Cavaliers of Greater Kalamazoo

• CKCSC-KZOO had their first organizational meeting on Saturday, August 11, 2007. It was an open meeting for people interested in the club. We approved our officers, By-laws, dues scale and assigned committees.  Future meetings will be held at Barks 5th Avenue. It is an upscale dog supply store located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Barks supports rescue!  This link is to the Map to Barks 5th Avenue Store…http://www.barks.biz/NewSite/ContactUs.htm

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club of Greater Kalamazoo exists for the love of Cavaliers! We are a developing AKC local specialty club that plans to represent, protect, and promote the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in the Greater Kalamazoo, Michigan area.

We are planning matches (judge by leading Cavalier breeders), public education, and ACKCSC endorsed breed seminars. We want to encourage and promote junior handlers as the next generation of Cavalier Fanciers.

The CKCSC-KZOO is working on becoming AKC licensed and to qualify as one of the ACKCSC member clubs. Our future goal is to host a Cavalier’s specialty in Michigan!

• Our  meeting on September 8, 2007; began at 10:00 am. Afterward we participated in AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club of Greater Kalamazoo “Meet the Breed” at Barks 5th Avenue on September 8th from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm provided education to the public about the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day — a nationwide initiative to  educate the public about the importance of being a responsible dog owner and celebrate the bond between humans and their canine companions. This month-long celebration in September involves hundreds of organizations around the country holding free events filled with fun and engaging activities for every dog owner.

Because of the release of the new movie, “Underdog” and the character of “Polly Purebred” being played by a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel clubs are concerned  about the possible up-surge of puppy mill and backyard breeding to fulfill the new interest in the breed. Breed specific public education This outreach helped owners understand their Cavaliers better, they met other owners and helped potential owners decide if it is the right breed for their family. Breed-specific information on breed health concerns, rescue, and nutrition was given to the public. These educational efforts are an important part of AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day.

Attendees spoke one-on-one with experienced Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breeders and owners. Those looking to show their neighbors that their Cavaliers are respectable members of society were given information on the AKC Canine Good Citizen® (CGC) Test — a 10-step test certification that rewards well-mannered, obedient dogs. The CKCSC-KZOO will be sponsoring an evaluation session in the near future.

• Our November meeting on Saturday, November 10, 2007 after the Grand Rapids Kennel Club show was a great success with 30 attendees. This meeting was hosted at a home of a CKCSC-KZOO member, CC Berg of Blueheart CKCS. Thank you CC!

We had representatives of “Isle of Dogs” (http://www.iodogs.com) to give a Cavalier’s grooming seminar; this company produces outstanding shampoos, conditioners, grooming sprays and supplements applicable to ALL Cavalier’s care (show and neutered). The CKCSC-KZOO had seven (7) grooming stations set up so everyone had opportunities to try the products on your Cavalier and received grooming advice.

• We had a great time brining in the cheer and celebrating our new club, CKCSC of Greater Kalamazoo!The holiday get-together on December 8, 2007 and started at 6:00 pm and end at closing time.
• This year was a “British Empire” theme in honor of our Cavaliers so we held the celebration at the London Grill in Kalamazoo.

http://www.london-grill.com/map_kalamazoo.htm

The London Grill Restaurants created a truly unique dining experience that utilized flavors from the British Empire and combined those flavors with the 19th Century European tradition of cooking fresh, high quality foods on the grill. Great time was had by all!