USA bylaw change - Page 8

Would someone please explain to me what RS2000 IS??? Is this a show thing? It ain't in my vocab! 

"Tess:

But it,s still a valid and intresting question. Since in the end it is all about the dog and not the politics, am I mistaken?"

I agree with you, Bob.  It is supposed to be about the dog.  Both sides here think they're "about the dog." 

OK. RSV2000. I have my reading cut out for me. Thanks Bob. 

See people also forget to us alternate breed folks it has nothing to do with the swamp collies it's about the sport. I don't have a dog in this hunt but I'm not particularly fond of having a "breed" organization dictate to me which clubs I can or cannot belong to and still stay a member of the USA. The only reason I will maintain my family membership to USA, still on the fence really,  is so I can continue to work a trial here and there when the opportunity arises and to remain a member of a USA club which has a good group of people who just want to train their dogs.

Someone who I respect very much has tried to convince me to stay for the sport. This is another alternate breed owner who has bent over backwards to help people in sport and help the sport itself yet has continually gotten shit on by the USA left and right because he doesn't always go with the flow yet he still wants people to stay. Trust when I say this is a tough decision for me.

Keith Jenkins

USA BYLAWS AMENDMENTS
2009
(These amendments prohibit USA members residing in the United States from being members of,
or being affiliated with, competing German Shepherd Dog organizations in the United States.
Membership in more than one U.S.-based German Shepherd Dog club presents a conflict of
interest when making decisions that affect USA.)
1. Article IV, Section 2. (Individual Membership/Rules for Individual Membership
4. Article V, Section 1.b. (Club Membership/Full Member Clubs) – Submitted by Nia Cottrell
From:
(ii) Being admitted directly into the United Schutzhund Clubs of America with full member club rank.
Only clubs of exceptional qualification may bypass the affiliated club stage and be admitted directly
into USA as a full member club.
4. Article V, Section 1.b. (Club Membership/Full Member Clubs) – Submitted by Nia Cottrell
From:
(ii) Being admitted directly into the United Schutzhund Clubs of America with full member club rank.
Only clubs of exceptional qualification may bypass the affiliated club stage and be admitted directly
into USA as a full member club.
To:
(ii) Established clubs that are or have been affiliated with other American Working Dog Federation
(AWDF) clubs may be admitted directly as full member clubs, without the requirement of an
affiliation trial, if such clubs have operated continuously for the five (5) years prior to seeking USA
affiliation and have conducted at least four trials during that five-year period.

I said on another thread that there were 2 things that pissed me off thiefs and liars,I must reiterate there are 3 COWARDS a person that sign,s on with a screen name designed to do nothing but insult another is a COWARD plain an simple nothing that can be said will change that I,ve never sent a complaint to Oli but I did on this one because I find it offensive.

If you don,t have the stones to say what you think or feel with your name behind it you are a coward... go crawl back under the rock you came from.

Just glancing through the posts -

The one constant I see is that people do not understand the big picture on any of this.  Personally, I want to see all organizations flourish.  There absolutely no rational reason for USA to subject its members to all of this upset and fallout.

Going back to the basic question: Why? 

Lyle's published statement is because he feels hoodwinked by Danny.  OK - because they don't get along or whatever did or did not happened is a reason to plunge members into making choices which also causes fiancial burdens to clubs who already have problems?  It all sounds like kids not getting along, so they are going to play with their own toys - this is not rational leadership.

Johannes is quoted at the trial/show 2 weeks ago as saying" "Its because GSDCA is trying to destroy us"  - How crazy of a reason is that? 

I said many, many threads ago, no one has a problem with USA giving a valid reason for the amemdments - but can anyone say they have seen a compelling reason for the amendments?

I hate leaving USA, if that is what I decide.  It has generally been a good organization.  It has had the most convenient trials, shows and koerungs for me.  But personally, without a compelling reason to not  belong to other organziations, it goes against my sensibilities to be who I can dance with.  Again, I pay money into USA, they do not pay me.

On thing keeps hitting me - USA was never started as a breed organization - first it can't be with any legitimacy.  Only one registration per country is recognized by FCI and like it or not that is AKC. As I posted above, even as late as 1995 USA incorporated in Missouri with this statement: 

5. The purpose or purposes for which the corporation is organized are: For social and recreational purposes of having its members promote, qualify and license local dog clubs and conduct Schutzhund trials, German Shepherd Dog Breed Surveys, tracking tests for the FH (Fahrtenhundfurfung) degree, endurance tests for the AD (Ausdauerprufung) award and all other legal powers permitted General Not for Profit Corporations.

Sure,  a club can evolve - and it had to in order to keep its WUSV membership, just like GSDCA has etc. 

Regarding non comportment to rules -  I prefer the rules to be upheld.  If you cannot train to pass trials, shows etc. well then you should fail.  Lowering the standards does not do the dogs any good in so far as testing their abilities and if a club is about preserving the breed as a working dog, well, lowering standards and not going by the rules negates that thought.  I have never understood why someone wants a title they did not really earn nor was the dog capable of.    Lowering the benchmark and grading on a curve just lowers everything and makes it meaningless.  Why have rules if you are not going to go by them?  They are not guidelines to bend in order to suceed by guile.  That is low self esteem behavior and only reaffirms and increases the low self esteem. 

I will never forget a person of high ranking in USA who asked me when I competed with my SchH3, if I had brought my scented articles so he could go lay my track.  I thought he was kidding.  When I realized he was not, I said absolutely not, that it was against the rules.  First I as insulted that he thought I had such low integrity and then was aboslutely shocked that he thought I had a SchH3 dog with an FH title that could not track without handler scented articles! 
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That is when I realized that trials are not monitored or carried out under the rules that even people who were responsible for the rules violated. Who do you complain to at that point? It was also inately unfair that other SchH3 dogs I was competing against used their own handler scented articles. I ended up winning over people who cheated because I was prepared for SchH3 competition legitimately with earned titles comporting to the rules. Even with cheating, the other dogs were not prepared. That's not training, that's wasting time.

Regarding which club people join - It really does not matter which club anyone chooses. Neither of the clubs are going to expire. USA is dependent on its members and member clubs for fees and dues. WDA, while the income is always good to have, is not soley reliant on those fees and dues. GSDCA will always fund whatever it needs to stay in compliance with the WUSV either through WDA or a committee within GSDCA. Its not about money with WDA. It does not matter if they are a huge organization or 100 members - they will continue no matter what. That is why WDA and GSDCA feel no threat from USA.

Regarding other breed owners being a member of USA - I doubt if they will ever require you to own a GSD to belong to USA - it would cause quite a bit of membership loss last count I heard about a few years ago. These amendments were pointed at in a backward way of keeping revenues and retaining membership. I don't think any of the AWDF clubs like Malinois etc. require you to own breed specific. USA as a member of AWDF may be hard presses to exclude other breeds?

Regarding reasons why USA made these amendments - I still would like to see a compelling reason from USA why they enacted the by law changes. To me, because Lyle feels cheated by Danny and Johannes saying GSDCA is trying to destroy USA without a lick of proof, nothing in writing, nada, is just juvenile and not good leadership rationale. But you see, they do not need a reason because everyone will do what they are told. Leave or stay under the new rules. They do not have to explain, its been voted on and its over. Time will pass, people will settle down and it won't matter until the next hubbub.

Bottomline, there is still no compelling reason rooted in fact to force person to have to choose what they are going to. A compelling reason rooted in fact would make the choice much easier.

Kim, if UScA  considers itself an all-breed club, then why does it claim that the bylaw is  "to protect the United Schutzhund Clubs of America and the FCI breed standard for the German shepherd dog by eliminating the “Conflict of Interest” that is evidenced by those members who are also members of competing German shepherd dog organizations"?  Technically, isn't GSDCA the ONLY German shepherd dog organization?