Annual BCOA Board Meeting Minutes

March 24, 2002

Atlanta, Georgia

The Annual Meeting of the BCOA Board was called to order by the President, Shen Smith, at 4:05 P.M. at the Hilton Atlanta Northeast in Norcross , Georgia .  All members were present except Lydia Pruett and Valori Trantanella who were participating in the LGRA event.  

In the absence of the Recording Secretary the Corresponding Secretary, Karen Mays, was asked to take the minutes.

Minutes of the February Conference Call:  A correction to the February minutes should indicate that Laurie Kasowski had previously been told that we would not be shipping all the Historian’s Albums on a regular basis because it was too hard on them.  She is to bring some of the later albums to Reno , but we want to have all the albums displayed at the Centennial Show in 2004.  Barbara Yoon has copies of photos from the past three or four specialties that we should photocopy.  Laurie does not feel that it is possible to get good copies of the photos that are in the albums but it was a consensus of the Board that we set a budget and have them done professionally.  A second correction to the minutes indicated that George Snook’s name was inadvertently left off of the membership application listing of Nancy Snook and should be added.  Barbara O’Neill moved the minutes be approved as corrected, seconded by K.C. Artley.  MOTION CARRIED.
Corresponding Secretary’s Report:  (Karen Mays) Jennifer Beach-Buda has made a page for breeder referral on the BCOA web site and updated the contact information.  BCOA has received an invitation from Neil Singer, AKC, to participate in the 2002 American Kennel Club Awards for Canine Excellence (ACE).  This award spotlights deserving canines in the categories of Law Enforcement, Search and Rescue, Therapy, Services and Exemplary Companion Dog.  Each of the top five winners will be presented with engraved sterling silver medallions and cash awards of $1,000.00 at the AKC/Eukanuba American Dog Classic in Orlando , Florida .  A motion to approve the Corresponding Secretary’s report was made by Prudence Key and seconded by Kathy Wright.  MOTION CARRIED.
Treasurer’s Report:  (K.C. Artley) (Copy Attached) The current balances as of March 15, 2002 are:  $37,444.83 in the General Account, $3,961.38 in the Trophy Account, $4,705.06 in the Health Account and $2,877.56 in the Rescue Account.  A motion to approve the Treasurer’s Report was made by Barbara O’Neill and seconded by Maureen Bardwell.  MOTION CARRIED.
 AKC Delegate’s Report:  (Karen Staudt-Cartabona)  Karen reported on the AKC/Eukanuba Classical Dog Show and felt the most popular part of the show was the “Meet the Breeder” booths.  The BCOA booth was manned by members of the Heart of Florida Borzoi Club.  Also of interest are the problems connected with High Volume Breeders that AKC is addressing through the recently established High Volume Breeder Committee.  Karen is supporting a movement to establish another AKC Delegate Committee to address the problems of Sighthound field events and has expressed an interest in being included as part of the Committee.  Nine candidates ran for the AKC Board including BCOA members Asa Mays and herself.  She had been proposed by the Nominating Committee who felt she would be a good spokesman for the breeder.  Elected to the Board were: Ken Marden, Asa Mays and Nina Schaefer.   

In order to provide information to prospective Borzoi owners it was a Board consensus that Breeder-Referral ads be allowed on the Borzoi Connection website.  Ad rates would be $10.00/month or $120.00/year.  Those wishing to place an ad on the BC website must belong to one of the thirteen Borzoi Clubs connected with the BC.  There will be a link from the BCOA website to the Breeder-Referral page on the BC website. Ads will be listed by state and there will be a disclaimer.  Since some of the regional clubs do not have a code of ethics this will not be a requisite.  The Corresponding Secretary will contact Margie Milne to let her know that we will be going ahead with the Breeder Referral ads.  A motion was made by Prudence Hlatky and seconded by Christine Bradley to approve the AKC Delegate’s Report.  MOTION CARRIED.

Regional Governors’ Reports: Copies of the Regional reports are attached.

There was not a report from Region III because Valori Trantanella has not been on the Board long enough to submit a report.  Kathleen Kapaun will submit her Region V report.  Her e-mail has been down and she should soon be back on line. There was a motion made by K.C. Artley, seconded by Maureen Bardwell, to approve the Regional Governors’ Reports.  MOTION CARRIED.
Old Business:

Incorporation – BC, Health and Rescue:  There was nothing new to report.  The Board does not want to bring the BC into BCOA because it would no longer be a separate publication.  Health, Rescue and the BC are all separate entities.  Currently, donations made to Health and Rescue through BCOA are not tax deductible.  The purpose of incorporating these committees would be to make contributions to them tax deductible.  Kathleen Kapaun recommended these committees go forward with the incorporations procedures.

Rescue:  Maureen Bardwell reported there is $3,000.00 in the treasury.  Income has been generated from the sale of collars, leashes and note cards.  She feels she should have the needed $5,000.00 to be placed into a reserve fund by the end of the specialty.  She would like to leave $300.00 in the regular Rescue account and once this sum goes over $1,000.00 she would like to start doing something with the money.  The current standing rule is that the rescue chairperson can approve spending funds for rescue up to $500, and any amount over $500 has to be approved by a board vote at a meeting.  There was a motion by K.C. Artley, seconded by Kathy Wright, that when Rescue funds are needed, the board should vote by e-mail or phone, in order to approve and release the funds in a timely manner.  MOTION CARRIED.  

Kay Henderson had questioned the fact that not all Governors report rescues in their area and she feels this makes it appear some regions have more rescues than others.  The Board felt this was a positive indication of how well rescue was working in those areas and not a reflection on the area itself.  Regional governors are not required to report local rescues unless they wish to.

Breed Points vs. All Breed Points When Determining The #1 Borzoi:  We currently give plaques to the top dog and top bitch based on group points and have received a request to consider presenting additional awards to the top dog and bitch based on breed points.  This request has already been approved by the membership at the annual meeting in May 2001.  The photo plaques cost over $100.00 apiece including engraving and it was the consensus of the board that we consider switching to another format without the photo.  K.C. Artley agreed to look into the cost of a nice logo plaque.

Redistricting of Regions:  Kathy Wright has been working on the logistics of increasing the number of regions. This would require a Bylaws change.  The purpose of redistricting would be to come up with more equal representation in each region.  Region III currently extends all the way from Alabama to Colorado .  There was a feeling that some clubs would not be happy in being assigned to another region.  The plan will be sent back to committee for more study.

Yearly Awards:  Agility Chairman, Gail Snoddy, has mailed the medals and provided statistics to the BC.  There is a need to redefine the program as to what we are doing for Agility, LGRA and NOTRA.  Barbara O’Neill moved we present medals to any Borzoi getting his first Agility, LGRA or NOTRA title, with competition, seconded by K.C. Artley.  MOTION PASSED.  K.C. Artley moved, seconded by Kathy Wright, that we give a medal for a Notra Oval Racing Ch. (ORC) and a medal for LGRA, Gazehound Racing Ch. (GRC).  The MOTION CARRIED, with three opposed.  K.C. Artley moved this be retroactive to January 1, 2001 , seconded by Kathy Wright.  MOTION CARRIED.K.C. will contact Barbara Ewing to see if she will send out both medals.  We will not be giving plaques for these top awards at this time.  Chris Bradley moved that a person with his/her dog receiving their first title for Novice Agility (NA) and Novice Agility with Jumpers (NAJ) be awarded medals for their first certificate, seconded by K.C. Artley.  MOTION CARRIED.  We will not be giving plaques for these top awards at this time.  Chris Bradley then moved that we award a medal for a dog receiving its first title in Tracking (TD), seconded by Barbara O’Neill.  MOTION CARRIED.

Prudence Hlatky moved, seconded by Chris Bradley that we temporarily adjourn for dinner.  The meeting was temporarily adjourned at 6:00 P.M.  

Lydia Pruett and Valori Trantanella joined the meeting following dinner and Lydia took over the recording of the minutes.  

Respectfully submitted,
Karen Mays, Acting Secretary
Old Business continued:

Original Artwork for Centennial:  There was a lengthy discussion about the idea of commissioning an original bronze borzoi to be donated by BCOA to the AKC Dog Museum in honor of the Centennial. Issues regarding the potential costs, how to make this into a fundraiser and who would create the artwork were brought up. There was not a consensus regarding this issue, and it was determined that it would be tabled until the August Board meeting as there was not a need to make an immediate decision.

Recording Secretary’s Report ( Lydia Pruett):

Membership Applications - 1st Readings :  All correspondence regarding these new applicants should be directed to the Recording Secretary, Lydia Pruett. Colleen M. Boyle and Pauline L. Coe, 47 South Mountain Road , Pittsfield , MA 01201 . Sponsored by Jane Bishop and Bonnie Lapham. Rita Linck, 163 Ann St , Easton PA 18042 . Sponsored by Barbara Ewing and Anne Ford. Carolyn G. Mueller, 133 Laburnum, San Antonio , TX 78209-2121 . Sponsored by Sara Whittington-Rowe and Nancy Hopkins.  Stephen Sharp, 108 West 3rd Ave , Pine Hill , NJ 08021 . Sponsored by G. Ariel Duncan and James Heard. Roma Mason, 1752 White Marsh Road , Suffolk , VA 23434 . Sponsored by G. Ariel Duncan and Barbara Ewing.  

Reinstatement of Members who paid dues late: Tammy Lockhart Ream, Pamela Kilby, Susie McNeely and Lucy Garcia. A motion was made by Karen Staudt-Cartabona to reinstate these members, seconded by Kathleen Kapaun. MOTION CARRIED.  

Memberships dropped due to non payment of dues:  Sue Armstrong, Susan Morton Banks, Jay Cunningham & George Hawkins, Michael & Mary Jane DeWitt, Wayne Garcia, Sandy Grovenstein, Fini E Heynen, Andrew Knapp, Diane Pearson, Donna Pittman, Joachin Provensa & Carolyn Sheenan, John Sazy, Richard H. Shaffer, Lisa Simpson, Caroline Thibodeau and Susan Vari. Life member Paul Schaffer has been dropped because of no forwarding address; if anybody knows his current address, please contact the Recording Secretary, Lydia Pruett.  

Trophy supported Entries: A request for a TSE with the Middlebury Kennel Club in Leesburg, Virginia on October 25, 2002 with Mary Vile as Chair, Judge Robert Moore and Sweeps Judge Missy Brong was approved by email vote. A request for a TSE with the Mahoning Shenango Kennel Club in Canfield, Ohio on August 4, 2002 with Edna Hanley as Chair, Judge Doug Windsor and Sweeps Judge Lee Pryor was approved by email vote. Requests needing approval were received for a TSE in conjunction with the Abilene Kennel Club in Abilene, Texas on January 25, 2003 with Terry Steele and Mary Jane DeWitt as Chairs, John Reeve-Newsome as Judge and Christine Swilley as Sweeps Judge; the Greater Racine Kennel Club in Racine, Wisconsin on 8/11/2002 with Penny Keiffer as Chair, Carol Esterkin as Judge and Carol Starr as Sweeps Judge; Northwestern Indiana Kennel Club in Fort Wayne, Indiana on 11/3/2002 with Prudence Hlatky as Chair, Judge to be determined and Sweeps Judge Katie Averill. A motion was made by Prudence Hlatky to approve the TSE requests, seconded by K.C. Artley. MOTION CARRIED.  

A motion was made by K.C. Artley to accept the Recording Secretary’s report, seconded by Valori Trantanella. MOTION CARRIED.
Constitution and By-Laws: The changes to the Constitution and By-Laws that were approved by the membership were sent to AKC for approval. AKC approved our changes with the addition of recommended guidelines for voting by email. It was determined that we can not include AKC’s changes without bringing them back to the membership for a vote as any changes to the Constitution and By-Laws must be voted on by the membership. Lydia will send this item to the membership for a vote so that we can update all the changes to the  Constitution and By-Laws at one time.
Revised Annual Versatility Award Guidelines:  Christine Bradley was unable to tabulate the feedback that she received from the membership based on her request that was published in the Borzoi Connection. The feedback was so conflicting that she was not able to make a recommendation to the Board at this time. Karen Ackerman submitted suggestions for changes to the wording on the AVA Certificate. Barbara O’Neill made a motion to accept the changes to the wording as suggested, seconded by Christine Bradley. MOTION CARRIED. Barbara O’Neill made a motion to accept Karen Ackerman’s recommendation that we add Specialty BOB, Specialty BOS and Specialty AOM to the AVA, seconded by Karen Staudt-Cartabona. MOTION CARRIED. 

ROM Proposal: Committee members had been invited to address the Board at 5:00 PM , but there was no appearance by any of the committee members. A letter from Barbara Ewing regarding the proposal was read. It appears that there is still conflict amongst the Committee members. Christine will meet with Sandra Moore during the week. We are not able to act on the proposal until the Committee is in agreement regarding their proposal.

BCOA Database:   Lydia reported that per the recommendations of the Board at the December meeting, she had created a BCOA membership database that can be sorted as needed, can create mailing lists and labels and is easy to use. The problem is that the BCOA membership list on the Borzoi Connection database must still be maintained so that the BC’s are mailed to the correct address. Magazines are not forwarded and we have to buy any issues back from the Post Office that have been returned in the mail and then pay to mail them to the correct address. There is a duplication of effort to maintain two separate databases and it can be very time consuming, especially when dues are being received. If too many people have the ability to update the Borzoi Connection database we are not able to determine if the addresses are correct. It was suggested that Helen Lee add a field to the database that will require the initials of the person making the changes. If we get someone else to maintain it for BCOA the information still needs to be passed on which requires the involvement of multiple people.  Lydia agreed to continue to maintain both databases for the time being.
Centennial Selections:  The first place judge for 2004 is Gerda Kennedy, second place is Jim Heard. The first place sweeps judge is Ron Williams, second place is Anne Midgarden . The proposals for the two Centennial sites were reviewed so that any questions could be answered.  After much discussion, a private written vote was done. The Cincinnati , Ohio site was chosen by a vote of 6-5.
2002 Committees and Chairman Responsibilities: Shen pointed out a few additions and corrections to the new list. Barbara O’Neill made a motion to accept the list, seconded by Valori Trantanella. MOTION CARRIED.
TSE Guidelines: Christine handed out her revised drafts of both the TSE request form and TSE guidelines. Changes were underlined. A few additional clarifications and additions were offered by the Board. Prudence suggested that we add a medal for Best In Veteran Sweeps as the current guidelines only address Puppy Sweeps. We decided not include the posters that are also currently being sent out, in the guideline since we are not sure how many are left. Christine will make the changes and distribute new copies to the Board. Shen will make the pdf file for the BCOA website. Barbara O’Neill moved that the revised TSE guidelines and request forms be approved, seconded by K.C. Artley. MOTION CARRIED.
Pursuing a performance bond and changes to balloting criteria were tabled to the August Meeting.
Request to Video Specialty: Reviewed an email from Lynda Gillaspey asking permission to be able to advertise on the BCOA website, to be able to place a ˝ page ad in the Borzoi Connection and to include an ad in the BCOA club mailings, in exchange for a complimentary set of the videos for the BCOA archives and a copies for the judges. Kathleen Kapaun made a motion that an ad could be placed on the BCOA website and in the Connection; as long as they contained a disclaimer indicating that this is not a BCOA sanctioned activity. This motion was seconded by Valori Trantanella. MOTION CARRIED.
Specialty Survey: Maureen Bardwell reviewed the survey results and commented on the large volume that was returned. She indicated that she could see that most people were willing to give up something to keep the specialty from getting too long. There was a lot of variety in the responses regarding what should be given up, but it appeared that most people wanted to keep the basics – regular conformation classes, obedience and ASFA lure coursing.
Reno Specialty: Barbara O’Neill commented that the brochure for the Reno Specialty indicates that there is a proposal to hold a Therapy Dog certification. Since we do not want to add additional events to the specialty at this time, it was determined that this event should not be included. 

Shen Smith made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Maureen Bardwell. MOTION CARRIED.

Meeting was adjourned at 10:45 PM  

Future Agenda Items –

Unfinished Business:

  • ROM proposal. 
  • Incorporation - BC, Health and Rescue.
  • Re-districting of regions.
  • Constitution and By-laws changes
  • Original artwork for Centennial fundraiser
  • Historian albums

 New Business:

  • Pursue/discuss getting a “performance bond” to cover us if a hotel cancels a contract with BCOA due to a change of management, etc.
  • Voting criteria for future ballots