2011 was a very active and successful year for our club. Members who have read the Minutes of our Board meetings may recall the following.
In the area of conformation, in February we had our first New York City Specialty before Westminster as part of the New York Metropolitan Specialties shows. That specialty was a big success with the largest entry of all of the participating breeds. We had numerous supported entries at all breed shows around the country, and the licensed regional clubs in our growing network of regional clubs had successful specialties as well.
An Assistant Secretary for Membership was appointed, with the club adding 30 new members in 2011. A change in the Board was made, with Ann Jensen resigning from her longtime position as Treasurer because of increased responsibilities in other areas, but being reappointed as a Director; and Vickie Haggas resigning as Director and being reappointed as Treasurer.
In National Specialty news, the Board approved a proposal for the 2013 Specialty to be held in Topeka, Kansas. The 2012 Specialty Committee is already hard at work, and the 2011 National Specialty in Atlanta was a huge success with the biggest entry ever. Thanks to all who worked on that show, and to those who supported it with their attendance and their donations.
Our committees were hard at work. Our Health & Genetics Committee announced that we now have an ongoing health survey on the OFA website, in which all are encouraged to participate.
The Public Education committee in collaboration with regional clubs held three great Meet the Breed events at the Eukanuba show in Florida, the Javits Center in New York City, and the Reliant Park World Series of Dog shows in Houston. Our 2009 public education booklet French Bulldogs: The Basic Course, which in 2010 won the coveted “Maxwell” award for the best club educational publication, continues to be a central element of our public education program.
Our Communications Committee has developed numerous means of communication with members as well as with the general public. Our website continues to develop, we are active on Facebook and Twitter, we use e-mail blasts to notify members of important information, and our bimonthly FBDCA Update and FBDCA News e-newsletters are a tremendous asset to the club. In fact the Dog Writers Association of America has nominated our website for Best Website and our News and Update for Best On-line Magazine, Newsletter or Publication.
Thanks to the hard work and generosity of many people, our club’s treasury is very healthy. This year we were able to donate $15,000 to the FBDCA Charitable Fund and hope to be able to repeat that periodically so as to support that group’s ability to award grants for rescue, health, and educational activities.
Looking forward to 2012, we anticipate another excellent National Specialty in Portland, Oregon, and the show committee is already hard at work to bring this about. Because our 2011 New York City Specialty was such a success, we will have two such specialties this February and will continue to support entries at all breed shows around the country. We have a good network of active regional clubs and we encourage all to support those in development by entering their matches; and to support the licensed ones by entering their specialties.
The Board has proposed a number of amendments to the club’s Constitution and Bylaws, and these are now in the hands of AKC. Once approved by AKC, these proposed amendments will be submitted to our members for a vote, and the Board hopes that they will receive the necessary ⅔ majority required to adopt them.
We are developing expanded support and website coverage of Performance and Companion events in which Frenchie participation is at an all time high, with the numbers of new titles in these events often equal to or surpassing those in conformation. We encourage all who take part in these to provide news and information to our new Performance/Companion Events Chair.
Please take the time to read our newsletters, check our website for news, and read the Board Minutes to see what your club is doing, and join the club chatlist to exchange information about club and breed activities. Feel free to contact us with questions, comments, or suggestions. Finally we wish all … people and dogs … a happy, healthy, and successful new year.
Jan Grebe, President
