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 ½, 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:

•      I have progressed from being a Shiloh pet owner, to becoming a licensed Shiloh breeder, and member of the VIB program.

•      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.

•      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.

•      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.

•      I worked on the ISSR Rules & Regulations study group under the direction of Lyn Segee.

•      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.

•      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:

•      Coordinated the Shilohs group members to create our trifold.

•      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.

•      Member of the Genetic Task Force.

•      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.

•      Member of the OSS Academy as well as an ISSR Licensed Breeder (VIB).

•      Working on the Temperament and Training study group, (led by Jill Gerew).

•      Working with Katie and Ivy to start a new chapter in the metropolitan NY, Long Island, NJ area.

•      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.

•      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:

• Promoting and strengthening the chapters, having them take a more important role in the organization.

• 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.

• Working to build the STM training program and assist Tina in any way possible to allow us to achieve international recognition.

• 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.

• 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