From the Board: Fall 2024
Preservation and Purpose
We should be very proud that so many of us participate in hunting and hunt training at some level, along with conformation and other activities. As a community of Spinoni lovers and an AKC parent club, we don’t want to see the breed divided into show lines and hunting lines, and we want to be supportive of health and breeding information and initiatives that will also lead to breed improvement. We want to always work towards bringing the breed’s “natural qualities to perfection”, as stated in our Constitution.
The Board has been taking several tangible steps towards achieving these objectives. From our Goals meetings, we have developed a Vision Statement to help guide us:
“Foster a community that preserves the Spinone Italiano as a hunting dog and companion.”
We are working on a Mission Statement to identify how we hope to achieve this vision, based on encouraging member engagement and knowledge.
Steps in our progress:
Digital Assets: Our new website lays the foundation for more member interaction and education. A full report will be coming from this committee showing what has been accomplished and plans for this year.
Breeders’ Education Committee: This new committee has been formed to oversee breeder and breed education. This group is working hard to create online content that will be available to all who are interested. They made a great splash at the National Specialty with a dynamic presentation that will be shared online.
Breed Education for Members: The Judges’ Education Committee presented the breed standard to members and had an extended hands-on workshop. See information from the presentation here.
Health Committee Seminars and Health Testing: The Health Committee always does a terrific job at the National Specialty Week with seminars, health testing, and a special push this year on free blood draws for DNA testing. The DNA testing is part of the AKC DNA Genetic Diversity Program, in which AKC is working to create a database that will generate whole genome sequences of each breed. This will expedite canine research projects, improve genetic counseling, and help evaluate genetic diversity for breed preservation. Thanks to the Health Committee volunteers who handled all the testing on-site, and the many members who lined up and contributed to this really important effort.
Webinars: The Health Committee has planned four membership-wide webinars and Q&A sessions, and held its first on June 25th, given by the Canine Health Foundation (CHF). The discussion covered what CHF is, what they do; an explanation of their Donor Advised Funds program, and how to get our breed more involved in health studies that may impact Spinoni.
Strategic Planning Team: The Board would like to develop a five-year strategic plan to allow us to plan for long-term initiatives, and we wanted to engage members in that process. The new Strategic Planning Team has discussed some key initiatives, including more member engagement through regional events and pilot mentoring programs for hunt training and therapy dog work. The Board is also evaluating the possibility of an online pedigree database, which is the kind of project that will require member support, club funding, and long-term planning if we pursue it.
Surveys: The Strategic Planning Team recently sent a survey to gather thoughts from members on the state of the club in general and what you all would like to see the club doing. The results will be shared with members soon. Other committees will be sending surveys as well — the results are anonymous but extremely helpful for planning. Please take a few minutes when you do receive a survey from us so that your voice can be part of the results!
This short list just reflects highlights of some of the ongoing work, but 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 will be sending out some specific job descriptions soon, or you can send a short bio to our membership secretary at scoamembership@gmail.com.
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.
