It is hard to believe that another year has sped by and it is time for the nomination and election of club officers, already. The Nominating Committee has done their job in finding club members that are willing to lead the Sammamish Kennel Club through 2005.

The people that have been nominated, myself included, by agreeing to the nomination, have pledged, if elected, to freely give their time to club duties and responsibilities as outlined for each office in the Standing Rules, Bylaws and Constitution of Sammamish Kennel Club. This is not pledge that I take lightly, and I assume this is also the case for all of those people that have been nominated. Time is a very precious commodity that few of us have enough of or want to waste. Please, take the time to attend the November meeting if you would like to nominate some one from the floor for a club office. Please also take the time to attend our December meeting and vote on the Sammamish Kennel Club officers for 2005.

A new regulation that applies to all AKC events was passed by the AKC Board of Directors on 18 October 2004 and is effective immediately. The exact wording of the regulation is: "Any dog, that in the opinion of the Event Committee, attacks a person or a dog at an AKC event, resulting in an injury, and is believed by that Event Committee to present a hazard to persons or other dogs, shall be disqualified. When the dog is disqualified by the Event Committee pursuant to this section, a report shall be filed with the Executive Secretary of The American Kennel Club. The disqualified dog may not again compete at any AKC event nor be on the grounds of an AKC event unless and until, following application for reinstatement by the owner to the American Kennel Club, the owner receives official notification in writing from the AKC that the dog's eligibility has been reinstated."

The preparations for our 15 January 2005 show are almost complete, thanks to Pat Wilaby and all of the more than able people that volunteered to assist her. This promises to be another very busy and rewarding day for all of us. If you would like to volunteer to ring steward, and have not done so already, please contact Rusty Kingery for Conformation classes or myself for Obedience and Rally classes. This is the first year that Rally will be offered as a “regular class” and promises to add a bit more excitement to Obedience. Be sure and stop by the 2nd floor of the Pavilion and watch this new class. There have been some changes to the Fairgrounds this year as the renovations continue to many of the buildings. Our Conformation rings and grooming will be in new locations.

Please mark your calendars to attend the Judge’s Banquet Friday, 14 January
2005, at the Best Western Hotel in Puyallup. Cocktails will be served starting at 6:30PM and dinner will be served at 7PM. If the weather and traffic between Woodinville and Puyallup cooperate, Ken and I may be able to arrive on time for dinner for the first time ever!

Respectfully,
Dee Carlson
President – Sammamish Kennel Club