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✰ Club Report ✰

Samoyed Club of America’s Bulletin

(2nd Quarter 2011)

Once again, the highlight of spring was the PVSC Spring Specialty held on April 23rd near Baltimore, in conjunction with the Old Dominion Kennel Club show at the Maryland State Fairgrounds. There were eighty-one entries (thirty in Sweeps) from throughout the east coast and Canada. Mrs. Patricia Griffin and Mr. Houston Clark judged, and an enthusiastic crowd cheered the impressive showing. The event was capped by a potluck lunch at ringside.

In the months leading up to the Spring Specialty, PVSC members were also busy preparing for the Fall Specialty. The newly formed PVSC “FiberArts” committee has been hard at work collecting and transforming Samoyed hair into yarn and knitted trophies for our October 2 Fall Specialty in Millbrook, Virginia (about 70 miles west of Washington, D.C.). They took time out on May 9 to tour the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival and gain even more ideas and inspiration for extra special Specialty trophies. Photos of some of the creations are viewable on PVSC’s Facebook page. Mountains of hair donated by club sammies has been hand-spun or processed at a woolen mill. If any Sammy fanciers elsewhere are interested in donating their Sammies’ hair to a good cause, please let us know.

Prior to Memorial Weekend, PVSC Samoyeds were star attractions at Bethesda, Maryland’s annual “Strut Your Mutt” street festival. For several hours, PVSC members fielded questions on the breed, PVSC and SCA as our Sammies dazzled admirers at this annual event that draws thousands of spectators and seemingly as many dogs. PVSC members took turns manning our booth and introducing two Samoyeds on grooming tables positioned to meet adults at eye level while other club sammies were walked around at huggable height for their younger admirers.

PVSC members also enjoyed membership meetings and potlucks and a lovely trek on the historic C&O Canal which runs parallel to the Potomac River. Some members braved inclement weather and crowds for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival Walk on the National Mall in April. Another club favorite -- the PVSC Azalea Walk at the National Arboretum -- took place at the end of April.

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✰ Club Report ✰

Samoyed Club of America’s Bulletin

(4th Quarter 2011)

PVSC’s Fall Specialty in conjunction with the Old Dominion Kennel Club, at Virginia’s historic Long Branch Mansion and Farm near the Blue Ridge Mountains, is the jewel of the club’s busy fall itinerary. This year’s Fall Specialty was also notable for the PVSC FiberArts Committee’s hand-crafted trophies that incorporated the hair of PVSC Samoyeds in handsome knitted and felted items. The Samoyeds entered in the specialty, from throughout the east coast, were delighted with our region’s coldest early-October weekend on record. Winners of the Samoyed-hair scarves, hats and mittens put the knitted trophies to immediate use. The Specialty was capped off with a potluck in the canopy complex provided by the PVSC Fall Specialty Chairman, Karla Perez, and her husband, Doug. Photos of the Fall Specialty and trophies are on PVSC’s website (www.PotomacValleySams.com).

The club celebrated the Samoyed breed’s athleticism by conducting a dogscooter & bikejoring clinic on November 12 near Potomac, Maryland, on the C&O Canal. Several scooters (20” and 26” wheels), harnesses and other gear were provided for owners and their Samoyeds to get acquainted with Samoyed pulling prowess. The clinic was the scooter debut for several of the club’s younger Samoyeds who have matured enough to begin pulling. It was also the first time riding scooters for several Samoyed owners who discovered that scootering is easier, and safer, than biking.

Fall’s crisp air and the holidays set the stage for a panoply of outdoor activities for PVSC Samoyeds and members. There were group hikes on the historic C&O Canal and the annual Pumpkin Patch, Hayride & Dog-Friendly Winery Tour in Virginia’s countryside. PVSC members celebrated the holidays at a catered party hosted by Jan Lynch and on the National Mall for the club’s annual gathering at the Capitol Christmas Tree on the U.S. Capitol’s west lawn. For the first time, the PVSC participated in the annual “Christmas in Middleburg” (Virginia) parade that draws over 7,000 spectators. Our Samoyeds pranced proudly, pulled scooters and rode on mini-floats to the delight of parade-goers.

Every public outing with Samoyeds becomes an educational clinic for curious passerby. PVSC members benefited as well from a first-aid clinic and coalesced to commence a clubwide effort to collect and contribute DNA for the new SCA Research Foundation study on bloat (gastric dilation volvulus).

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✰ Club Report ✰

Samoyed Club of America’s Bulletin

Summer 2012

PVSC held an AKC-approved conformation “B” match in Springfield, Virginia, on July 21. Samoyed owners from around the region were invited to attend the day’s activities, which began with a handling workshop for those new to the world of conformation shows. The event was capped off by a picnic for participants and spectators. The venue (Lake Accotink Park just outside the Beltway) provided attendees an array of recreational opportunities, including boating and hiking.

PVSC members gathered near Baltimore on a Sunday afternoon in June for a Canine First-Aid Seminar and acupuncture demonstration conducted by a veterinarian. Samoyed volunteers stepped forward for the acupuncture experience with wagging tails and interested owners. The seminar was held in conjunction with a membership meeting and luncheon.

The second annual Summer Sammy Shindig took place in August on the Chesapeake Bay near Solomons Island, Maryland. Hosted by PVSC members John and Brenda Mantz, the highlight of the event is the Running of the Samoyeds at a private beach club. A few of the more aquatically-oriented sammies veered into the Bay for a refreshing dip in between sprints.

PVSC’s FiberArts group continued to hold well-attended monthly gatherings as knitted and felted projects are underway for use as PVSC Fall Specialty trophies and for products available for purchase at the PVSC booth at the SCA National. The July “Dye Pot Party” was especially popular as it was a demonstration by PVSC member Lidiya Gavrilenko on applying color to Samoyed yarn (“S’yarn” in the PVSC vernacular).

PVSC’s Facebook group -- open to all Samoyed enthusiasts near and far -- continued to be a wellspring of interesting discussions and entertaining photography and videos. It is also serving as a welcoming orientation for prospective PVSC members

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✰ Club Report ✰

Samoyed Club of America’s Bulletin

Spring 2012

The marquee event of PVSC’s hectic spring season - the annual Spring Specialty - was held on April 21 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds near Baltimore, Maryland. Ms. Linda Reidel and Ms. Lisl Dutterer judged the specialty, which drew entries from throughout the east coast and Canada and which was held in conjunction with the Old Dominion Kennel Club. Ms. Anne MacArthur served as show chairman and Ms. Jan Lynch and Mr. Michael Fernandez co-chaired the trophy committee. PVSC members and specialty participants were welcomed at our customary potluck luncheon at ringside following the show.

Several activities boosted public awareness of the Samoyed breed and the club as PVSC members and their sammies turned out in force for the 100th National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., the annual Azalea Walk at the National Arboretum and to support the PVSC booth at the annual Strut Your Mutt Festival in Bethesda, Maryland. PVSC Samoyeds were also regulars on the C&O Canal towpath in Maryland during PVSC dogscooter and bikejoring outings until temperatures warmed up and the pulling season ended.

PVSC’s FiberArts group, which provided all the hand-knitted and felted Samoyed yarn trophies at the 2011 Fall Specialty, embarked on another ambitious program for 2012. FiberArts members spent a day sorting donated Samoyed hair to be spun into yarn and knitted goods for presentation as trophies at the 2012 Fall Specialty, to support other club activities and for the benefit of Samoyed rescue and the annual SCA auction. The FiberArts group attended workshops at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival and continued to meet for monthly knitting sessions and luncheons.

PVSC is also pleased to report a surge in membership applications since the 2011 unveiling of our new website (www.PotomacValleySams.com) which links to an active Facebook page (open to PVSC members and nonmembers) and the club’s distribution to members of PVSC business cards for handing out to interested Samoyed enthusiasts encountered in public.

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✰ Club Report ✰

Samoyed Club of America’s Bulletin

Summer 2013

PVSC pups and peops love a good parade, especially when we’re marching in them. We had an absolute blast participating as one of eighty groups in the St. Patrick’s Parade in historic Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia. Two dozen Samoyeds decked out in St. Patrick’s attire managed to upstage even the Irish Wolfhounds as they sashayed down King Street toward the Potomac River. Several PVSC sammies also competed in the pre-parade “Fun Dog Show” in the town square. Many photographs and videos of our Samoyeds subsequently were featured in local newspapers and on local television stations.

The PVSC contingent was very photogenic as we had sammies pulling scooters and trailers carrying “pots o’ gold,” sammies riding in decorated trailers and a Samoyed (Daffy Perez) riding on the back of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle (safely secured in her custom motorcycle seat). Some of us were asked what Samoyeds have to do with Ireland. We responded that there are gorgeous sammies in Ireland and, besides, Samoyeds go with any holiday. On that note, we’re looking for a Halloween parade to march in this fall (sammies have a head-start on ghost costumes) and will make our third appearance in the Middleburg, Virginia, Christmas parade this December.

Parade photographs are accessible through PVSC’s website.

Other spring highlights included our annual Cherry Blossom Festival walk on the National Mall, our annual Azalea Walk at the National Arboretum, a FiberArts outing to the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, lure coursing and a sheep herding instinct-testing event.

DC summers find us and our sams thankful for the invention of air conditioning. So our summer outdoor event schedule will be lighter and capped off with our annual “Sammy Shindig” on a beach at the Chesapeake Bay. The FiberArts group will continue to meet monthly and progress in creating keepsake hand-knitted (Samoyed yarn) trophies for our Fall Specialty (September 29, near Leesburg, Virginia).

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✰ Club Report ✰

Samoyed Club of America’s Bulletin

Spring 2013 issue

PVSC rang in the new year with a well-attended membership meeting and luncheon on January 6. The Board of Directors and officers were voted in, new members were voted upon and a proposed calendar of events was discussed. The highlight of the gathering was a presentation by Mid-Atlantic Samoyed Rescue’s (MASR) Ellen Engle on the status of the thirty-three Samoyeds that MASR took possession of after disposition of an animal cruelty case that involved Pennsylvania and Delaware authorities. PVSC members had assisted MASR in the rescue effort and PVSC’s treasury and holiday auction provided $3700 to help in funding veterinary and other expenses.

At the time of the meeting, two months after the Samoyeds came to MASR, thirty-one of the thirty-three had been placed in adoptive or foster homes. This news was greeted with rousing applause and profound appreciation for the outpouring of support and contributions from Samoyed fanciers throughout the U.S. and Canada and around the world, which enabled the “PA-DE 33” to receive desperately needed care.

PVSC’s FiberArts Group continued to host monthly luncheon meetings and conducted knitting and felting sessions to handcraft trophies for PVSC’s fall specialty. There were also FiberArts outings to the American Craft Council’s Baltimore Craft Show and the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. Surplus skeins of “S’yarn” (40% Samoyed, 60% merino) were sold to PVSC members and to the public via PVSC’s website.

PVSC’s Spring Specialty, held at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in conjunction with the Old Dominion Kennel Club, continued to draw entries from around the east coast and Canada. PVSC’s Anne MacArthur graciously agreed to serve as show chairman again in 2013, ably assisted by trophy chairman (and PVSC President) Janice Lynch and other PVSC volunteers. PVSC instituted a new silver “Challenge Trophy” for the Spring Specialty which will be retired when someone wins Best of Breed three times.

The first-ever PVSC “lure coursing” event was held in February. Fifty Samoyeds were signed up to chase faux jack rabbits around a large fenced field while their owner-onlookers warmed up with chili and hot coffee. This was nearly as entertaining as the first-ever PVSC sheep-herding instinct testing event. Dogscooter and bikejoring outings were held in the cooler months on the C&O Canal near Potomac, Maryland. Group hikes took place around the DC area, including Great Falls National Park in Virginia.

PVSC Samoyeds again dazzled onlookers at the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., the annual Azalea Walk at the National Arboretum and the Strut Your Mutt Festival in Bethesda, Maryland.

PVSC’s new website and the dynamic “(Friends of) Potomac Valley Samoyed Club” Facebook page continue to attract new members and generate informative and fun discussions in a collegial atmosphere. If you are not already participating on Facebook, please sign up and say hello!

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