| Letter from the President |
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Hello Everyone!
I would like to introduce myself. My name is Kathi Leonhardt and I am the new President of your Southern Skies Flat Coated Retriever Club, Inc. I have been in dogs forever and in flat-coated retrievers since 1990. I started out just loving the look of our breed, then got talked into taking conformation lessons with my second FCR and the next thing I knew, I was doing show, field, agility and even a bit of obedience. Seeing how versatile our breed was motivated me to try lots of new venues and found that our breed not only loved them all but excelled in them all. Three and a half years ago, my husband and I retired to Florida, leaving my Maryland family and friends behind. Since then, and thanks to our wonderful club, I have been busier and having more flat-coat fun than ever.
Since becoming President in April, your new officers, Board and committee chairs have been busy creating events and activities. In addition to the already exciting events like the WC/WCX, the Supported Entry and the Fun Days for all, we will be adding seminars in different venues and more events to get everyone involved. This year, we are adding a Annual Ribbon Award - a lovely rosette honoring any member dog who earns any title during the year...be it AKC, UKC, HRC or a club title. Our gorgeous website is there for you to enjoy pictures of member dogs, their accomplishments, an interactive FCR standard and much more. Please check it out and add YOUR dog(s) to the member section and tell us all about what you and your dogs have been up to... www.southernskiesfcrc.org We are now incorporated and indemnified, so shortly we will be able to offer PayPal for your convenience. Picking up some SSFCRC merchandise and paying your membership dues will be just a click away.
Did I say how proud and honored I am to be a part of this growing, young club? I am astounded by the camaraderie and dedication of the members of this club. We lost a much beloved lady and devoted member this year in our Joan Dever and weathered a very difficult storm with our friend Charlotte Miller's stroke. And, through it all, the SSFCRC stood strong and warm in its compassion and desire to help in any way possible.
In conclusion, I would like to encourage everyone to get involved. Even if you are a new flat coat lover, as we all once were, being on any committee is a great way to meet new friends - and this club has fantastic members! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, suggestions or concerns; and sign up to be a member of any committee. My email is: magicdeion@aol.com and my home phone is 321-549-3141.
Best Regards,
Kathi Leonhardt
President,
Southern Skies Flat Coated Retriever Club, Inc. |
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| Quotable Quotes |
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"I do Conformation for the breed, Obedience for the team, and Field for the dog."
Elizabeth Mound
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| Top Ten Tips on Agility |
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By Susan Schultz
1. Keep what’s important in perspective:
First goal: “Have fun!” Second goal: “Make friends”. Third goal: “Q!” (Q is for Qualify). Your Q’s will come and go, but your dogs and friends are forever.
2. The first thing I learned in agility class was to “Never say NO!”
Positive reinforcement with praise, toys, and snacks are the best way to keep your dog motivated. Your dog will quickly figure out what he has to do to get more of that praise and yummy snacks!
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| Field Training for the Fall |
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By Alison Schultz
Hopefully everyone has been working on their basic obedience during the hot summer months and now that it will be cooling off we can progress with our training.
Our next training day will be held on Saturday September 11th at Richard Davis’ in Bushnell, FL in conjunction with the Central Florida Hunting Retriever Club Training Day. A beginners field obedience class will be held from 9-10 AM. Please RSVP to Alison at alschult@mail.ucf.edu to participate in the beginners class. I will send you directions and a list of what you need to bring. After the beginners class you can run the land and water marks that are set up for the club training day.
So how do you get started in Field Training?
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| How to Register a Litter From Frozen Imported Semen |
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By Kathi Leonhardt
When I asked to breed my flat coated retriever, Isabel, to a lovely Scottish FCR, Jet, I thought the hardest part was over. The adventure began with my introduction to the stud dog owner by my reputable English friend/breeder/international judge; the acceptance of my bitch’s pedigree to his dog; the wire transfer of pounds to his account (“Ma’am, are you SURE you want to send THAT much money to someone you’re not related to?”) and finally the shipment of said stud dog semen to my repro vet. With the inevitable surgical insemination, the mating was complete. (I’d like to add here that we drew Isabel’s blood, spun it into serum, sent it overnight to Kentucky for a progesterone check every day in the upwards of 14 days since the first day I noticed that she was in season.) And, after all that, Hallelujah, she was pregnant! All I had left to do was wait for Mother Nature to take her course, right? Not even close…
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| Photo Gallery |
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Kathi Leonhardt, Jim Bateman, Carole Beth Davis and Rowdie (foreground),
at the 2010 National Specialty Agility Events in Auburn, Indiana
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Carol Cassidy and Hart at the 2010 National Specialty in Auburn, Indiana |
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Alison Schultz and Gauge |
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Marge Cassidy |
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Joan Dever, Charlotte Miller and Milo |
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Alison Schultz and Tripp |
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Marge Cassidy, Carol Cassidy, Coal (top left),
Brody (top right),
Bentley (bottom left) and Lexi (bottom right) |
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Alison Schultz and Gauge |
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Alison Schultz and Tripp, swimming by a decoy to retrieve a bumper in practice. |
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Alison Schultz and Hunter.
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Hunter with a bird swimming through "cover" (weeds) in the water. |
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Elizabeth Mound and Ava |
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