Overall, our club finances are in good order. However, 2007 was less successful financially than we would like. The specialty had fewer entries than in recent years, the trophy funding was less than we hoped – both for the 2007 and 2008 shows, and there were some significant unanticipated expenses.

For the future, we are looking at making some changes to help the long-term success of the specialty and our club, such as finding better ways of financing trophies and holding down costs. For example, AKC’s new FAST agility classes will be added to the 2008 show. The timing did not permit proper solicitation of trophies, so for the first year, when we do not know how many entries we will have, the awards for FAST will be ribbons only. For 2009, the Performance Fund will be emphasized rather than individual performance trophy sponsorships. We will continue to try to be responsive to the club members’ desires, as shown by the entry support, the trophy support, and the volunteer support.

In response to a recent pair of inappropriate disqualifications for tricolor, DCA’s clarifying statement was published in the latest AKC Judges Newsletter. During the investigation, we realized that our VHS video on color and markings does not have the image quality that web users now expect. Therefore, we have authorized an ad-hoc committee to get clearer and higher resolution pictures for an updated informational piece for our web site and for judges education.

The 2008 Betty Garvin Memorial Speaker at our national specialty will be Keith Murphy, PhD, a well known researcher at Texas A&M, who has done impressive research work for DCAF and AKC-CHF on the genetics of deafness in the Dalmatian.

We continue to encourage information gathering, sharing, and discussion about the Low Uric Acid Descendants and the “Backcross Project.”

• A series of web pages has been developed by the DCA LUA Study Group, chaired by Dennis Trout, which compiles much of the data and known information about the history and current status of the LUA progeny. As more information is collected, any changes, updates, and corrections can be added.

• A writing committee, chaired by Health and Research Chair Dr. Irv Krukenkamp, is developing a proposal for a future prospective clinical trail studying the LUA descendants – both LUA and HUA – and AKC registered Dalmatians.

• At the 2008 National Specialty, there will be an informational booth featuring LUA descendants in a “Meet the Breeds” setting, as well as a demonstration parade following Sweepstakes judging.

• The next Spotter will have more information and articles about the LUA descendants.

It is important to emphasize that the DCA encourages your comments, suggestions, and criticism regarding this or any other efforts of the club. The Board and I need to be informed of the thoughts, interests, and priorities of the entire membership. Also, The Spotter welcomes articles and letters to the editor on any relevant topic. In other words, let us know your opinions!

Similarly, we encourage your participation. The DCA is an active, respected, and viable club because of the interest and strong participation of our membership. Unfortunately, some of our important and anticipated projects could not proceed because of a lack of volunteers. If you would like to help, whether it is for a big job or a small one, please look at the committee list in The Spotter and let us know of your interests and skills. You can contact me, or the committee chair, or any of the board members.

We want to keep the membership informed, and we want the membership to give us appropriate feedback. Generous, respectful dialog will help all of us achieve our mutual goals. We look forward to hearing from you.