Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Club
Of Southern California
General Meeting
April 1, 2012
The meeting was held at Twelve Oaks Residence, 2028 Sycamore, La Crescenta, California.
Roll Call:
A quorum was present. Attending were Rose Clime, Karla Baer Cohen, Caroline Filling, Jeanine Flavell, Vickie Gosnell, Joan Johnson, Miriam Kahan, Connie Koehler, Cecily Skinner, and Beverly Streicher (all regular members): Debbie Bowen, Linda Fussel, Pat Hetherington, Viviana Hetherington, and Laura Virant (associate members.)
Minutes of the February meeting:
Approved as submitted.
Report of the President:
See Presidents Report – attached
Report of the Secretary:
Nothing to report.
Report of the Treasurer:
Until the security issues resulting from “back door” (potentially public) access to the password-protected, Members Only section of our website have been resolved, financial information will not be included in the General minutes. Anyone who is interested in receiving a Treasurer’s report may contact our Treasurer, Vickie Gosnell, directly at 805-983-1582. The books have now been balanced, and the general fund is in very good shape, reflecting the systematic cost management begun two years ago.
Bylaws Committee:
The focus of the committee will be to update our bylaws and bring them in line with the recommendations of the AKC. The AKC has a bylaws template on their website. The committee’s goal will be to match our existing bylaws to those recommended by the AKC, and then analysis where and why the SCWTCSC diverges from it. Our Standing Rules do not need to be approved by the AKC.
Rescue Report:
At present, there are two ten-year-olds who were relinquished together to the Irvine shelter. Irvine will not allow them to be placed separately. Because this is a no-kill shelter we will not intervene. However, Beverly will contact Gwen Arthur to ask if Gwen has any contacts that might fit this case. There is an eight-year-old female in an Orange County shelter, as well as a two-year-old male who does not look like a Wheaten. There was also an eight-year-old male who has removed from another Orange County shelter by what was described by a shelter employee as “a rescue group who are vets.” Anna Marzolino handed the rescue of a female in the desert. There is a six year old female who tentatively has a home is Ventura, and a five and a half year old male from Temecula who will be going into rescue.
Beverly has announced that she will be retiring at the end of 2012. She thanked her entire team for their participation and support, and said that her tenure had been a joy. Connie has regretfully accepted Beverly’s resignation, and announced the search for Beverly’s successor will begin immediately.
Website:
Laura Virant brought to our attention the Facebook uploads of Wheatens and Wheaten mixes in need of rescue from the general public to our page. Jon Apogee has added to our page a request for those people with rescue related concerns to please direct them to the rescue section of our website, where they will be addressed.
Debbie Bloom Googled herself, and was distressed to find that personal information had leaked into the public arena from our website. Jon Apogee confirmed a previously unknown backdoor. Jon and Connie acted immediately, and removed the membership directory and the General Meeting Minutes, which includes financial information, from the website. These sections will be returned once the site has been verified as secure.
Ways and Means Committee:
Bonney Snyder reported on items for the online boutique. Beth Babos has sent us camera-ready images for the logos, as well as for our club publications. Camel colored thread will be used for the embroidery on the jackets and fleece vests, which will feature dark material. Bonney and Ann Leigh have selected coffee mugs, spoon rests and salt and peppershakers for Darci Olsen’s designs.
Membership:
March 31st was the deadline to renew membership in the SCWTCSC; anyone who did not do so has fallen delinquent. Jackie will have a complete membership list for 2012 at the next general meeting, May 15.
Greeting Cards:
No cards were sent out this month.
Great Western Planning:
The postcards will be coming out later this week.
Saturday night dinner will be back On-the-Green, by popular demand. We will be able to dine within sight of our Wheatens, taking advantage of the Queen Mary Park’s wonderful view. Dinner will be served by the same caterers who will be handling lunch Saturday and Sunday.
We will be selling wristbands again this year. A significant change will be that the bands will be rubberized, and in four different colors, courtesy of SCWTCA Public Education. One color will be assigned for each of the three days, and one color will cover all three days. Beverly will again be in charge of their sale, starting each day at 7:30 a.m.
Karla Cohen urged club members to consider placing ads in Great Western’scatalog. The club realizes $20.00 per page; this revenue could potentially pay for the equipment the club must rent that weekend.
Jeanine Flavell and Beverly are collecting baskets and raffle items. We have a good collection of baskets, thanks to a number of members who have been returning baskets from previous years. Debbie Bowen has been collecting raffle baskets for three months to save the club the expense of purchasing them. The Raffle Team has been assessing the donations collected thus far. We have a long way to go to make a successful raffle. For members who would like to participate, but may not have the time to shop, or are uncertain what to purchase, Jeanine and Beverly will be happy to transform a donation of any amount into a raffle prize. Anyone with a raffle prize or donation can email Jeanine Flavell at jflavell@socal.rr.com to arrange a handoff.
CAP:
The Conformation Assessment Program is scheduled for Friday, the only day on which there are no sweepstakes. This time there will be three evaluators; two judges and one longtime breeder who is not local. Bonney Snyder will be working out the details with Cindy Vogels for a fee structure for those who participated in the inaugural CAP in Palm Springs, and paid the fee without receiving the certification because there was one evaluator short of the required three
Insurance Coverage:
Bonney, Vickie, and Connie will be speaking to the Insurance Company that handles Los Encinos’ insurance needs. The goal is to bundle the separate policies, which we now carry with Travelers and Equisure. Cecily Skinner suggested that they also investigate Sportsman’s Insurance, which specializes in Dog Clubs, and covers Great Western Terrier Association, among many others.
Pet Expo:
The Pet Expo is the weekend after NCTA this year. Sunday is largely covered, but volunteers are still being sought for Friday and Saturday. Admission is free for participants. Rose Clime and Laura Virant have secured a double space booth that will allow setup of an ex-pen for our Wheatens to have down time during the two-hour shifts. There will also be enough space in the booth for crated dogs while members look around and shop. The Pet Expo organizers do not want wandering dogs. Our Wheaten booth will be decorated utilizing some of the wonderful scenery pieces developed for past Eukanuba Meet the Breed booths.
May General Meeting:
The May General Meeting will be held at Fio Rito’s May 15th, dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the meeting beginning at 7:30 p.m. Miriam Kahan, Mary Lindquist, and possibly Carol Aragon, will present a program on Therapy Dog work.
September General Meeting:
Needs a theme or program.
B-Match and Fun Day:
Both events still need a chair. Fun Day is scheduled for October 21, 2012. The SCWTCSC had voted to accept Los Encinos’ invitation for a combined B-Match in the fall. Unfortunately, we have learned that their B-Match is also scheduled for Oct. 21. As of 2009, the AKC requires breed clubs to hold two educational events a year to remain in good standing. The SCWTCSC needs to hold a B-Match to complete our compliance with this rule.
A motion was made, seconded, and approved to reschedule the B-Match to be held at the home of Chuck and Bonney Snyder, subject to Bonney’s approval, on July 22, 2012.
New Business:
Connie brought a recommendation from the board for the membership’s consideration, that the club reconsider how many supported entries we wish to continue to support. Some of the clubs requesting our financial support have failed to consistently draw majors the last three to four years. In 2011, the SCWTCSC accepted the invitations of Santa Barbara, the Desert Empire, and the Dog Hair and Eggnog Classic cluster.
A motion was made, seconded, and approved to support one day of the Desert Empire; the National Club will support the other.
A motion was made, seconded, and approved to monitor the size of Santa Barbara and the Dog Hair and Eggnog Classic entries before automatically supporting them in the future.
Nomination for B-Match 2012 Judge:
Jeanine Flavell, the only nominee, was elected
A motion to adjourn was made, seconded, and passed. The meeting was adjourned at 2:10 p.m.
Jeanine Flavell
Secretary
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Club of Southern California
REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT:
March, 2012; Connie Koehler
- 2013 Specialty Judging Panel Contract Letters Status
Clay Coady and Cindy Vogels have responded to us with the terms and conditions for their 2013 specialty assignments, including fees and expenses. I have passed the information on to Jeanine Flavell; she has prepared and transmitted contract letters for their approval and signature.
- By-Laws Revision Committee
No regular, non-board member has been found to join board members Merrillee Ford, Vickie Gosnell, and Anna Marzolino on the committee to update our by-laws. Therefore, the board as a whole has decided that the committee composition will stand with the three board members who have agreed to serve.
- 2012 Supported Entries
Due to the small entries at the shows that the club supported in 2011, the board voted to recommend that the membership suspend all supported entries for 2012 and early 2013, with the exception of one day for the Desert Empire Terrier Club of Southern California, to be held in January 2013. The board’s recommendation will require a membership vote at the next club meeting. This move would result in a per-show cost savings of $50.00 for a supported entry fee, plus between $33.00 (BOB/BOS/BOW) and $55.00 (BOB/BOS/BOW/WD/WB) in trophy expenses. The board will reconsider future supported entries on a case-by-case basis if entries per show yield majors for three years in a row, based on criteria used by SCWTCA for their supported-entry choices.
- New Rescue Chair for 2013
The board received Beverly Streicher’s request to step down as rescue chair at the end of 2012. Personal considerations such as the health of both Beverly and her husband Eli factored heavily into her decision. An additional issue is the large volume of rescue dogs that the club is fostering based on the continuing economic challenges in the area. A search for Bev’s successor will commence immediately.
- Los Encinos KC B Match Conflict with Fun Day
Bonney Snyder, who is a board member of LEKC, was informed yesterday that the LEKC B Match—to which we have been invited as partners for the second year in a row—will be held on Sunday, October 21, in Lake View Terrace. That date conflicts with our Fun Day that has been approved by the membership at the beginning of the year.
We have not reserved the Arcadia County Park site yet; L. A. County Parks and Recreation will not accept reservations more than six months in advance of the activity date. We have a couple of options: reschedule our Fun Day for November 11 (no local shows); or choose to hold our B Match on our own on an independent date. Nomination and voting for a B Match judge should take place no later than the May general meeting.
- Website Development
Laura Virant shared with the membership at the February general meeting that postings of several rescue dogs—including Wheaten mixes—have appeared on the club’s Facebook “wall” attached to our website. I subsequently conferred with Jon Apogee on methods to block such postings. He advised that Facebook’s security utilities prohibit the blocking of posts on a public site such as ours. Another Wheaten mix was posted on Facebook just this week; Laura notified me. I have posted a note to the Facebook public, requesting their use of the normal rescue protocol outlined on our website, with the associated link to our URL.
Early this month, a member inadvertently found that her address appeared in Google search results, as a result of its inclusion in our club membership directory. We immediately consulted Jon, who determined that, despite its high level of security encryption, our website has a “back door,” through which search engines can penetrate the password-protected Members Only page. Jon quickly removed all online club directories, and is researching methods to close the “back door.” I have also asked him to remove all meeting minutes, since they contain our financials in the monthly treasurer’s reports. Once the Members Only section is secure, he will again post the directories and minutes.
CLK
March 30, 2012