Greater Pittsburgh Dalmatian Club

St. Patrick's Day Reminder!

2011-02-23T21:56:00.001-05:00

St. Patrick's Day os fast approaching...If you would like to attend the St. Patrick's Day parade in downtown Pgh - please contact Kathy Wetzel who is organizing the event for GPDC. Kathy's email is kathywetzel@gmail.com.

New Facebook Page!

2011-02-06T13:16:00.002-05:00

I've added a new Facebook page for all GPDC members. If you are a current Facebook user, just search for "Greater Pittsburgh Dalmatian Club" or follow this link.

This is a chance for all current GPDC members to share their brags, pictures, etc with everyone - please join us!

C-ATCH Tess!!!

2011-01-03T22:35:00.002-05:00

Tess finished out 2010 by earning her CPE Agility Trial Champion (C-ATCH) title on December 31 in Washingtonville, OH under judge Susan Zimmerman! To make it even more special, she had a Perfect Weekend, qualifying in all 8 of her runs on Saturday and Sunday.

For more details and a video of Tess' C-ATCH run, please visit Tess and Jazz's blog.

posted by Lisa

Next GPDC Meeting

2010-12-09T13:55:00.003-05:00

What: GPDC Annual Awards Dinner
When: Sat. January 15, 2011 from 6:00pm-9:00pm
Where: Ditka's Restaurant in Robinson Twp.

Come join us with good food, good drinks, and good friends! Deadline to reserve your dinners is DECEMBER 17, 2011.

Contact: For more info, contact Debbie Poole at debbiepoole@comcast.net or download form here

Website updated!

2010-10-04T12:27:00.002-04:00

Our website has been updated with some new photos in the Photo Gallery
check them out at: www.pittsburghdalclub.com.

Have some photos or brags to share? Email them to Tammy at racindalz@hotmail.com.

Next GPDC Mtg

2010-10-04T12:23:00.003-04:00

What: GPDC Mtg
When: Saturday, Nov. 13, 2010 from 1:00pm-3:00pm
Where: Chris Aranowski's home

Chris' home address:
709 Winter Pine Drive
Mars, PA 16066
phone: 724-779- 3974
email: prettypaws1@zoominternet.net

Debbie Poole's HUGE Day

2010-08-22T23:19:00.002-04:00

CONGRATULATIONS go out to Debbie Poole and Athena (Siobhan Crown Jewel) for their big, big day at St. Clairsville, Oh dog show on Sunday 8/22/10. Debbie and Athena won Winner's Bitch, Best of Winners, Best of Breed AND took a Group 4 placement in the group ring. Not only that, but because Debbie and Athena won so much...it was also a 3 point major win!! Talk about "cleaning up" the ribbon table!! CONGRATULATIONS DEBBIE AND ATHENA!!!

Dalmatian Fun Day

2010-08-22T23:15:00.002-04:00

GPDC's Annual Dalmatian Fun Day is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 12, 2010. It is entitled "Christmas in September". The fun Day will be held at Settler's Cabin Park in Robinson Twp. in the Cuyoga Grove pcinic shelter (follow the park signs). We plan to eat around 1:00pm.

Please share this info with your friends! We hope to see you all there!

PS - go to our website (www.pittsburghdalclub.com to download a flyer!)

July GPDC Member Meeting

2010-07-15T15:46:00.002-04:00

Thanks to all the club members, the Greater Pittsburgh Dalmatian Club is beginning to be called the "happening" club. We are getting very positive reviews from other clubs and other individuals and that does not happen without all of us participating. Let's keep it going - WE NEED YOU!!

The next club meeting will be Sunday, July 25, 2010 at 1:00pm at Chris Aranowski's house. the meeting will be hosted by Chris and Nanci Good.

We have so much to talk about - to name a few:
1. the normal agenda
2. The wonderful June specialty we just put on
3. upcoming events - Fun Day
4. all the brags that have been happening over the summer (bring your $$$)

the energy that this club has is so exciting that I hope everyone will be able to attend. I do apologize for the short notice, but please do your best to be there.

what: GPDC Member meeting
when: Sunday, July 25, 2010 at 1:00pm
where: Chris Aranowski's house
address: 709 White Pine Drive, Mars, PA 16046
phone:724-779-3974

This will be a poolside meeting so everyone is welcome to bring their swimsuits (optional) and take a dip in the pool.

Coaching Certificate

2010-06-14T17:46:00.003-04:00

Jazz earned her DCA Coaching Certificate yesterday at a Road Trial Fun Day in Springfield, OH!! We had to complete all the exercises involved in a Road Trial, just without the 12-1/2 mile distance. It was great fun to see the instinct kick in and watch the Dals coach with the horses and wagon.

I have video from Jazz's actual test, but I'm trying to edit it and add captions describing each portion of the test, so give me a few days and then look for it on Tess and Jazz's blog.

I'm really proud of Jazz. Not only did she pass the Coaching Certificate test, but she made a nice impression on the folks out in Ohio. They were very complimentary and just loved my little brown Dal. Surprisingly, the majority of Dals at the event were liver!

If you ever get the opportunity to try coaching with your Dal, you really should try it. There were many dogs who just came to the fun day and weren't entered in the test and they gave it a try and did great! Some of these Dals had never even seen a horse up close before. It's quite an experience to see your dog gaiting along with a horse or falling in behind the wagon. So cool to see them do what they were bred to do!

Get on the Ball!!

2010-06-10T11:09:00.002-04:00

Tess, Jazz, and I are presenting a "Get on the Ball" seminar at Splash 'n Dash K9 Sports next Saturday to introduce you to using a fitness ball to build your dog's core strength. These exercises lead to improved reaction and control, increased trunk and core strength, stabilization of weak areas, improved balance and proprioception (awareness of the body's position in space), increased range of motion in joints and elongation of the muscles, as well as improved sensory and body awareness. From my own experience, I think it is also a confidence builder.

These exercises are not just for performance dogs! They have many benefits for conformation dogs, and because they are low impact, they are also great for some of our aging companions. You can see the results when working just a few minutes a day three to four times a week. It's also a great way to spend time with your dog. My girls love these exercises and I've seen a lot of improvement in balance and endurance in just a few short months.

If you're interested in attending, you must pre-register by contacting me at dalfunday@gmail.com or 724-443-1057. We have a very limited number of spaces in the 2:00 seminar, but we have added a 4:00 class that same day, and there are more openings in that class. The cost for non-members of Splash 'n Dash is $20. At the end of each seminar, we have a certified fitness instructor coming in to teach us owners some exercises that WE can do on the ball, too.

We'll have a couple different types of fitness balls, balance pods, and a disc for you to try, but you must bring your own fitness ball to participate. A 65cm or 75cm ball is generally good for most Dalmatians. You're looking for a ball that is approximately 4" taller than your dog at the withers. Fitness balls can be purchased at any sporting goods stores and also Wal-Mart and Target. I hope you'll consider joining us!

posted by Lisa

Another Club Champion

2010-06-01T08:59:00.006-04:00

A big congratulations to Team Tolliver. Tolliver won Best of Winners at the Memorial Day Classic to become CH Rim Rock N Siobahn Have A Ball.

This was a team effort as Tolliver was bred by Barb and Jeff, is co-owned by Barb & Nanci, lives with and much loved by Nanci & Larry, show trained and shown by Barb, also shown by LaDonna to his finish. Chris was the teams official photographer and traffic manager and chief cheer leader. They say it takes a village to raise a child, sometimes it takes a team to make a champion.

Team Tolliver celebrate our new AKC champion. Here's to Tolliver---Salute! Congratulations to all involved with this very sweet dog.

May GPDC Meeting Date

2010-04-10T17:00:00.000-04:00

Sunday, May 2, 2010
1:00pm-3:00pm
GPDC Membership Mtg at Chris Aranowski's home.
Chris' home address is:709 Winter Pine Drive Mars, PA 16046
Contact Chris Aranowski

Tribute to Zoe

2010-03-10T05:32:00.005-05:00

Our Sweet Zoe is gone. She had a long, healthy and wonderful life. Though our hearts are heavy today we are grateful for the nearly fifteen years she shared her life with us. The following is something I wrote while she was still with us, as I knew it would be too hard to do afterwards. LaDonna

Ch. Valentines Heaven Sent “Zoe”
July 9th 1995- March 9th 2010

I am writing this while our sweet brown girl is still here with us. I decided that it would be easier to do a memorial to her while I could still pet her soft brown spotted fur. I had first met Zoe when she and her sister Posey were just seven weeks old and had both been brought to spend some time with Barb. Barb liked both girls and wanted to live with them for a time while she made a decision about which would stay with her. There were some things that Barb liked best about each girl. It seems that Posey’s attitude won out and Zoe was returned to live with her breeders, David and Risa Moore. When Zoe was 13 months old I had heard that the breeders had to place some of their dogs and Zoe was going to go to a pet home. I already had two males at the time and had never lived with three dogs and certainly had not lived with heat cycles but thought she should have the chance to become a show dog. I let David & Risa know that I was interested in Zoe and we made arrangements for me to pick her up at a club Fun Day event. The first time I brought Zoe into our home she walked in, kissed my husband, then our son and climbed up on the couch and gave a big sigh as if to say, “OK here I am and this is home”. She never skipped a beat, never missed a meal and did not seem the least bit stressed about her new situation. It wasn’t long and we headed off to handling classes and within a years time she had become an AKC champion with three majors under her belt. I will tell you that she never set the show ring on fire with attitude as she often looked as though she would rather be taking a nap. What she lacked in enthusiasm, she made up for in pretty. We tried obedience classes but things never quite computed with her. After many weeks and many hours of home training, she finally learned sit and down. Her other rather humorous trick, is to turn her head to the left with a hand signal. My husband claims that she is the smartest dog we have owned because she doesn’t have to do a thing to get a treat. When she was two and a half we decided to breed her and she gave birth to seven lovely pups. Two years later she once again had a litter of seven. Zoe turned 14 in July of 2009 but was still healthy enough to be entered in our specialty in June and took a second place in the veteran class. She has been a joy to live with and has always been a favorite among the many guests that have visited our home. It will be a heart breaking day when we have to finally let her go, but for now, I think I will go give her a pet.

DCA Top Spots for Agility 2009

2010-02-28T11:25:00.003-05:00

The Dalmatian Club of America has announced its Top Spots for Agility for competition in 2009:

Kingdom's My Pal Joey, RE, NA was ranked #2 in Novice Standard. Great job, Kathy and Joey!

Starwood's Touched by an Angel, AX, AXJ, CGC, TDI was ranked #1 in Open Standard and #9 in both Excellent A Standard and Excellent A Jumpers with Weaves. Way to go, Jim and Tess!

Congratulations to both of these GPDC members on a great year in agility with their Dals!

Spencer - 1995-2010

2010-02-02T11:47:00.004-05:00

I just got off the phone with Susan Zimmerman. She asked me to let you all know that she had to let Spencer go this morning. He just celebrated his 15th birthday. He woke her up early in the morning and she knew something was wrong. When she took Spencer to the vet, they said that his heart was failing and he wasn't getting enough oxygen. The cold weather had been hard on his bones and joints, too.

Jim and I didn't get to know Spencer until later in his life when we met Susan doing agility, but despite the limitations of old age, Spencer was always a happy, crazy Dal. I would often take Spencer out for Susan when she was busy, and he only knew one speed...full speed ahead! Those of you who attended the Fun Day this past summer would have seen Spencer there (see photo above). He led a long and happy life with Susan and Zeke and Connor and Ripley (and even the cats) and will be missed.

We all know how hard it is to lose a cherished companion. During your day today, please give a thought to Spencer as he makes his journey to the Rainbow Bridge and say a prayer for Susan, who grieves the loss of her spotty boy.

posted by Lisa

January Club Meeting

2010-01-09T09:06:00.002-05:00

Meeting announcement----The January meeting is still Sunday, the 24th at 1:00 p.m., but the meeting place has been changed to the Eat n Park Restaurant located at the Robinson Twp. Shopping area. It is on rt.60 right off of the rt 22. Kathy will email the directions in a group email a week prior to the meeting.

Happy 4th Birthday!

2009-12-10T09:30:00.008-05:00

Happy Birthday to Kingdom's Twelve Days Of Christmas litter. Gia/Jigs litter
The Girls

The Boys

A very happy fourth birthday today to our Twelve Days of Christmas litter. This was the litter that my Gage came from so they are very special to me. They were born in December and there were twelve of them. Their co breeder Barb Allison suggested that they be named for the 12 days of Christmas and so they became:

A partridge in a pear tree. Party-- now Eden

Two turtle doves. Dove--now Arrow
Three french hens. Frenchy--now Rudy
Four colly birds. Bird--now Mugsy

Five gold rings. Goldy--now Gambit
Six geese laying. Goose--Steeler

Seven swans swimming. Swanny--now Asher
Eight maids milking. Maiden--now Piper
Nine drummers drumming. Drummer--now Luka
Ten pipers piping. Piper--now Pepper
Eleven ladies dancing. Dancer--now Pager
Twelve lords leaping. Leaper--now Gage
Happy Birthday Guys! posted by LaDonna

Happy Birthday to the Bath Tub Gang

2009-11-30T06:42:00.006-05:00

Just wanted to wish the Gia/ Tolliver litter a very happy second birthday today! Gia and Tolliver are members of GPDC, as are two of their kids, Jazz and Peet (the second and third puppies from the left). I hope they have a great day! Posted by LaDonna

Halloween fun for Bizzi at UKC!

2009-11-08T14:30:00.005-05:00

Not to be outdone by her younger brother Ryder, Bizzi went to Capitol Terrier Assn. in Manassas, Va. and had a winning weekend! We went to four shows and won Best of Breed at all four shows. She also was awarded two group 1's and two group 2's and her second BEST IN MULTI-BREED SHOW! Both Bizzi and Ryder completed their Grand Championship titles Halloween weekend!

Submitted by Barb

New RDX!

2009-10-27T09:06:00.004-04:00

Congratulations to Susan Zimmerman and her Dal Ripley on earning their Road Dog Excellent title this past weekend in Virginia. Ripley earned his Road Dog title earlier this year at the Dalmatian Club of America Nationals.

Not only did Ripley earn his title, but he came in first place and was the youngest Dal competing at the trial. Ripley has accomplished all of this...and Susan doesn't even own a horse herself!!

Oh, Oh, Rally O

2009-10-25T05:10:00.009-04:00

Another celebration for Joey and Kathy. Yesterday at the show in Youngstown, Joey completed his Rally Excellent title. Congratulations for a job well done!

Nealy nine years ago Kathy came to me looking for a puppy she could train in agility. Her first choice was a puppy that had all the enthusiasm of a snail. The day she came to pick up her puppy I talked her into Joey (who was Zack at that time). Joey just seemed to me that he would be more inclined to want to participate in performance sports. The other puppy is owned by another friend, and while he is sweet, the only sport he is inclined to do is as a couch jockey.

Kathy and Joey started their career in the breed ring and earned many points before deciding to move on to other sports. There were some snags along the way that would have caused many to give up--not Kathy. She learned to overcome and worked to accomplish her original goal. Now at nearly nine years old Joey is performing like she always knew he could. They are finished with Rally now and are headed back to the agility ring, where Joey has already earned his novice title. You go guys! I am so proud of both of you. As a breeder my only stipulation has always been that my puppies get good care and be loved. Kathy has done a marvelous job doing both and all of these titles are icing on the cake. LaDonna

Clean Sweep

2009-10-12T05:59:00.004-04:00

Many of us have had special weekends where our dogs have done well, but rarely have any of us had a weekend like Chris and Ryder just had. At the UKC shows in Maryland this weekend, with VERY tough competition, including five champions, these two won it ALL. As you can see from the photo as they congratulate each other on all of those ribbons, Chris and Ryder had a banner weekend. In four shows they won the champion class all four times, best of breed all four times, one group two, three group ones and three Reserve BEST IN SHOWS! We talked about renting a Uhaul to get all of their ribbons home. This is Chris's first show dog and she has done an amazing job with him and we are very proud of her and her lovely boy. Barb is to be congratulated on breeding such a nice boy and being smart enough to put him in such great hands. CONGRATULATIONS to you both! LaDonna

Successful Weekend

2009-10-11T20:01:00.004-04:00

A great weekend for Tess and Jazz, as Jazz competes in Rally Obedience and earns her Rally Advanced title with a third place qualifying run yesterday and another qualifying run today!

Tess competed in USDAA Agility, earning her Performance II Standard and Performance II Pairs titles, thus completing her Performance Dog II title!

We're very proud of our two wonderful girls and all they have accomplished!

Yippee, Yahoo and Hooray!

2009-10-04T19:20:00.004-04:00

What an exciting day many of our club members had this weekend as one of our own earned a championship on her beloved dog. It is always exciting to see a dog earn their championship but when it is a first time for their owner and that owner has worked so hard to learn the ropes and that dog is as loved as this one---WOW! I don't think there was a dry eye in the group as the judge pointed to our Debbie and her Apollo. I'm sure they could hear us all screaming throughout the show grounds as we all celebrated this victory for Debbie. We are all very proud of you Debbie and all that you have accomplished. Your sweet boy will now be known as CHAMPION Siobahn N Rim Rock's Apollo. Congratulations go out to Apollo's breeders, two more of our clubs members, Jeff and Barb. posted by LaDonna

Joey Celebrates

2009-10-04T19:05:00.006-04:00

Joey sits here among just a few of his performance ribbons, contemplating about all the fun that he and his owner/trainer/handler, Kathy have had on their way to new titles. He remembers back on his three first place wins that were all clean runs to earn his novice agility title. He also earned his rally novice title and then on to rally advanced and now has earned two legs toward his rally excellent title. He has also been successful in earning more legs in both standard and jumpers agility. The sky is the limit with this amazing performance team. LaDonna

More Club Celebrations

2009-09-22T17:32:00.006-04:00

Ryder's journey continues........... Over the weekend at the Butler Autumn Classic, Rim Rock's Easy Ryder Bags (Ryder) took Best of Winners both Saturday and Sunday giving him a total of 8 points with one major. This handsome boy who is loved by everyone he sees will celebrate his first birthday on September 24. Happy Birthday Ryder! I cannot wait to see the success he has in the upcoming year - we are having too much fun at the shows with all of our new friends. Chris

Debbie and her sweet little Athena also competed at these same shows and took Reserve Winners Bitch on Sat. and on Sunday she was Winners Bitch to earn 2 more points toward her championship. Congratulations Debbie and Athena!

Another New Title For Joey

2009-09-14T15:31:00.004-04:00

Joey strikes again. Word is that he earned his first agility title at the Neville Island show this past weekend with a first place win and a clean run. What a great team this boy and his expert handler/owner Kathy make. Great job guys! I know there will be many more titles to come. OK if I have this right, Joey is now:
Kingdom's My Pal Joey RA, NA
posted by LaDonna

Guy Talk

2009-09-14T15:07:00.008-04:00

" Hey Ryder, don't look now but I just heard that the girl in the middle just kicked our butt again for Best of Breed", says Gage. Ryder quips back, " not only that, but that little Don't Take My Man girl did the same thing yesterday". Gage responds," I keep hearing them say something about girl power, what's up with that"? Ryder says," I don't know but maybe if we give them both the cold shoulder they will let us win once in awhile". "Yea maybe"

New UKC Champions:

UKC. Ch. Rim Rock's Easy Rider Bags-- Ryder--owned by Chris Aranowski
AKC/UKC Ch RimRock N Siobahn Keepin' Bizzi-- Bizzi--owned by Barb Allison
AKC/UKC Ch. Kingdom's Twist of Fate CGC, TDI--Gage-- owned by LaDonna King
UKC. Ch. Starwood's Don't Take My Man--Jolene--owned by Tammy Boice (not shown in photo)
she was busy planning her next strategy.
posted by LaDonna

GPDC Fun Day 2009

2009-08-31T09:06:00.003-04:00

Many thanks to everyone who came out to Settler's Cabin Park to join us for GPDC's Fun Day! It was a spectacular afternoon, and we all enjoyed the circus atmosphere!

Special thanks to Chairperson Chris Aranowski, co-chair Cindy Kulikowski, hospitality chair Milly Cavanaugh, and raffle chair Kathy Wetzel for their time and effort in organizing this event.

Also, thank you to everyone who supported "Spot a Cure" by purchasing a t-shirt! We nearly sold out of the shirts in one weekend and are placing another order, so please continue to spread the word and help Spot a Cure for breast cancer!

To view a slideshow of photos taken at the Fun Day, go to http://tiny.cc/CreiZ

I know I had a very tired clown and lion after the circus yesterday :) Hope everyone enjoyed themselves as much as we did!

posted by Lisa

Spot a Cure

2009-08-22T08:40:00.003-04:00

As many of you know, my friend and fellow GPDC member Cindy K. was diagnosed with breast cancer in May (former long-time GPDC member Gayle G. is also battling breast cancer). I struggled with a way that I could support Cindy during her diagnosis and treatment, and I teamed up with a graphic artist and a printer to design t-shirts that we could sell to raise money for breast cancer research and awareness.

To that end, I formed a non-profit entity called "Spot a Cure." Below are the t-shirt designs which are now being printed and will debut at the GPDC Fun Day on August 30.

Design #1 is "No Obstacle Too Big To Conquer." This design will be printed large on the back of the shirt, with Design #2 appearing smaller on the front left chest of the shirt.

Design #2 is "Spot A Cure." This design will be printed large on the back of the shirt, with Design #1 appearing smaller on the front left chest of the shirt.

If you look closely at the designs, you may see a Dal you know! Tess was the model for Design #1 and Gage appears in Design #2.

I will have a limited amount of shirts available at the Fun Day. We are selling the shirts for $15 each, with ALL profits benefiting breast cancer research/awareness. You can pay by cash or make checks payable to "Spot a Cure." If you can't make it to the Fun Day but would like to order a shirt, please email me at spotacure@gmail.com to make arrangements. There will be a $5 shipping and handling fee for all shirts that have to be mailed out. I will have additional order forms available at the Fun Day and we have a website that will be able to take online orders for the shirts via PayPal. More details on the website coming soon!

One in seven women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. The next woman you help by supporting Spot a Cure may be you or someone you love. Both Cindy and Gayle detected their tumors through a self breast examination. Please help us spread the word about the benefits of early detection by promoting our t-shirt sales. With each t-shirt purchased, we are including a laminated self breast examination shower card and SBE reminder stickers to place on your calendar. I will have order forms available at the Fun Day that you can take with you, or you can contact me at the email above and I'll get copies to you. We anticipate being able to donate $10 per shirt, so each shirt we sell can make a big difference! Help us Spot a Cure for Breast Cancer!

P.S. If you plan on purchasing one of our shirts, please email me a photo of your dog(s). We have a page on the website called "Dals 'n Pals" that features a slideshow of all the dogs whose owners have supported Spot a Cure. We'd love to include your dog's photo, too!

posted by Lisa

Almost Perfect Day

2009-08-16T20:04:00.011-04:00

Last week Jim & Tess had a perfect weekend. Well, today the geriatric trio had a nearly perfect day ourselves. Early this morning Barb, Nanci and LaDonna headed off to conformation shows in St. Clairsville, Ohio. The excitement was running high as it was a major in dogs and everyone wanted a piece of that action. Well this group of ladies were pretty excited when Tolliver who is co-owned by Nanci and Barb and shown by LaDonna received his third major.

Rim Rock N Siobahn Have A Ball

OK, so we were all excited about that and then it comes time for the girls. Barb & Bizzi win Winners Bitch and then go back in to win Best of Breed for her second major and finish her AKC championship. Yay Bizzi! The three of us rode home in the "happy van" with the days winners. Now you may ask why this wasn't a perfect weekend. Well, Tolliver still needs one single point to receive his championship. Almost perfect.These two dogs were bred by Barb & Jeff. Congratulations to all involved. LaDonna

CH. RimRock N Siobahn Keepin' Bizzi

Perfect Weekend

2009-08-10T07:21:00.004-04:00

Jim and Tess earned a Perfect Weekend ribbon at CPE agility in Washingtonville, OH, this past weekend. That means that they qualified in all eight of their runs during the trial. These two have been enjoying a lot of success in the agility ring, and it's well deserved!

Meanwhile, in only her second CPE trial, Jazz qualified and placed in five out of six runs this weekend. She also earned her Level 1 Standard, Level 1 Handler Games, and Level 1 Fun Games titles. Jazz is following in big sister Tess' pawprints, as she is doing well and enjoying agility competition.

posted by Lisa

Agility Joey

2009-07-29T08:20:00.005-04:00

As promised, here are a couple of pictures of Kingdom's My Pal Joey RA "Joey"taken during his last agility trial where he qualified in standard and jumpers with first places in each. Congratulations Kathy & Joey!
LaDonna

Fun Day

2009-07-28T08:47:00.006-04:00

This is a reminder about our Fun Day in the Park. Information and directions are on the flyer. Please notify Milly about what you can bring to share for lunch. Milly is providing chicken. We also have potato salad and baked beans provided. Click on the flyer to see it more clearly. Milly's information is there. LaDonna

Agility Wins

2009-07-20T05:27:00.006-04:00

I received a call from Kathy with a great report about the agility trial that she and Joey competed in yesterday. She was thrilled to report that Joey not only qualified in both the standard and jumpers courses, they did it with a first place in both. Here is what she said about her course times:
Joey won 1st place in novice A jumps and weaves under Judge Howard Etzel with a qualifying score of 89 and a time of 40.43.

Then another 1st place in standard novice A under Judge Edith Allyn with a qualifying score of 95 and a time of 48.23. The course in standard was much larger too.

Congratulations! You two are awesome. There will be pictures from the trial posted here soon. LaDonna

Fun Meeting

2009-07-12T20:45:00.006-04:00

Our July meeting was a great success. It was a beautiful day and Chris' yard is magnificent. Some had fun in the pool and others just sat and enjoyed the company and watched some of the dogs running and being Dalmatians. The meal was delicious. Thanks for the hospitality Chris and for opening your home to us. It was wonderful! LaDonna

Fun In The Sun

2009-07-05T19:52:00.003-04:00

Several of our club members decided to try our hands at doing UKC shows this weekend. What a blast we had. The weather was magnificently beautiful, the show grounds were on a lovely horse farm, the people were friendly and welcoming, the show atmosphere was relaxed and fun. Our dogs behaved admirably and impressed the judges as well as many spectators. We all earned many championship points and came away with a 1 group 3, two group 2's, a group 1 and a BEST IN SHOW!

Here is Barb and Bizzi after winning BEST IN SHOW

Carl & Cash were there the first day too but unfortunately he became ill and had to leave. LaDonna

Specialty Photos

2009-06-22T19:53:00.005-04:00

Here are just a few of the 200 pictures that Nancy took at our specialty. I have copies of all of her pictures and will bring them to the next meeting so everyone can choose the ones they would like to have. I believe we had another photographer and expect pictures to be posted on our web site. LaDonna

Kingdom's All That Jazz, RN

2009-06-20T16:24:00.004-04:00

Jazz earned her AKC Rally Novice (RN) title today at the South Hills Kennel Club trial in Waynesburg! She had a very nice first place qualifying run to complete her title in our first three ventures into the Rally ring. After a little more training, we're looking forward to competing in Rally Advanced together soon.

posted by Lisa

Celebration Time

2009-06-20T08:13:00.011-04:00

Yesterday, June 19th, our club hosted our specialty. I will be posting pictures and more results at a later time but in the mean time I wanted to extend special congratulations to two of our club members. First to Chris Aranowski and her puppy Ryder. Ryder was Best Junior Puppy and BEST IN SWEEPS and then went on to win RESERVE WINNERS DOG.

Congratulations Chris and Ryder!

Rim Rock's Easy Rider Bags (Ryder)

Not to be out done, Ryder's Dad Garrett, from the veteran class was BEST VETERAN IN SWEEPS and then went on to beat some of the top dogs in our breed to become BEST OF BREED. Both of these lovely boys were bred by Barb Allison. A huge congratulations to Barb on these two special boys. LaDonna

CH. Rim Rock's Heads I Win, RN (Garrett)

Tess - AXJ Title!

2009-06-13T17:02:00.003-04:00

With a beautiful first place qualifying run, Tess and Jim earned their AKC Excellent Jumpers with Weaves (AXJ) title this morning at the Pittsburgh Indoor Sports Arena. They also had a first place qualifying score in Excellent A Standard, giving them their first leg toward an Agility Excellent (AX) title. I'm so proud of these two!!

posted by Lisa

Specialty Luncheon

2009-06-05T06:12:00.003-04:00

The numbers are in for our specialty and we soon need to think about what kinds of things we will be sharing for our luncheon. I plan to make a large crock pot of shredded beef for sandwiches and Nancy C. is doing chicken. Barb is bringing rolls for the sandwiches. We will need salads, other side dishes, desserts, drinks, chips and that sort of thing. You can let me know what you can share and I will keep everyone informed. It should be a fun day.

Here are the numbers to help you decide how much food we may need.
Sweepstakes:
7 junior puppies
7 senior puppies
3 veterans

Regular classes:
12 dogs
13 bitches
3 veteran dogs
2 veteran bitches
1 dog special
3 bitch specials

It is 4 points in both dogs and bitches. There may be a couple more that I am not aware of yet. I am guessing we will have between 30 and 40 people to feed.

Trophy Fund

2009-06-01T12:17:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to send a reminder that our specialty is coming up soon. If you have forgotten to send a donation for the trophy fund and would like to do so, the time is getting short. I know times are hard and money is tight but whatever you can spare would be greatly appreciated. If you have already made a donation THANK YOU. Donations can be sent to either of our Nancy's--Nancy or Nanci.

We will be needing donations of food for our luncheon and things to share for our raffle too so be thinking about what you have to share. I will post again about the luncheon soon. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the specialty. LaDonna

Another Win

2009-05-22T05:41:00.002-04:00

The very handsome Tolliver once again was Winners Dog for another point toward his AKC championship. He only needs four more singles to finish his championship. This is a very sweet and lovable guy who is owned by Nanci Good and co-owned by Barb Allison. I have had the privilege to show Tolliver in his last several shows. LaDonna

Jazz's First Q!

2009-04-25T21:04:00.002-04:00

I am very proud to announce that Kingdom's All That Jazz, CGC, TDI received her first-ever qualifying score!! Jazz had a second place qualifying score in Rally Novice A this afternoon at the Butler Dog Training Association trial. I'm especially pleased since this is the first time Jazz and I have ever stepped into the rally ring together.

For video of Jazz's run, please visit Tess and Jazz's blog.

posted by Lisa

May Meeting & December Banquet

2009-04-11T08:16:00.002-04:00

Mark your calendars!

May 17th: The May GPDC meeting will be held at Splash n Dash K9 Sports in Monroeville, PA on Sunday, May 17th at 2 p.m..

Come have fun clicking with your dogs. We will be learning how much fun it
can be to communicate with our spotted friends through positive training
methods. Whether you are new to this form of training or are an old hand at
it, you should have fun seeing how smart these dogs really are. If you have
a clicker bring it along. Also, bring some yummy treats for your dogs to use
for this training session.

For directions to Splash n Dash: http://www.pittsburgh-dog-training.com/directions.html

December 12th: The GPDC Banquet will be held at the Riverfront PourHouse on Saturday, December 12th. More details to follow. For directions to the PourHouse: http://www.myrivertowne.com/locations.asp

USDAA Agility Weekend

2009-04-06T10:48:00.003-04:00

Tess had another great weekend at USDAA agility, with four first place qualifying scores, a third place, and her Performance I Standard, Performance Dog I, and Performance II Snooker titles!

Way to go, Tess and Jim!

posted by Lisa

NEW PUPPIES

2009-04-04T23:37:00.003-04:00

Topper and Gambit's puppies have arrived!Last night Gambit gave birth to 9 healthy puppies 7 girls and 2 boys. I didn't have the heart to tell Garrett they aren't his....SHHH....don't tell him! posted by Barb

Happy Birthday, Tess!

2009-04-01T16:31:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday to Starwood's Touched by an Angel, "Tess," who celebrates her fourth birthday today -- April Fools' Day! For more pics of Tess' birthday celebration, go to Tess and Jazz's blog.

posted by Lisa

New Handler

2009-03-29T20:04:00.004-04:00

What a thrill we all had today to welcome our clubs newest conformation handler. Allison had her dog show debut today, showing Lilly for the Wetzels. Allison did an awesome job and we are all looking forward to watching her as she continues her show career. Great job Allison! We were all very proud of you. LaDonna

More Wins at WPKA

2009-03-29T14:01:00.005-04:00

What a fun weekend at the shows in Pittsburgh this weekend. At the WPKA shows not only did baby Ryder take his first points and a major at that, Lilly finished her championship. It was great timing for becoming a champion, as Lilly has been bred and we are all holding our breaths hoping that there will be puppies. Barb & Bizzi also walked away with a major win but I will leave that to her to post. To make it all even a little more special, Kathy also showed Joey in rally obedience. Joey qualified in Rally Advanced both Saturday and Sunday and received his advanced title. Joey is now known as Kingdom's My Pal Joey, RA

Congratulations to all! LaDonna

Kingdom's My Pal Joey, RA. owned by Kathy & Jim

WPKA Conformation Winners!

2009-03-28T18:17:00.002-04:00

Here is Chris and Ryder practicing for their BIG debut at WPKA The beautiful boy pictures below is Ryder who won a 3 point major his first time in the dog show ring. Finding shows that offer majors is often very hard to do and winning them once you find them is even harder. Chris and Ryder made it look like a piece of cake today! I am still on cloud nine! As if this wasn't enough Kathy and Lilly also won a major and this win completed the requirement for Lilly's championship!!!! WOO HOO

This picture of Kathy and Lilly is from a previous win but we will be sure to post today's winning pictures when they arrive.

posted by Barb

Fun Meeting

2009-03-23T16:20:00.005-04:00

For those of you that were not able to attend the meeting, you missed a good time. The meeting was held first and many things were discussed. You will have to read the minutes to know what exactly was discussed. We then each ordered off of the menu. As they brought the food each dish looked more delicious than the last. I know I enjoyed mine. After we ate, Lisa did an excellent job of teaching everyone how to post on the club blog and even create one of their own. Thanks Lisa for the great lesson. If you missed out there are still a few handouts left that explain the process and you can pick one up at the next meeting. I for one am looking forward to seeing other club members post on here.

Details for the May meeting will be up as soon as we are sure of a meeting location. The May meeting will include dogs, as we are going to do a clicker training session. LaDonna

March Meeting

2009-03-21T11:23:00.005-04:00

Just a quick reminder about the club meeting tomorrow, March 22, 2009 at 1:00 P.M. The meeting is being held at the same restaurant where our awards dinner was held--The Rivertowne Pourhouse. direction can be obtained by going to http://www.myrivertowne.com/locations.asp click on the directions for the Monroeville location. They are allowing us to use this great facility for just $25 and we hope to be able to use it again in the future, so come with a good appetite and order some lunch while we are there. The food is GREAT! Lisa Bauer will be doing a presentation to teach each of you how to post on our club blog or even perhaps learn to create your own blog. Hope to see you there. LaDonna

Dalmatian Road Trials

2009-03-17T10:15:00.004-04:00

GPDC member Susan Zimmerman and her Dal Ripley are training to compete in Dalmatian Road Trials. Susan sent me these photos from their training session this past weekend.

We wish Susan well, as she and Ripley plan to participate in the Road Trial at the Dalmatian Nationals in Kansas in April!

posted by Lisa

Saint Patrick Gage

2009-03-16T09:23:00.005-04:00

Cute then and cute now. "Ch. Kingdom's Twist of Fate CGC, TDI" Gage is very Irish occasionally. Owned and very much loved by LaDonna King

posted by LaDonna

St. Patrick's Day Parade Photos

2009-03-14T22:14:00.004-04:00

Here's just a few of the photos that Jim took at the parade today. I'll try to bring CDs to the meeting next weekend to share the photos with everyone.

posted by Lisa

St. Patrick's Parade News

2009-03-09T09:05:00.004-04:00

Here is some information for those who plan to walk in the parade this coming weekend with the Dalmatian Club. All are welcome, so tell your friends too.

We are entry number 127 in the Third Division. We are to meet behind the Mellon Arena (Melody Tent Lot), in the upper parking area. There will be parade marshals in the area to direct us to our starting spot. The vehicle is to be there by 8:30 a.m. and the marchers by 9:30 a.m.

The parade committee did not give information to the best place for the participants to park. We are trying to get that information and will post it if we can find out.
The weather guessers are predicting a dry day with temperatures in the high 40's to low 50's. posted by LaDonna

DCA Top Spot for Agility

2009-03-03T20:33:00.003-05:00

We're very pleased that Tess has once again been named a Dalmatian Club of America Top Spot for Agility in 2008. Tess was ranked No. 6 in Open Jumpers with Weaves for competition during 2008. We are very proud of our girl and look forward to continued success in 2009!

posted by Lisa

Parade Practice

2009-02-27T06:01:00.003-05:00

A fun time was had by all that participated in the clubs practice for marching in the St. Patrick's Day parade in Pittsburgh. We were pleased with the wonderful turn out. The dogs all seemed to have a grand time learning to go through hoops and all did a great job. It has been decided that we will not use the hoops during the actual parade, as we feel that letting go of leashes with 200,000 screaming people would not be a good idea. The new plan consisted of walking to the grandstand in order with the largest to smallest dog, turning toward the grandstand and having the dogs sit while one dog does some trick to impress the judges. It was amazing to watch this group of dogs line up and sit so quickly, even the puppies cooperated. We took a break mid way through training to share some pizza and salad and have some visiting time. The following pictures were captured during our practice time. posted by LaDonna

Joey Turns Eight

2009-02-19T11:55:00.008-05:00

Happy Birthday to Joey Wetzel--- Feb 19th 2001

"Kingdom's My Pal Joey RN"

Joey is loved and owned by Kathy & Jim Wetzel Posted by LaDonna

Briana Turns Ten

2009-02-19T09:16:00.013-05:00

Happy birthday wishes go out to Briana Good.
"Pnebrk Kingdom S'pot O Gold--Feb. 20th 1999

Briana is owned and loved by Nanci & Larry Good. posted by LaDonna

St. Pat's Parade Practice

2009-02-16T07:54:00.008-05:00

Join the Greater Pittsburgh Dalmatian Club for St. Patrick's Day Parade practice on Sunday evening, February 22, at 5:30 p.m. at Splash 'n Dash K9 Sports, 1900 Sheena Drive, Plum. Splash 'n Dash's training building is only about five minutes away from the restaurant where we held the awards banquet. You can plug the address above into your GPS, or visit http://www.pittsburgh-dog-training.com/ for directions (there is a link to directions under the "Contact Us" bone near the top right of the home page). You can also contact Lisa for directions.

Since we're meeting at dinnertime, we thought we'd order pizza and have a little pizza party before we work with the dogs. There are plenty of crates available at Splash 'n Dash to keep your dog while we eat. Also, even if you're not interested in training for the parade, feel free to come and enjoy some pizza...and be sure to bring your dog. It's great socialization! Everyone is welcome. Please let me or Kathy know if you're coming so we can have pizza for everyone. You may also respond by posting a comment to this blog. This training session is not required to attend the parade! You do not have to learn these tricks to be in the parade.

We hope you'll join us this Sunday evening. No previous training experience is required! These will be easy things that any of our Dals can learn. Bring lots of yummy treats for training. I think it will be a fun evening for us and our Dals!

posted by Lisa

Club T Shirts

2009-02-11T19:59:00.013-05:00

During our last club meeting we were presented with some new club shirts that are now available for purchase. Here is club member Jim Wetzel modeling the two styles and colors that are available. The order form follows and can be printed by right clicking on the form. Orders and checks are to be sent to Kathy Wetzel at 515 Rockdale Rd, Follansbee, WV.26037. To see the shirts closer just click on the pictures. We are hoping to have many members purchase and wear one of the green shirts when we march in the Pittsburgh Saint Patrick's day parade. posted by LaDonna

Please add $1.50 per shirt for shipping. Thanks

Go Steelers!

2009-01-28T17:25:00.004-05:00

Tess and Jazz cheer the Steelers on to victory in Super Bowl XLIII

Posted by Lisa

2008 Awards Dinner

2009-01-13T13:31:00.010-05:00

A grand time was had by all who participated in the club's 2008 awards dinner. The dinner was hosted by Lisa Bauer and Cindy Kulikowski at the Rivertowne Pourhouse on Saturday, December 6. The ladies did a fantastic job of putting on a fun evening for everyone. The food was wonderful, the gift exchange a riot and the fellowship priceless. Lisa also spent time putting together a wonderful slide show of many of the club dogs that played throughout the evening on a large screen. Lisa and Cindy were also responsible for making the wonderful awards that were presented, as well as the party favors that we each received. Fantastic job, ladies! Lisa's husband Jim was recruited to help put the awards together, take the pictures, and I would guess a few other things, too. Thanks, Jim. Our club is blessed to have such great workers. You are appreciated. posted by LaDonna

Our awards and the delicious cake we shared.

The wonderful party favors--A soft fleece blanket and large dog bone to take home. How fun!

Award Recipients

2009-01-13T13:02:00.010-05:00

Our award co-chairmen Lisa Bauer and Cindy Kulikowski present the 2008 awards.

LaDonna King receives award for new champion (Gage) Ch. Kingdom's Twist of Fate CGC, TDI

Kathy Wetzel receives award for a Rally Novice title on (Joey) Kingdom's My Pal Joey RN

Jim & Lisa Bauer receive award for various agility titles on (Tess) Starwood's Touched by an Angel CGC, TDI, NA, NAJ, PJ1, CL-1, CL-2, PG1, PK1, PR1, PJ2 -- and now OAJ!

Nancy Cummerick receives award for a Rally Advanced title on (Onyx) Touchstone's The Good Life RN, RA

Lisa Bauer receives a certificate for completing the requirements for the Canine Good Citizen designation on (Jazz) Kingdom's All That Jazz CGC, TDI

Cindy Kulikowski receives a certificate for completing the requirements to earn the Canine Good Citizen designation on (Peet) Kingdom's For Peet Sake CGC

Congratulations to all! posted by LaDonna

Fun in the Snow

2009-01-10T16:03:00.003-05:00

Here's a photo of Tess and Jazz on a break from romping in the snow today. They love playing in the snow but sure wish it came in warmer weather!

Posted by Lisa

Kids and Dogs

2009-01-10T14:35:00.005-05:00

Some people say that Dalmatians are not good around children. LaDonna Kings grandchildren have proved over and over that is not true. Here are a couple of pictures of Dalton and Emily sharing with Gage and Kacy. posted by LaDonna