Friends,

The CATS Members-only Seminar with Terri Cesarak is now OPEN for Registration.  Please get your requests for working slots in as soon as possible, so that we will know if there are  conflicts.    We will certainly try to honor everyone’s requests for as many working slots as possible! 

Thank you for all your hard work for your club in 2011!  This Seminar is available at these amazingly low prices because the club earned the money to pay for most of the expense as a benefit to our members.

Click here to register:  Terri Cesarak Seminar Registration

Preliminary Information about the upcoming seminar.  Only CATS Members may attend.  Please be sure to send in your 2012 membership form A.S.A.P.

Seminar Registration will open later this week. Make sure you are on the “Get CATS News to your Email” so you will get the news when registration opens.

Learn more about Terri Cesarek at http://www.caninesportscenter.com/

SATURDAY, March 17, 2012

Wait Where? 2-on/2-off Contacts: 8-12: Help your dog really understand the job of the contact by becoming crystal clear about your criteria. When our dogs understand their job they are much happier and so are we.

Weaving Wonders: 1-5: Entries and exits that allow for a more independent performance. We will work round the clock entries, rear crossing the poles, front/blind crossing exits and moving lateral from the poles. Working dogs should be consistently able to weave.

Puppy Workshop: 5:30-7:30 Puppy workshop will cover beginning foundation skills to start them off on the right paw. This workshop will be tailored to meet the average age of the puppies.

SUNDAY, March 18, 2012

Get Every Pole: 8-12: Speed and Consistency—build enthusiasm and drive in the weave poles. Come away from this session with lots of ideas to help turn your dog into a weav-a-holic. Working dogs should have some familiarity with weave poles.

Handling Skills: 1-5: Short sequences reviewing the skills needed for both dog and handler to achieve consistent teamwork. These are drills I regularly do with both my dogs that have their ADCHs to keep us tuned up. Good for any level dog that is sequencing jumps and tunnels.

Other stuff you need to know:

There will be maximum 8 working slots ($25) available for each session plus unlimited auditors ($10.) Working slot means one handler and one dog. Terri notes that sessions are progressive, so swapping between dogs in a session will be counterproductive to you and your dogs. Plan to learn the skills with one dog at the seminar and bring what you learn to your other dog after the seminar.
If you are signing up for more working slots in multiple sessions, please indicate your 1st choice interest in case we need to bump you to an auditing slot for one of your choices. If you wish to sign up multiple working sessions and we don’t have room, we will automatically assign you an auditor slot, which you may, of course, decline.

To celebrate the lives we share with our beloved dogs, CATS members will come together on February 11 to spend an afternoon remembering the dogs who crossed the rainbow bridge in 2011 and playing with the dogs who grace our lives in 2012.  While it will be a remembrance of things past, this will also be a day to make new beginnings, so we will take time to welcome our newest members, as well.

Please mark your calendars, and make a space in your life to join your fellow club members for a special afternoon. 

The afternoon will begin with a memorial, led by Paul Gibbons,  for the dogs who passed away in 2011. We will proceed to an introduction of new members.  After a toast, offered by Heidi Konesko, we will share food and drinks in the Community Room while those who choose may take a turn running an agility course that will be set in the Training Center.

Please plan to bring some kind of “finger food” to share.

If you have a dog being remembered on this day, we would love to have you share a photo and/or a story about your departed friend.  This is a day to give voice to what needs to be said.

Other details:

MHS will be open Saturday February 11th at 2pm for set-up and organization
2:30pm will be the start of the actual ceremony in the Community Room … Bench will be set up under Kitty’s CATS Paw … Paul will be Master of Ceremonies and Heidi will make the toast
Food: members will be asked to bring “finger foods” like snacks, small sandwiches, veggie/fruit plates or desserts
Training Center …  Diane & Heidi have been discussing a Nested course for all teams to enjoy
“In Person” introduction of new members and their dogs
Pfoot will have her camera to take photos to capture the event.  Other cameras welcome!  (Leslie Vassal  requests: is anyone able to videotape?)

CATS has the following equipment available for sale.  These fine items will be auctioned at the Annual Meeting on January 8, 2012.

• MAD Agility Dogwalk, needs painting all sandpaint ground off
• Aframe kit, unpainted, unfinished, plywood, slatted
• (2) sets of (6) 21″ weave poles, white base w/anti-skid tape
• wooden dog bone jump handcrafted by Mark Wirant
• Do-It- Yourself wooden, painted, contact trainer, slatted (small, can fit indoors)
• (2) sets of 6-weave pole wires 
• (2) C PE tires (no frame)

To view videos of the equipment listed above, click here. Plan to arrange pick-up of the equipment at a later time and date. The equipment will NOT be at the annual meeting.

Annual Dinner Meeting…..Sunday, January 8, 2012

Memorial Bench Celebration……Saturday, February 11, 2012 @ 2pm

CATS Seminar Weekend…March 17 & 18, 2012

See you there!

The MHS Training Center is reserved for CATS indoor agility use  this winter on Saturdays from 4 pm to whenever.  MHS will continue to update CATS when there are other empty nights on the schedule and offer to CATS members the opportunity to use the room at those times.

Kim Kennelly writes:

Just wanted to pass on a brag for Kitty’s little girl, Ceiko. Ceiko and I competed in our first trial on Saturday Oct 22, 2011 at the Bo-Gee CPE trial in Deerfield, NH.

Very exciting day…especially the Snooker run where Ceiko ran like a Mercedes! Ceiko earned the following in Level 2:

Snooker 1st & Q
Standard 2nd & Q
Fullhouse 2nd & Q

Kimand Ceiko at Bo-Gee CPE, Oct 22, 2011

Wildcard 2nd

Congratulations Kim and Ceiko!

NADAC – Northeast Agility Enthusiasts
Stephentown, NY, October 8-9, 2011

Tammy Lenski reports that Missy earned her Novice Jumpers title!

USDAA –Breeze Thru Agility
Guilford, VT, October 8-9, 2011

Dana Chenier reports that Pearl earned her Starters Relay title!

N. Smithfield, RI, October 22-23, 2011–Wide World of Sports was decorated; people & dogs
were in costume; and there was party music and effects! Despite (or possibly,  because of) the fiendish distractions, two of our CATS members made some magic and announce the following good news:

Elite Chance’s Title:  Donna Allen & Leo
Novice Jumper’s Title:  Tammy Lenski & Missy
Novice Jumper’s Title:  Tammy Lenski & Smudge
Novice Tunneler’s Title:  Tammy Lenski & Smudge

Congratulations!!! 

Chris Frado, Snoop & Bingo shared the following:
Snoop Doggy & Chris Frado
P111 Gamblers……1st & Q
P111 Snooker……1st & Super Q
Performance Speed Jumping…..1st & Q
P111 Pairs…..1st & Q with Spryte & Elise

Bingo & Chris Frado
P11 Standard….1st & Q
P111 Jumpers….1st & Q
P111 Snooker….2nd & Q

Congratulation, Chris.  What great teammates you have! 

We’d love to hear from any other CATS members who were at this Trial.