The new Session 4 agility registration is now available on the website for printing and mailing.
**Please note: Registration is due no later than August 3rd. There is no foundations class (due to Covid-19 restrictions) this session.
Category: News
Current News for Members
Members ONLY Class Registration!
Obedience classes are now open for MEMBERS ONLY! Please DO NOT SHARE THE LINK WITH YOUR NON-MEMBER FRIENDS. No matter how tempting. We really want our members to have first pick at our limited class offerings this fall so we can work through any problems that may arise.
Classes are VERY limited in class size, and will fill quickly.
New Premium on the website!
Some of our trial chairs are bravely planning their fall trials. Please continue to watch the website for the latest updates on cancellations and new premiums.
The September AKC Obedience trial premium is now available: HERE!
Building Alarm
DO NOT WIPE THE ALARM KEYPAD WITH CLEANING SOLUTION!
We know that Covid-19 is scary, but having a broken alarm will be seriously problematic for all of us. People are already reporting that some of the buttons weren’t working well, causing us to have to take the keypad apart and clean it.
Please, instead, bring hand sanitizer, or water, soap, and a towel, or some other method of cleaning your hands AFTER you leave the building and touch our contact surfaces. Likewise, please remember to wash your hands after entering the building. Sticky residue was found on both the keypad and the door handles recently, and this can actually cause other bacteria to cling to those surfaces. If we all remember to wash our hands often, we will lower everyone’s risk, and reduce the risk of a costly broken alarm system, too!
Use of the building
We are very pleased to report that the new roof is now on the building! The roofing crew has a teeny tiny little thing to fix on Monday afternoon, then they should be totally out of our building!
Some of you have been using the building at your own risk for the past several months.
Please note:
It is never okay to groom your dog, or bring a shedding dog into our building and expect not to clean up after yourself!
This is rude to everyone else in the building, including those who volunteer to clean the building. Our cleaning crew has very rightly been not risking their health to clean the building, and some of you are making it very obvious by not picking up after yourself or your dogs.
Please, try to leave our building as clean or cleaner than when you went into it.
Volunteer Hours!
Do you enjoy the feeling of a clean building? Do you want to help out at the club, but would rather not have to talk to anyone? Maybe you like flexible hours, or a weekly task…
2 people are needed to vacuum the front room once a week. This task will take 1-1.5 hours, including getting out vacuums and electric cords and then putting them away. If you need steps, you would get 3-4 thousand steps walking in a climate controlled environment.
Contact Pam Murn [email protected] or text 937-838-6042.
Building Update!
As most of you are aware, the building is getting a new roof. Our fearless roofers had a little accident this morning, and knocked one of the bathroom vents into the building. When the vent fell into the building, it not only set off our security system, but also ripped some electrical wires.
There is no power in either bathroom or the utility closet until tomorrow at the earliest when they can fix it.
Please be ready to bring a flashlight, potty in the dark, or use your phone for light.
Please remain patient, our roofers have run into unseasonably warm weather and are having to take more breaks and pace themselves. They are hopeful to have our roof done this week, but it isn’t promised.
Volunteer Hours! Freestyle Trial
Our freestyle committee has elected to host the annual trial in July. There will be fewer entries, and TONS of social distancing, with a total of about 40 people in the entire building!
Gloves and masks will be provided, and we need HELP! Spectators will not be able to sit in the room and watch, so your only chance to see world class level freestyle competition in Ohio is to VOLUNTEER!
2020 Title Submissions
We are excited that some of you are back earning titles on your dogs (safely, we hope!).
The form to submit titles for your dogs is now available on the website. Please note, we have radically changed the submission form this year. No more check boxes! Just type the venue and title you earned into the box along with your personal information and the dog’s info! In the long term, this should make sorting and searching to see if you submitted the title and forgot that you did easier!
Both the submission form and the list of what has been submitted are currently available from the membership login area, just look for the Submit 2020 titles box after you’ve logged in, it’s under the list of board members. The form to submit does NOT require a log in, however, the link to view the submission (with email addresses and names) is a restricted page and you must log in to view it.
Exciting news!
As many of you know, we have been in contract to have a new roof put on for over a year now. With the tornadoes devastating so many homes and businesses, we politely agreed that the roofers had more important locations to take care of. Last night we got word that our roofers (Miami Valley Construction Services) will be at our location starting as early as tomorrow (Wednesday)! We are very excited to be able to remove the buckets from our rafters! Replacing the roof could take up to a week.
Our board met earlier this month, and we talked about many other exciting things. As you have all been made aware, we are getting ready to dip our toes back in to classes. Please try to remain understanding as we limit class sizes, limit the number of classes available, and look for new instructors. This also means that in some cases, we will be using the great outdoors for our classes at the Land. We are currently on summer break per our schedule, and to save on cooling costs, have opted to keep that same summer schedule for the most part.
As a board, we also discussed Volunteer hours. Look for creative ways for everyone to be able to gain volunteer hours in a future email.
Many of you have been worrying about our finances. I’m pleased to announce that our treasurer is NOT as worried as many of you are! We may be asking members to pay member price rather than use vouchers for a couple sessions, but do not anticipate a large financial hardship due to having to cancel classes and trials at this time. We will let you know if we need this type of assistance in the future.
Many of you have been going to Facebook to gain information. I know that this seems like an easy way to ask questions, but please remember, the “Friends of Gem City” Facebook group is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. It is not restricted to only club members, and does not always contain the most up to date information or the best path to reach the answers you are looking for. Our website gcdoc.com is kept up to date with the most recent trail cancellations, premiums, and information about classes restarting.
You can log in to our website at any time to gain access to being able to send an email to our Sunshine Chair. Maybe you know someone in the club who has lost a pet or close family member. Please use the form on the website to contact the sunshine chair so they can send out a card to that club member.
We are in an ever shifting world with the pandemic, and much of this is subject to change if Ohio should happen to shut down again. Please continue to play safely with your furry friends, and be polite with providing distance and safety precautions for others who may not be as fortunate as you in their health. I think we can all agree that we want Ohio to STAY OPEN!
Chris Kiefer
President & Webmaster
Gem City Dog Obedience Club