THE SCENTINEL TRACKING CLUB OF VERMONT NEWSLETTER Fall 2014 From our President! Hi all, TCV has been very active over the last few months, hosting a number of successful events. The Annual Picnic morphed into a VST training day at Castleton, where teams got to try out urban tracking. The Morgans were busy running the Line Handling Clinic and several certification days, which were a big help to novice handlers preparing for the fall tracking season. The Fall Test was well attended and had many passes. As always, our club member volunteers pulled together to organize a fantastic test. Although snow is falling, the tracking events aren't over yet! Please join us for pizza at the annual meeting on November 20 and the VST test at Castleton State College on November 29. Stay Warm, Mie and the gang in Danby Fall Test Report We could not have had a better tracking day for our test! Sunday morning, October 12, brought a frost, clear skies and light wind. Although the leaves were a bit past peak the mountains of Danby at Smokey House were still incredibly beautiful. On the TD side we had 7 passes out of 9 offered tracks. Our President, Mie Kingsley, led the way, with Stella,an English Cocker, who motored around her track like the streetcar she's named for, and is now Danby Pond Whitfield's Streetcar TD! Mie was soon joined by TCV Members, Bob Giffen and his lab Hawk TD, Jane Klonsky and her All American, Charlie Chop Chop, CD,BN,RN,TD! Cecelia Wojcuikiewicz and GSD Iris ran a beautiful track and now have their TD Title. Non club members passing were Kathy Goodman and her Golden Kiwi, Debbie Grandquist and Lab Piper, and finally a Duck Toller handled by Terry Miller. For TDX 3 teams out of 6 passed! The first team was a Beagle, nicely handled by Steve Mingus. Mikey Mingus RA,NA,NJP and now TDX! Mickey was followed by myself and Willoughby. We had a challenging track. After negotiating two obstacles, our cross tracks and finding the 3rd article, we got stuck in a low part of the field where there was a corner. Willow wanted to go into the woods, but the track wasn't there, back she came. We backed up. She was frustrated and resorted to eating grass and some deer poo. Somehow I managed to get her going again and 2 turns and 200 yds. later we found the glove. Kee-Pin Willoughby on Track TDX :)) The last TDX pass was Laura Maliconico and Lab Sam Adams. They started nicely and once they disappeared into the woods, we lost track of them. After what seemed to be an eternity, I heard a distant shout....HE FOUND IT!! Did they pass....YES they did and Sam is now Samuel Adams Mineo Malinconico TDX!! Our members should be very proud of the success of this test! So many members took on more than one job to make the test happen. Hospitality Chair was shared by many this year, Charlene Lundeen, Joan Bradley, Elaine Thomas and Mitzi Giffen. Mie did breakfast and lunch for the Judges and Track Layers on Saturday. Joan Bradley was our Gallery Manager with the help of Emily McDermott. Trophies and prizes were abundant and some winners were amazed at the amount of goodies they were awarded! Thank you Joan Sullivan for all you do to Chair and organize this! Also thanks to Joyce Smith for her contributions to the trophy list, for her traditional TD-T's, cards and artwork and for her help keeping us organized on Sunday! Glenn and Mie hosted a lovely Pre-test dinner, with a gorgeous sunset! Thanks to our Judges: TDX - Ray Desmarais and Lynda Morgan. TD Judges- Ilene Morgan and Dorie Viguers ! Very nice tracks and it must be satisfying to see such a high pass rate!! TDX Chief Track layer was Dick Munson. His crew consisted of Roberta Barili and Glenn Williams. Cross trackers were Veronica Metivier and Renee Traverse. They were driven to their appointed spots by our Dairy Queen, Elaine Thomas, who also helped with hospitality, and brought her famous coffee cake. :) Mie drew up some very nice TDX maps of the tracks. The TD crew was led by Chief Erica Cruden and track layers were Rene Bugnon, Charlotte Badger and Charlene Lundeen. Rene once again made some beautiful maps! Thanks to Emily McDermott for being Test Chair and Secretary!! She also helped manage the large gallery that turned out to watch the tracking!! The raffle was organized by Mitzy Giffen with the help of Veronica and Charlene. So many members contributed items and we raised a very nice sum of money!! For all of you that donated prizes, cooked dishes, donated raffle items...THANK YOU. Every bit adds up and the end result is a test that handlers will remember for a long time! Happy Tracking!! Linda Shelvey, Sec. ps... Being in the test this year, I have to express my great appreciation to the club and all it's members for the vast amount of work and attention to detail that goes into putting on such a wonderful test!! I couldn't believe the size of the gallery when Willow and I started our track!!! The big crowd was nerve wracking at the start to have so many watching.. BUT,to find the glove in front of so many friends and to share the warmth, happiness and hugs and pets....was the best part of the day! PRICELESS! :) linda and willoughby SIX TCV MEMBER TEAMS EARN NEW TTILES At the Fall, 2014 Tracking Tests ! TCV Members with TD Titles…Mie and Stella, Bob and Hawk, Cecelia and Iris. Jane Klonsky and Charlie Chop Chop are missing. TCV Members earning TDX Titles: Laura Malinconico and Sam Adams, Linda Shelvey and Willoughby. Cameo appearances by Roberta Barili, Dick Munson and Dorie Viguers. CANINE CLASSIFIEDS ADS FOR SERVICES, ITEMS FOR SALE BY TCV MEMBERS Balderdash Dogwear, handmade in Vermont by TCV member, Sonja Blanchard, offers custom ribbon collars for all sizes of dogs. Martingale leashes, Flat buckle collars and heavy duty leashes as well as beaded show leads. Visit my website for more info at - www.balderdashdogwear.com Dog Portraits by TCV Member Diane Richardson CROWN POINT ALPACAS – TCV Member and Artist – Bob Wertz The fibers, rugs, and gift items can be purchased directly from Bob by sending him an email at [email protected] or by using his Etsy shop (see under website). https://www.facebook.com/CrownPointAlpacas FOR SALE Made in a smoke free studio by Joyce Smith. [email protected] Pet Portraits in Fabric. Send me a picture of your pet and I will make a 16 x16 pillow or a 18 x 20 wall hanging. I will do an appliqué and then thread sketching to bring it alive. Made of cotton and batik fabrics with polyester and cotton batting. Your choice of background fabric that I will quilt. $125.00. Postage is extra. Var- Kennel Crates for Sale. Contact - Joyce Smith Intermediate- blue-32L x 22W 23H………….good condition $20.00 Medium-green-27L x 20W 19H………………..good condition $15.00 Also from Joyce: My neighbor has many large black wire crates she would like to find homes for….they 36L 24W and 27H . Think she would be happy with $20.00. Susan Speranza 802-376-9012 castleriggpekes@ gmail.com The Dogs Have Gone To The Birds. By Kristine Hitchcock Deep in the San Pedro River Valley in Arizona is a 75 acre disused Pecan Grove, the home of the Oasis Bird Sanctuary, where I recently, had the privilege of Volunteering. It is the home of over 700 exotic wild birds of all ages, rescued from dire situations, abuse, cruelty and neglect. Each one has a sad story to tell. Here they are allowed to finish their days in huge outdoor aviaries where they can flock and fly. They receive wonderful care and lots of TLC. The staff is on duty all day, but when darkness falls on the desert, and the birds settle for the night the dogs rule! After having spent the day in the shade of their special day yard, which features a very roomy dog house with air conditioning for summer, and heat for winter, and a paddling pool for general cooling off! they know when it is time and they are anxious to go. The aviaries are in a fenced compound of over 15 acres and the dogs are let out to begin their guard duty over that whole area. They are aware of their responsibility, and conscientiously patrol the grounds all night. All along the fence they track the scent of the predators of the desert, the most dangerous of them foxes and raccoon (which they send up a tree if they get a chance) and we are not even talking of the rattle snakes! All night they are working to protect their wonderful world of beautiful colors and songs. They roam relentlessly and there is not an inch of fence left unchecked. There is no glove at the end of their journey, but praise and love for a great job well done., They too are tracking dogs! A report of our Canadian adventures on Sept. 5. Hope you enjoy it. Ilene Morgan Mountain City Kennel Club, Brigham, Quebec, offers an early fall tracking test each year. Since it is 1.5 hrs from my home, I have often used their test as a primer for my dogs, either entering dogs in the test or laying track for the club. Canadian tracking regulations are different from ours but its always interesting to participate to keep myself and the dogs on our tracking game. This year I entered the Sept. 5 test (testing takes place over a 3 day time frame), putting Bentley in the TDX and Dixie Mae in the TD test. Our draw for tracks took place in Cowansville, Quebec at 9:15 AM, a hot humid, dry day. Dixie Mae was the only TD dog for that test day and I drew the last track of the day, Number 4, for Bentley’s TDX. We caravanned to some beautiful farm fields from the draw site. The weather was a major concern so I kept the air on in the car to keep the dogs cool until their turn to work. Dixie Mae, being the only TD dog that day ran her track first. She started her track at 10:00 AM, did some trailing on the first leg, circled her first corner, then pulled me down her 420 meter track to finish in 6 minutes at her end article. A good pass in a hot field. The first TDX was on the same property. The GSD who drew this track went the wrong way at the start flag, finding tractor ruts more enticing than the track. Next we moved to a different farm for TDX2 and TDX3. TDX2 was an English Springer Spanial who had a great start, briskly completing 2/3 of the track before going the wrong way after navigating a heavily vegetated ditch. TDX3 was another GSD. I was told this dog did Search and Rescue work, but after working the start flag area for 35 minutes in the hot sun, could not determine direction of the first leg, so the handler declared an end to the effort . We then moved our vehicles to another farm about 5 miles away to run the last track, which is Bentley’s. Bentley went to his start flag at 12:10 PM, 87 degrees, hot and very dry in the fields. Ben circled the start flag several times before committing to the track then dragged me down the track, circling at the first corner to be sure he checked out all his options before continuing. This leg followed a brush line that ends in a ditch. He does a lot of checking along the way, but after going thru the ditch, found his first glove. He is no longer pulling hard in the harness but is valiantly prodding on to find second, third, then fourth corners. Another glove is found; I am exhausted so know Bentley is also. Another dip in the field causes me to lose my footing, fall flat on my face in the field!! Good thing I have a good “Wait” command!! After picking myself up and grabbing the lead, I command Ben to move on, which he does, staying directly on the track. Another corner, going through a patch of high swamp grass, another turn to the final glove. Bentley worked this TDX track for 35 minutes (948 meters) in extreme weather conditions for the only passing TDX dog of the day. I am very proud of my dogs’ work ethics. What I would like to share with readers of this article is one never knows what the weather may be when you enter a tracking test or which track you may draw. Be prepared! My dogs do not drink water (although offered several times) while working a track, but water should be carried and offered to help avoid problems such as heat exhaustion. It took Bentley approximately an hour to cool down in the car with the air conditioner running, and small bits of water offered at regular intervals after he completed his track. For me, it took 2 days to recover!!! Thanks to Mountain City for another challenging tracking test. This club speaks English for we non-Canadians who enjoy their efforts in the tracking fields. Happy Tracking from Ilene Morgan and the Island Labs tracking dogs of Northern Vermont. Tracking Club of Vermont Calendar of Events 2014-2015 Thursday 11/20/14 TCV Annual Meeting - 6:00 PM – Sal’s South. Review the year’s events and elect officers and directors for 2015. VST CSC Cancelled Due To Snow 11/29/14 Thursday 1/22/15 TCV Meeting - 6:30 PM - Rutland Municipal Offices, Rte 4 in Center Rutland, VT. Receive Committee Reports, discuss 2015 Calendar and select Judges for 2015-2016. Sunday 2/1/15 TCV Annual Holiday Party. Location - Holiday Inn, Rutland, Vt. .11:00 to 2:00. Could this be the start of a new tradition at TCV? Watching the Beagle track while standing on log ends for a better view, seemed to be lucky for this team! Brags Quincy placed first in Union, ME Fair for Novice Class Dock Dog! Papa is sooooooooo proud! Rene Bugnon and Quincy Baad Bailey Bottoms of the Islands TD !! Congratulations Lynda Morgan for your new TD Title at Pioneer Valley! From Sonja Blanchard and Quincy! Last week Quincy and I ventured off to pennsylvania for the bearded collie specialty. Our adventure started in bidsboro with the herding day. Quincy and I competed in two runs of started a course sheep and two runs of intermediate a course ducks. This was the first time I competed in intermediate and Quincy is my first herding partner. Quincy did very well and we qualified in our two sheep runs with 4 th place in each. In my duck runs I stepped over one of the boundary lines in each. But Quincy did amazing and all our training paid off. Day two was agility day and we got two qualifying runs in standard and fast. The day ended with a fun tunnelers relay. Quincy and her two sisters. Team wombmates ran their way to 2 nd place out of 23 teams. Then day three led us to the host hotel in Gettysburg where we finished our competition with a leg of excellent and advanced rally for our 1 st RAE leg. We spent an extra day to enjoy the sites and good friends before heading home. But on Friday we got the official news that Quincy won the Chip Versatility perpetual trophy. A great honor and extra special one seeing as chip was her great grandfather too. We are still flying pretty high from our lovely successful week of great dog fun. Next years specialty is too far away to attend but we can't wait to attend 2016 in Massachusetts. They are even considering hosting a tracking venue. I sure hope they do!! July Beardie Bulletin…features Quincy!!! From Joan Bradley: Today Danby Pond Whitfield Lady Sophie earned her first Tracking Dog title---how beautiful she was to watch!! She already has her Canine Good Citizen title; has passed her Pet Partners eval to be a Therapy Dog and a R.E.A.D. dog; and was a supermodel for the last In The Company of Dogs catalog. Not too bad for 1 year old! Many thanks to the Pioneer Valley Kennel Club for a great test and their gracious Hospitality. Hi all, Just wanted to send out a quick report about the successful obedience and rally trials this weekend at Essex Junction. Big congrats to Pam B and Phoebe for their new CD, Jane K and Charlie for their new RA. My little Janey also finished her RN. There were many great performances, some of which yielded legs toward titles and others that were so close. A BIG THANK YOU to our own Kathy Murphy for taking on the (thankless) job of trial chair! See you in class, stay warm –M Belle’s Baxter Black,CGC,VCD1,RE,TDX,OAP,OJP,THDD THDD (Distinguished Therapy Dog) is an AKC Title for Therapy Dogs completing and verifying 400 therapy visits. THDD is the highest level recognized by AKC. Baxter and Linda Shelvey are members of Caring Canines and have been doing therapy visits since 2006! Nancy Triou and Ella – Freestyle! Cynthia Gilliland and Ivy – C-ATCH 3 !! Beverly Lancaster and Cozy – RN !! Congratulations to everyone on these wonderful achievements! Adventure in Track Laying How many new club members or long time members for that matter have thought about being a track layer for a club test? Did you think about it, but didn't volunteer because you thought it was too complicated or you didn't know how it all worked? I had the same concerns; but I volunteered anyway. I am so glad I did. I learned so much and had fun at the same time. I had help and guidance from the moment I arrived at Smokey House. That morning I was met by Erica Cruden, the Chief Track Layer and Rene Bugnon, who had prepared all the paper work I'd need. The both explained and helped me along the way. The Judges were so nice and tolerant of me learning the ropes. They explained everything they were doing. This experience has given me insight into what I need to do to prepare my own dogs and myself for a TD Test. Don't be afraid to become a track layer. Everyone will help you and you will have a really fun and rewarding two days. Thank You to everyone that assisted me. Respectfully submitted: Charlene Lundeen Now that Charlene has inspired you to lay tracks, here are some details!! ' TRACKLAYING GUIDELINES FOR TD/TDX Thank you for your interest in becoming a tracklayer! This is an awesome responsibility and a two day commitment. It is also a lot of fun and a unique learning opportunity. When else does one get to spend two days with a tracking judge? You will find that all of our judges are very appreciative of your help and eager to talk to you about tracking. This handout is written to give you an idea ahead of time as to what the procedure will be for those two days. It is meant as a procedural guide rather than an explanation of the philosophy of tracklaying. For the later there are books written on the subject . We do request that you familiarize yourself with the basic requirements of a TD track by reading the AKC Rules and Regulations on the AKC web site. Attached to this guide is a typical TD track as drawn by a judge. Equipment: Clipboard and pencil, plastic bag in case of rain 2 personal articles- usually a glove and a sock- for the beginning and end of the track. A spare start article is also required. Please bring these on Saturday. Judges will look at your articles either before or after plotting your track. Make sure you take them home and add your scent to them. Be prepared for any kind of weather DAY ONE: PLOTTING DAY Plotting typically starts at 9:00AM You will be assigned a track number by the chief tracklayer and, if this is your first time tracklaying, you will probably lay only one track. Be prepared to sit around while other tracks are being laid. There are usually other tracklayers and officials doing the same. When it is your turn the procedure will be something like this: 1. A judge will ask you to get flags from the trailer. Take the whole bunch of any color. (TDX tracklayers will also take two red and white checked article flags) Also take with you a clipboard and paper on which to draw your own map of the track. (Have a plastic cover of some sort in case it’s raining!) 2. You will give a judge a flag to place at the start. Then you will go out in single file in order not to disperse scent all over the place. For a TD test a second flag will be placed 30 yards from the start. You will walk behind the two judges and listen to what they say as they plot their own maps. Note on your map the landmarks that they are using (stop sign, tree, telephone pole, wildflowers, clump of grass or hay, etc) especially at turns. Don’t worry about the yardage as yours will be different from theirs- see below! Be sure not to veer off the straight track that is being plotted. If you lack confidence in your ability as a mapmaker peak over the judges’ shoulders to see the basic configuration! Scale is not important. Also feel free to ask them questions. 3. The judges will ask you to give them a flag at each turn. There may be open turns as well as 90 degrees. Note as many landmarks as possible at the turns, both near and distant. Do not use as a landmark anything that might move or look totally different at a different time of day. The judges might also put out an additional flag as an intermediate marker if the next flag cannot be easily seen because of distance or terrain. Be sure to note this carefully on your map so that you won’t think later that it marks a turn. 4. When you come to the end of the track note where your article will be placed and then walk out straight ahead for at least 30 yards. 5. NOW! You get to rewalk all that! Alone. Just be careful to stay exactly on the track but take your time to modify or redraw your map. Most of us now also count our own paces and note the number of paces between flags. This will probably be quite different from the judges’ yardage, but this is only for your own purpose of knowing exactly where the track goes. 6. Lunch! This will be provided by the club. At this time the judges may ask to see your articles- usually a glove, sock, hat- that you will place at the beginning and end of your track on Sunday. Tracks are usually all plotted by early afternoon. The chief tracklayer will tell you what time your track will go in on Sunday and what time to arrive. DAY TWO 1. You arrive, hoping that it is not rainy or foggy or cold A judge will go with you to your track at the appointed time. 2. Survey your track. Off you go! The judge will watch you lay the track. You probably don’t need your map at this time since you know where the flags are and will need your hands free to pick them up. Have your map in your pocket just in case! Be sure to LEAVE your sock at the start, and to LEAVE the two start flags in the ground! 3. Walk at a normal pace and try not to stop at the flags. Just hesitate and pull them out of the ground as you keep walking. Be sure to leave your glove at the end and continue walking in the same direction 30 yards. Your articles should be well scented by your hands, but do not try to conceal them on the ground, just drop them. 4. Pray that the exhibitor who draws your track passes!!! 5. When he/she doesn’t (Well, the national pass rate for a TD is only 50%, 20% for a TDX) be prepared to immediately go out to the team when you hear the whistle. The judges will get the dog and handler back to the track, make sure you and the team are ready to go on and will probably now leave for the next track, so it is your responsibility to assist the team through the rest of the track. 6. You are not expected to give advice or any sort of interpretation. Your job is simply to know where the track goes. Therefore, YOU need to stay exactly on the track, no matter what the handler does. Ask your exhibitor how much help he/she wants. Some may want you to tell them exactly where the track goes. Most will probably prefer coaching when needed. It’s also possible that a team might choose to not finish the track, and the handler should be given that option. Be prepared to deal with the frustration of a disappointed handler! Exhibitors do appreciate their tracklayers but don’t always show this in time of failure 7. Enjoy lunch, especially if your team passed! CROSSTRACKLAYERS FOR TDX One cross-track layer only will need to be at the site for Plotting Day. The start and end of the crosstracks will be marked with white flags. On Test Day two tracklayers will walk the crosstracks approximately 1 ½ hour after the tracklayer has started laying the actual track. The chief tracklayer will give the exact time to the cross-track layers. The cross-track layers will walk side by side at a normal pace, pick up the while flags, and go straight ahead at the end for 50 yards before exiting the field. We hope that you will find tracklaying fun, fascinating, and a great tracking education. CLUB NEWS TD Certifications: If you are ready to be certified for a TD Test. Contact Ilene Morgan [email protected] , Lynda Morgan - [email protected], Deb Brown [email protected] , Dorie Viguers - [email protected] or Ray Desmarais [email protected] All are AKC Tracking Judges and TCV Club Members! New Members: Ginny Wilson. Ginny attended our Beginner Clinic with her GSD Ruger. She is from Orwell, Vt. She and Ruger have made great progress in learning to track in just a few months. It’s been fun to watch them become a team!! Charlene Lundeen. Charleen is from Shrewsbury, Vt. Charleen has already helped with hospitality at our Test and Clinic this Spring!!! AND laid tracks for our Fall Test!! Thank you Charleen! Welcome to new members Julie Browne and Rick Meier. They are from Butler, NJ and have attended 2 of our clinics this year. They track with Olive, who happens to be my Willoughby’s sister!! Ben and Kathy Goodman had their first membership reading at our Nov. meeting. They track with Goldens and earned a TD Title at our Fall Test. Tracking Club of Vermont Officers and Board Members President: Mie Kingsley, Vice President: Joan Bradley, Treasurer: Joanne Fratrich, Secretary: Joyce Pedone Board Members: Charlene Lundeen, Alan Shelvey, Elaine Thomas, Renee Traverse and Glenn Williams 2015 AKC Tracking Seminar The Tracking Club of Vermont will host an AKC Seminar with Diane Schultz on Saturday, March 28, 2015.The location will be in the Rutland/Manchester, Vermont area. For you organized trackers that already have your 2015 calendars....save the date! More details to follow on our web page, trackingclubofvermont.org Dana Avison Award Dana Avison Award Winners 2013 - Glenn Williams 2012 - Ilene Morgan 2011 - Alan Shelvey & Noriko Tani 2010 - Linda Shelvey 2009 - Mie Kingsley 2006 - Rene Bugnon 2005 - Joan Bradley 2004 - Kat Rock 2003 - Joanne Fratrich and Gini Marconi 2002 - Elaine Thomas 2001 - Joyce Smith 2000 - Miles Garrod 1999 - Dick Munson 1998 - Carolyn Fuhrer 1997 - Mary Jane Russell 1996 - Dana Avison Send your vote to Linda by Dec. 31st. We need 10 votes to make the award possible. Please send your brags, news, items for sale, ads, pictures, etc….to Linda Shelvey for the next Scentinel. Happy Tracking! Linda [email protected] Ilene Morgan’s Island girls, Starr and Taz !
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