Promoting welfare & sportsmanship of purebred dogs
Speaker in April
On April 11 at 7 pm, Dr. Heather OLeary will speak about canine chiropractic medicine and acupuncture on dogs.
On April 11 at 7 pm, Dr. Heather OLeary will speak about canine chiropractic medicine and acupuncture on dogs.
February 8 - 7:30 pm
Monthly Meeting - Starr Library, Market Street, Rhinebeck, NYMarch 14
Awards Banquet -Time & Location TBA
April 11 - 7:00 pm
Speaker: Dr Heather O'LearyMonthly Meeting - 7:30 pm
Starr Library, Market Street, Rhinebeck, NY
April 28 & 29
Spring Agility Trial -Cantine Field, Saugerties, NY
Speaker Series
This year, MHKA is pleased to host special guest lecturers at some of our upcoming meetings, beginning with Dr. Heather O'Leary, who specializes in veterinary chiropractic treatment and acupuncture. Dr. O’Leary’s areas of special interest include general medicine and preventive care, ophthalmology, and neonatology. On farm calls she is accompanied by Jersey, her Jack Russell Terrier. She will be speaking on April 11th at 7pm, at the Starr Library in Rhinebeck, NY. This lecture is open to the general public.
AKC Group Realignment
The Dog Show Superintendents Association (DSSA) would like to share some information and gather your feedback on the GROUP REALIGNMENT proposal. Please take a moment to review this material and answer a few survey questions. This will help us better understand the thinking of the Fancy as well as how to possibly implement the new Variety Groups. The GROUP REALIGNMENT information and SURVEY can be found here.
2012 Westminster Show
The Westminster Kennel Club's Exhibition is America's first and only "Champions Only" dog show, with entry limited to only 2,000 dogs. This year will be WKC's 136th anniversary show. Six new breeds will be competing this time around: the Norwegian Lundehund, the Xoloitzcuintli (Mexican Hairless), the Entlebucher, the American English coonhound, the Cesky and the Finnish Lapphund.
This year, MHKA is pleased to host special guest lecturers at some of our upcoming meetings, beginning with Dr. Heather O'Leary, who specializes in veterinary chiropractic treatment and acupuncture. Dr. O’Leary’s areas of special interest include general medicine and preventive care, ophthalmology, and neonatology. On farm calls she is accompanied by Jersey, her Jack Russell Terrier. She will be speaking on April 11th at 7pm, at the Starr Library in Rhinebeck, NY. This lecture is open to the general public.
AKC Group Realignment
The Dog Show Superintendents Association (DSSA) would like to share some information and gather your feedback on the GROUP REALIGNMENT proposal. Please take a moment to review this material and answer a few survey questions. This will help us better understand the thinking of the Fancy as well as how to possibly implement the new Variety Groups. The GROUP REALIGNMENT information and SURVEY can be found here.
2012 Westminster Show
The Westminster Kennel Club's Exhibition is America's first and only "Champions Only" dog show, with entry limited to only 2,000 dogs. This year will be WKC's 136th anniversary show. Six new breeds will be competing this time around: the Norwegian Lundehund, the Xoloitzcuintli (Mexican Hairless), the Entlebucher, the American English coonhound, the Cesky and the Finnish Lapphund.
Reminders...
Annual Awards Banquet
March 14 will be the date for this year's awards banquet, location to be announced.
Deadline for Submitting Awards
is February 2nd. If your dog won an AKC title this year, be sure to inform Melissa Carlin. Send a photo to the webmaster for the Brags page, too!
March 14 will be the date for this year's awards banquet, location to be announced.
Deadline for Submitting Awards
is February 2nd. If your dog won an AKC title this year, be sure to inform Melissa Carlin. Send a photo to the webmaster for the Brags page, too!
Trophies Needed Volunteers are asked to donate trophies by the deadline February 14th. Contact chairman Rob Waters for more information.
Desperately Need volunteers to chair the Pet Palooza and the Paws in the Park events, and to be grounds person for June's Point Show.
Desperately Need volunteers to chair the Pet Palooza and the Paws in the Park events, and to be grounds person for June's Point Show.
The PUPS Bill (HR 835)
(AKC press release)
The American Kennel Club and our Washington, D.C. based advocacy team continue to closely monitor the federal Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety (PUPS) legislation introduced last spring as Senate Bill 707 (S.707) and House Bill 835 (H.R. 835). Each of the bills has been assigned to the Agriculture Committees of their respective chambers. To date, no hearings have been scheduled and no formal action has been taken on this bill.
PUPS would purportedly require anyone who owns or co-owns dogs that produce 50 or more puppies offered for sale in a 12-month period to be regulated under existing USDA dog "dealer" regulations. These regulations are designed for high-volume commercial kennels that produce puppies for wholesale, and require a USDA commercial license, maintenance of specified commercial kennel engineering standards and regular inspections.
The AKC does not oppose the general concept of reasonable regulations for high volume breeder/retailers. However, the PUPS bill is misleading because such regulations would hurt responsible small breeders who raise only a few litters of puppies each year in their homes, while also reducing the availability of resources needed to enforce against abusive or negligent operations.
The AKC also has a number of serious concerns with the bill as introduced and does not support this measure. These concerns include:
- Definition of "breeding female" as an intact female dog aged 4 months or older. This definition is misleading because female dogs are not sufficiently mature at 4 months of age to be bred. Additionally, such a definition should not be necessary if a "high volume retail breeder" is to be based on sales, rather than the number of dogs owned.
- Definition of "high volume retail breeder" as someone with "an ownership interest in or custody of one or more breeding female dogs." This definition is overly broad and does not take into account the tradition of co- and joint ownerships common among dog show participants, sporting dog trainers, hunting club members, and other hobbyists. Additionally, a reference to the number of dogs owned by a breeder is unnecessary and potentially misleading in legislation that does not limit ownership rights per se.
- Current exercise language is overly vague and should be clarified to ensure that the daily exercise requirements do not preclude use of legitimate training or exercise equipment or other types of physical activity.
- This legislation calls for exponentially expanding the numbers of breeders regulated and inspected by the Animal Care division of the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal, Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS). However, a May 2010 audit of this program by the USDA's own Inspector General demonstrated that the existing inspections program is insufficient to carry out current responsibilities. The AKC believes these issues and full funding for the current program should be addressed before attempting to exponentially expand the program's responsibilities and workload.
AKC Government Relations and our Washington-based advocates will continue to closely monitor the activities of key members of Congress, policy committees, and their staff for any developments regarding PUPS. We are committed to keeping our constituents updated via email and the AKC website. Updated information about PUPS and other legislation is available online at http://www.akc.org/news/sections/legislative_alerts.cfm or by clicking on "US Fed" on AKC's online legislative tracking system.
The AKC encourages all responsible dog owners and breeders to stay active in your community as a role model for responsible dog ownership and breeding and to educate your legislators about potentially misleading legislation that could harm responsible dog owners and breeders.
Although PUPS is not actively being considered in Congress at this time, we encourage responsible dog owners and breeders to share their concerns about this measure with their federal representatives. Use the following links to find out the names and contact information of your member of Congress and your Senators. For more information on effectively communicating with your legislators and other tools and information to help you, please visit the AKC Government Relations Toolbox and AKC GR newsletters links on the AKC Government Relations webpage.
Curious about dog events? Want to know more about activities with your dog? Come to a meeting or event, and we'll be happy to answer your questions. Contact MHKA at info@mhka.net.