Celebration of all the interest in BWD!

What a fun summer it has been seeing all the fun postings on your regional club pages about the interest in Beginner Water Dog!! Many dogs were successful in this new endeavor across the country! Congratulations to all who gave it a good effort this summer!! Look for a survey in next Quarter’s Working Dog News regarding this new division. Send us your pictures of your first BWD event to workingdog@ncadogs.org! 

Is That A Newfoundland?

One of the most wonderful things about working events is that they are open to ALL newfoundlands!! BUT for newfoundlands who do not have an AKC registration because they were acquired from a rescue or another adoptive situation, in order to compete those newfs need to apply for and obtain a AKC Purebred Alternative Listing registration number (A “PAL”) 

There are various reasons why a purebred dog might not be eligible for registration. The dog may be the product of an unregistered litter, or have unregistered parents. The dog’s papers may have been withheld by its breeder or lost by its owner. Sometimes, it is the dog itself that was “lost.” There are dogs enrolled in the PAL program after they have been rescued by new owners from shelters or purebred rescue groups. The PAL program allows the dog and owner a second chance at discovering the rewards of participating in AKC and NCA events. Your application will receive an independent evaluation from the AKC regarding your dog based on photos and then will give you a certificate that will allow for your newfoundland to participate as a purebred newfoundland.  

• AKC PAL: Eligible for companion and performance events, and dogs compete or get ranked within their specific recognized purebred category “allows participation and ranking within a specific breed in certain events like FastCAT” 

There is another type of registration, (AKC Canine Partners) which is not the same as a PAL and does NOT allow your dog to be considered a “purebred newfoundland”. While eligible to earn titles in most performance and companion sports (like agility, obedience, and rally), they compete under the All-American category rather than a specific breed class – Dogs with Canine Partners registrations are not allowed to enter NCA working events.

Application Requirements

• AKC PAL: Costs a non-refundable $45 fee, requires two clear color photos (front and side standing), and requires proof of spay/neuter at age 6 months or older.

To register your dog with a PAL please visit the AKC

Safety and Sound Planning are keys to Great Events

NCA Events have a sound record of success for high levels of fun, excitement, review of skills that dogs and handlers can achieve, and they all have one overarching goal – that goal being that everyone who attends a water or draft test leaves the event in the same shape they arrived: safe, sound, and happy to be out in the fresh air participating in a fun day with their wonderful pets.

Since the start of our events, there have always been many places to seek guidance about event planning. Many of our regional clubs built strong mentorships between those folks who routinely stepped up to chair these events, many clubs built working event committees to help with the processes, and a lot of the “how to” has been passed on verbally too. There always have been guidelines for committees in place on the planning process as well.

Some of that information is embedded in the regulations. Some of that information is located on the website. Some of that information is located in specific files located in the Working Dog Forms links on the website. Some of it defaults to the AKC regulations regarding dog shows. Some of it lives on other links as well.  

We know that may seem confusing for people who are trying to find “one” great location for “all” the answers, but that, too, is a process. The WDC is still working on some updates and consolidation of the various documents that all comprise the planning documents and recommendations, guidelines and reports that are required but here are some key points to remember when you plan your events. 

Test committees:  

Remember, Test Committee, that the Chair, the Test Secretary and the Third Committee member ARE “the captains of the ship”. As such, test committees have the responsibility to be on deck from first light to the last and should be the eyes and ears of all the committees. If you see it, say it! Model good sportsmanship, knowledge of the regulations and communication about any issues. Review all the safety officer guidelines, and make sure your club is in compliance with all the materials required for events. Make sure you are clear with the event about the grievance policy and timeline for filing those. Committees must have one member who is current in the Stewards of Children training and submit that information when applying for an NCA event. Regional clubs should use all their local resources and lean into the experts in their area for general ways to ensure your event is safe. Please work with your wonderful park rangers and contacts at your parks and recreation areas in advance and advise the WDC if you have questions or concerns in advance of your event.  

Secretary duties and online entries:

Secretaries, please review all online entries and ensure that you are aware of all entrants complying with NCA regulations. Even though you are not typing in the entries by hand any longer, it is the secretary's job to ensure that all dogs are entering correctly. If multiple divisions are entered, double check that they are within those allowable in the regulation. No multiple divisions in draft work.” Double check your Newfoundland dogs with AKC registrations or PAL numbers. And if you are accepting all breed entries also they will appear online too and you will need to make sure all the correct information is received. It is still the job of the secretary to proof, prepare and approve.  

Third Committee Members:

Not just in the event of a “grievance” Third Committee members play a vital role in being the eyes and ears of the test committee while other members are engaged in duties as well. Your contributions to the running of the event fall into the “all other duties as assigned” category at times, but you are just as important to the functioning of the test and should be available to step into many different roles as needed.

Chief Steward:

Organizes everyone! Keeps volunteers moving and assigned to roles best suited for their abilities. Makes sure all stewards are safe from start to finish of tests.  

Safety Officer:

Vital role in making sure everyone has resources, understands their responsibilities to their dog and others and communicates quickly with others in the event of any incidents.

Hospitality, Fund Raising, Judges Hospitality, and MORE!

All other vital roles, with duties as determined by the test committee ‘captains’.

It takes a village to run a fun event. Thank you to all of you who do your best to make sure everyone has a great time at your working event!!

Our Dogs. Our Children. Our Future.

Our Newfoundlands have such a wonderful and rich heritage. Saviors of the people in high seas - the protector of Peter Pan and Wendy - and Best Buds to children all over.  

Stewards of Children - make sure you are submitting your required paperwork!

Stewards of Children training for one of the committee members must accompany applications for events!  

Read the full details of the NCA policy

Thank you to those NCA Members listed here who have confirmed with the WDC they have completed the training. We appreciate your willingness to be a part of the solution to keeping our children safe!! Judges, committee members and other interested newf fanciers should consider being part of the solution and taking advantage of this opportunity to assist our clubs.

If you have completed that training and have not yet sent in a copy of your certificate, please send one to Sue Raney at sue.raney11@gmail.com so we can record your data for future events. 

Stewards of Children Training