From the President: Spring 2025

At the recent Nationals in Texas, attendees were able to reconnect with those we don’t get to see often and see some excellent judging in the ring, as well as to celebrate the breed with club awards; seminars; the auction; special events like the Spinoni Spectacular and Redneck Agility; and lots of good food and camaraderie. Many thanks must go to Bonnie Blink, the Show Chair, and her entire team, with special thanks also to Jackie Spiars, Beverlee Steinberg, and Debby Forry. Almost everyone there helped in some way throughout the event. Special mention has to be made of Bonnie’s exceptional hand-crafted ribbons and awards, which she donated to the club.

Annual meeting:

At the annual meeting, among several topics discussed, we talked about our individual roles as stewards of the Spinone and about SCOA as a community dedicated to maintaining the breed. Those who breed, who show and/or participate in hunting and other performance events, who do therapy with their dog, who educate themselves in the breed standard, and all of us who live with Spinoni as our companions, are all part of the active preservation of the breed. This concept is behind the Board’s recent initiatives and is exemplified in the Vision Statement the Board adopted several months ago.

“Foster a community that preserves the Spinone as a hunting dog & companion.”

~ Spinone Club of America: Vision

SCOA community:

The Board’s recent discussions address community building, which has to do with treating each other with respect and consideration, especially online. Having a thriving, respectful, and inclusive culture will go a long way towards contributing to a shared purpose and good collaboration among committees and members. 

We all have witnessed rude behavior and personal attacks on the SCOA Facebook page and other Spinoni groups, none of which benefit those who make these comments or those on the receiving end. The Board has received emails asking us to address member behavior that is inappropriate, and we agree on the importance of this. To this end, I have asked Carmen Alvarez (chair) and the Constitution, Bylaws, and Standing Rules committee to review SCOA’s Code of Conduct and to expand our policies and procedures with regard to social media and sportsmanship. While SCOA cannot be the social media police, we feel that we can do a better job addressing inappropriate behavior. We will be looking for other ways to address this concern and hope that by shining a light on positive behavior we will all be more aware of how we treat each other.

Another focus on our Spinone community is an emphasis on regionalization and mentoring, suggested by our Strategic Planning team after a member survey and several meetings. They will be working to develop planning for these efforts this year; anyone interested in being involved is asked to email Greg Worden.

Breed preservation: Two newer committees have been formed to support our mission of breed preservation: Breeders’ Education, and a new committee headed by Kay McLeland, the Spinone Preservation Bank, an initiative to safeguard frozen semen for future decades.

We are also looking at the possibility of creating a 501(c)(3) status for a Spinone Trust for health and welfare. This designation would allow tax-deductible donations and grants. Securing funding stability is critical to enable us to support breed-specific health research and otherwise aid Spinoni in need after a disaster, for example. Our SCOA-sanctioned Rescue organization does a great job handling rehoming of Spinoni, and we see a need for a parallel organization to enable us to work towards improved health of the breed in the years to come.

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The Board and I extend many thanks to all SCOA committee members. While the Board has oversight responsibilities, it is the committees and the volunteers that are the real engine of the club! If you would like to be involved in a committee, we are looking for new volunteers and ask you to send a short bio to our membership secretary.

We are always happy to hear from members at any time, on any topic! Please feel free to contact me directly at annbagnell@gmail.com or write to the entire board at board@spinoneclubofamerica.com.

Ann Bagnell, President
Spinone Club of America