sentinel and its NH partner paper. Linda is suggesting three weeks for the next session as the ads are very inexpensive and appear to be quite effective.
No action required
Linda also tries to recruit potential and returning students with phone calls, although not
all instructors do this. She calls for snow days as well, feeling the personal touch helps
retention.
There are also ads scheduled to be in the Coastal Cluster catalog (May) and the NEORE in July.
Awards: Tonight is the absolute deadline for submitting awards and plaques, as everything must be to the engraver before the end of March. Shirley reminded the members
that the Awards Banquet will be held at Stratford Farm this year. She will publish the
menu in the Telegram, and we will take a headcount at the April meeting.
Menu will be published, head count
taken at the April
meeting.
Constant Contact: No report as Mary was absent.
No action required
Facilities: Lee had several issues:
Sarah and Lee checked on dealing with the falling ceiling tiles, but there are cables in
the ceiling so we will continue to try measures to keep them up.
Floor tiles continue to pop, we are using tarps and rugs to cover the areas.
The broken piece of the entrance ramp will be replaced when the weather improves.
Lee purchased three of the lightweight grey tables for $45 apiece, and plans to remove
the blue and yellow tables, which are unsafe and extremely heavy.
There are some problems in the men’s room that are being addressed.
Thankfully, the heat has been working properly.
The Telegram, April 2015, Page 3
No action required
Committee
Reports
(cont.)
Flyball: Shirley was circulating a sign-up sheet for help loading and unloading on Friday (4/10) and helping out on Saturday and Sunday. We will be renting an enclosed
cargo trailer for $50. Because more people might be available, loading was changed to
Thursday evening. (NOTE: Subsequent to this meeting it was determined that Thursday
evening would not work and loading was returned to Friday.) Joyce hasn’t been invoiced for rental of the Ice rink as yet.
Members should sign
up this evening or
contact Shirley if they
can help with the
tournament.
New facility
Despite multiple agents searching for potential sites they are scarce, and rents have
been between $3K-5K/month. With its current income, POC cannot afford more than
$1200/month, and $800 would be more comfortable. These figures include all utilities
costs, and the $800 figure is comparable to our current costs.
Individual members
should brainstorm
about strategies to
increase income and
membership, as well
as increasing their
participation in current and future activities. Ideas can be
shared with the board
or the entire group.
Given that access to the current facility is tenuous, POC’s survival is dependent on new
ideas, commitment by members to contribute, and increasing membership and income
potential. The board is asking what the membership wants, as the status quo will not
sustain POC if it is forced to move. Any suggestions are welcome. Some suggestions
that were mentioned in this meeting were seminars, senior dog classes, training and
certification for therapy dogs, and surveying other clubs and training facilities to see
what they are offering.
By-Laws
POC has evolved over the past forty years and the Constitution and By-Laws need to
reflect that evolution. In addition, much of what is in the current By-Laws is actually procedure and/or policy and should be removed to a Policies and Procedures Manual
(being concurrently developed) so that the By-Laws contain only major goals and operational structure. This is particularly important as POC pursues 501c3 non-profit status.
Because the By-Laws are complex, to keep the discussion focused the Board elected
to present potential changes, with alternatives, to the membership for discussion in sections rather than the entire document as once.
Suggested changes to the Constitution were largely editorial, reflecting the evolution of
training options over the years. The reference to AKC activities was removed. There
were no concerns expressed from the floor.
Article I deals with membership, and the major issue is the Life-time membership.
(LTM) Currently, after 10 years as an active member LTMs are entitled to all benefits of
club membership without being required to contribute to the club in any way. Many
LTMs are active, so the suggestion on the table is to divide the LTMs into active and
associate with commensurate benefits, to eliminate future LTM, and/or increase the
eligibility time frame. The definition of Honorary member is also under discussion, to
allow non-members who have made significant contribution to POC be designated as
such and receive the Telegram. Lastly, shouldn’t the amount of annual dues and the
procedure for election to membership be moved to the Manual?
There was a motion made, seconded and approved that the meeting would be adjourned at 8:30 p.m. so the discussion would not proceed past Article I.
There were two concerns about Article I expressed from the floor, and they have been
incorporated in the following statements:
Article I, Section 1, d. Honorary Membership: Any member may nominate, and at its
discretion the Board may nominate forward to the membership for approval, an individual who has performed extraordinary service on behalf of POC
Article I, Section 4, Termination of membership
Lapsing: The membership will be considered lapsed and automatically terminated suspended if dues remain unpaid…..
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 8:35 p.m.
The Telegram, April 2015, Page 4
Continuing discussion. All members
should attempt to be
present for discussion and voting.
PISCATAQUA OBEDIENCE CLUB, Board Meeting
March 19, 2015
Members Present Naomi Smith, Joyce McCluskey, Sarah Todd, Judy Coen, Jolene DeFazio, Mary Mace, Mary Nedeau
and Sue Walsh
Meeting called to order at 6:04 p.m. In Laura J’s absence, VP Naomi S conducted the meeting.
Minutes prepared by Judy Coen
TOPIC
DISCUSSION
FOLLOW-UP
Officer
Reports
Recording secretary: Judy C had not prepared an official report on the rescheduled
meeting held on March 8th but summarized the meeting from her notes.
Treasurer: Joyce M reported (in round numbers) income of $885 for this session, we
are doing well with drop-ins, checkbook balance of $9266, 18 month CD at $6900,
and petty cash at $165, for total assets of $16500.
Corresponding secretary: Sarah T has placed the ad for the Coastal Cluster, approved
at the March 8th meeting. Three members did not renew their membership for
2015.
Sarah also informed the Board that United Dog Sports, one of the two local UKC
clubs, has expressed an interest in partnering with POC for joint run-throughs this
summer. Several questions arose:
Who would pay for the insurance rider? How would income be split?
POC would need to know the Town’s schedule and how that would affect parking
Are there sufficient POC members to staff the event? POC would definitely
need its own people to insure the grounds were properly policed, monitor
parking, and locking up.
More questions would have been forthcoming but Sarah was not in a position to
speak for UDS, so it was decided to invite UDS representatives to a general meeting. Sarah will set this up.
General
discussion
The remainder of the meeting focused on expanding the discussion from the March 8 th
meeting concerning class offerings and increasing enrollment.
The Board will discuss the need for increased member participation at the general
meeting. The participation on registration nights was adequate but not overwhelming. It was also noted that we should have an outside greeter on those nights.
The sport sampler class would require enrollment in the 6-week class, it would not permit drop-in for individual sports. It is geared for dogs that have successfully completed advanced basic. The class could be staffed by volunteers who have an interest and experience in the sport, they would not have to be certified instructors,
but would require at least two POC members at all times.
To expand POC offerings we will need additional instructors. A class breaks even with
5 full-price registrations.
Any demos of other activities during a class must be careful to minimize any time taken from the class the participants paid for. It was suggested that any demos be
appropriate as the next level of training, and be imbedded in the third or fourth
week and not at the end, Providing demos in the small training room, outside the
class time, would be difficult to schedule and would likely be poorly attended.
POC should investigate more AKC-certifying classes, increasing CGC and STAR puppy,
and adding CGC-A. These may be slow to start but could grow into a significant
part of the program.
Current session registration was good, but POC now has local competition, as the DOG
Wash II has set up shop and is offering classes. POC is slightly less expensive, and
our facilities may not compare with the full-time training facilities but offer more
than those imbedded in a retail site. POC has excellent quality instruction, will
work with behavioral issues, welcomes mixed breeds and tries to keep training fun,
all positives that should be highlighted in any promotional materials.
Advertising: Flyers should be updated, with one focusing on the club and another on
the classes. Flyers should be distributed in a more consistent way. POC should continue with Constant Contact and the Sentinel as they seem very effective, and increase POC’s Facebook presence with our own site as well as appearing on Maine
Dog Events page. Photos appear to be very popular with the public, and adding video
could be very useful. POC’s webpage should be monitored and up-dated whenever
appropriate.
NHPT
Request to donate a session of classes to the New Hampshire Public TV auction was
approved.
Adjourn
Ment
The meeting was adjourned at 6:53 p.m.
The Telegram, April 2015, Page 5
Sarah will invite
UDS representatives to discuss
their proposal.
All are points
that will be discussed at the
general meeting.
Sue will start
developing the
next class schedule, will research
the viability of
day and late afternoon classes as
well as the value
of a conformation
class.
Assign responsibility for updating
flyers
Develop a release
form and ask
Scott to continue
with photos and
begin taking videos for inclusion in
promotional materials.
Strafford Farms Restaurant
58 New Rochester Road
Dover, NH 03820
(603) 742-7012
[email protected]
Dinner Buffet Option
Plated Dinner Option
All menus include beverage, roll and butter and dessert
Entrée Choices:
(Choose 3)
Roast Beef
Baked Ham
Prime Rib
Baked Stuffed Combo
Baked Stuffed Scallops
Baked Stuffed Haddock
Baked Stuffed Chicken
Haddock Florentine
Apple Cranberry Chicken
Seafood Stuffed Chicken
Roast Turkey
$15.99
$15.99
$21.99
$22.99
$23.99
$18.99
$17.99
$18.99
$17.99
$18.99
$15.99
Choice of Potato: Baked, Mashed, Oven Roasted, Scallop,
Rice or Pasta
Below we’ve provided suggested menus, but if you have
something else in mind, please don’t hesitate to ask. We can
accommodate almost any taste.
Must pay for a minimum of 20 people.
Menu 1
$19.99 per person
Choice of 3:
Menu 2
$23.99 per person
Choice of 3:
Choice of Vegetable (Choose 1): Corn, Green Beans, Car
rots, Peas, Seasonal
Choices below served with garden salad
Beef Burgundy over Pasta
$16.99
Chicken Parmigiana with Pasta $16.49
Lasagna
$16.99
Eggplant Parmigiana
$16.99
Seafood Alfredo over Pasta
$20.99
Baked Stuffed Haddock
Baked Stuffed Chicken
Roast Beef
Baked Ham
Roast Turkey
Lobster Stuffed Sole
Seafood Stuffed Chicken
Apple Cranberry Chicken
Seafood Newburg
Lemon Poppy Baked Haddock
Haddock Florentine
Choice of Potato: Baked, Mashed, Oven Roasted, Scalloped,
Rice or Pasta (choose one)
Choice of dessert: Chocolate Cream Pie, Apple Crisp,
Chocolate or Strawberry Mousse, Grapenut Custard
Pudding
(choose one for entire party)
Add soup: $2.49
Add Chowder: $3.49
Add Salad: $3.79
Choice of Vegetable: Corn, Green Beans, Peas, Carrots,
Seasonal (choose one). Add 2nd vegetable choice for 50¢ per
person.
Choice of Dessert: Chocolate Cream Pie, Apple Crisp,
Chocolate or Strawberry Mousse, or Grapenut Custard
Pudding (choose one for entire party) Add 2nd dessert
choice for 50¢ per person.
Price also includes coffee, tea or soft drink.
We must have a count of each entrée at least 7 days prior
to function. Full bar and bottled wine available. Prices do
not include an 9% meals tax or 20% service charge. All
prices subject to change without notification.
Add soup: $2.49
Add Chowder: $3.49
Add Salad: $3.79
Price does not include 9% New Hampshire meals tax or 20%
service charge. All choices must be to us at least 7 days prior
to function.
The Telegram, April 2015, Page 6
Things have finally come
together in agility for the
boys and me. At the
ASCA trial March 28-29
Gaucho and Pavarotti
had beautiful
runs. Gaucho got two
Novice Regular legs and
would have gotten two
more except that I put
him into the wrong
place. He only lost out on
Open Jumpers with time
faults. Pavarotti
managed to stop worrying
and have fun on the
course and got two Novice
Jumpers legs and his
title. I was so proud of
my boys who tried so
hard!
Martha
and
Glory
found a
way to
enjoy
this
past
winter,
A couple of weekends ago I
went to my first UKC
confirmation trial with Kenzie
in Raytham, MA. We had so
much fun. Of course it didn't
hurt that he finished his
Championship in one weekend
(4trials) and did it with two
group 4s , a group 2 and a
group 1 out of a large (10 dogs)
herding group. To say it was a
wild and exciting ride is an
understatement. Kenzie
showed beautifully. So proud
of him.
Skijoring!
Barbara Barreiro
The weekend of March
13, 14 & 15 turned out
to b e pretty awesome for
Oonah and me! Friday
and Sunday we competed
in Cynosport Rally. 7
runs and 7 Q’s with
really nice scores. She
finished her Level 1
Championship and her
ARCH. But Saturday
was our favorite day
when we went to our very first official Barn
Hunt Trial. First Oonah earned her RatInstinct certificate and then took first place
during a novice run as well as High in Class
by finding the rat in 31 seconds!
-Linda
Mary &
one of
her
wonderful
CCI
puppies!
Sarah
The Telegram, April 2015, Page 7
I have a brand new Sof Krate 2, the
30 inch size, for $70.
I paid $80
It was used for 4 hours. It's just too
small for Tide.
you can see it here:
http://www.amazon.com/Noz2Noz669-Sof-Krate-Indoor-Outdoor/dp/
B000P9ZFEM
Lee
603-559-9008
[email protected]
If you are not on the POC
Google group (and you would
like to be), please email
Sarah so you can be added.
[email protected]
Help Sandy & Cheryn get to Colorado!
On April 18, beanmaster Steve Rand and his
lovely wife Shirley, are graciously putting on a
bean supper at the North Berwick Gun Club. The
proceeds will go toward the NACSW National
Invitational trip to Colorado Cheryn and Sandy are
going on in May. They are two of the 42 teams
nationwide that have achieved their NW3 Elite
title!!
All are welcome, good food, good friends, good
fun. Time will be 4:30-6:00. Tickets $10. See Cheryn, Shirley or Sandy for
tickets. It will probably also be the only time you'll ever see Cheryn playing
waitress!!! ( that alone will be worth the price of admission LOL)
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