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SSDCA Advisory Board Candidates Letters
This year we are privileged to have 7
candidates running for the 5 open Advisory Board positions. As a service to
our members, we are reprinting their acceptance letters/campaign platforms
here. The letters are in order of nomination received.
My name
is Audrey Harrison and I am the proud owner of three Shiloh Shepherds -
Shilo, Destiny & Wolfie. My husband & I have recently purchased our country
home on twelve acres in the peaceful mountains of WV.
I feel
like all my dreams are coming true...in 1994 I was devastated by the loss of
two very incredible Golden Retrievers. With my heart still in pieces, I
began to research. As a professional trainer for close to 20 years, I was
searching for something more...something special. I had some very specific
qualities and characteristics in mind.
As time
went on I began to worry that perhaps I was being unrealistic. Perhaps I
needed to consider that the dog I had also dreamed of... didn't really
exist. And then I discovered the Shiloh Shepherd.
Everything I learned about this breed was proof that this was the dog that I
had been waiting for all of my life! I brought home my first Shiloh Shepherd
puppy on my birthday in August of '97, it was meant to be.
I have
always been very active in training, showing and promoting the breed. At
Homecoming 2000, Tina asked if I would take on the responsibility of chapter
leader for the Capitol Area Shiloh Shepherd Association. I was thrilled to
be held in such high regard and to be offered this wonderful opportunity to
make a real difference in the Shiloh community. Since then I have devoted
countless hours to my chapter and to the breed itself.
I am an
ISSR Licensed Breeder and my kennel is also proudly registered as Shadow
Hill Shilohs. I have been a member of the SSDCA for 5 years. I would
consider it an honor to serve on the Advisory Board.
Audrey
spinners@prodigy.net
It is
once again time to vote for the five people that we all wish to advise and
assist in guiding the Shiloh Shepherd Dog Club of America. I am one of those
people who have been nominated for the Advisory Board who you may know or
you may not know.
We, (my
husband & three Shilohs), live outside of Seattle, WA. I have been owned by
dogs just about all of my life. Currently we have one male who is shown in
conformation, one male who is a pet and one female who will soon start in
agility. I am currently a member of the SSDCA Advisory Board, Chairperson of
the Genetic Task force, helped form my local chapter, NWSS, & organized the
1st STM seminar west of New York.
Goals
that I would like to see achieved within the next three years are:
1. More
local Chapters up and active.
2. More involvement in the club by our members who are not breeding or
showing in conformation.
3. Exploring the idea of testing our dogs for possible genetic diseases
beyond hip dysplasia.
4. More contact with our members who are not involved with the
Internet.
5. Chapters having shows which include conformation, obedience and if
possible agility.
The
SSDCA started rebuilding just after I joined four years ago. This is a
positive trend for our club and needs to be continued. Whomever you vote
for, please remember that your Board is there for you and for your concerns.
Let them know the direction you wish this club to take for the next three
years and send them your ideas!
Thank
you,
Pam
Dymond-Weed and the Three Amigos
(E-mail: dymondweed@aol.com)
I feel
like I know most of you already from one of the computer egroups, from
meeting you at a Shiloh event, from placing one of my precious puppies in
your home, or just from occasional email correspondence, but for those of
you that I don’t know, I would like to introduce myself.
My name
is Katie Gallagher, and I live in Summit, NJ with my Shilohs, my 7 cats, and
my 2 daughters, Alexis, 5 ˝, and Daphne, 3. I became involved in the Shiloh
breed 5 years ago, when I got my first Shiloh Shepherd puppy. At the time,
I had no idea what an important part of my life these dogs, and the welfare
of this breed, would become.
To give
you an idea, over the past 5 years:
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I
have progressed from being a Shiloh pet owner, to becoming a licensed
Shiloh breeder, and member of the VIB program.
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I
have gone from being an egroup participant, to becoming the moderator of
the official Shilohs egroup (www.yahoogroups.com/group/shilohs), (and in
conjunction with that producing the annual Shilohs group calendar) and
moderator of the Shiloh STM group.
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I
have been involved in Shiloh rescue, investigating claims of Shilohs in
shelters, fostering, rehabilitating and rehoming Shiloh dogs in need, and
providing both live, pictorial, and written information to shelter workers
on our different Shiloh coat types and colors, so that they might
recognize our breed, and differentiate them from a mixed breed, or a
coated GSD.
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I
designed and maintain the Shiloh Hero website (www.shilohhero.homestead.com)
which was set up last year as an annual award to Shilohs which have in
some way protected or saved the lives of their family.
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I
worked on the ISSR Rules & Regulations study group under the direction of
Lyn Segee.
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I
co-founded a regional training group for area Shilohs (the group is not
associated with the SSDCA), which helps owners start their puppies off on
the right foot, provides continuous support and guidance through the
raising and training process, and helps rehabilitate dogs that have
already exhibited problem behaviors.
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And
in conjunction with 2 other dedicated members, I am also presently
involved in starting up a local chapter of the SSDCA for the NJ, NY, &
Eastern PA area.
My
proposed contribution, if elected to the Board, is not so geared to the
Board itself, but more so to the preservation of the Shiloh Shepherd in its
entirety. By working with the main goal of a focus on team effort and
dedication my goals will be as follows:
1. To
support a guided effort to the unification of all ISSR breeders and its code
of ethics.
2. The
promotion of proper guidance and instruction to new Shiloh Shepherd owners.
3. The
further education and assistance to breeders in order to achieve the above
goal.
4. To
assist with all programs geared to the preservation of the breed as well as
continued Public Education as to what an ISSR Original Shiloh Shepherd
represents.
5. Last,
I would like to develop a program of recognition and reward, where members
of the Shiloh Shepherd community could identify others in the community who
have impacted them positively in some way….with a selfless act of kindness,
help, support, a sharing of knowledge or skills etc. A program such as
this would showcase our pride in the unity and fellowship shared by all
Shiloh owners across the country.
Thank
you for considering my proposal. If you would like to contact me for any
reason, my email address is:
grizz4wd@aol.com.
Dear
Fellow Members and Friends,
Thank
you for the re-nomination to the SSDCA Advisory Board . It can only mean
that I must have done something right in the last three years. I consider
this an honor and a privilege.
My
husband, Marc, thinks I am “nuts” and I can’t disagree – it just means that
he has confirmed what I have been telling him all these years. Seriously,
though, he loves this breed as much as I do and has always been and
continues to be very supportive in my endeavors to promote the Shilohs,
educate others and continue to absorb as much Shiloh knowledge as I possibly
can.
I have
been involved with this very special breed since 1996. I have been involved
with raising, breeding and training dogs for 30 plus years. I am an ISSR,
Inc. licensed breeder, Highlander Shepherds kennel is an ISSR registered
kennel, I am Vice President of my local NESSA chapter, am a member of the
Genetic Task Force, participated in the Breed Survey of 2000, assist with
registry procedures, have lead one OSS work group – Registry Rules and
Regulations; and am participating in another – Contracts; am the SSDCA
liason to the ISSR, Inc., Chairman of the Grievance Committee, have produced
several quality litters of Shilohs, Championed pointed several of our
Shilohs and personally finished Highlanders Red Sonja of Zion; am a
certified Temperament Tester, have performed over 40 LERs in several states
and am one show away from my ISSR Judges Certification.
Marc
and I share our home with Sonja, Duncan, Goliath, Goldie, Suna, Fancy,
Whitney, Mygic, Dixie, Bijou, Genta, Monty, Austin and Torrie (all Shilohs)
and Tasha, Czar, Rambo, Baron and Tulsa (GSDs).
Over
the years, I have earned a reputation for “saying it like it is”! So
because of this “rep” you may be asking some of these sorts of questions:
Is she approachable? – YOU BETCHA! ; Does she care? – ALWAYS! ; Will she
listen? – ABSOLUTELY! ; Will she answer my questions? – Try me and see!
I
support the Breed Survey – how else are we able to keep informed of what is
happening to our breed. We need input from every Shiloh owner, not just
the Breeders!
I will
continue to endorse the ISSR, Inc.’s strict rules and regulations.
I will
continue to encourage the formation of local chapters. These are the
lifeblood of the SSDCA.
I
believe in the STM program and encourage all Shiloh owners to participate.
This is essential to the future well being of our breed.
I look
forward to serving on the Advisory Board once again. Thank you for your
consideration
Sincerely,
Lyn
Segee
Highlander Shepherds
Mount Morris, NY 14510
lynhilandr@aol.com
I look
around at the rest of the nominees for the SSDCA Advisory Board and wonder
what the heck I’m doing here. :-) It is an honor to be included in such a
knowledgeable group of nominees. I still consider myself as a “newbie”
around here. I’ve been a member of the Shilohs list and the SSDCA for about
a year and a half, but since becoming involved with Shiloh Shepherds I’ve
thrown myself into the club activities whole heartedly and volunteered to
help whenever and wherever I could.
I’ve
had large breed dogs my whole life, and have done a great deal of rescue and
rehabilitation of abused and neglected dogs as well as wild animals. I
currently have an Akita-mix and a Siberian Husky (both of which are rescues)
as well as a Shiloh Shepherd. My Shiloh, Hunter is definitely one of the
most special dogs I’ve ever owned. His intelligence, gentleness and good
nature continue to amaze me. I’m enjoying watching him grow and mature into
a wonderful companion. I’ve been missing that type of friendship since the
death of my beloved Rottweiler nearly two years ago. I never thought I’d
find a dog as special as my Rottie was, but Hunter is my dream come true.
The special dog that I never thought I’d ever have again.
Since
joining the SSDCA, I’ve worked on a variety of projects:
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Coordinated
the Shilohs group members to create our trifold.
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Co-editor
(with Michelle O’Bough) of the SSDCA newsletter and successfully
instituted a program to allow the newsletter to pay much of it’s own costs
from money raised by advertisements.
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Member
of the Genetic Task Force.
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Designed
and built the ShilohGTF website, http://ShilohGTF.com where we are
collecting information on genetic diseases with the goal of eradicating
them from our breed in the future.
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Member
of the OSS Academy as well as an ISSR Licensed Breeder (VIB).
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Working
on the Temperament and Training study group, (led by Jill Gerew).
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Working
with Katie and Ivy to start a new chapter in the metropolitan NY, Long
Island, NJ area.
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Most
recently I undertook the responsibility of working to help Tina to create
a series of STM training handbooks, as well as working on the ‘rules and
regulations’ for the STM program.
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And,
as of last weekend, I am also one of the first group of Apprentice STM
Trainers selected to work under MaShiloh’s direction in expanding the STM
program. :-)
In my
‘day job’ I’ve been a Document Control Supervisor, a Quality Manager, and
I’m an ANSI-RAB certified Internal Auditor. These skills have come in handy
with the work that I’ve done for the SSDCA already. I’ve also got years of
experience working in a not-for-profit organization as an Executive Board
Member, Membership Coordinator, Newsletter Editor, as well as planning
fundraising drives, shows and events.
When I
look at the SSDCA, I see an absolutely wonderful group of people, but not
enough organization and communication. Some of the things I’d like to work
on in the future of the SSDCA:
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Promoting
and strengthening the chapters, having them take a more important role in
the organization.
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Getting
more puppy buyers to join the SSDCA. Membership is the backbone of any
organization, new members need to be encouraged and current
members need to be given a reason to renew their memberships and support the SSDCA.
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Working
to build the STM training program and assist Tina in any way possible to
allow us to achieve international recognition.
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Continue
to build the ShilohGTF website to include a complete library of genetic
diseases affecting our breed, this will aid all Shiloh owners to diagnose
problems, as well as helping the breeders get rid of diseases in our lines.
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Continue to support MaShiloh in the quest to make the ISSR registry and the
SSDCA club names known as the original and only legitimate Shiloh Shepherd
organizations.
Thank
you once again for considering me for a position on the Advisory Board.
Debbie
Knatz
ShepherdOnTheRidge.com
dpknatz@optonline.net
Many of you I have met either online in various email lists
or in person at Homecoming or other shows and seminars. For those of you I
haven’t met yet, just a little bit about me…
I
became a member of the SSDCA, Inc. in 1999 to learn more about Shiloh
Shepherds before I got my first Shiloh. When I attended Homecoming in 1999
I simply fell in love with this breed. I live in Buffalo, NY and have one
male Shiloh Shepherd, Charley, who is my heart.
For
just about a year now I have been the Membership Coordinator for the SSDCA.
I smile when I read the new member applications filled with enthusiasm and
eagerness to learn more about our breed. I get a real kick out of seeing
all the renewals that come in because that tells me that we as a Club are
strong in our dedication to preserving and protecting the future of Shiloh
Shepherds. I would like to continue working to increase our renewal rate
and help to build our Club to be the best it has ever been.
Last
year, I was asked to fill a vacancy on the Board of Advisors. I considered
that a great honor and a big responsibility. I have attended every Board
meeting and offered input on the issues raised. Currently, I am
coordinating the membership drive/contest and the raffle drawing.
I am an
active participant and Membership Coordinator for my local chapter, NESSA.
I am a
member of the Genetic Task Force, a VIB, an ISSR Licensed Breeder, and a
signer of the Breeder’s Code of Ethics.
This is
an exciting time to be an SSDCA member, we have so many GREAT projects in
the works to help promote our breed and help Shiloh owners. If elected, I
would work as hard as I can to increase our visibility to the general
public. Also, I would like to reach out to former SSDCA members and urge
them to once again be part of the SSDCA family. My personal interest is in
genetic disease/defects that affect our canine buddies. I would like to
work to see if the SSDCA can interest some veterinary researchers in
studying our breed.
Thank you for your consideration.
Corinne Filipski
Corfil@aol.com
Greetings!
My name is Stu Tarlowe and
I’m honored to have been nominated to serve on the Board.
If you subscribe to
Shilohs@yahoogroups.com,
you may be familiar with my posts. I’m a sarcastic, curmudgeonly geezer
who’s been involved with Shiloh Shepherds for some 12 years now and I rarely
hesitate to offer my 2 cents’ worth.
I’ve probably been most
outspoken on issues relating to the protection and preservation of Tina
Barber’s vision for the Shiloh Shepherd. Sometimes this has gotten me in
trouble; I was recently “involuntarily unsubscribed” (that means “kicked
off”!) the “Shiloh Zone” e-mail group because I just couldn’t let the little
digs and outright propaganda of the “splinter groups” go unchallenged.
In my role as “Cyber
Ambassador”, I have attempted to explain, to folks outside the Shiloh
Shepherd world as well as those just entering it, the distinctions between
the various registries and the importance of dealing only with ISSR breeders
who follow the strict rules of the Breed Founder. To this end, I wrote the
“Cadillac analogy” that appears on the website and in the tri-fold that’s
handed out at shows.
Before I got my own Shiloh
Shepherd, I had been dogless for 8 years and had talked with breeders and
looked at dogs all over the country. In 1990 I traveled to Gainesville, NY
to meet with Tina. I’ve often told the story of how we “interviewed” each
other; not only did I want to make sure she could produce exactly the dog I
wanted, but she had to make sure I was “worthy”.
The dog I got from her in
1991 turned out to be almost perfect. He was the handsomest, smartest dog
I’ve ever had, and I still kick myself for not taking him to Hollywood! He
learned more than a dozen commands, in three languages plus hand signals.
I attended an early Cherry
Blossom Classic and got to meet Wendy Fullerton and some of the other Shiloh
people and dogs; I was sufficiently impressed to become a Life Member of the
SSDCA. I’m committed to helping promote, preserve and protect this breed in
whatever way I can.
So, even though “Buick”,
my own Shiloh Shepherd, is gone now (he checked out in 2000), I still have a
passionate interest in these dogs and their future. I certainly hope to have
another Shiloh someday (my current dog is a white GSD who came from the
pound by way of a neighbor).
I don’t purport to have
studied genetics, but I defer to Tina’s expertise in that area. I certainly
know what’s right and what’s not, and I think I’m pretty good at turning a
phrase and making a point. I also think I have a pretty keen eye and ear
(and nose) for malarkey.
If I’m chosen I may be the
only non-breeder to serve on the Board, so I’ll be able to offer a
non-breeder’s perspective on matters. And, since I’m not a breeder, my
motivation has nothing to do with profit, but is only concerned with my
loyalty to the SSDCA and the ISSR.
I would intend for my
major function on the Board to be in the area of public relations. I would
continue the work I’ve done as Cyber Ambassador to spread the truth about
Shiloh Shepherds and to shoot down the disinformation, rumor and innuendo
that seem to constantly threaten our progress. I hope that my writing and
editing abilities will be a significant asset to the Board.
If I can make a positive
contribution to the Board, and if my presence on the Board will help
preserve and protect the integrity of the Shiloh Shepherd as conceived by
the Breed Founder, then I will be most pleased and honored to serve.
Thanks for your
consideration!
Cheers, Stu Tarlowe
starlowe@earthlink.com
| 2005 Update: Where Are They Now?
Audrey Harrison,
elected to the board in 2001, resigned in 2004.
Katie Gallagher,
defeated in the election, resigned in 2001.
Pam DymondWeed,
Corinne Filipski, Debbie Knatz and Lyn Segee were elected and served out
their terms. |
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