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THE CAVALIER CHRONICLE
June 2024
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
We are kind of in our slow spot, but still have activities we need to accomplish over the next few months.
We need to find a replacement for Lu Dunham as our representative for the Georgia Canine Coalition. Lu discovered that she is not allowed to be the representative for 2 clubs and will be stepping down to our alternate while remaining as the representative for the Newnan Kennel Club. This entails a few conference calls a year and reporting back to the membership and board. Not a real taxing role, but a very key role for the club. If anyone is interested, please let me know.
We have our puppy social coming up at Paula's house on June 23rd from noon until 4 pm. Please plan on joining us at this fun event.
We have locked in our judges for the February 2025 Specialty, Sue Green will judge sweeps, Leila Tarabad will judge on Saturday, and Sunday will be Sharon Masnick. A great panel, please plan on joining us in February 2025.
We are now working on judges for the February 2026 specialty. The judge pool is locking up much earlier than it used to so it is critical that we get this accomplished in the next few weeks. If you have any suggestions, please share with Paula Ayers or myself and we will add them to the discussion.
We are planning for the 2nd puppy social of the year in September or October. We have not yet decided on a date, but will send invites out in early July once determine. We would like to give other members the opportunity to host some events if they are interested. If you would like to jump into the deep end and host this event, please let me know. There isn’t much effort necessary, just a willingness to open up your home to the club.
We are also working on locking in the venue for the Holiday luncheon on December 15th.
Enjoy your summer and may you, your families and pups keep safe.
EDITOR'S MESSAGE
Thank you everyone for continuing to provide content for our newsletter! Please keep the content coming, and if you have any suggestions, general feedback, and especially brags, please send them to CKCSCAtlantaNewsletter@gmail.com. I'd love to hear from you!
Thanks -
Beth Lassiter, Editor
2024 MEETING SCHEDULE
June 10. 2024 – Board Meeting at 7:30pm
June 23, 2024 – Puppy Social at Paula Ayers (Noon to 4pm)
July – NO MEETINGS
August 12, 2024 – Board Meeting at 7:30pm
Please remember that we have moved our meeting day from Tuesday to Monday to accommodate our members’ attendance to the meetings.
If you are interested in becoming a regular, voting member of the club please contact Sharon Utych at utych@earthlink.net
JUNE PUPPY SOCIAL
Mark your calendar for Sunday June 23 from noon to 4pm for our quarterly puppy social at the home of Paula Ayers. It will be held on her breezeway. Bring a chair and a side to share! The club will have water and soda. This is always a great time for your cavaliers plus there are usually puppies galore to cuddle and love on!
An evite invitation has been emailed to members and reminders will be sent out closer to the date.
2025 SPECIALTY NEWS
We are holding our specialties on Saturday February 1 and Sunday February 2, 2025 in conjunction with the Cherokee Rose Cluster shows! (Pending AKC Approval)
Location: Atlanta Expo Center South, 3850 Jonesboro Rd SE, Atlanta GA
Superintendent: MB-F
An opportunity for 6 shows in 4 days during the Cluster! Cluster is held indoors, food and vendors will be at this show.
Judging Panel: (pending AKC Approval)
Saturday Puppy Sweepstakes & Veteran Sweepstakes - Judge: Ms. Susan Savage Green (Sorella US)
Saturday Regular Classes and NOHS - Judge: Ms. Leila Tarabad (Khatibi UK)
Sunday 4 to under 6-month Beginner Puppy Competition - Judge: Ms. Sharon Masnick (AKC)
Sunday Regular Classes and NOHS - Judge: Ms. Sharon Masnick (AKC)
Our Ringside Basket Auction will also be held on Saturday and Sunday!
Our baskets are FABULOUS! Tickets will be sold at the show and the social. $5 each or 5 for $20.
2025 Specialty Sponsorships Are Now Available!
Placement Sponsorships are available on the Club website for both shows!
Because of your sponsorships, we are able to put on a fabulous show with great prizes and rosettes! Please consider sponsoring one or more placements on Saturday or Sunday. Your generosity helps us defray the cost of putting on a wonderful specialty with great prizes, rosettes and fabulous judges! Your sponsorship will also be displayed ringside and you can dedicate your placement sponsorship "in honor of" or "in memory of" if you wish!
Click HERE to access our safe and secure store to purchase a sponsorship!
2025 Specialty Host Hotel Information
Our host hotel once again during the Cluster is the Drury Inn - Morrow GA
Drury Inn & Suites Atlanta Morrow
6520 South Lee Street
Morrow GA 30260
phone: 770.960.0500
Rates: $114/night excluding taxes & fee for King or Queen; $144/night 2 room suite, king bed excluding taxes and fees. $85 one time pet fee.
The Drury Inn is 5 minutes from the Jonesboro Road show site! The Drury Inn offers free parking, free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, free hot breakfast, free evening drinks and snacks, free soft drinks ; popcorn and free on-site facilities (business center, fitness center, pool)
METHOD OF RESERVATION
Reservations will be made by: Individual Call-In
Individual Call-In reservations can be made by reserving online, go to www.druryhotels.com, then enter Group number of 10102038. Reservations may also be made by calling 1-800-325-0720 and refer to the Group number of 10102038. Individual reservations must be cancelled prior to 12:00 p.m. on the confirmed date of arrival in order to avoid a non-refundable fee equal to one night’s room rate plus tax. The hotel requires a valid credit card and photo ID to be presented at check in. Check In Time: 3:00 p.m. Check Out Time: 11:00 a.m. Arrangements may be made for baggage storage with the Hotel’s front desk staff.
CUTOFF DATE
Reservations by attendees must be received on or before JANUARY 27,2025. After the Cutoff Date, the hotel will release the unreserved rooms for general sale. Reservations received after the Cutoff Date will be confirmed on a space-available basis at prevailing rates. The hotel does not offer shuttle service to and from the Atlanta airport.
2025 Specialty Show Saturday Social
Join us on Saturday evening at 7pm after the show at our host hotel, the Drury Inn (Morrow) for food, drink and socializing! The club will be providing the meal, beverages, snacks and sweets for everyone! We will be holding the social in the meeting room on the lower level of the hotel. Everyone is invited to attend and enjoy the evening! Our menu is still in the planning stages and will be updated here once
finalized.
Click HERE if you would like to donate to help offset the costs of catering and room fee.
Please be sure to RSVP to LaVada McCosh (email: lavadamccosh@gmail.com) if you plan to attend. We will also be holding a live auction of some lovely cavalier related items! COME JOIN US! ALL ARE INVITED!
Exhibitor Bag, Prizes and Raffle Basket Donations
We plan on having exhibitor bags again this year as we have bags left over from last year to use. Included in the bag will be a stainless steel tumbler, which was donated. We would love to have members donate items for the bags. Items such as pens, tissues, note pads, candy, water, dog treats, dog toys, poop bags, protein bars, etc would be greatly appreciated. We plan to make 60 bags. Contact Ashley or Carolyn Powell if you wish to donate items for the bags.
We would also like to offer all our first place class winners a prize on Saturday and Sunday. If you would like to donate 36 like items for this, please contact Jim Utych. Last year we offered microfiber towels to the class winners on Saturday and this year we would like to offer prizes on both Saturday and Sunday.
SAVE THE DATE
The Newnan Kennel Club will be hosting a show on October 18, 19, 20 at the Coweta County Fairgrounds. Our club will be supporting their cavalier entry for the three days and we hope you all can make plans to attend. The venue is outside, however the toys will be judged indoors. They have a great judging panel lined up for cavaliers: Barbara Pepper (Friday), Cindy Huggins (Saturday), Deborah Barrett (Sunday). Superintendent is Foy Trent.
DID YOU KNOW
Did you know that in addition to our website, the club also has a Facebook page AND will be introducing an Instagram account? These social media accounts will be managed by club members Victoria Babcock and Jess Hillman. If you have suggestions for fun posts, etc., please contact them at
victoriaandjessbahill@gmail.com
If you haven’t “liked” our Facebook page, head on over and click the “Like” button!
SEPTEMBER (OR OCTOBER) PUPPY SOCIAL
Would you like to host our Fall Puppy Social? All you need is a fenced area for puppies and a set up for members to bring potluck to share. The club will provide utensils, paper products, water, soda and ice. Participants bring their own chairs and a side to share. We usually hold this social at the Utych’s, but if you would like to get involved and host, let Jim Utych (jim.utych@firstgroup.com) know. You can pick the date that is convenient for you (typically held on a Sunday from noon to 4pm).
BASIC RING ETIQUETTE
Do you remember how you learned basic ring etiquette? It was probably trial and error. Embarrassed and learned! Possibly you had someone guiding you by the ring, but often times not. Here are a couple of basics from my library as a refresher or for a newbie..
THE WINNERS CLASS
- Pay attention!
- Be ringside if your dog was second place in your class.
- Get into the ring right away once you know your dog is needed. The steward will call your number, but be ready. Do not, under any circumstances go back to your setup assuming another dog will win. You never know.
Where to go in the lineup
- Go into the spot where the winner came from, i.e., if it was 6-9 puppy go to the end of the line unless otherwise indicated. The judge will tell you if s/he wants you in the front.
- If there are only two dogs or two bitches in the entire entry, the winner should be indicated clearly by the judge.
RESERVE IS A SEPARATE CLASS!
- Hang in there if the judge doesn't specially indicate you as Reserve! Go to the numbers and stand nearby so the judge can just point to you after marking the book for the Winner.
- Do not under any circumstances leave the ring until you see the point! Don't assume that because the judge moved two dogs together that the other one is reserve and leave the ring. Don't leave the ring until you see the judge clearly indicate the Reserve Winner!
- Always congratulate the winners!
HEAT STROKE SIGNS
Reminder as we progress into the summer months.
PERFORMANCE CORNER: DOCK DIVING
This month I had the incredible fortune to interview Angela Crawford, owner/handler/assistant to one of the cavalier celebrities of the performance world, Crawford's Athena RA FDC OAP OJP NFP CAX FCAT7 ACT2 SWN SCNE SBNE SCA SBA RATO DM DSX6 CGCA TKI ATT VHMA FITG. I first discovered Athena while researching the breed and wondering "will I still be able to do sports with a cavalier?" Athena quickly put that question to bed! Athena is 10 1/2 years old and started dock diving in 2015. This is her 10th season (or 9th year) competing in the sport.
Enjoy the deep dive (pun intended) into the world of dock diving!
Beth: What is Dock Diving?
Angela: Dock Diving is a sport in which dogs are enticed to run the length of a dock and leap as far out into the water as possible to compete for height or distance. They’re motivated to fly with a prized toy, which is thrown just out of reach in order to help them keep their momentum and get the best launch angle possible into the water. Distance is then measured from the dock to where the base of the dog's tail breaks the water's surface.
NADD (North America Diving Dogs) has 2 classes - Open class (big dogs) and Lap class (less than 16" at the withers.) From there, divisions are determined based on jump distance - Novice, Junior, Senior, Master, and Elite. It doesn't matter if you're the smallest jumper, you still can earn a title in ANY division as long as you're able to jump off the dock.
B: Why do you do it?
A: We keep doing it for the sheer excitement of seeing Athena excel and have the time of her life. We think she thrives on the whole atmosphere of being in her element and watching the people cheer her on. Dock diving was also her first sport, so to her she sees it as her job and she loves every minute of it!
B: Do other cavaliers participate in the sport?
A: In 2015, Athena was the only cavalier at the time dock diving. She competed at her first Nationals in Orlando in 2015 and we introduced ourselves at the Cavalier Meet the Breed Booth. A couple of club members ended up coming to watch her and started asking about how she got started. Word started getting around and by 2016 we had 4 actively jumping.
Over the years, we've had numerous Cavalier owners contact us on how to get started and helped them with advice. Currently there are about 10 that actively compete. A couple of them have done amazingly well and have been very successful at Regionals and Nationals.
B: Should I try dock diving if my cavalier hates the water?
A: If they hate water, start off at a slow pace. Some adapt to it right away and some take time. Start off as a game at the beach and sit water side with a toy. If they aren't quickly receptive, back off and come back later. Definitely don't force it but try to make it fun for them. If they see water as a fun thing to do, it may eventually grow on them.
B: Is there anything specifically we should be careful of with cavaliers and this sport?
A: I would recommend a life vest especially if they are going straight to a pool and not walking along the beach. Watch for water intoxication while swimming and make sure you take frequent rest breaks with water and potty breaks.
B: What kind of training is required?
A: It's all a process like any sport. Take your time and have fun with it. If you're training at a pool, don't be afraid to get in the pool with them and make it fun for them. Mostly it's building confidence. With confidence they learn to trust their abilities and thrive on it. Athena started off jumping 6 to 7ft and currently jumps 12 to 13ft. Her personal best is 14'6". It's amazing to watch them continue to grow in the sport. I think that's the most exciting part is seeing them learn and teach themselves better ways to jump further.
A good example is over the first couple years of competing, she was a raging lunatic on the dock ranting.. raving.. and throwing a ruckus while I held her to be released on the dock. Now once she's on the dock, she stops, is quiet and listens to key words from her dad. Not a word or peep from the time she sets up at the end of the dock to be released until he yells GO!
B: Ok - I'm interested! How do I get started?
A: I would start off with a small bumper. We use a chuck it (small) or a floating toy/bumper. Only bring the bumper out when you're going to the dock or training. I would also recommend a life vest until they become more familiar with water. You can check out local facilities as most of the locations offer training and seminars to learn. NADD's webpage is a great source of finding locations. Most importantly HAVE FUN and don't give up!
B: Thank you so much for your time and sharing Athena with us - she's a fantastic example of what our amazing breed can do!
A: Thank you for giving us the opportunity to tell you more about our favorite sport. The journey has been so amazing and rewarding for us, and I couldn't be prouder of Athena and everything she's brought to the breed.
If you'd like to read more about Athena's journey, check out this article:
You can also find Athena on Instagram: athena_dock_diving_cavalier
or on Facebook: Athena the Dock Diving Cavalier
INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT OF THE MONTH
Send your favorite inspirational thought to CKCSCAtlantaNewsletter@gmail.com
NATURAL REMEDIES
NATURAL REMEDY FOR BRUISED OR SORE MUSCLES
Let’s say your dog overdid it at the weekend agility trials or tangled with a neighbor’s dog. You broke up the fight quickly. Upon inspection of your dog from head to tail, you notice he has bruising on his abdomen caused by the pressure of a tooth dragging across the body. However, there is no evidence of any puncture wounds, and your dog is not showing any signs of pain.
Natural treatment option: arnica. This homeopathic medicine is from a sunflower perennial that blooms in the early spring and is also known as Leopard’s Bane. It is available in pellets, creams, and gel forms at health stores and also through Amazon.com. Giving Arnica 30 c in pellet form (four to six pellets equal one dose) to your dog to help with pain and resolve inflammation quickly.
Always discuss any treatment with your vet.
RECIPE OF THE MONTH
Quick & Easy Peanut Butter Dog Treats
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter - crunchy can also be used
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup water
You can use other kinds of peanut butter such as chunky, but if you do you’ll probably need to add more water to the mixture in order to make it into a workable dough.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F.
- Mix together your flour, peanut butter & eggs in a large bowl until slightly combined.
- Add in a little bit of water (approximately one Tbsp at a time) until the mixture becomes wet enough to roll out as dough.
- Roll out your dough & cut out your favorite shapes with some cookie cutters.
- Place your treats onto your baking sheet & cook for about 15 minutes. For a little bit of crunch, I like to take mine out once the bottoms start to darken.
NEED SOME SUNSHINE?
Do you know a club member who needs some sunshine?
Our Sunshine Committee Chair is Ashley Powell. If you know of a club member that needs to be remembered or encouraged, please be in touch with Ashley.
Ashley can be reached at ashncav@gmail.com.
THE CAVALIER CHRONICLE
CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIEL CLUB OF GREATER ATLANTA
Beth Lassiter, editor