Mixed Breed Club Conformation Judges Questionnaire

 

Mixed Breed Club Photography

  Mixed Breed Club Photography

Purpose:  

The purpose of a club photographer is to record in the form of photos, videos, or other visual formats, club events; and make them available to all members and other event participants at a reasonable cost.  A "Lead Photographer" will be appointed.  Their duties will be to:

1. Coordinate with the board, to determine if there will be a club photographer at any given event, and

2. Coordinate with other club photographers to determine who will be available, and/or how many photographers will be needed for the event.

History:  

Over approximately 20 years, photos of club events have been made available to our members.  With the advancement of technology, exactly how this has been done has changed through the years, according to what has been available, and who has been available to do it.  As these considerations continue to change, so must our arrangements.

Ethical Considerations:
1.  "Club Photographer" is a volunteer position and as such, there should be no profit to the volunteer.  All photos, etc. will remain the property of the club.  They will be kept in a club account, or other location as directed by the board.

2.  Any out-of-pocket expenses for supplies used for an event will be reimbursed by the club upon receipt by the treasurer, of proof and description of those expenses. 

3.  The MBDC of CA adheres to the privacy standards for the internet as designated by the Better Business Bureau. [Note from Gloria: I know these standards exist, and the Kodak Gallery adheres to them.  However, I have not read them entirely.  I am just offering this as a possibility]  We will make all club images available only by invitation to our members, judges, stewards and anyone else directly involved with the event.  Any photos to be posted by us on a public website  must have written permission (paper or email) from the person(s) involved.

4.  There is no by-law requirement for photos.  It has always been done as a simple benefit for our members, assuming that most of us thoroughly enjoy seeing our dogs and ourselves at club events. 

Current Arrangements:  

There is a Club Account set up with Kodak Gallery.  They continue to digitally store all photos we have sent to them.  Film and photo albums are kept by the Club Historian.  

Question: 

With the advent of digital cameras, should the club purchase memory cards for club use, to be kept by the club when they are filled?  or erased for reuse? or left with the club photographer to do as they please?

      The e-address and password of the club account are made available only to the Club Photographers and Newsletter Editor.  It should be noted that anyone who has the e-address of the account can simply click the "Forgot Your Password?" button, and like most website accounts, Kodak will send a new temporary password.  So, this is very minimal security.

     When photos of an event are placed in the Kodak Club Account, an album is created by the club photographer and one copy is sent to our Membership Chairman, for distribution to all members who have email. The photographer usually sends a copy of the album to judges, or others attending the event, who might enjoy the pictures.  For those members who do not have email, special arrangements are made, at their request, to have prints made for them.

     When anyone receiving a copy of the album opens it, a link is created between that person's personal account, and the club account.  From that point on, so long as the "master" album remains in the club account, anyone who has received and looked at it can look at it anytime, and order prints or any other of the numerous items for sale by Kodak.  However, the "master album" remains the property of the club, and cannot be moved to any other account.

     The Kodak Gallery Guest Book automatically records the e-address of everyone who looks at any album.  This gives the club an excellent way to determine how much interest there is in this method of sending pictures to members.  

Note from Gloria: 

The most recent example is the Niles event of a few weeks ago.  The day the Niles album was sent by Margaret, 15 people looked at it.  Thereafter,  only an occasional member looked.  Considering that only 6 members attended, and only 4 of them staffed the booth, I am frankly surprised at this much interest!

Thanks to River City Racing Association!

Thanks to River City Racing Association!

Rico

Rico

Sierra Magazine Article

This was a recent article from the "Sierra" Magazine, by the Sierra Club. It describes how adopted dogs can work to help the environment and science. 

The article might be a little hard to read due to the scanning.

Enjoy!

Chako

I just saw this posted on a friend's FB page and wanted to re-post it here. This dog is one of the reasons I wanted to create this group: to highlight great dogs and the great things they do. Thanks to Martha Hoffman​ for the post and share to her FB page. The original post was made by Pat Cook, a well-known trainer in Oregon, who also spent time in the past in the Bay Area, doing a lot of great things for dogs.

"Chako (The Chupacarbra) impressed everyone when tested by Working Dogs for Conservation near Clearlake, CA on Friday. Their trainer knew immediately that he was what they are looking for, but the trainer who hosted us, who has trained hundreds of dog for California Fish and Wildlife, wanted him badly for her program! He blew them away with his intensity and focus, environmental soundness and superb temperament. So he will be heading to Montana in a few weeks to the WD4C facility to be trained for a very special operation: helping to stop the illegal trade in rhino horn and ivory! Once trained, he will be taken to Asia to search cargo coming into one of the biggest ports dealing with this problem. WD4C has been to check out the facilities and will be continually supervising the program. Once Chako is retired he will be brought back to the US in their care. I couldn’t be happier with the outcome or the care and commitment of the organization to its dogs.
Chako’s Story
At about 6 weeks of age Chako was thrown out of a car in Sacramento. A good Samaritan picked him up but couldn’t keep him. He was taken in by Chako Rescue and fostered in one of their wonderful homes. Dawn recognized his working potential and I picked him up at 11 weeks of age.
It became quickly apparent that he was more Malinois/Dutch Shepherd in his temperament than pit bull. We don’t know his breeds but we can guess. He is very intelligent, insanely driven by food or toys and a blast to work. By five months of age he had around thirty cued behaviors performed with great enthusiasm. But his passion was searching, and he obviously had an amazing nose. My goal became to socialize him well enough that he could go anywhere and be comfortable working detection in different environments or settling in a crate. It doesn’t sound like much but it was a lot of work over many months. Keeping him exercised and entertained alone could be a full time job! He’s a giant PIA to live with.
When friends saw him doing obedience exercises they asked why I wasn’t keeping him to show. My reply was that giving this dog a career in AKC obedience would be like using a Maserati to go grocery shopping! I believe in finding the best match for the dog; it looks like Chako has found his match!"

Jake

TBT -- 2004 at USDAA nationals, me with a fresh perm and Jake still competing at the national level just before his 13th birthday. He looks so young still!