[ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: Membership costs and the Review - Long
- From: "MARGERY GOLANT" <mgolant@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <WLFHRTGSD@xxxxxxx>, <Showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 1 Jan 2006 02:26:09 -0500
Kelly, this is a wonderful post, and so totally true.....!!! The Fancy is
comprised of the lovers, supporters, breeders, exhibitors and admirers of
the German Shepherd Dog. This is the passion that has shaped the lives of
virtually everyone who belongs to the GSDCA and to Showgsd-l. You said it
perfectly "But if you really love this breed, you will do everything you can
to make sure that the German Shepherd Dog retains it's reputation as a
courageous, loyal, intelligent, versatile breed." My thoughts here likewise
are not meant to attack anyone, but instead to communicate the key concept:
OUR CLUB NEEDS OUR HELP.
Despite our differences, many of which we debate here with vehemence, most
of us love this breed. The German Shepherd Dog Club of America exists to
support the German Shepherd Dog, not the other way around. Article 1,
Section 2 of the GSDCA By-laws says:
"The objects of the Club shall be:
(a) To encourage, promote, and improve the breeding of quality purebred
German Shepherd Dogs, to educate the fancy, and to do all possible to bring
the natural qualities of the German Shepherd Dog to perfection
(b) To urge members and breeders to accept that standard of the breed, as
approved by the American Kennel Club, as the only standard of excellence by
which the German Shepherd Dog shall be judged
(c) To do all in its power to protect and advance the interests of the breed
by encouraging sportsmanlike competition at dog shows, obedience trials, and
tracking tests
(d) To aid with every possible means in demonstrating the German Shepherd
Dog's conspicuous ability as a companion, war, Red Cross, police, drug and
explosive detection, security, herding, search and rescue dog, and guide dog
for the blind
(e) To conduct shows, obedience trials, demonstrations, etc., under the
rules of the American Kennel Club, where applicable, and
(f) To publish literature and periodicals in the interest of the German
Shepherd Dog."
As Club members and supporters of the German Shepherd Dog, for those of us
who really love this breed, it is our job to find ways to HELP the Club, to
SUPPORT the breed, and to do everything in our power to ensure that the
Breed continues to exist. While we may have differences of opinion as to
what the best ways are to do this, we need to keep firmly in mind that it is
our job to suppor the Club so that it can suppor the Breed, not the other
way around. Taking action that is harmful to the Club will, in the long
run, be harmful to the Breed. If the GSDCA did not exist, what voice would
there be in support of our Standard ? What voice would there be to stand
against anti-breeder and breed-specific legislation ? What body would
coordinate with the Regional Clubs, provide Futurities and the National,
provide special recognition for our great dogs?
Yes, money is tight and the dog fancy gets more expensive every day. Yes,
it gets harder and harder to travel with dogs, harder to get them to shows,
harder to plan the National. Yes, the Review is going through difficulties,
there are (and always will be) struggles between groups within the Club and
on the Board. But, please remember that the GSDCA, YOUR CLUB, cannot exist
without assets and resources. In order to realize income, it must charge
for things. Sure, it could, for a while, lose money on the Nationals by
charging nothing for seats, on the Futurities and on the Review. For a
while - til there was no money left at all..... And then, when the GSDCA
had no money left at all, what do you think would happen to our Breed ?
All of the Financials of the GSDCA through 2004 are posted on www.gsdca.org
in the Secured Area. Go take a look at them - see how much it costs to keep
this Club operating, then see what you can suggest as an alternative to the
curremt methods of providing revenue for the Club. If the Review were not
included with every membership, the result would be a net loss to the GSDCA.
In whose interest would that be ? If seats were free to watch the National,
the results would be a net loss to the GSDCA. How do you keep the Club
going without income ?
The bottom line is that, as the people on the planet who care about the
continued existence of the German Shepherd Dog as a Breed, we NEED the GSDCA
to continue to be a viable organization, and the GSDCA NEEDS OUR SUPPORT.
It cannot possibly be about what MORE the GSDCA can do for US - it needs to
be about what MORE WE CAN DO TO IMPROVE AND STRENGTHEN THE GSDCA - so that
the GSDCA can continue its mission "To do all in its power to protect and
advance the interests of the breed..."
So, now that it is now 2006, please give some thought to your Breed, and to
recognition of the fact that, but for the GSDCA, the Breed's continuation
would be at serious risk. Then, give some thought to what YOU can do to
assist your Club, so that your Club can continue its work of protecting and
advancing the interests of the German Sheoherd Dog.
Happy New Year.
Margery Golant
Recording Secretary
German Shepherd Dog Club of America, Inc,
-----Original Message-----
From: showgsd-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:showgsd-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of WLFHRTGSD@xxxxxxx
Sent: Saturday, December 31, 2005 12:33 PM
To: Showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ SHOWGSD-L ] Membership costs and the Review - Long
I'm afraid I don't recall who wrote the post about getting a discounted
membership if you DON'T want the Review, but it came up yesterday.
PLEASE NOTE THAT MY POST IS NOT AN ATTACK ON THE PERSON WHO RAISED THE
QUESTION ABOVE - AND I AM NOT YELLING, BUT EMPHASIZING. I WOULD BE LEERY OF
TRYING
TO PUT ANYTHING IN ITALICS (IT MIGHT COME UP REALLY STRANGE) SO MY BEST
OPTION
IS CAPS.
The cost for a single renewal is a little under 19 cents a day, and a family
renewal is a little under 17 cents a day - FOR A YEAR. Membership costs
have
changed very little over the years, yet we continue to get more benefits -
we
receive our communications from the club via e-mail, and our PC Website is a
treasure trove of information! Those who are listers, but not members, have
nearly as much access to club information via the National Blog, and the PC
website.
If you look at any personal costs you may have for belonging to motor clubs,
clubs such as Costco, Sam's (or whatever may be the "warehouse" type club in
your region) they are about the same as belonging to our breed club.
I do have a suggestion for those who feel they do not wish to receive the
Review - there ARE juniors who don't have access to it because their parents
are
not club members. Juniors who NEED the Review, and have to borrow it. Not
all our juniors come from show families.
A few years ago we voted that the club would accept members UNDER 18 - they
do not vote or pay dues, but they also don't get the Review. If you truly
don't want yours, perhaps you could donate YOUR subscription to a Junior?
Our
Juniors are busy with school, and they spend their weekends showing. As
they
cannot accept pay for handling and still retain Junior status, if they have
any
part time jobs, they are not able to work weekends and that really cuts into
any pay they might get working.
Plus, not being able to work weekends on a regular basis makes it harder for
them to even GET jobs. Factor in that Fridays are probably out if they are
traveling to a show, well, you get the picture.
The price we pay for our membership (per day) is less than a single local
phone call. We have futurities. We have the National. The Review. Those
are
PERSONAL benefits. And what about the breed? We have a fabulous Charitable
foundation, national Rescue network, product line, and we are a big leader
in
donating monies to assist SAR work, and our Military dogs. Most police dogs
are
German Shepherds.
If you have never seen the PC website then go take a look - look at the
photo
from 9/11 - the firefighter resting, and grieving the horror. Look at his
partner, exhausted from the searching. That photo isn't just on our website
-
it was a NATIONAL photo.
The German Shepherd Dog is, at once, the single most easily recognized breed
in the entire world. To a lost child, and to the family who has learned
that
their child has been found, the dog who has tracked for hours, is worth a
whole heck of a lot more than pittance we pay for our dues!
To the criminal who is backed into a corner, the sight of a German Shepherd
is most unwelcome. They know that if they run, that dog will be on them.
To
the police officer who's partner has four legs, the dog is a partner that
can
do what a human partner cannot.
To the soldier who curls his or her arms around their dog when they get to
sleep a few hours, the dog is a soft, sympathetic soldier who won't question
their bravery or courage when they slip off the mask of being a soldier and
cry
the tears of a human who has seen members of their platoon die in battle.
To the family in the airport who's flight is delayed, the dog is a hero for
finding the bomb that would have blown their flight to see their
grandparents
right out of the sky.
To any one of the people in these situations, the thought of spending 19
cents a day for that dog wouldn't even begin to cover their gratitude.
And our club, through the breeding of good dogs, education, and monetary
donations, helps to support all this.
We may spend much of our time on the list debating topics that are specific
to showing dogs. That's what the list is for. But please, take a look at
the
BIGGER picture! The club needs you. The breed needs you. The world needs
US.
The topic of "Why SHOULD I join the club when I can show dogs without being
a
member?" comes up here as well. You can show dogs, you can do whatever you
want. But if you really love this breed, you will do everything you can to
make
sure that the German Shepherd Dog retains it's reputation as a courageous,
loyal, intelligent, versatile breed. WE have come a long way from the days
when
conformation and obedience participants in one room was like throwing gas on
a fire.
We still have a long way to go, and we are getting there. WE face an uphill
battle with PAWS and BSL. If you really love this breed, you will not think
about what is in it for me, but what will happen if I don't start or
continue
to participate in the battles that face us now, and in the future.
If you are not sure you want to be part of this club, look into the eyes of
your dog. Perhaps you will find the answers there.
Consider too that we do NOT pay to be part of this list. How many of us
have
received comfort in the middle of the night when a dog is sick, or your
bitch
is in trouble whelping and you want to check in for immediate feedback, or
you have lost a dog and know that the best and only place to spill your
grief is
to the people who REALLY understand? Some people grieve privately, and do
not post their losses. I have posted when I have lost a dog, and the
private
responses have kept me going when I thought that I could just will my heart
to
stop beating because it was torn so badly.
Our board members are volunteers. Our list admins are volunteers. We get
so
very much from the club and the list. I hope that as the old year winds
down
and the New Year begins, we will be bringing in a year of combining our
talents, knowledge, and love for this great breed so that we can ensure the
future
for all of us.
It doesn't matter if you are brand new to the breed or have been in the
breed
more years than some members have been alive. If you have a desire to serve
the breed, that is enough. There will be some thing, some way, some effort
you can make to better the club, and the breed. We, collectively, should
not
rely on the board, the 20 year and 30 year members, or anyone else to make
things happen. We have chosen them to lead, but without our help, their
efforts
may fail if we do not support the things we ask of them. The board is there
to
lead the effort, but WE are the GSDCA and anyone who doesn't believe that is
fooling themselves.
Our board cannot take action on something they are not aware of, or do not
have adequate help to address. We made our choices clear when we voted.
Now,
we need to get behind our board and give them the help they need to do the
things we would like to see done.
Every one of us has life experience, whether it be dog related or not, that
we can use to help our board and therefore our breed. If you can speak, you
can introduce yourself to someone at a show. You can welcome someone to the
sport. If you are new, and find someone even newer, you can make a friend.
We were all given the opportunity to let Lew know what area(s) we wished to
be involved in.
Let's make 2006 the year that the GSDCA has so many people working together
for the good of all that the board's e-mail is overflowing with so many
offers
of help that it takes them all by pleasant surprise.
Kelly Busse
Proud to be GSDCA!
============================================================================
POST is Copyrighted 2005. All material remains the property of the original
author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any
kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of
the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY
MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS
PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY
FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE
PROSECUTED.
For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx
VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://www.showgsd.org
============================================================================
============================================================================
POST is Copyrighted 2005. All material remains the property of the original
author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind
are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the
Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY
MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS
PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY
FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE
PROSECUTED.
For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx
VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://www.showgsd.org
============================================================================
Other related posts:
