Greetings!
 Autumn is in full swing around the country and that brings the cool crisp air our Newfs love so much. Now that water training season is wrapping up- don't forget to complete the WRDX survey- even if you were just a spectator the Working Dog Committee would like to hear your thoughts. Even though your water gear is packed away, don't think the fun should stop for your Newf - carting, education, obedience and parties are great activities to fill a fall afternoon. Trick or treating with a Newf in costume is a sure way to make some new friends for you and your dog. Let us know what you and your Newf have been up to.
You can also share the latest news about the club and the breed with your fellow Newfoundland dog friends by forwarding this newsletter- just click on the "Forward to a Friend" button and enter email addresses of your friends to send on the news. |
Database Update
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 The NCA Board and Technical Resources Committee regret the confusion during the introduction of the new NCA database. We are grateful to Newfoundland fanciers for their patience in this matter. Some of the major problems with the NCA database that have become evident since its introduction have relatively straightforward solutions and some of the major gaps in data have technical solutions that will be implemented. The NCA database will remain online and you are invited to investigate it, and send comments on the user
interface. We will keep you informed as updates, additions and
corrections are implemented. However, please don't send data or try to document errors and omissions until the NCA database is updated further.
Phase
1 of the online NCA Database was developed to provide pedigree and
title data for NCA Publications- Newf Tide, and the
Annual of Titlists, to
track titles for awarding ROMs & VNs, to provide back-end data
for membership functions and to provide a place for NCA members to
list health clearances such as Cardiac or Cystinuria, without listing
with the OFA. When completed the NCA Database will include pedigree,
owner, breeder, health and award data for all Newfoundland Dogs
earning NCA or AKC titles and/or having clearances posted in OFA or
submitted directly to the database. The NCA database is not intended
to be a repository listing of all Newfoundland Dogs.
Tech
Resources will be inputting data received from AKC and OFA and many
of the holes in the current data will be filled, please watch future
editions of e-Notes to get regular updates on the progress of this
project. We appreciate
everyone's patience during this time of transition and with your
assistance we will have a database that will effectively meet the
needs of the club into the future.
When
exporting data from previous sources and breaking it down for import
into the current database, some of the data was corrupted. The Tech
Resources committee, utilizing data from the AKC and the OFA is
working to restore much of this data. The Working Dog Committee is
also assisting Tech Resources in compiling working award data to be
imported. Global corrections have been made to color, etc. to
correct those fields. The owner/breeder data is being handled
from a different perspective than the original data and is being
reviewed manually by a subcommittee working with person data,
including membership. We may be contacting you to verify information
if you have registered or bred dogs under multiple first/last names
over the years - for example Jane Doe, Jane Doe-Smith, J. Smith and
Mrs. Howard Smith all being the same individual.
We
will be asking people to take a moment to look at their dogs and let
us know if there is incorrect data listed for your dog. The
dogs most likely to show with errors are:
·
Dogs with unusual
capitalization - since much of the data was imported in all caps, a
global fix was implemented to correct to capitalize the first letter
of each word, if your dog's name has capitals in different
configurations please let us know if it appears incorrectly.
·
Dogs who had health
clearances submitted directly to NCA and not OFA
In
cases where incorrect information appears, you can submit information
via email (OFA or AKC reports), regular mail to PO Box 2335 Davidson,
NC 28036-5335 (copies of AKC, NCA certificates or Health Clearances-
cardiologist reports or cystinuria clearances) or fax to
360-598-6592 (copies of AKC, NCA or Health Clearances-
cardiologist reports or cystinuria clearances)
When
searching for dogs in the database the most effective way is to
search for a fragment of the registered name, usually the parts
immediately following the kennel name. Searches including kennel
names are encumbered by possible variations in the names
including the presence of apostrophes - this will be corrected for in
future versions of the database, but right now still exist.
Dogs
are being corrected to show what is on their AKC registration. If
there is a spelling error on the dog's registration with the
owner/breeder or dog's name or the dog's color is incorrectly listed
it should be corrected with the AKC first and then a corrected copy
of the certificate sent to the NCA.
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NCA Provides JEC Presentation to Membership
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 The NCA mailed a CD copy of the Judges Education Presentation on the breed to all NCA members in the 3rd Quarter issue of Newf Tide. This CD will also be included in the welcome packet to all new NCA members. The presentation is a Power Point™ file. If you are unable to open the file, a PDF version has been posted on the NCA website. Members are reminded that the information and images in the presentation are copyrighted by the NCA and should not be reproduced without permission. You can share the PDF by linking to the Judges Education Center on the NCA site. This will allow the NCA to keep the presentation current with any changes the JEC may add.
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Gen ED Seeking PR Materials
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 The Gen Ed committee is gathering public relations materials with a goal of putting together a Care Package for all regional clubs. If NCA members could please send samples of what they personally provide or what their club provides, it would be most appreciated. Gen Ed will be requesting reprint permission for those items included in the final packet.
Items can include:
- Items for children: coloring sheets, crosswords, games, find a word, etc.
- Lewis & Clark information: facts about Seaman, historical sites, etc.
- Puppy Information: how to find, how to care for, grooming, training, etc.
- Breed Information
- Images: posters, drawings, photos
- Breed Facts
- How-to's: training, grooming, general care, find a Newf
- Activities to do with your Newf: water work, draft work, obedience, tracking, etc
Files can be emailed to: Nicki Dobson or mailed to: 8502 Dice Lane, Lenexa, KS 66215
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REACt Launches New Buyer Project
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In 2006, REACt surveyed the NCA membership to gain insights on members'
experiences as owners and first-time buyers. One of the things that we
recognized after reviewing the responses was that, while most of us
started under less than ideal circumstances, most of those new owners
who are buying their dogs through the internet do not have the
opportunity to make the connection to NCA or its regional clubs that
the rest of us have had. Making these resources available through NCA
and its regional clubs will help them learn about the breed and develop
into better newf owners. Perhaps some will develop into breed
enthusiasts and breed stewards and will help further other new owners.
One
of the outcomes of this survey is a coupon that will be included in
registration packets, offering those who register their Newfoundlands
an issue of Newf Tide. This
will provide new owners with an opportunity to learn about issues
affecting Newfoundlands, companion and working roles of Newfoundlands,
what the NCA does, what show-winning Newfoundlands look like and what
kind of activities occur at the nearest regional club. A cover letter
is included highlighting information available on the NCA web site,
along with a list of regional clubs, including club contacts and Rescue
contacts. This project will run for six month study period.
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AKC DNA Discount
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To celebrate AKC's 125th anniversary the AKC Booth will be offering
discounted DNA Profiling at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship in
Long Beach, CA December 12 and 13th. Come by the booth on Saturday from
9:00 am to 2:00 pm and on Sunday from 9:00 am to 12:00pm. DNA Samples
collected at the booth during this event will have a discounted price
of $30.00 each. Drop by the AKC Booth to see what's new with the AKC
and take advantage of this special DNA offer. Please note this is for
AKC DNA Profiling and NOT the CHIC DNA Database.
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The NCA Board of Directors now has available audio transcripts of the monthly teleconferences. These have been broken down into segments for easier downloading.
LISTEN NOW
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 Support NCA Charities
Donate Online Today
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Coming Soon
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Once again the 4th Quarter issue of Newf Tide will feature a full color spread of this year's Photo Contest winners. Don't miss out on this spectacular issue- subscribe today!
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