Newsletter editor: Jacqui Hartranft | Email: japhart@ptd.net
Newsletter co-editor: Stacey Nash | Email: staceyhayesnash@gmail.com
Welcome to the ADTC FEBRUARY issue of Barks & Bytes
Welcome to the FEBRUARY BARKS & BYTES NEWSLETTER!!
It is still the beginning of a New Year! ….
…..hopefully you made more training time for your dog as one of your resolutions for 2026.
So many Clubs do not have such a nice place to train. Yes, we wish we could have more time, but we are
grateful for the time that we have. And thanks to Terry and Gail, we now have a Fall Obedience and Rally
trial there in “our” building. And it was successful and FILLED.
Also a reminder:
We are in the middle of the winter season so please check your emails in case classes have to be cancelled due to bad weather.
See below for our new board for 2026. Be sure to support all who volunteered to serve.
Regarding the new board: We were unable to vote the new board for 2026 and the new constitution and bylaws because we were short of a quorum at the general meeting on January 7. PLEASE MEMBERS WE NEED TO HAVE MORE OF YOU TO ATTEND OUR MEETINGS. We understand that most people do not want to go out at night, especially in the winter, but our club is only as good as our membership. It is your Club and our Board works very hard to hold classes as well as holding two trials a year. PLEASE try to attend some of these meetings and let your Board know that we support them and appreciate them volunteering for these offices. As a solution we chose to call a special meeting on a virtual platform, ZOOM to have the necessary quorum. Thanks to all who attended and voted to approve everything!
Due to the cold and sometimes nasty weather, training outside can be difficult. We are listing several simple but very important things you can do inside your home with limited space. There is a list of about 13 things which can be done by almost everyone. Most of it is to help perfect fronts, finishes, turns, things like that but especially for the novice people to practice what you have done in class. We will put the list at the end of this newsletter so it will be easy for you to make a copy of it AND THEN USE IT!! You do not have to practice everything at one time but do practice things you may be weak in.
There are also match shows. Yes, at times they can be hard to find but that makes it more important than
ever to check https://dogmatchshows.com . Some fill quickly, like Dauphin DTC, Char-Wills German
Shepherd Rescue runs a great one in New Ringgold (one is planned for March). Suburban DTC is getting their new building up and running they will be holding monthly match shows too! They also plan to host
obedience and rally point shows in the future. Top Dog Obedience Training in New Jersey also has monthly match shows. Putting on these events requires a lot of volunteers. So, try to help when you can. Lastly, if you have tennis courts in your area and dogs are allowed, they are a great fenced in places to train. But be sure that dogs are allowed.
As most of you know, help is always needed at the two shows we host in spring and fall. We are always
looking for help. I had written an article in the October 2025 issue of BARKS & BYTES as to what a steward does in a trial. Please look it up and read it again if you did not take the time to read it at the time the issue came out. One of our newer members who had never been to a dog show told us that she learned so much when she stewarded at a trial. And she is correct; it is a great way to learn about showing!
So, enjoy the BARKS & BYTES.
– all the best, Jacqui