THE CAVALIER CHRONICLE
July 2024
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Hope everybody is enjoying their summer in spite of the extreme heat we are experiencing. Please remember that if you are uncomfortable, then your pups are also uncomfortable. It is very critical that we limit their time outside and keep them cool and hydrated.
We held our puppy social at Paula's house on June 23rd. Thank you again Paula for hosting. This turned out to be one of most highly attended puppy socials since we started doing them several years ago. We think we had a bit over 30 people in attendance, which was amazing. For those of you unable to attend, we will have the next social at our house - scheduled for Sunday, October 13th from noon to 4 pm (rain or shine). The invites are out - please respond.
We have an important general meeting comping up September 9th. Some of our associate members have submitted to become voting members and we need to act on their applications. Remember, if you have been an associate member for 12 months and live in the State of Georgia, you can become a voting member of the club. If you are interested in becoming a regular, voting member of the club please contact Sharon Utych at utych@earthlink.net. We also have a couple of people that have applied for membership after attending the June puppy social.
We are also working on securing our judges for the February 2026 specialty. The amount of work that it takes to secure good judges these days is unbelievable. Special thank you to Paula for her leadership in this area and to the board for their input and guidance.
Remember that the specialty sponsorships are open on the club's website and that the hotel block is now open. If you have never stayed at the Drury Inn you are missing out on interacting with one of the best staffs I have have ever had the privilege of meeting. They are so friendly and they love our dogs. Plus the room rate includes breakfast in the morning, a simple dinner with drinks at night, and one of the better dog walk areas I have seen. See you there!!!
Thank you all -
Jim
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
July – NO MEETINGS
August 12 – Board Meeting at 7:30pm
September 9 – Regular Meeting at 7:30pm
October – Board Meeting TBA
November 11 – Regular 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
OCTOBER PUPPY SOCIAL
Mark your calendar for Sunday October 13 from noon to 4pm for our quarterly puppy social at the home of Jim & Sharon Utych. It will be held in the fenced backyard. Bring a chair and a side to share! The club will have water and soda. We moved this social from September to October to try something a little different - we will be holding a Halloween party with both a human and cavalier costume contest! So even if you come without a cavalier, take part in the fun and put on your Halloween finest to compete for bragging rights and an Amazon gift certificate!
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.
BRAGS
Congratulations to Michelle True for two awesome accomplishments!
CH Legacy Leather N Lace "Stevie" was awarded her Championship, and Evera True Ethan Allen Miracle "Ethan" was awarded his Grand Championship.
CH Legacy Leather N Lace "Stevie"
Evera True Ethan Allen Miracle "Ethan"
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!
GENETIC HEALTH TESTING NEWS
There may be a genetic marker in our cavaliers that has been identified which prevents them from early onset Mitral Valve Disease (MVD). This is exciting news and many breeders worldwide are testing their dogs in search of the "unicorn" - those cavaliers that carry the MMVD gene (Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease (ALL MVD Risk Variants).
Currently, Orivet (www.orivet.com) located in Florida provides this genetic test. It involves a cheek swab to be sent in to their labs. Once you create an account and sign up your dogs, add the genetic test and indicate that you are not providing a sample and they will send you the swab kit. The cost is $50 per dog, per test.
There is also a facebook group you can ask to join to learn more about the search and the testing. It is a private group about 800 strong and you must ask to join. The group name is:
MMVD & the Search for the "Wild" Gene in FCI Associated Dogs
(5) MMVD & the Search for the "Wild" Gene in FCI Associated Dogs | Facebook
About this group: Following a recently published paper from Australian scientists. It would appear that a rare number of Cavaliers believed to be between 3-5% carry a gene which protects them from early onset MVD. Obviously it's early days and this needs through investigation but it could be a game changer for this breed
INSIDE THE ANIMAL ACTORS STUDIO
This month I'm turning the "Performance Corner" into a discussion of a different kind of performance altogether... animal acting! I thought it would be fun to share my own experience (while limited) with Collins' "career". Please enjoy! - Beth Lassiter
Usually the first question people ask me is "how did you get into animal acting?" (Actually the first question is often if I have met any famous people - ha!) The answer is - it completely fell in my lap. A friend of mine that I train with was asked by an agency if she knew anyone with a cavalier, and so it began... It wasn't my intent to have an animal actor - but here we are!
Collins' first job was the biggest one we've had to date - he was one of 10 dogs on LEGO Masters where a team built a LEGO replica of him. He was required to run into a room with the other dogs, be on a bed beside his team, and walk on a leash with his team. We had a couple of rehearsals with the other dogs, and mainly focused on his down-stay work in preparation. When the big day came, a lot of what we worked on was changed based on what the show wanted, so flexibility was key! Also key was working with so many distractions - there were approximately 12 cameras whirring around - sometimes right in his face, other times flying across the ceiling for aerial shots. There were loud noises, running, and other dogs barking. It was crazy!
I was initially concerned that Collins wasn't performing as consistently as I would like him to - for example, he would break his stay after a few minutes to come see me. I remarked to one of the trainers on set that I was worried that Collins just wasn't doing as well as I'd hoped and she laughed "This isn't obedience! They don't have to stay in the same position or be perfect - they can be wrong a lot of the time as long as they get it right once for the shot!" This was a huge "aha" moment for me - it's no longer about performing for a Q - it's performing for one shot for the camera, which monumentally changes one's perspective on performance.
The other jobs we've had (still ads, commercials) haven't been as big, but they've required different skills. Each role comes with its own requirements - sometimes they just want the dog to sit and look pretty. Other times they want interaction with an actor, or movement. Other skills Collins has had to perform are: wearing various clothing and accessories, working at a distance (IE I'm 15 feet away and giving commands), putting his head down, and having a head tilt on cue. The next few tricks I'm working on are barking on command and holding an object. (I see both of these come up on open calls and want to be able to apply for them!)
The most interesting part of animal acting is watching Collins work. It's the same kind of "on" switch he has with other sports - where he knows where he is and what's about to happen (including the anticipation of major yummy snacks). I will never tire of his insatiable appetite to perform for cheese.
And to answer the most important question - we HAVE met some famous people along the way - mainly on the set of LEGO Masters where we met many awesome LEGO builders, Amy & Jamie (the judges), and Will Arnett (the host.) However, Will claimed to be a "big dog guy", so we have yet to forgive him. We're hoping to meet a "cavalier guy" one day on our acting journey - and we'll let you know when it happens!
down-stay on bed (LEGO Masters)
waiting to go on set
following actor walk (commercial)
INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT OF THE MONTH
Send your favorite inspirational thought to CKCSCAtlantaNewsletter@gmail.com
NATURAL REMEDIES
Dog Ear Yeast Infection
Dogs with normal ears that appear healthy and clean are proof that the ear environment is well maintained and under control by bacteria. However, if for some reason or another, the dog's system is disrupted, bacteria may no longer be able to protect the ears from invaders, therefore, yeast may take over the battle and begin to proliferate. This is when trouble begins. But what is really yeast? What causes the yeast to proliferate in the first place? Why is bacteria no longer able to keep yeast under control?
WHAT IS YEAST?
Yeasts are single cell forms of fungi that resemble spores. They are naturally found on skin and in ears in small amounts.
CAUSES OF DOG EAR YEAST INFECTION:
1 - Antibiotics
One of the most common causes of yeast infections is a prescription for antibiotics. Antibiotics are well known to kill both good and bad bacteria in the gut, and this is why yogurt is often prescribed. However, antibiotics can also kill the good bacteria in the ear as well.
2 - Weakened immune system
Dogs that are stressed or weakened because of fighting against a disease, are more likely to develop yeast infections in their ears. A good way to prevent these annoying infections is therefore to ensure your dog is fed premium dog food, gets sufficient exercise, and lives stress free.
3 - Weakened ear environment
If your dog's ears are already bothering the dog because of allergies, the constant scratching and the higher production of oils, may open the way to yeast growth. So a dog may have ear problems such as a bacterial infection and an ear yeast infection on top of that because the skin in the ears has become vulnerable.
4 - Ideal environment
Yeast thrives in humid, dark and warm areas, therefore, your dog's ears make yeast a perfect place to live and settle causing those annoying ear yeast infections in dogs. This is mostly seen in floppy ear dogs and because of their conformation it is easy for the yeast to settle in and thrive. Dogs with erect ears therefore, may be less likely to get ear yeast problems because their ears are naturally more likely to be exposed to light and air.
DOG EAR YEAST INFECTION SYMPTOMS
A dog affected by a yeast infection in its ears is very likely prone to be quite miserable. Symptoms of ear yeast infection in dogs may be as follows:
- Head Shaking
- Pawing at Ears
- Ear Scratching
- Rubbing Ears
- Swollen Ears with Ear Discharge
- Foul Smell
DIAGNOSIS
Ideally, the dog should have a veterinarian check the ears so to exclude other ear problems. If he ears have a black coffee ground discharge there may be actually ear mites, which require a totally different treatment than yeast. The best way to diagnose an ear yeast infection is by having the vet collect a sample and view it under the microscope. In some cases, a culture and sensitivity test is recommended.
NATURAL HOME REMEDIES
1 - Before using any home remedies the ear canal needs to the cleaned well. Medications or home remedies may not work in a dirty ear because they are unable to treat the surface of the skin directly.
2 - One of the best home remedies for yeast infection in the ears is white vinegar. White vinegar is able to return the ear's PH back to an acidic state that makes the ear inhospitable for the yeast. The vinegar should never be used in its pure form, rather it must be diluted. A 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water may be mixed well and poured into a spray bottle.
3 - After the ears are clean, the solution should be sprayed in the ears and dried out with a cotton ball twice a day. The ears should improve within 48 hours.
4 - Over the counter ear solution Zymox is an effective product that relieves bacterial and yeast ear infections without side effects. There are many success stories on this product. If this treatment does not work the dog may need stronger prescription ear drops from the veterinarian.
SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS
Floppy ear dogs should never be left with their ears wet. If you are planning to bathe a floppy ear dog follow what groomers do: put cotton balls inside the ears to prevent them from getting wet.
*Disclaimer: All remedies suggested are not to be used as a substitute for professional veterinary advice. If you pet is sick refer to your veterinarian for a hands on examination.
RECIPE OF THE MONTH
Homemade Dog Biscuits Ingredients
(Makes about 5 dozen)
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour *
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup brewer's yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup low-sodium canned chicken stock, plus more for brushing
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, wheat germ, yeast, and salt; set aside
2. Place oil in a large bowl. Add stock and flour mixture in three alternating batches, beginning and ending with stock. Mix well.
3. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to about 3/8-inch thick. Shape biscuits using a dog-bone-shaped cookie cutter or by cutting around a store-bought dog bone with a butter knife.(Make biscuits that are appropriate for your dog's size.)
4. If desired, you can spell out your dog's name or a holiday message in the dough with a toothpick (wet the toothpick first so it won't stick).
5. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough.
6. Bake biscuits 10 minutes. Brush with stock; rotate baking sheets, and bake 10 minutes more. Turn off oven, leaving door closed. Let dog biscuits stand in oven to dry completely, about 1 1/2 hours. Wrap as a gift, or store in an airtight container at room temperature.
* if you have a dog that is susceptible to seizures use gluten-free flour; wheat can cause seizures
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