Tag Archives: GSCA National Specialty

Dog Shows

What’s “Special” About Specialties?”

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Yep, there’s still time to plan a trip to Tuscon in November to catch the GSCA National Specialty! Click here for the website link – just in case you need the details!
The following article by Arliss Paddock reminds us why a trip to the National is one of the best things ever.
I sure can’t wait to see you here in Arizona in November!
Sally Gift, Mesa AZ

What’s “Special” About Specialties

By 
Published May 11, 2015 AKC Gazette 

Whether you’re a prospective owner researching a breed or an experienced breeder, handler, or judge involved in that breed for decades, there is no better place to learn than the breed’s national specialty show — or, simply, “the national.”

Usually held annually by the breed’s national parent club, the national is more than just a dog show; it’s where dedicated fans of the breed meet together year after year, sharing their knowledge and passion and bringing their best dogs to compete against excellent specimens of the breed from other parts of the country.

In addition to the conformation classes, the national typically offers other events such as obedience, tracking, and agility, as well as breed-specific performance venues such as earthdog or field trials, herding tests and trials, lure coursing, or draft tests.

As with any dog show, the point of the conformation classes is determination of the best breeding stock to continue the breed — and this point is taken nowhere more seriously than at the national. The national offers a look at the state of the breed and where it’s going.

A class win at the national can be a high point of a dog person’s year, and a Best of Breed or Best in Sweepstakes win can be the crowning glory of a long history in the breed.

But the beauty of the national goes beyond the glory of winning, whether hoped-for or achieved. To a dedicated fan of the breed, nothing matches the experience of seeing a ringful of those dogs that are so pleasing to your eye, wonderfully presented at their best and gathered together in a number that you don’t see anywhere else during the year. If you love that breed, it’s positively heart-stirring.

The national is the best place in the world to spend time with others who share your interest. There is no better opportunity to learn from others about the breed, whether ringside or at the breakfast buffet where everyone meets bleary-eyed after walking and feeding dogs and before launching into grooming.

Most parent clubs hold their national in different parts of the country from year to year. If you are seeking in-depth knowledge of a breed, look up the breed’s parent club and find out when and where the next national will be, and try to attend.

Dog Shows

Survey Results – Future of the National Specialty

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Purpose of this survey was to begin to take a measure, the pulse of the GSCA membership so to speak, pertaining to our regional committees and independent specialty clubs, who by virtue of the GSCA’s current policies and procedures are the organizations upon whom we depend first, to host the annual GSCA National Specialty.

We asked respondents to  project their opinion out to encompass the next 5 years after 2018 so we could begin to evaluate if there are enough regional committees or independent clubs with interest or plans to cover hosting the National Specialty for the next 5 years. The thought being, that if regional committees and independent clubs have no intention of bidding, perhaps we need to rethink current policies and procedures to better accommodate the future of the event.

67 individuals completed the survey that was posted on Facebook and sent via email to the 400 GSCA members follow the blog, Gordon Setter Expert. Respondents expressed opinions as to their own individual interest about working on a National Specialty, and also their own opinion as to whether the club or committee to which they belonged would be hosting a National Specialty in the future. NOTE: these were not club/committee responses, these are responses from some of the members of those clubs or committees. Polling the club or committee for a direct answer would be a Board decision and action.

Question 1

First we asked folks to tell us which regional committee or independent specialty club they belonged to:

  • 12     Did not belong to a club or committee but have worked on a NS committee
  • 9     Tartan GSC
  • 7     Nodrog GSC of MI
  • 5     High Plains
  • 5     Midwest
  • 4     Mid Atlantic
  • 4     Missouri Valley
  • 4     Sunbelt GSC
  • 3     Badgerland GSC
  • 3     Golden Gate GSC
  • 3     GSC of Greater Atlanta
  • 3     North Country GSC of MN
  • 2     New Mexico Gordonites
  • 2     Pacific Northwest GSC
  • 1     Southern CA GSC

Question 2

In the past year or so, has your group/club discussed hosting a future National Specialty or is there an intent to discuss this in the near future?

NO 57% or 38 people

YES 43% or 29 people

Question 3

How likely is it that YOU, as an INDIVIDUAL, would vote in favor of your group/club hosting the GSCA national Specialty in your region during any of these years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023?

44 Yes or likely       13 No or unlikely

  • 38   Somewhat likely
  • 6     Yes we will submit a bid
  • 11     No, not at all likely
  • 2     Somewhat unlikely
  • 8     Other (these are responses are primarily from people who may not have a vote, as they do not belong to a club or committee)

Comments:

I live in a region without an area committee. I have twice chaired events at previous National Specialties.

I try to support nationals with donations, raffle purchases, etc. I am not a member of a regional club.

I do not have a local club.

I live in QC/Canada

As we are hosting 2017 I can’t answer this question.

not involved in local often volunteer

Not sure as I have not been to a meeting recently

Being discussed but no consensus

Question 4

Speaking as a member of the group/club, what is your best guess as to whether your group will be submitting a bid to host the National Specialty in your region during any of these years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023?

36 No or unlikely     13 Yes or likely

  • 22     Not at all likely
  • 14     Somewhat unlikely
  • 11     Somewhat likely
  • 2     Yes we will submit a bid
  • 16     Other

Comments:

Don’t know, but they know I won’t be there to help

I live in a region not covered by an event/are committee and has few active GSCA members.

Not sure

Involved with a group considering 2019

I do not have a local club.

not sure

Unsure — too many variables

not a member of any other club in the USA

unknown

volunteer

Not sure

not sure

Not a clue.

Not a clue

No idea

Question 5

Use this section to give the name of any other clubs to which you belong as listed above, as well as the answers to the two questions above.

Badgerland GSC

I am also a member of the Standing National Specialty Committee

I belong to Fredricksburg Virginia Kennel Club and the GSCA. I used to belong to the Blue Ridge Gordon Setter Club.

GSCA National

I’ve been to the Rhode island National, it’s close to QC so I would go if possible again.

Badgerland is an Event Committee so has no actual membership and can’t charge any dues. About 5 years ago Badgerland was approached by Highlanders to have a specialty show in connection of the ones they used to have. This was brought to a meeting by a couple of our members (we were still a club at that time and not an Event Committee). When asked about the costs involved nobody could provide us with any information so we floored the discussion until more information was provided which  never happened.

2019

GSCA GRCA

New Mexico Gordonites

Think I’m in Midwest (Ohio) by default, ie no action on my part, but get questionnaires referring to judges and specialty show timing.

TarTan GSC

WVESF, Willamette English Setters Fanciers

Badgerland although it is not an active club anymore

Question 6

Use this space to provide any additional information regarding the obstacles or reasons why your group/club might be unable or perhaps unwilling to host the National Specialty?

The “new” committee rules which eliminated our ability to organize as a local club to retain interest and attract new members locally.

I love in a region without an organized area committee. Gordon owners in my region are primarily pet owners or hunters with little interest or experience in hosting a dog show.

Not enough folks in our area.

They didn’t even have a fall specialty this year.

Cant see any reason, they are highly capable.

Not enough people to do the work. Also the membership is older.

We do not have enough active members to even begin to host a national.

Enough reliable people. Need a person to coordinate.

lack of workers. Many are overworked from the past decades and feel that newer, younger members should work. There are many exhibitors that have never helped with a regional or National Specialty and many older members no longer exhibit and feel it is their turn it sit back and enjoy without spending so much time and out of pocket expenses for the benefit of others and often feel like they are unappreciated.

I don’t speak with other members very much lately.

Our independent club has hosted successful multiple national specialties and field trials. Quite frandly, our club is ‘aging’ out and we do not feel that we would be able to filed the bodies or time in order to host a national of the caliber we have become used to producing.

Hosting a National Specialty is a lot of work. The work falls on the shoulder of  fewer and fewer volunteers as clubs become smaller.

DISBANDED

I live at a distance from both these clubs so I am not involved in day to day decisions. However, I am able to help with online things which I did with the last TarTan NS.

Club members inability to participate. Money it costs. time constraints for those that might consider it.

TarTan has hosted the National Specialty in 1989, 1997, 2004, and 2012. It’s a lot of work and our membership is aging out and some who have headed up past events have stated they are no longer willing.

Cost and lack of members willing to help, like most clubs, it gets harder to find volunteers and those  that do are aging.

Not enough people, not enough financial support from the GSCA

Manpower

Once of the big factors in hosting a national specialty (especially in clubs which do not have large number of members) is the cost. In my opinion the national club need to commit to providing significant financial assistance with covering those costs that cannot be completely covered by entry fees, specialty “social” event fees, etc.

Too few volunteers, too big of a need for fundraising. It’s ususally the same people doing all of the work with little help from other club members who still will sit back and complain about things.

Lack of membership & opposing ideas on what would make a national a great event. members who want to do everything on the cheap vs putting your heart and sound into an event.

Our members do not show they hunt and are mainly pet people.

We just had one in Ohio so it wools dall in the latter part of that range.

Badgerland hasn’t even managed to put on a Hunt Test or Field Trial in the past couple years. We also don’t have am actual membership anymore because in order to do that we would need to form separate club. We don’t have meetings either. The majority of the male’s in our club don’t want to participate in any “show” events so they would not be willing to help with a national which also limits the number of people we would have to help.

Age of members, number of workers, amount of work involved.

Older people in group. Most are not willing to do the work involved. Same few do most of the work.

This is a bit lengthy to try and explain but pretty much ever since we became an area committee and not be considered a club, hold meetings, collect dues etc. we  ahve lost interest. We have no reason to get together. Last several field events have been cancelled due to lack of entries. Since no reason to get together (hence the club feel) hard to get members (that is a whole other topic) to commit or gain new members. People want to belong to a club. Not just put on events for the parent club. We always had the same group doing the same thing. Personally I’m burned out and without you being a GSCA member you can’t be on the committee to begin with.

Fundraising is arduous and difficult. People now have health limitations and lifting restrictions that making setting up and long days of work difficult.

Hosting 2017

Not enough volunteers. And money.

We’re aging to the point where the physical work load is simply too much to handle. Carting around items to sell  to raise fund to host the event is exhausting and we’re past the point where we want to do that.

Fewer people involved in the club makes it hard to spread the work load. We’re burned out and exhausted but at the same time do not want the event to go away.

We are hosting next year so I doubt we would be willing to do it so soon again.

I think age is taking it’s toll. Age of the people, not the dogs.

We hosted the National in 2013. At that time we had about 25-30 members. Now we have only about 5 members.

apathy

Question 7

Feel free to share any additional thoughts or comments here that may be of value regarding this topic.

I have attended most of the National Specialties in the past 5 years and have shown dogs in Conformation. I prefer that the National Specialty be held in different parts of the country, not only so that I have the chance to travel, but also so that Gordon owners across the nation can have the opportunity to have the specialty located near them. I do not believe that a single permanent location is a good idea for the club membership as a whole. However, a standardization of the time of year or length of time between Nationals might assist members with seasonal obs, like teachers, attend the show and eliminate long tretches of time between shows, i.e. more than 12 months.

It seems that even having to come up with the volunteers and organization to hold a national specialty every few years is overwhelming for regional clubs. We all know that 10% of volunteers do 90% of the work in ANY volunteer organization, so no wonder we wear them out. I would support having a standing committee at the national level who would do the majority of the work to organize a national specialty with a local club providing a much more minor amount of support (since I have never been around a club doing a national I don’t know how that division of work would be decided but someone would!) much closer to dhow time. As a club we may want to think about a national every two years instead of every year or 18months, perhaps that would spread the work out as well. (This has likely been suggested in the past, not sure) Thanks!

 

Left the club because i was not made to feel welcome or like I belonged.

Fundraising is one of the biggest obstacles in putting this event on.

Having it spread out for 4-5 days in the middle of the week prevents a lot of working members from attending.

I think we need to get back to the basics of the national. Focus more on the ring experiences instead of too many extra fundraising activities. Don’t misunderstand me, I like the social interactions but I think we have jam packed too many in one day and it forces people to choose what they can afford or have time to do.

I am not a member of any dog club, but have participated in National Specialties in the past.  As nice as it is to visit other parts of the country, the number of folks participating at this time seem to indicate that the Midwest is drawing the most participants. I know it is not fair to the coastal folks, but it is what it is. We need to think of the needs/wants of the many and not just a few. Also, perhaps looking into a certain time of the year instead f any time during the year might make it easier for people to plan. For instance the coastal people might be more inclined to drive through the mountains in early summer to early fall.

Since jobs and/or weather are factors in traveling long distances, Nationals should be held June through August every other year. Let’s not marginalize younger club members who are not retired. We are a club with an aged membership and need to solicit younger members and juniors.

We hosted extremely successful (in entries and financial outcome) events, yet we had the feeling that the GSCA board and the Club in general was not supportive of our efforts and some non working members were extremely critical and demanding of the hosting members. Did not leave a good feeling with some of our hard working members.

I do like the National moving around the country so everyone has a chance of attending, although I do know other breeds that have been happy to have all their Nationals at Purina Farms. I’ve never been able to attend one west of Ohio primarily because of the time of year—if the National is during the academic year, I can’t attend. For that reason I will be unable to attend the AZ National.

like I said I would be happy to participate in the east part of the USA near the border but I am not a member of any other club in the USA.

Badgerland “hosted” the NFT back in 2005 and we were treated like shit by the National Field Trial Committee so that has also left a very bad taste in our mouths about National event. We did take care of the silent auction at the Minnesota National and the Hunt Test at both of the Nationals put on by the Highlanders but we still had a difficult time finding enough people in our club (at that time we were still a club and not an Event Committee) to man the events.

Would love to attend a national…never have.

I find it hard to find people that want to even get involved anymore. You get a few people here and there. But if you look at the majority of who organizes these things. These people have been around for years. Haven’t had anyone interested in joining for quite some time. Tell me what they are joining?

Fund raising by National Specialty volunteers needs to stop or be made optional. Too much work and pressure are being placed on those who volunteer to put on the show. the same people volunteer over and over. Many, including board members, have never taken a leadership role in putting on a National and they have no idea what’s involved.

We need to develop a plan to streamline the work involved in hosting the event and that might mean using a single location where most of the set up, clean up, equipment etc. is handled by the site management such as that provided by locations such as Purina or Eukanuba. We must streamline fundraising, and we must find another means to finance the GSCA’s  overall operations as the folks supporting the national Specialty should not be the only members who’s donations and generosity are being used to cover the GSCA’s bottom line expenses – proceeds from the national Specialty would all ideally be funneled back into the National Specialty and not disbursed to cover any and all other outstanding GSCA expenses such as the Newsletter, board expenses, printing, pictorial, etc. This would put less of a financial burden on the National’s  committee, exhibitors and participants and alleviates much of the fundraising pressure.

Not sure why AZ should be an issue. Was RI an issue several years ago? Would be curious to know what entry counts at various Nationals has been compared to registered Gordons.

I really hope that the NS continues to move around the country. I know the general membership feels most of the exhibitors live in the mid-west or further east and the Purina Farms would be ideal. It is a lovely place but quite cost prohibitive to drive from western Canada.flying continues to be difficult. I have also flown to eastern Canada and then rented a vehicle to drive south to the NS again cost is a factor as to how many dogs I can bring and if I can find someone to share expenses. I do my best to get to most of the NS and I enjoy seeing the US.

Thoughts of course chairing between 2 clubs. Compromise is always difficult but would be less cost to each individual club. GSCA make a larger contribution maybe.

While it is fun to visit other areas, it would be nice to have a “central” location and especially nice to have the same week every year. It makes planning the trip much easier.

I feel the standing National Specialty Committee  needs to plan to host the National yearly. There are a lot of parent clubs that host their National every year. I feel there are a good number of GSCA members who would be willing to help out if asked. You cannot always count on just asking who would like to volunteer but must specifically ask someone – can you do this ___? I would like to see at least 1 day of our event held on a weekend. I do not think we should overlook holding our National with an all breed show, our embers are dropping to a point that could be done.

Personally, I don’t think member input is valued by the GSCA. Decisions are made by the board in our name, but there is little discussion or request for input. It might have been nice to see an email blast about the 2018 national before a decision was made. It’s great that we had two bids, but a November national can be iffy with weather and holiday issues.

We are falling apart as a club. People make suggestions but nothing is changed. We need to have nationals over a weekend where people can go.

Published by Sally Gift, Mesa AZ

Feature photo by Ben Gordon Setter Perez

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dog Shows

Seeking Your Feedback – GSCA National Specialty

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This may be the first of many short articles dedicated to the future of the GSCA National Specialty. We need you to join the discussion, and the 4 question survey at the bottom of this article will help to begin gathering information – please participate !

Where we were and where we are today.

It is the GSCA practice to host the National Specialty at various geographic locations through the US and this had served us well. However, over the past 11 years the regional committees and independent clubs who used to step forward to host the National have been unable to do so, leaving us with many years where the National would not have been held, had it not been for the National Standing Committee or other individuals who stepped up to the plate to fill in those gaps.

Half of the time, 5 out of 10 years, the GSCA was unable to find a regional committee or Independent club who were able to host the National. To simplify, had we not been for the National Standing Committee and had we not allowed others to organize a committee without being a typically recognized group, we would not have been able to host a National Specialty half of the time.

Our future and do we need to change some practices?

So, it seems to many of us, like this is the time for us to hold discussions and solicit feedback from you, the membership, (at least from those of you who participate in the National Specialty) as to how to organize the future of the National Specialty. If you’re a Facebook member you’ll find an ongoing discussion on this topic on the Gordon Setter Students and Mentors Group.

To begin, we need to determine if there is enough interest and volunteer workers remaining in our regional committees and independent clubs to continue the practice of hosting the National, every year, in various geographic locations across the country.

The following survey will take you less than a minute to complete but will gather some basic information to move the discussion forward in the right direction. We invite all GSCA members who are also actively involved with a GSCA regional committee or an Independent Gordon Setter club to complete this quick questionnaire. We’re  seeking to gain an overview of the situation here, and don’t need specific and exacting answers, so answer to the best of your ability with your own opinions.

CLICK HERE to answer our 4 quick questions!

Sally Gift, Mesa AZ

Feature photo by Ben Perez

Breed Standard, Dog Shows

The Hands On Experience

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GSCA Breeder Education – 2016 GSCA National Specialty

By Sally Gift

To begin let’s start with excerpts from

Looking at Dogs in a Positive Light When Judging From the March 2015 issue of Dogs in Review magazine.

By Kathy Lorentzen

Positive and clearly explained judging can only be good for both judges and breeders, and for our breeds as well.

Have you ever noticed how easy it is for people to look at a dog and immediately point out what they don’t like about that dog? I think most often the first comments made by many people about a dog are negative. We hear an awful lot of “I don’t like” in conversations about dogs.

Probably we are all guilty of falling into the trap of finding fault, both as breeders and as judges, because finding fault is easier than finding virtue. Common faults are easily seen and identified by almost everyone, while breed-specific virtues can only be seen and appreciated by those who truly understand the breed they are looking at…Even judges (sic Breeders) with years of experience were tongue tied when forced to discuss their placements by pointing out only the virtues of each dog. They all wanted to fall back into the “I don’t like” syndrome.

…The positive mindset is not only important for judges but for breeders as well. How many times have I asked a fellow breeder, “What do you think of that dog?” only to have the first sentence come back starting with, “Well, I don’t like…” After my years of learning about positive judging and critiquing, my immediate reaction is to say, “But I want to know what you do like about that dog.” The look I get is generally priceless, but my question usually results in a thoughtful discussion of the virtue of the dog and a learning experience for both of us.

Not everyone will see the exact same virtues in every dog, and not everyone will place the same priorities on those virtues. That is why different dogs win on different days, and when the judging is positive and can be clearly explained, then no one is wrong. But regardless of differing viewpoints and priorities, striving to see dogs in a positive light can only be good for both judges and breeders, and for our breeds as well.

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In forming our concept of the Hands On experience, and in addition to focusing on judging dogs positively, we also wanted to encourage breeders and exhibitors to take the time to put their hands on dogs owned and bred by others; to learn how to feel breed specific qualities to recognize correct structure (breed type), to learn a variety of ideas and concepts from others, and to learn how to see good qualities in all dogs, our own as well as those owned by others – to learn how to develop an unbiased eye.

Now let’s move on to highlights from the Hands On experience!

I can’t possibly write about all the topics we covered, nor all the positives of the dogs presented for exam. But if I haven’t covered a topic or a point that you want to see shared here please offer that in the comment section of this article.

The Hands On experience was open forum, and participants were encouraged to come and go at will, so the group size and the participants fluctuated throughout the program. Some brought dogs who were stacked in front of the group while other participants went over those dogs, the Hands On part. Then, those who examined were asked to share their view of the positive qualities they found on the dog they examined. Discussion about the positives followed with the group at large joining the talk. While committee members, Barb Manson, Peggy Nowak and I moderated to keep things on track, the teachers here were actually the participants, the many breeders and exhibitors who shared their dogs, views, and experience. The Hands On experience lead to many various, thought provoking and enlightening discussions. The participants and their dogs were the shining stars of the experience, and we thank each and every one of you for making this one of the best GSCA Breeder Education events. We have heard a magnitude of positive feedback, and what we heard most often was indeed “best Breeder Education program ever” and “let’s do it again”!

Breeders ed6 2016
Photo by Ben Perez

 

Topics that were covered during the experience

Esther Joseph (Australia) shared many interesting points about length of body and the length and structure of the rib cage. She noted that when compared to other countries, the American Kennel Club (AKC) Gordon Setter Standard, is the only standard to to call for a length approximately to equal height, interpreted by many to mean we seek a “a square dog”.

  • AKC Standard – Proportion: The distance from the forechest to the back of the thigh is approximately equal the height from the ground to the withers.
  • Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC) Standard – Body: Moderate length.

One of the key takeaways that I would mention is the wording in the AKC standard, wording that says approximately equal, as this wording gives the Gordon room for sufficient length of body to allow for the driving stride he will exhibit if properly angled front and rear. A dog whose body is too short for the angulation of his rear can not move properly. If we were to breed for a completely square Gordon we would need to breed that dog with less angulation in the rear, so his rear stride does not interfere with his front. Perhaps we need to focus on the standard saying approximately equal and eliminate the word square from our lingo?

The AKC standard says Gordon Setter movement should be: A bold, strong, driving free swinging gait…The hindquarters reach well forward and stretch far back, enabling the stride to be long and the drive powerful. If, for example, a Gordon moves wide in the rear, or perhaps he crabs, we might consider that one of the causes could be that Gordon has too much rear angulation for the length of the body. Is this dog then too short in length (too square)?

(NOTE – as a question was raised, I did confirm the information I gave you regarding how to measure the dog’s length. I was correct, it is measured from the point of the forechest and never from the point on the shoulder joint)

Another discussion ensued on proper length, depth, and spring of rib. Here again Esther opened the chat and spoke in detail about the length of the rib cage and it’s importance for the protection of the Gordon’s vital organs (heart and lungs) when hunting in dense brush and brambles. To completely shield those organs the ribcage must be long from front to back, and we should measure this not simply by looking at the length from the side view of the dog, but also by reaching down under the dog to note how how far back the sternum extends. (The sternum being the floor of the chest, where the ribs meet underneath the dog.)  The Gordon Setter needs not only his prominent forechest (for proper muscle attachment to provide reach) but also good length of the ribcage; a sternum whose length extends it’s boney protection to completely cover sensitive organs. A ribcage and which allows for the lung capacity he needs by it’s spring as well as depth for working in harsh terrain.

Barbara Manson began a discussion about short hocks by demonstrating that good quality on her dog. This  led into a more in depth conversation among the group about the complete rear assembly, angulation, length of hock and sickle hocks. When viewing rear angulation we’d start at the highest point, the femur (think upper thigh) which has always been considered as the longest bone in the dog’s anatomy. The tibia and fibula (second thigh) should be second in length to the femur, and are attached to the hock which should be the shortest in this group of leg bones that contribute to rear angulation. Simple so far, right?

Standing around at rest (as opposed to lusting after a hot smelling bitch which brings every hot blooded dog up on his toes) a well built dog will naturally stand with the rear foot in a somewhat perpendicular line on the ground, right under the boney protuberance that ends at the point of the buttocks.  Just like humans, dogs stand around with their feet almost directly under their butts. Why? Because that’s the dog’s column of support. So, if the second thigh (tibia and fibula) is longer than the upper thigh (femur), opposite the normal length of these bones, the only way the dog can reach his column of support is if the hock is long enough to get the foot where it needs to be – underneath the dogs butt. Proper ratio of length between upper thigh and lower thigh gives us the shorter hock we expect on our Gordon Setter. To sum it, a Gordon needs to have an upper thigh (femur) that is longer than the lower thigh (tibia and fibula), ending with a hock that is shorter than both of those bones.  As a general rule, the genes that control the length of one bone are often linked to the genes that control the length of the corresponding bones so Mother Nature provides compensation when the ratio in the length of these bones gets out of whack, grow a lower thigh that’s too long for the upper thigh and Mother Nature will give you a longer hock to compensate.

Standing around ringside, looking at dogs standing in a relaxed state, the well put together dogs will be standing with their rear feet underneath the back half of the pelvis and their hocks slightly sloping – we should be able to see light between the ground and the entire length of dog’s hock. If a dog is standing with his hocks nearly flat to the ground, odds are excellent that we are looking at excessive angulation (a lower thigh that is longer than the femur).

Sickle hocks are a result of these over angulated rears. For me, sickle hocks are easily seen on the backward swing of the rear leg during movement. Instead of the joint between the lower thigh and the hock opening up into a nearly straight extended line, where the pads on the bottom of the foot end in a position that is nearly straight up (or reaching toward the sky), the sickle hock, due to the imbalanced length of the bones, at fullest rearward extension ends in a shape resembling a sickle – slightly curved instead of fully extended. No glimpse of the sky for the pads on these feet. The rear movement on the sickle hocked dog looks like the swinging of an old fashioned sickle when viewing the sickle from the side.

Our group also spent a bit of time discussing feet. We’re not going to cover all of that discussion here as this article has grown quite long. I did want to mention that I remember a brief conversation around the use of the term “cat foot”. Perhaps I remember wrong but I thought I heard someone say that “cat foot” no longer appeared in our standard.  You were right, cat foot isn’t exactly right, but a reference to cat does appear. The standard says “Feet catlike in shape”. 

I’m splitting this report into sections as it’s growing long, keep an eye out for Part II – The 2016 National Specialty Hands On experience in a future issue. In Part II I’ll share other discussions we held on topics like the width of jaw, angle of croup, block on block heads and vitiglio.

Sally Gift, Mesa AZ  GSCA Breeder Education Committee Chair

Photos by Ben Perez

A slide show of random photos from the BOB class at the ’16 GSCA National Specialty courtesy of Ben Perez. We’ll be sharing more of these in future articles. Thanks Ben!

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Catch All

Raffle results and photos from the 2016 GSCA National Specialty

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Goofing around behind the raffle table, Sally Gift. Photo by Jim Thacker.

Feature image courtesy of Bill Dargay

(An album including many of the faces seen at the GSCA National is found at the bottom of this page. Many thanks to Ben Perez for sharing these shots with us.)

Raffle Results by Sally Gift

I am so grateful to all of the generous and thoughtful benefactors who supported our National Specialty raffle with donations ranging from a generator, EZ Up canopy, artwork, handler certificates, grooming tables, multiple Gordon Santas, jewelry and wind chimes to other items like belt buckles, grooming shears, stacking blocks, shampoos, conditioners, grooming sprays, brushes, combs, show and walking leads, toys, chews, food, treats, memorabilia, custom pet portrait and more. Nearly 200 prizes and prize baskets filled our tables. If my achy, breaky back is any indicator of success we definitely rang the bell with this one.  Movers and Shakers – Catherine Thomas, Bill Dargay, and Matt Marr can, and will, attest to the size of the haul after our moving experience loading and transporting all the donations from Catherine’s house to the event site. And, let’s not forget all the amazing people who brought us donations the day of the event …yes indeed, the support for this fundraising raffle was certainly outstanding. Our club is truly blessed with a generosity of spirit that runs throughout!

 

Raffle tables looked like they stretched to infinity and beyond, over 1,000 feet of table top, loaded with nearly 200 prizes that went home with as many lucky winners, some of whom couldn’t be present but having purchased  tickets online before the event, shared in the fun of winning a prize of their choice.

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That’s right, that middle row of raffle prize tables starts clear up there by the overhead door, ten full tables and a back wall filled with some mighty fine stuff! Photo by Bill Dargay

There were eleven prize  winners who were not in attendance, but who purchased tickets ahead online. The Lucky Ducks have been contacted by email and I have confirmation from them all that prizes have been delivered. If you haven’t heard from me, I’m so sorry your ticket wasn’t drawn.

Raffle table
Photo by Ben Perez

 

And, there was that moment when I glanced up and saw that crowd of people, who unbidden, had stepped in to help set up. I wish I could list each and every person who lent a hand, you were so many and so very kind, voluntarily giving your time, energy and good will. But I’m lost to recall the names of every person who helped, I know there were many of you working at various tasks throughout the show, voluntarily stepping up to the plate with a huge smile on your face. I hope you know how very important your support was to us, and how much you were appreciated!

What a marvelous group of people! I had a blast putting this together, it didn’t feel like work to me, it was a wonderful journey showcasing the generosity that lives within our Gordon Setter community. Thank you all from my heart to yours!

Santa Gordon won on our raffle getting ready to make the trip to his new home along with a couple of other views of the the raffle. Photos by Ben Perez.

(Scroll to the bottom of this page to view a photo collage of the many faces from this year’s National.)

Sally Gift, Mesa AZ

 

Individual Donor poster

Vendor donor posterVendor donor poster Page 3Vendor donor poster Page 2

 

Photos by Ben Perez

Vendor donor poster Page 1

Catch All, Dog Shows

Deadline Extended – Reserved Parking RV & Auto

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The deadline to reserve parking at the 2016 GSCA National Specialty has been extended to

April 20, 2016

Click this link to the 2016 GSCA National Specialty Website if you’re looking for more information on the show.

RV Parking

2016 National Specialty Recreational Vehicle Parking

Camper hookups with electricity & water available by reservation and with advance payment only. RV parking space charges are $35.00 per night.

The GSCA will provide a 30 AMP connection when available (some sites may have a 15 AMP connection).  Anyone who wishes to use electric should have a minimum of 100 feet of cord.  30 AMP connections will require RV pigtail connector/adaptor.

Water is available but there are no water hookups. Water is available in RV area to share, fill your tank and unhook.  Please bring your own hose (100’ suggested).  Showers available on the grounds

There is a dumping station located at the Fairgrounds

Any camper that is not self-contained will be parked in a special area per Fire Marshall.

In accordance with the Canfield Fairgrounds rules an electricity fee of $20.00 per night will be charged to anyone utilizing a 30 AMP electrical outlet which includes plugging into another RV. 15 AMP service is $5.00 per night.

The GSCA reserves the right to ask all trailer combinations to be unhitched.

Reservations and fees must be received by March 30, 2016. The reservation is non-refundable after March 30, 2016. A confirmation of your reservation will be sent to you. You will receive your assigned number on or around the show closing date. A returned check fee of $25.00 will be charged.

For better organization and for the convenience of the campers, each RV parking location with electricity will be numbered and assigned as your reservations are made. Groups wishing to be next to each other must reserve the same number of nights for the entire group and send their reservation requests in the same envelope. NO AREAS WILL BE SAVED. On the days of the shows any unreserved spots will be available on a first come, first served basis and will be assigned to a designated spot. An attendant will be on duty for RV parking. Parking in Restricted or No Parking areas will result in your vehicle being towed at your cost and may result in an Event Committee Hearing. Disagreements and arguing with Parking officials may also result in disciplinary actions.

2016 National Specialty Reserved Day Parking

Day parking spots with electricity are available. There will be a charge of $25.00 per day for those utilizing the electricity in the Day Parking Area. Includes 30 amp electric.

Fees for RV & Day parking are charged at the rate the Fairgrounds is charging the GSCA, there is no profit to the GSCA, we are charging you, what they are charging us!

2016 National Specialty Reserved Parking Form

Reservations can be made by providing the information listed below and sending a check or money order for the total number of nights made payable to the GSCA. Send reservation form and fee to Karen Gatchell, 34 Moody Hts., Wells, ME 04090-4950,                                    ph. (207) 646-3339 email trisett@maine.rr.com

 

Name                                                                                              

Address                                                                                          

City, State, Zip                                                                               

Email                                        Mobile Phone                                

Make & Model                                License #                               

Total Set-up length (for RV parking only)                                     

Arrival Date*                           Departure Date*                           

RV Number of Nights              @ $35.00 per night = $                 

Day Parking w/electric                    @ $25 per day = $                        

 

Cannot arrive prior to Noon, Monday, May 9, 2016 and must be off the grounds by Noon, Saturday, May 14, 2016.

Catch All

Your Dog’s Custom Portrait $1 Raffle

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If you hold the winning ticket in the raffle drawing

at the 2016 GSCA National Specialty

on May 12, 2016

you’ll win a fabulous custom portrait of your dog by

Contemporary Artist

Evelyn McCorristine Peters  

Barking Dog Creations Studio

12″ x 12″ Custom Pet Portrait Gift Certificate ($250 value)

Tickets are $1 each or 25 for $20

Buy your tickets online using the form below. We’ll email you a secure PayPal invoice to pay by credit or debit card. Once you’ve paid we’ll enter your tickets into the drawing.

 

Proceeds from this raffle managed by the Gordon Setter Club of America a 501c non-profit foundation for Health and Rescue.

Thank You artist Evelyn McCorristin Peters for this generous donation to the Gordon Setter Club of America National Specialty event.2016-national-logo

Header Image is artwork by Evelyn McCorristin Peters

Breed Standard, Catch All, Dog Shows, Field Events, Performance Events

Going to the GSCA National? Take a quick survey to see how many others will be there too!

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We promise to keep a running count posted here of how many people answer YES, they are planning to attend the GSCA National Specialty, Purina Farms, St. Louis, MO. Memorial Day Weekend! Click here to cast your vote in the survey it only takes seconds!

# Attending  40 YES     11 No    4/21/2015