In the spring of this year, the AWDF held our championship in the Nashville, Tenn. area.  Lyle Roetemeyer's Cumberland Valley SchH Club club provided the venue.  

Events during the week included free seminars by our judges and a search & rescue lecture on draw night.  All these activities were very well attended.  We were trying to create an event that gave everyone - novices as well as experienced handlers -  the chance to learn some new techniques/skills,  to compete at some level, and to have some fun.  I believe we accomplished that.  

During that week, I was re-elected as AWDF president.

Our 2006 championship will be March 29-April 2 in Gadsden, Alabama.  Gary & Pam Hanrahan's club, Jefferson-St. Clair County SchH Club, will be our hosts for this event. 

Please note, all entries for this event MUST be made through the appropriate member breed club. 

One  very important question that I feel needs to be answered is, 'what is the AWDF doing for us?' 

I completely understand  that we need to provide more than an outlet for a few members to compete at the FCI championship. That being said, my board and I are doing our best to be proactive in dealing with our dog sport, our members, creating educational programs, etc. 

I believe a large portion of our strength in the American working-dog community comes directly from supporting fellow working-dog enthusiasts.  I feel the United Schutzhund Clubs of America to an extent until recently got away from that position. Please remember that the people and clubs who make up the AWDF look to USA for guidance, as well as for support. A large portion of  non-GSD fanciers in AWDF also are USA members.  It isn't enough just to say that you're going to support something, either. You need to take a little time to get involved if you want to see some progress. 

Here are some of the things the AWDF has been doing over the last year:
 

• I have had regular correspondence/e-mail with the FCI working commission. I feel this is important in maintaining a good working relationship with the FCI. 

• I contacted the American Red Cross and the American Dog Owners Association, on behalf of the AWDF, in the days following hurricane Katrina.  I offered help with relief efforts. 

• The AWDF has been active in protecting  working dogs, as well as our sport.  We have been working with the American Dog Owners Association (ADOA), and have been actively involved in, and are actually having some success with, helping to develop reasonable animal-rights legislation.  We also are  fighting against breed-specific legislation (BSL) 

• Internally, the AWDF is in the process of redesigning our bylaws  to keep up with the changing working-dog environment in America.  For example, I currently have a committee that is  designing our own American-based working competition.  This would be in addition to the current IPO/SchH rules that currently are applied at our events. 

• Another change to our bylaws is that no group in the future will be able to come to one of our national meetings and try to effect a bylaw change with little or no notice.  Another issue that we addressed is that of sportsmanship.

• The AWDF  is growing.  I've been talking with Carole Patterson, the president of the DVG, about working toward common goals for our working dogs in America. I believe we will have their support in working on animal-rights issues.  The Hovawart club has asked to join our organization, and I hope to have an alliance with a national police-dog association soon.

I had a great opportunity to become involved with the FCI working commission in my visit to the FCI Championship in Holland.  I went prepared with numbers, records, and other information to share with the commission.  In the days leading to the FCI working commission meeting, I was asked to explain our positions on numerous topics.  I gave copies of our judges' program and our helper program, and presented an  overview of the USA's involvement with the working dog in America.  Everyone was very positive with me. 

At the official working commision meeting, it was announced that AWDF  will host the FCI Championship event in 2011.  I also was asked for my opinion on several topics during the meeting. I didn't have a formal vote, but I do believe I made a very strong, positive impression with all the countries represented at the meeting.  I pointed out that we have a lot of positives or strengths within our organization in America. We are blessed with passionate working-dog people, as well as great diversity within our membership.  I explained that with these strengths, we are able to support virtually all of the FCI-recognized working programs. Not all countries can say that.  I pointed out that the AWDF is embracing all of the working-dog heritages, including all of the respective breeding programs that have been developed in Europe.  I made sure to point out that the USA is the largest, most active member within the AWDF, and certainly is at the forefront of all of our activities.

In closing, I would like to point out that the AWDF provides all of us great options in the dog world. We still have a way to go, but we're making progress in many areas, with many programs. 

Yours in Sport,
Al Govednik
President AWDF