Category Archives: Fort St. Clair Kennel Club

In Memory of Al Combs

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Sometimes there are people associated with a kennel club without whom the very structure of the club might have long ago dissolved. Al Combs was one of those people. If there was work to be done, he did it. If you needed help, he was there. He could deal with the prickliest people with aplomb and good humor. And his humor! It was so dry, you sometimes didn’t even see it coming but before you knew it, everyone was in stitches. His wife, Sandy has served in many capacities as a club officer– she is currently the President. And Al was ever the First Gentleman of Fort St. Clair Kennel Club.

I doubt if Al ever took a dog into a ring, though he probably would have if you really needed him to. He liked to say that he didn’t have any dogs, pretending that the small herd of Dachshunds in the kitchen were all the sole purview of his wife. And indeed, the dogs were and are Sandy’s “thing.” But Al was always right there beside her–  helping with trimming nails and taking pictures and training puppies; looking after the whole crew if Sandy was out of town for a show. And he did have a dog, a very special extraordinarily long-legged Dachshund mix named Violet. Violet was born at Sandy and Al’s, one of ten puppies of a pregnant rescue, and she stayed on as Al’s companion for his jaunts around the hay-meadow and the pond and the woods.

Al was an avid gardener, and the spring will bring a reminder of the magic he made at the Combs’ place when thousands and thousands of daffodils spring up. He grew prize winning roses, and a large garden of vegetables. You could always expect them to turn up with a gift of fresh asparagus or blackberries or tomatoes. He was a remarkable fix-it person and kept a wide inventory of unusual things that might be needed at some point. He made hundreds of gallons of apple butter with the West Alexandria Lions Club.

He liked to cook and last spring in the day before the dog show, Sandy invited me there for lunch. Anyone who’s ever hosted a dog show knows how hectic and draining it is. But it was such a pleasure to take a break from that craziness and sit down for a great bowl of homemade soup and shoot the breeze with Al. And everyone that knew him has a story like that. If you needed something Al did it for you. Sometimes if you didn’t even know  you needed something, Al did it for you.

As Gary Sinck, one of our members, put it “He was just such a neat guy.”

On Friday, January 10th, Al died, after a long and courageous fight with pulmonary fibrosis.

To say the club won’t be the same without him is an understatement: the world won’t be the same without him. We miss him already.

He is survived by his wife, Sandra Duncan Combs, and also by his two beautiful daughters, Veronica Combs (and her husband Michael Borchers and their boys Carson and Liam) and Rebecca Combs and her husband Jody Powlette, along with a brother and sister. And Violet too, of course.

A link to his obituary is here. There will be a memorial service  held Sunday, January 26th at 1 p.m. at Barnes Funeral Home, 220 East Main Street in Eaton.

~ Larkin Vonalt

Training Classes Begin Feb. 3!

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New Series of Training Classes Begin Monday, February 3, 2014 ~ Inside and Heated

 

We’re offering obedience and conformation classes on Monday evenings, beginning February 3rd and running through March 10th.

6:30 p.m.  Beginning Obedience

60-minute beginning obedience course for people who want to make their dog easier to live with. This is not competitive obedience training, though it could certainly lay the groundwork for that. The instructor, Lori Genaw, wants to make sure that people who took previous classes know that they are welcome to come back to continue their training as well as newcomers who are just getting started. The cost of the obedience class is $50 for 6 sessions. We have a special offer for people who have adopted their dogs from the Humane Society of Preble County– you can take this course for just $25! The class is an hour-long, and is open to puppies and adult dogs. Handlers should be 10 and up, and we ask that minors be accompanied by at least one parent. For dogs that are ready at the completion of the course, you may have your dog tested for a Canine Good Citizen title. This is not only a nice accomplishment for you and your dog, but can ease your situation with home insurance.

7:30  Conformation

Conformation Classes last 60-minutes and over the course of six weeks we will cover showing indoors, stacking in front of a mirror, video feedback, cavaletti work, free-stacking, hand-stacking, gaiting, lead control and bait management. Dogs of all ages and levels of experience are welcome.  Handlers should be at least 10 years old, and we ask that minors be accompanied by at least one parent. The cost for Conformation classes is $25 for six weeks, or $5 per class if you just want to drop  by for one or two.

All classes are free for members of Fort St. Clair Kennel Club. Maybe you should think about joining?

Classes are held in the School Building at Preble County Fairgrounds, 722 S. Franklin St, Eaton, OH. It’s on the south side of the fairgrounds, and has numerous “garage” doors.  Look for parked cars.

If you’d like more information or to pre-register, please call Lori Genaw (937) 696-2585; or email the club at fsckc@earthlink.net.

 

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Remembering Sue Malinowski

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SueMalinowskiIt is with great sadness that we learned of the death of former member, AKC judge Susan A. (Preston) Malinowski. Sue died in hospice on Tuesday, November 12, from pancreatic cancer. She was 63. A well-known fancier of Great Pyrenees, Sue was a respected breeder-judge, and had been active in judging a number of other working breeds. She was a member of Fort St. Clair Kennel Club until 2009, when she and her husband retired to The Villages in Lake County, Florida. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Baldwin Brothers Cremation Society, but are yet to be announced. Condolences can be sent to Sue’s widower, Ken Malinowski at the family home, 2031 Watson Terrace, The Villages, FL 32162.
The winner of Best of Breed in Great Pyrenees at the Fort St. Clair Kennel Club show in April 2014 will be awarded an engraved silver-plated bowl in Sue’s memory.

 

Don’t Forget the Match on Sunday!

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We’ll be holding our annual AKC Sanctioned B Match this year on Sunday, October 20th, at the Gem City Dog Obedience Club, 1654 Springfield St, Dayton. The match is indoors, climate-controlled and food will be available.  (You can click on the image of the flyer to make it bigger.)

Pre-entries are $7.50 each and should be mailed to Gary Sinck, 725 Xenia Ave, Dayton, OH 45410 and must be postmarked by October 14.  Entries will also be taken on day-of-show, between 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. (Day of show entries are $10)  Judging will begin at 12:00 noon.  Junior Showmanship will be judged first, followed by breed judging. There are three age divisions of puppy classes: 3-6 months, 6-9 months and 9-12 months. There are also classes for adult dogs who have not yet earned a “major” at an AKC dog show.  The match will culminate is Best Adult Dog in Match and Best Puppy in Match.

A few rules to be aware of:

  • Absolutely NO CHALK.  The facility is an agility club, with a specialized floor and chalk makes the floor very slippery, and could result in injury. If we catch you with chalk, we will ask you to leave. And we’d hate to do that, so please, no chalk. None. Nope, not even a smidgen.
  • No taped ears. This is an AKC regulation, and we are bound to observe it. They even go as far as to say that a judge is not allowed to judge a dog if the exhibitor removes the tape in the ring. So if your pup has taped ears, remember to take the tape off at home. We know they’re puppies, and the ears may not be “perfect” yet.
  • Professional handlers are welcome to handle their own dogs at this match. Client dogs are not permitted unless the client is on the end of the leash.
  • Entries MUST be on an official AKC entry blank. We have a downloadable one here (click the link). We will have entry forms at the match too.

The Judging Panel

  • Sporting     Larkin Vonalt
  • Hound     Skip Thielen
  • Working     Sylvia Jones
  • Terrier     Brad Reese
  • Toy     Brad Reese
  • Non-Sporting     Rick Mouser
  • Herding     Charlie Evans
  • Junior Showmanship     Dr. Tracy Leonard, DVM
  • Best in Match    Cindy Benson

A word about the “Ohio Virus”

Many of us in Ohio have been alerted to the presence of an unidentified virus that has stricken some dogs in the Cincinnati and Akron area. We have been in touch with the State Veterinarian who assured us that it would be safe to hold this match. (Unlike dog parks, which he has advised to avoid.) The Gem CIty facility is kept scrupulously clean; swept and mopped regularly. They know that the virus is spread by fecal contact, so we are asking you to be extra vigilant in picking up after your dog. The rate of contagion is very low– dogs in the same households have not been equally affected– and treatment of symptoms gives dogs an excellent prognosis.  Please know that if we believed that this match could endanger dogs in any way, we would not have gone forward with it. So come on out and have some fun. 

Directions

  • From US35: Take the N. Smithville Road exit and follow Smithville Rd. north all the way to the end. At the t-junction, turn LEFT.  Gem City Dog Club will be on your LEFT. It is set back off of the road, behind an auto-parts dealer. There are large colorful dog cut-outs on the building.
  • From Ohio 4: Take the Stanley/Findlay Street exit towards downtown. (South) (Left if you’re coming from Columbus area, right if you’re coming from I-75) Turn LEFT on First Street, which merges with Springfield St. Gem City Dog Club will be on your RIGHT. It is set back off of the road, behind an auto-parts dealer. There are large colorful dog cut-outs on the building.
  • From I-75: take the Ohio 4 exit. Take the Stanley/Findlay Street exit towards downtown. (South) (Left if you’re coming from Columbus area, right if you’re coming from I-75) Turn LEFT on First Street, which merges with Springfield St. Gem City Dog Club will be on your RIGHT. It is set back off of the road, behind an auto-parts dealer. There are large colorful dog cut-outs on the building.
  • From I-70, east of Dayton: Take the Ohio 4 exit. When you are nearing Dayton, look for the  Take the Stanley/Findlay Street exit towards downtown. (South) Turn LEFT on First Street, which merges with Springfield St. Gem City Dog Club will be on your RIGHT. It is set back off of the road, behind an auto-parts dealer. There are large colorful dog cut-outs on the building.Gem City Dog Club will be on your RIGHT. It is set back off of the road, behind an auto-parts dealer. There are large colorful dog cut-outs on the building.
  • From I-70, west of Dayton: Take the I-75 exit. Then get off on Ohio 4.  Take the Stanley/Findlay Street exit towards downtown. (South) (Left if you’re coming from Columbus area, right if you’re coming from I-75) Turn LEFT on First Street, which merges with Springfield St. Gem City Dog Club will be on your RIGHT. It is set back off of the road, behind an auto-parts dealer. There are large colorful dog cut-outs on the building.
  • CLICK ON THE MAP BELOW TO MAKE IT LARGER.

 

 

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