I’ve given a lot of thought about whether I should post this or not but I thought it important enough to bring it to light in case you haven’t seen it and let you decide.  Notice I said, “you decide.”  This is not a forum where I want to discuss U.S. Politics but it has something to do with animal issues and protection and that is the only reason I decided to post it.

Larry

A SAOVA message to sportsmen, pet owners and farmers concerned about protecting their traditions, avocations and livelihoods from anti-hunting, anti-breeding, animal guardianship advocates. Forwarding and cross posting, with attribution, encouraged.

The Most Critical Election in your Lifetime
10/21/08

Dear Friends,

Early voting has already begun and November 4th is fast approaching.  The outcome of this election will have far reaching and long lasting impacts on animal agriculture, hunting, and animal ownership.  Amid all the political rhetoric and campaign ads, important serious warning alarms are sounded. The combination of a Democrat supermajority in Congress and a liberal Democratic president will structurally imbalance our government to historic proportions. Constitutional checks and balances will be voided, making this the most critical election in your lifetime. Every aspect of American life could change.

The Wall Street Journal editorial observes: “If the current polls hold, Barack Obama will win the White House on November 4 and Democrats will consolidate their Congressional majorities, probably with a filibuster-proof Senate or very close to it. Without the ability to filibuster, the Senate would become like the House, able to pass whatever the majority wants.”

In the area of animal issues, nearly 40 bills introduced on behalf of the Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) weren’t passed by the 110th Congress.  Strong Democratic wins could be a guarantee that many of these bills are likely to become law in the next Congress.

In 2006 a GOP Senator blocked the horse slaughter bill from being heard and voted on the Senate floor.  More recently HR 6598, the horribly misguided and misleadingly named Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, received a favorable vote split along party lines.  HR6598 would turn horse owners and ranchers into felons for having a connection to a horse transported for slaughter. HR 6598 is likely to return in 2009. http://www.cattlenetwork.com/Content.asp?ContentID=261648

The Pet Animal Welfare Statute 2005 (PAWS) was thwarted by a GOP and moderate controlled Senate Agriculture Committee in 2006 and was re-introduced in September by HSUS supporters as the Puppy Uniform Protection Statute (PUPS).  After 8 years of failed attempts to regulate retail dog breeders, will the 2008 election finally bring victory for HSUS in its goal to federally regulate home hobby dog breeding?

RESHAPING THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM

The next president will have extraordinary impact on the ideological shape of the nation’s federal courts for decades to come. It is likely the next president will appoint Supreme Court judges as six of the nine are turning 70. In addition, hundreds of federal and appellate judges will be appointed. Appellate appointments shape lasting constitutional interpretations and they cover multiple states. Although these require Congressional approval, that will be a slam-dunk if this election creates a Democratic supermajority. One out of three federal judges now owes a lifetime-tenured job to the current president.

The overwhelming majority of Americans believe that judges should interpret the law as it is written. Seventy-four percent (74%) of men favor that approach along with 65% of women. Sen. McCain supports that view and he has consistently campaigned on a “strict constructionist philosophy” for the courts.

Sen. Obama, on the other hand, believes that judges should be required to possess “empathy” and should “reach decisions on the basis of his deepest values, core concerns, and broader perspectives on how the world works.”  During the Roberts nomination debate, Sen. Obama stated, “Legal process alone will not lead you to a rule of decision. In those difficult cases, the critical ingredient is supplied by what is in the judge’s heart.”

Considering the skyrocketing number of lawsuits filed by HSUS and other animal rightist groups to ban hunting, change livestock regulations, and alter husbandry standards, the stakes are very high for the animal owning public.  The best interests of animal owners, hunters, and ranchers would not be served by liberal appointees who choose to rule based on imaginative and empathic interpretations of property rights and the constitution.

The world not only belongs to those who show up, it’s controlled by the best informed and most motivated. Vote on November 4th. It’s the most critical election in your lifetime.

Please cross post this message widely.

Susan Wolf
Director, Sportsmen’s and Animal Owners’ Voting Alliance (SAOVA)

The message above was posted to North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky residents by the Sportsmen’s and Animal Owners’ Voting Alliance (SAOVA).

SAOVA is a nonpartisan volunteer group working to protect Americans from the legislative and political threats of radical animal rightists. It is the only national organization fighting this struggle for both sportsmen and animal owners, natural allies, in these arenas. Visit our website at http://saova.org for this program’s goals, methodology and list signup details.

The Dream Team Challenge was truly a fun event for me.  With names like Dash Hounds (all Dachshund team), We’re Golden (all Golden Retriever team), A Bunch of Bull (you can figure it out), Aussome Aussies, We Are Family, and many others it was really a unique and fun event.  I raced with the We Are Family team and had a great time.

The We Are Family team consisted of Promise, Sue Ethier (Rude Dogs), Future, Sharron Nevens (Rude Dogs), Snitch, Russ Helganz (RPM Dog Sports), Legend and Relay, Sue Rogers (RPM Dog Sports), and Dice, Larry Worrilow (Rogues Gallery).  Legend was the sire of Promise, Future, Relay, and Dice and Snitch the height dog was a half sister to the siblings.

We Are Family

For not ever running together, the dogs just fell into step with one another.  No one planned to take 2^nd place in division 1, but the dogs ran so well together turning in a best time of 17.2 seconds.  It was really great fun for me and I want to thank everyone that participated.  I’m looking forward to next year.

Larry

Most of the time it’s nothing more serious than scratches and scrapes, but sometimes it’s a lot more serious.  After a few tournaments where some serious injuries happened, I took a hard look at my team’s first aid kit.  I started a discussion on the Flyball Forum on what to have in a kit.

If your team doesn’t have a first aid kit you take to tournaments here is a great opportunity to figure out what to include.

Connie

At the Ballistics River Run tournament in Vassar, Michigan on Aug 31, 2008 Shadow became the first dog to earn 150,000 NAFA points.

Thank you Pawsitive Attitudes! Flyball is a team sport, without the help and support of the team, Shadow and I could have never accomplished earning 150,000 points. Flyball is a wonderful way to have fun with our dogs. One hundred and fifty thousand points in Flyball is an unbelievable accomplishment. Shadow is an amazing dog - a Flyball dog - solid and sturdy - a dog with longevity - year after year of solid racing. Years ago when Hobbes was the first dog to reach 100,000 points, someone predicted that shadow would reach 150,000 points, I could not believe it; the Hobbes Award was still so far away. 150,000 points is an amazing milestone for a senior, veteran Flyball dog. My first dog, Kala, raced for over ten years, retiring with just under 13,000 points.

Play Flyball, have fun, and the points just add up.

• In 1988, my husband and I adopted a dog, Kala, through the Michigan Human society. We took her to obedience classes and that is when we learned about Flyball. As Kala got older, we wanted to add another dog to the family.
• We started looking for a new dog at all the shelter and rescue groups in the area. When we went to Canada for a Flyball tournament, we were told about a husband who had border collies and his wife who had border terriers. They had some puppies left that they needed to find homes for.
• When we played with the pups that were left, (eighteen weeks old) Shadow always ended up with the tennis ball and brought it to us. He also seemed to have the most outgoing personality. Because he seemed to be a natural for Flyball, we chose to take Shadow home. Originally, we wanted, a female, so in a way Shadow picked us.
• Shadow has been involved in Flyball since he was one year old.  Shadow has all available Flyball titles thru the Hobbes Award. He was the third dog to earn the Hobbes Award.

Titles Earned

FD, FDX, FDCH, FDCH-S, FDCH-G, FM, FMX, FMCH, ONYX, Flyball Grand Champion, FG40K, FG50K, FG60K, FG70K, FG80K, FG90K, HOBBES, FG110K, FG120K, FG130K, FG140K, FG150K

Special Honors

• Andy Pee-Wee All Stars -Tailspinners Bolton, ON June 1999
• Totally Awesome Height Dog - SmokinPaws Belleville, MI May 2001
• Flyball Icon Award- “For a Flyball dog that everyone knows by name regardless of the region they hail from. A dog that sets a new standard to which all other Flyball dogs will be measured. A competitor who truly raises the bar in our sport to a status level that others dream to someday reach.”  Donated by Hobbes & Gary Mueller Ballistics River Run Sept 4th & 5th 2004

NAFA Top Pointed Dogs

• 09/30/00 - 113 of 9133dogs
• 09/30/01 - 16 of 10747dogs
• 09/30/02 - 3 of 12213dogs
• 09/30/03 - 3 of 13575dogs
• 09/30/04 - 2 of 15009dogs
• 09/30/05 - 1 of 16405dogs
• 09/30/06 - 1 of 17682 dogs
• 09/30/07 - 1 of 18933 dogs

NAFA Breed Mix

• 09/30/00 - 10 of 1238 mix breed dogs
• 09/30/01 - 3 of 1478 mix breed dogs
• 09/30/02 - 2 of 1725 mix breed dogs
• 09/30/03 - 2 of 1984 mix breed dogs
• 09/30/04 - 1 of 2241 mix breed dogs
• 09/30/05 - 1 of 2545 mix breed dogs
• 09/30/06 - 1 of 2809 mix breed dogs
• 09/30/07 - 1 of 3078 mix breed dogs

NAFA Top Point Earning Dogs

• 1998 - 85 of 6486 dogs - points earned 5352
• 1999 -15 of 7685 dogs - points earned 10934
• 2000 - 4 of 9133 dogs - points earned 12333
• 2001 - 1 of 10747 dogs - points earned 25751 - World Record
• 2002 - 1 of 12213 dogs - points earned 23400
• 2003 - 1 of 13575 dogs - points earned 17143
• 2004 - 8 of 15009 dogs - points earned 17177
• 2005 - 10 of 16405 dogs - points earned 15187
• 2006  - 119 of 17682 dogs - points earned 9699

Karen Larkin

Karen has other dogs of special note, Isaac and Kala, and you can view and read about them on the Pawsitive Attiudes Flyball Team Website.

Larry

Most people outside of Flyball have the mistaken attitude that Flyball is “not exactly a challenge for the dog” and many hyper dogs that are not good enough for anything else get labeled as a “Flyball prospect.”

New people and other outsiders think that Flyball is easy.  After all, all the dogs need to do is like tennis balls, run over a few jumps, and retrieve a ball.  How hard can that be?  This is one that I encounter all the time.  Others think that just because the dog is hyper they will do well in Flyball.  Well, some do and some don’t.  I think Laura from Heads or Tails hit it right on the nose when she said, “I truly believe that the best Flyball candidate is not so much the dog as the owner.”  I couldn’t agree more.

I invite you all to the Flyball Forum and welcome your views on this intriguing topic.  You will find it under Flyball in the Flyball Forum section.

Larry

Open and Pickup

The first time I was exposed to this type of entry was at a U-FLI tournament and I thought it was great.  I had a young dog that was very close to running and I wanted to do some run backs with her.  Unfortunately at the time, I had a very small team and had no place for her to run.  I guess I could have had someone hold the dog I’d be running while I did a couple warm up runs with my new dog, but that is always difficult.  So the Pickup team was just what I needed.  I could run my new dog on a Pickup team and not have to worry about switching teams or a waiting period.  My new dog even got a chance to run in a few heats so her first time running was on a Pickup team.

This experience made me a believer of the Pickup team concept and I was a real proponent for NAFA to put this concept into practice also.  Since NAFA started the Open class during a trial period, I have run my dogs many times in that class and on Pickup teams and still do.

Unintended Consequences

Before these types of entries were created, if there were problems on the team like an argument or disagreement, the majority of the time it was worked out and the team stayed together.  Granted, at times, working out a difficult argument or disagreement may not have been possible but from my experience you were more likely to stick it out and try to get over the problem.  After all, most people would try to avoid the waiting time required to run on a new team so they were more likely to give it one or more chances before switching teams.

The unintended consequences of these new entries are to allow people to jump ship at any time.  If you have a problem, there is no need to work it out, just switch teams by running in Open class or a Pickup team.  If you have enough people willing to jump ship, just create a new team and enter your new team in Open class or run as a Pickup team and there’s no wait required.

Why Have a Waiting Rule?

I really have no answers because I’m torn between my likes and dislikes.  I like being able to run dogs from other teams together but I also hate the fact that my whole team can dessert me over a minor disagreement.

In October, one of my dogs will be running in Memphis on a Pickup team with her littermates (all from other teams) and her sire.  How neat is that?  Without a Pickup team or Open class this would not be possible.  However, having six people just leave your team over a stupid disagreement, not even try to work out a compromise, and be running the next weekend is hurtful!  Why have a waiting rule at all?

I would like to hear what you all think of this?  Do you have any solutions?  Should we just press on from here and do away with the waiting rule?

Larry

Pros of a Forum

• Can be viewed on your schedule
• More permanent than some email list unless you save each email
• You can send private messages
• You can post attachments i.e. photos, tournament schedules, etc
• Little or no annoying email clogging up your email application
• Real time discussion

Cons of a Forum

• It can be viewed by everyone

Pros of Email List

• Private and closed

Cons of Email List

• Closed and private
• Messages are not permanent unless saved privately
• Same questions are asked again and again
• Most do not allow attachments
• Email traffic builds up in your email account unless you are on digest
• If you are on digest you sometimes miss important discussions when they are happening

So what are your thoughts on this subject?  Why do most prefer email over forums?  Why are Flyballers different than all of the other canine activities that have forums?   I can see no good reason to continue maintaining a forum that very few people are using.

Please pass the word to your friends and teammates about the Flyball Forum.  I’m sure that we Flyballers can do better.

Larry

Over the last 10 years the state of Alabama has been positioned in several different NAFA regions and currently resides in Region 14. Back in 1999 and early 2000 there was only one team in Alabama, Manners in Motion, and all credit needs to go to Barbara Skalka for her vision and support of the sport and for bringing it to Alabama.  The team was later renamed the Birmingham Bandits after the death of Barbara’s dog, Bandit.

I know that there are many such stories throughout the course of Flyball history in North America.  Additionally, there have been many first going back many years ago and the dogs like Onyx, Hobbes and many others are well documented.  You just need only look on the NAFA website to see the Clyde Moore Memorial Hall of Fame dogs and their accomplishments.

Cody and Casey

Cody and Casey

Cody and Casey started their racing careers together on December 2, 2000 in Talladega, Alabama. They were very green dogs back then and only able to muster 38 and 42 points respectively over a two day tournament with a team best time of 25.870 seconds. Their team took last place in division 2 of a two division tournament. However, their next tournament in Tampa, Florida went much better and their team actually had a best time of 23.120 seconds on Sunday, and it was only their third tournament running together. They were off and running after that third tournament racking up points and titles quickly. And being a relatively new area for the sport, they both shared many first titles in our Region and Alabama as you can see by the follow table:

Cody was the voted Most Valuable Player (MVP) for 2005 in Region 14, and that third tournament team also included two other MVP winners, Paige in 2004 and Snap in 2006.

Since tournaments in an upcoming region where far and few, travel was a necessity.

Travels

Over the last 8 years Cody and Casey have traveled and attended many NAFA tournaments, and I know of a few humans that haven’t traveled as much.  Here is list of the States and Cities:

Alabama:
Autaugaville, Bessemer, Calera, Columbiana, Hoover, Huntsville, Irondale, and Talladega

Florida:
Deerfield Beach, Deland, Lakeland, Orlando, Pensacola, Sunrise, Tampa, and West Palm Beach

Georgia:
Athens and Perry

Illinois:
Springfield

Missouri:
St Louis

North Carolina:
Charlotte, Raleigh, Winston-Salem, and Yadkinville

South Carolina:
Charleston

Tennessee:
Chattanooga, Memphis, and Nashville

Texas:
Houston and San Antonio

Era Coming to an End

Both Cody and Casey are still racing but it’s obvious that their careers are winding down.  The State and Region has grown tremendously over the last 8 years, and they have been great Ambassadors for the sport and its growth throughout the southeast. They both still love the game and give everything they have when playing.  They truly are two of the greats in our sport.

Larry

If you have or know of a special dog, and would like to have him or her recognized, please contact us using the Contact form.

There are a few additional philosophies and sometimes differing opinions on these can be the things that cause dissatisfaction, split teams or cause tension between teams at tournaments.  Your team may be made up of a few of these philosophies to varying degrees. No one is superior to another… you choose according to what is a good fit for you.

Dance with the dogs you came with. You may play for speed, or you may play for points, but you play with the dogs currently in your homes.  As you become more interested in the sport you may add dogs to your home, but everyone plays as long as they are able and want to, and your homes are the dog’s “forever” home. The dogs you add may be rescues or they may be bred for flyball (though this is less likely) but no dog is ever rehomed to make room for a dog with more potential.  Your team races anywhere from Division 1 on down and you’re okay with racing in lower divisions.

It’s about talent and going for the Gold.  You want to be the best in your region, heck best in the country, and that requires enormous commitment; commitment in breeding, commitment in training, commitment in financial resources to travel to compete.  Your goal is to be the elite and the best of the best.  Your team is interested in training and racing the “Olympic Athletes” of the sport and well, not every dog can meet that standard….Not every handler can either.  You share your successful training techniques with others with the hopes of improving the sport across the board.  You may even share your well trained dogs with other flyball enthusiasts desperate for a dog to play with, but without the training skills to prepare one.  You take competing very seriously and the rewards are in seeing all that hard work pay off with faster times, pushing the envelope and achieving what you’ve never achieved before.

There is a flyball tournament going on at our party.  Your team spends about as much energy planning Saturday night’s dinner as they do training the dogs; fun people, fun dogs, fun times.  There is enough stress and intensity in living life, the last thing you want is stress in your leisure activities.  You want your dogs to perform the sport well enough, but no one gets on anyone else’s case for a 10-foot pass… you’re playing for fabric ribbons or squeaky toys for heaven’s sake.  The dogs have fun… everyone is having fun.

We just wanna complete.  You are all new at this and gosh, who knew there was so much to it.  Everyone is learning… dogs and people… you just want to get out there and complete a clean race with no errors… points and placements are not your concern right now, successful racing is.  If your dogs earn points or you place well at the tournament, that’s icing on the cake.

There’s Varsity and there’s JV. You put your very best dogs out on your Varsity team…it’s something that has to be earned after all.  It may not be a division 1 team, but they are solid and the best you’ve got.  Dogs that sometimes flake are not as fast, and new dogs run JV.  Everyone is working for a spot on Varsity.  It requires that everyone is very realistic about their dog’s skills and their own skill as a handler.  Sometimes it’s just as hard to take now as it was in high school, but hey it’s more like the real world.

Connie

These people look at Eddie, the Jack Russell terrier on the TV show Fraser a few years ago, and everyone had to have one. What they don’t realize is that these are special breeds and have traits that not everyone can deal with.

Breeders

Most responsible breeders will make sure that their puppies are in the right homes but unfortunately, there are many irresponsible breeders out there. Just recently in the area where I live, someone opened a pet store named “Pet Land.” My wife and I were horrified to find that they are selling puppies there. No responsible breeder would allow his or her puppies to be sold in a pet store. As far as I’m concerned, these are just puppy mill dogs and this activity should be banned.

Larry