THE CAVALIER CHRONICLE

Well, summer is slowly coming to an end, even though the weather doesn’t think so. The children have all returned to school so the hectic pace is picking back up for a lot of us.

One huge reminder - please submit any new title holders achieved this year to our email so we can recognize these accomplishments at our holiday luncheon and in the December newsletter. The sooner the better so we don’t miss anybody. All titles recognized by the AKC are eligible. If in doubt, please submit and we will confirm.

We will be hosting the final puppy social of the year on Sunday, October 13th (rain or shine). We will host a costume contest (human and pup) with a gift to the winner. At the June social we were right around 30 people - best ever! Let’s try and surpass that mark in October.

We are also trying to firm up the location for the holiday luncheon. The Five Paces Inn has recently gone under a change in ownership and we are trying to confirm if the site is still an option.

Membership renewals are going out shortly. If you have been an associate member for at least one year and live in Georgia, please consider becoming a voting member and getting a say in the direction of the club.

We have moved our meetings to the second Monday of the month to eliminate a lot of the conflicts the membership has shared with us over the past year or so. While our attendance and participation have improved, we would like to see this continue to improve. Our next general meeting is Monday, September 9th at 730 pm. A meeting reminder will come out shortly to all members. Please plan to attend.

Thanks,

Jim

Thank you everyone for continuing to provide content for our newsletter! Please keep it 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

September 9 – Regular Meeting at 7:30pm

October – Board Meeting TBA

November 11 – Regular Meeting at 7:30pm

Renewal letters and forms will soon be mailed to you via USPS to your address on file with the club. You have until December 31, 2024 to renew your club membership for 2025. If you choose to renew your membership online via our website, that portal will be available on October 1, 2024. Included in the renewal mailing is information on our Holiday Luncheon and a form for Trophy Donations to support the club’s Specialty shows.

Join us on Saturday September 21, 2024 from 3pm to 5pm as our club participates in the Lawrenceville Kennel Club’s Responsible Dog Ownership (RDO) Fun Day!

We will have a “Meet the Breed” table at the function under the Pavilion! Come and join us during this time to meet and greet participants and tell them all about our wonderful breed! And yes, you can bring your cavalier!

Several members have volunteered to man the table and we hope you will join them!

Come early to enjoy all the activities the Lawrenceville KC is offering! See the flyer for details. There is also more information on their Facebook page.

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.

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

Can it be only 3 short quick months away from our annual Holiday Luncheon??? Make plans to join us on Sunday December 15, 2024 from 1pm to 4pm. We are hoping we will be back at the Five Paces Inn but we still need to confirm the site.

We will be serving up baked ham and ask that you bring a side to share with everyone.

It’s a jam packed afternoon of door prizes, white cavalier gift exchange, awards and thank you’s, plus some great food and of course our UGLY SWEATER contest where a $25 buck gift certificate and bragging rights are up for grabs! Each year more and more members attend this fun event and we hope that you can this year!

We also will be collecting donations of food (cat and dog), cat litter, stainless steel bowls, bleach, detergent, etc. for the Pickens County Rescue Ranch, a no kill shelter in Jasper GA. Please be sure to bring an item or a gift card to Petsmart, Walmart for the staff to use to help purchase food for the Rescue Ranch. Our club member Susan Kent devotes many hours each week to the Ranch and let’s show them how much the club supports everything they do.

Has your cavalier achieved a new title in 2024? Celebrate it and share the news with the club! Titles can be conformation, performance, obedience, trick dog, CGG, therapy, rally, agility, etc. We will list all the new titles in our December newsletter and also recognize them at the Holiday Luncheon! Send your information (dog’s name, title achieved) to Sharon Utych at utych@earthlink.net

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.

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 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!

This month I had the pleasure of interviewing two performance friends about their adventures in AKC Barn Hunt: Lee Freeman and Jessica Adams.

Lee is from from Stillwater, Oklahoma and has a beautiful little three year old blenheim cavalier named Renesme', also known as “Nessie” or “Esme” to friends. Officially she is AKC Pointed Caryse Shine Like A Midnight Sun CA FCAT RATN TKI CGCA ATT FITS VHMA. Renesme' and Lee compete in conformation, Lure Coursing, Scentwork, and Rally, while practicing Agility and Weight Pull, with “curiosity” for Flyball and Dock Diving, although Barn Hunt is their favorite!

Jessica is from Big Lake, Alaska, and has a ruby cavalier named Dexter who is 3 years old, and a malinois named Valkyrie. Dexter has titles in agility, scent work, Fast CAT, CGC, trick dog, and fit dog - in addition to Barn Hunt! Valykyrie participates in the same sports, as well as dock diving and IGP.

Enjoy the interview!

Beth: What in the heck is Barn Hunt??

Lee: Barn Hunt, in the simplest of terms, is a hide-and-seek game you play with your dog! The game consists of the rats who are “hiding” in the hay (in protective tubes), and it’s up to you and your pup to find where they are. Your pup uses its instincts and powerful snoot to sniff out where the rats in the tubes are hidden. Other expectations of the game are that your pup must climb up onto a hay bale with all four paws at least once per run, as well as go through a tunnel made from hay bales at least once. If neither of these requirements are met, even if you find all the rats, the run does not qualify until your dog performs the tasks.

Jessica: The first level (novice) the dog only needs to find one rat, in open the dog finds 2 rats, in senior 4 rats, and then master division is anywhere between 1 and 5 rats and you have to know when the dog is done. There are also tubes that are empty and tubes that just have rat litter in them and the dog must be able to distinguish between them.

B: So do the dogs actually catch rats?

J: There are real rats in the tubes but the dog can't actually get to the rat.

B: Aren't the rats scared when they are found by the dogs?

L: In the very same way you train and condition your dog to new environments and experiences, the same can be done for a rat. First and foremost these rats are not vermin and are truly beloved pets to their owners and handlers. From a young age these rats are trained and socialized towards the sounds, smells, sensations and even the tubes with positive reinforcement-based methods. Selective breeding of rats used for Barn Hunt also has created lines that are well suited for the role at hand. Again, much the same as a purebred dog! There is a strict protocol for the handling and use of rats that is rigidly enforced. The rats do not work in the tubes all day, there is a team of them that gets rotated out for breaks. They are fed and watered on schedule, and often if a rat refuses to tube up then that rat will not be forced into it. Much time and consideration goes into these rats just as much as it goes into our dogs. And overall the experience isn’t unpleasant for the rats themselves. The worst the rat might experience is a rolling tumble, but the way the tubes are designed it’s not that much different than tumbling around in a Zorb ball, with even less space to bounce around. There are strictly enforced rules to handling these tubes, in which you can be easily disqualified if you or your dog roughly or inconsiderately handles them. The tubes must be carried, handled, and handed off to rat wranglers perpendicular to the body (your body being the vertical axis) at all times. No matter how quick you’re moving, or excited your pup is to have found the rat, care must be given to the tube and the rat inside. The rats often get many treats for their work, some even get excited for trial days! It’s no different than crating our pups once we travel to ask them to perform at a trial. It’s a treasure to watch wranglers take care of these small little wonders, I highly recommend volunteering to see for yourself!

J: Rat safety is a high priority in the sport of Barn Hunt, which means the dogs aren't allowed to roll around the tubes, and if a tube does fall at all everything stops until the rat is checked on and is usually given a break and traded out. The rats used in Barn Hunt actually like being in the tubes because they are dark and rats like dark places. Many of the rats will just sleep or groom themselves in the tubes and learn pretty quickly they wont be hurt.

B: I assume your dogs enjoy the chase of finding rats - but what do YOU like about the sport?

J: I mainly do the sport because my dogs enjoy it which means I enjoy it as well. I also really like the community because everyone is so nice and welcoming in this sport. My cavalier loves anything related to scent work so he treats Barn Hunt like scent work and not like hunting rats. My malinois, however, loves to get her mouth on the tube.

L: I enjoy watching her fulfill her instincts, while also learning to communicate with her in a way that is subtle and organic. And I think she loves having the freedom to chart the path, use her senses, to express herself in the pure love of the hunt. It is very much a sport where the dog should be a dog, with no frills, little molding, it’s just a game that harkens back to the old working days. You two are a team, but for once your pup is more or less the “leader”. You are relying on them to do what you cannot, and in turn you and your pup bond more closely over it. It’s freedom and excitement, and coming to understand your dog on a deeper level. By engaging in Barn Hunt I as both an owner and a handler have come to communicate so much better with my girl. I understand her subtle cues more, and I’ve learned to communicate with her less as a human and more thinking like a dog. All the while, she’s just having the best time being a dog! What’s not to love about that?

B: Are cavaliers good at Barn Hunt? How would I know if my cavalier would like it?

L: Cavaliers were bred to use their nose and find game, so they naturally want to run through brush and give into the hunt. With that said, does that make all Cavaliers good at Barn Hunt? Not necessarily. It just means the breed is prone to aspects that play into Barn Hunt. All dogs, regardless of breed, are unique individuals at the end of the day. While all Cavaliers do share common traits, no two are exactly the same. What one Cavalier may like, another may detest. For what one Cavalier is adept at, another may just fall a little short. I know of Cavaliers who are super into the game and little masters at hunting down rats. And I know one Cavalier who can’t stand the smell of them! There’s no guarantee that your particular pup will be a rat finder extraordinaire, or that they may have any interest in the game at all. But, I highly recommend at least giving it a try and seeing. Once more, there are predilections in Cavaliers that make them innately inclined towards Barn Hunt I feel shouldn’t be ignored. As for how will you know if they like it, and are enjoying themselves? Well… That’s even more self-evident!

B: What's kept me from this sport is my cavalier's coat... how do you keep all the hay out of their hair??

J: Short answer - I don't haha; I don't cut my cavalier's hair at all so he does get hay in some of his feathers but they are easy to get out when he is done.

L: You don’t! Part of Barn Hunt is learning (and accepting) that you and your pup will most likely bring some stray bits of hay home. That isn’t to say it’s all bad, or unreasonable to manage! I ran my girl in Barn Hunt in the morning, brushed her out, and went and showed her that same afternoon. A healthy coat won’t cling on to hay tightly, and with a gentle comb (or just your fingers) you should be able to pick it out with no problem. For Cavaliers specifically, we must remember that they are spaniels with a spaniel coat. They once ran through the English countryside flushing out game for their masters from the thicket. The coat is meant to pick up and drop grass easily, it’s just a simple brush to eliminate the problem! My advice is to bring a comb with you, maybe a lint roller, and maybe take an allergy pill beforehand, haha.

B: So if I learn to accept the minimal clean-up, how might I get started in Barn Hunt?

J: Depending on where you live some places have classes that are offered or run throughs you can do to see if they have any interest in the sport.*

L: There are many venues and resources available to get into this game, thankfully! One way is to look at the Barn Hunt website itself. (http://www.barnhunt.com) Once there, you’ll be guided and provided with a lot of information to start your journey. Including how to register your pup to be able to enter into future trials. But first, I’d recommend just visiting a trial, watching and seeing how it runs, and perhaps seeing how your pup takes to the environment. And the very best advice I can give you is, volunteer, volunteer, volunteer! You can locate the nearest club to you via the website, or even just using Google by typing in your location added with “Barn Hunt” to the search bar. I guarantee you that your local club would be happy for any and all help you may provide them. And truly, there is no better way to learn the ins and outs of the sport than helping with what goes on behind the scenes. Volunteering is not only fulfilling but immensely rewarding too! Another resource is FaceBook, should you have an account. There are so many wonderful Barn Hunt-specific groups with lovely people willing to help guide you into the sport. Not only that, but they will often post dates and locations of trials, fun runs, and potential classes in your area. Whatever route you take to start your Barn Hunt journey is a step worth exploring!

*Editor's Note: there are several training facilities in metro Atlanta that offer Barn Hunt. Feel free to reach out to me at ckcscatlantanewsletter@gmail.com for specific recommendations.

B: What's next on your Barn Hunt journey?

J: I am working on getting my dog's RATCH and then they will just do it for fun.

L: My current goal is to get a RATCH and some Crazy 8 titles on to my girl’s name, and to keep volunteering my time with my local clubs. I’ve also considered that perhaps in the future I may pursue qualifications to become a Barn Hunt judge... Though that’ll be a few dogs, and some more titles away for me! In the meantime, I just want to keep trialing, keep practicing, and keep having fun with my wonderful little dog.

Thank you, Jessica and Lee, for your time, sharing yourself and your dogs with us, and passion for performance cavaliers!

Send your favorite inspirational thought to CKCSCAtlantaNewsletter@gmail.com

FIBER

Mmm, fiber. Just what your dog is craving, right? OK, maybe not. After all, we humans don't really think of fiber as being particularly delicious, but we know that it's something we need in our diets. Most of the time, we get all we need from our regular diet. The same is true for our dogs: Fiber isn't considered an essential nutrient for them, but it's found to some degree in all commercial dog foods. Occasionally, we need a little more fiber to help keep things moving, and so do our canine companions. A diet high in fiber can even help with other health problems, as well as promote overall colon well-being for both you and your pet.

Let's back up a second, though. What exactly is fiber? It's a term used to describe plant material that isn't digested by our bodies, also known as roughage. There are two different kinds of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber absorbs water, breaks down into a stringy, mucilaginous (mucus-like) material and ferments, releasing gases as it passes through the colon. Insoluble fiber also absorbs water, but it doesn't ferment. Soluble fiber also ferments at different rates -- slow-fermenting fiber sources include peanut hulls and cellulose, while bran, pectin and soy fiber ferment more quickly. Beet pulp, a common source of fiber in dog food, is somewhere in the middle. A mixture of different types of soluble fiber is best; too much fast-moving fiber can cause diarrhea, while slow-fermenting sources may not make a difference.

If your dog needs more fiber than what he's getting from his regular food, it can be a little more challenging than when you hit the fiber supplement aisle at the pharmacy. That's why there are high-fiber dog foods available on the market. Most contain a mix of both soluble and insoluble fiber. Not all of them are created equal, though. Some inexpensive dog foods could contain sources of fiber that you may not be happy feeding your dog, such as shredded paper. Of course, the label won't use those words, but ingredients like cellulose, for example, can come from a wide variety of sources. Your best bet is to do your research. All dog foods have ingredient lists, which will list the amount of crude fiber (a general term for any kind of fiber) as a percentage. Look for specific sources of fiber (like those mentioned above), and ask your veterinarian what he or she recommends. Now that you know all about fiber, read on to learn exactly how a high-fiber diet can benefit your dog.

Typically when we think of high-fiber foods, we think of constipation. High-fiber dog food can help treat constipation because insoluble fiber absorbs water, creating softer, larger stools. Larger stools stimulate the colon's muscle contractions. There are many conditions that can cause constipation in dogs, so if it's a chronic problem, you should get him checked out by the vet.

It might surprise you to know that high-fiber food can also help dogs that have diarrhea. Insoluble fiber absorbs excess water in the colon, while the fermenting action of soluble fiber can balance acidity levels in the colon and create more friendly bacteria. Again, chronic diarrhea may be a sign of a more serious problem, so just switching to a high-fiber food isn't necessarily the answer.

All dogs have scent glands located on either side of their anus, which secrete oils when they defecate. These anal glands give their feces a unique scent -- yet another way for dogs to mark their territory. Unfortunately, these glands can get clogged, which can be very painful for your dog and can result in anal gland disease. The bulking action of high-fiber foods creates larger stools that press against impacted glands, releasing them.

If your dog is overweight, he may need to go on a weight-control dog food. When you read the ingredient list, you'll probably notice that "diet" dog foods are also high in fiber. Fiber makes your dog feel full without adding a lot of calories, so it can help him shed those extra pounds.

Dogs who have been diagnosed with diabetes can also benefit from a high-fiber dog food. The bulk of insoluble fiber slows digestion, which keeps blood sugar levels from spiking. According to veterinarian Denise Elliot, fermenting soluble fiber may also influence the release of hormones that affect a diabetic dog's sensitivity to insulin (making him less sensitive to it), although research doesn't yet show exactly how this works.

Finally, high-fiber dog foods can reduce your dog's risk of contracting colon cancer. Fiber speeds elimination, which means less time for the carcinogens your dog may have consumed to hang out in his intestinal tract. When soluble fiber ferments, one of the byproducts is a short-chain fatty acid. These fatty acids provide needed fuel for cells lining the walls of the intestine, which aid in repairing the cells of the intestine.

Now you may be gung-ho about switching your dog to a high-fiber food, but it's imperative that you consult with his vet first. Too much fiber can cause frequent stools, diarrhea and gas, and it can even interfere with the absorption of vitamins and minerals. So listen to your vet and take it slow.

Applesauce Carrot Dog Treat - High Fiber

Ingredients

1.5 cups whole wheat or white flour

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup grated carrot

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium-sized bowl mix flour, applesauce, cinnamon, and grated carrot together. It will be a little sticky so add additional flour to make it less sticky.

3. Roll out your dough on a floured surface to about 1/4” thick.

4. Shape the dough by hand or use a dog bone cookie cutter. I used a medium size. To make it even easier to remove spray it with cooking spray and place it on a parchment-lined or lightly greased edged cookie sheet.

5. Bake for 35 min. or until golden brown color and remove and let completely cool before serving to your pet.

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.

CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIEL CLUB OF GREATER ATLANTA

www.ckcscatlanta.org

Beth Lassiter, editor

CKCSCAtlantaNewsletter@gmail.com