Agility Dog Association of Australia Ltd

From the ADAA Chair ... December 2006

All of the competitions for the year (except Bundaberg Dog Sports’ New Year’s Eve party) are over. Prior to that (once you’ve put your entries in the post), it’s time to put your feet up and relax waiting for the man with the red hat and coat, towed along by his reindeer, to drop in and deliver some well deserved gifts.

For many of us, this provides an opportunity to take a break from some of our volunteer responsibilities. But of course that isn’t for too long as often it is working bee time at a club level to check and repair equipment before the next season starts. If your Club does have a working bee, please offer to help out, especially if you aren’t a club instructor or on the committee so that the load can be shared a little more. Keeping equipment within the regulations guidelines (and some of these changed this year) is essential but more importantly so that it is strong and secure to have safe equipment for all of our dogs.

Finally, if you haven’t given consideration to offering your assistance at your club, especially through instructing, then perhaps it’s time to give that some thought, and let your Chief Instructor know now so they can include you in next year’s roster. You may not feel like an expert, and you may not have achieved all of your own goals, but by helping others you can not only help your fellow club members by lightening their load, but also learn lots from the instructing experience. The other thing to remember is that everyone in class is in the same boat that you were in not too long ago….. if they had perfect dogs they wouldn’t need to be there!! It can be a wonderfully rewarding experience helping others improve their relationship with their dog and overcome the various hurdles (figuratively speaking that is) along their journey.

The Board, on the other hand, doesn’t get too much of a break as it will be undertaking its annual planning meeting in conjunction with the first Board meeting of the year, early in January 2007. If you have a contribution to make, especially if you can offer your assistance to achieve a particular outcome, then please contact me.

As the temperature starts to increase please keep an eye on your dogs and watch for signs of heat stress – safety is the most important thing. This especially applies to exercise in association with eating and drinking, as well as not leaving your dog in a hot environment such as your motor vehicle.

Finally, please accept my and the Board’s best wishes for the festive season. We trust that you, and your family (both two and four-legged), will be safe and enjoy at least a few days of rest and relaxation before the New Year starts.

May you enjoy your training with your dog and achieve your goals.

Cathy Slot
ADAA Chair

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