Past Motions

No Current Motions

Members,

The voting results for this motion have been finalized. Please find them included in this email.

Thank you for your involvement with ASCA.

Sincerely,
Kalla Jaco
ASCA Executive Secretary

DJ.23.01 Tie Breaker for Launch Class

Motion carried (8-0) – Approved: Busquets, Byrne, Creelman, Gann, Gerken, McCabe, Sims, Wesen. Disapproved: None. Abstained: None. Non-voting: None.

Motion by Liaison Wesen to approve the following recommendation from the Dock Jumping Committee.

Committee Recommendation: Motion by Heidi Mobley. Second by Lesli Hill.

Results of Committee Vote: Approved: 7. Disapproved: None. Abstained: None. Non-Voting: 2.

Current Wording:

2.5.1 Awards for Classes

The judges shall award up to four placements (either Ribbon or Medals), where possible, in each jump category and division, where possible, based on the dog’s score. First place must be awarded to the dog with the longest/highest score, second place to the dog with the next-highest score and so forth. In case of a tie, the dog’s other jump in the Launch will be the tie breaker.

Proposed Wording:

2.5.1 Awards for Classes

The judges shall award up to four placements (either Ribbon or Medals), where possible, in each jump category and division, where possible, based on the dog’s score. First place must be awarded to the dog with the longest/highest score, second place to the dog with the next-highest score and so forth. In case of a tie, the dog’s other jump in the Launch will be the tie breaker. If the other jumps are identical, both teams will receive the same placement. The following placement, if not 4th place, will be skipped.

Comments/Rationale from the Committee: Several clubs have asked if there was an additional tie breaker. There is not, it is a true tie.

Affected: Judges. Business office for rule book printing.

Effective Date: Immediately upon Board approval.

—

Kalla Jaco

Executive Secretary, Australian Shepherd Club of America

asca.execsec@gmail.com

6091 E. State Hwy 21, Bryan, TX 77808 | (979) 778-1082

Check us out on our Website, Facebook, and YouTube Channel

Members,

The voting results for this motion have been finalized. Please find them included in this email.

Thank you for your involvement with ASCA.

Sincerely,
Kalla Jaco
ASCA Executive Secretary

DJ.23.02 Stopping Fetch It

Motion carried (8-0) – Approved: Busquets, Byrne, Creelman, Gann, Gerken, McCabe, Sims, Wesen. Disapproved: None. Abstained: None. Non-voting: None.

Motion by Liaison Wesen to approve the following recommendation from the Dock Jumping Committee.

Committee Recommendation: Motion by Heidi Mobley. Second by Lesli Hill.

Results of Committee Vote: Approved: 7. Disapproved: None. Abstained: None. Non-Voting: 2.

Current Wording:

3.1 General Descriptions

Fetch It – This is another competition that measures the distance a dog jumps. A bumper is suspended out and over the edge of the water at varying distance and the dog must jump and catch or knock down the Fetch It bumper. The dog jumps further distances until they have missed 2 jumps at the same distance or 3 total missed jumps.

Proposed Wording:

​​3.1 General ​​Descriptions

Fetch It – This is another competition that measures the distance a dog jumps. A bumper is suspended out and over the edge of the water at varying distance and the dog must jump and catch or knock down the Fetch It bumper. The dog jumps further distances until they have missed 2 jumps at the same distance or 3 total missed jumps. Dog and handler can stop at any distance after a successful jump.

Comments/Rationale from the Committee: Clubs have asked about this several times so we need to put it in the rule book.

Affected: Judges. Business office for rule book printing.

Effective Date: Immediately upon Board approval.

—

Kalla Jaco

Executive Secretary, Australian Shepherd Club of America

asca.execsec@gmail.com

6091 E. State Hwy 21, Bryan, TX 77808 | (979) 778-1082

Check us out on our Website, Facebook, and YouTube Channel

Members,

The voting results for this motion have been finalized. Please find them included in this email.

Thank you for your involvement with ASCA.

Sincerely,
Kalla Jaco
ASCA Executive Secretary

DJ.23.03 Only One Jump for Launch Score

Motion carried (8-0) – Approved: Busquets, Byrne, Creelman, Gann, Gerken, McCabe, Sims, Wesen. Disapproved: None. Abstained: None. Non-voting: None.

Motion by Liaison Wesen to approve the following recommendation from the Dock Jumping Committee.

Committee Recommendation: Motion by Heidi Mobley. Second by Taylor Justice.

Results of Committee Vote: Approved: 7. Disapproved: None. Abstained: None. Non-Voting: 2.

Current Wording:

3.1 General Descriptions

Launch – This is the competition measuring the distance of a dog’s jump. The dog’s distance is measured from the end of the dock to where the base of the tail breaks the water’s surface. A launch has a series of two rounds (cycles) of distance jumping competition. The longer jump for each dog will become its official score. The jump must be an intentional jump by the dog and handler. A jump is defined as the handler intending for the dog to go into the pool. If a dog jumps into the pool without the intention of the handler, the dog may be reset for an intentional jump. The jump must be called as not intentional PRIOR to the jump distance being read or recorded. The reset can only happen one time per launch. The dog has a total time of 4 minutes on the dock to complete both jumps that equal to the launch.

Proposed Wording:

3.1 General Descriptions

Launch – This is the competition measuring the distance of a dog’s jump. The dog’s distance is measured from the end of the dock to where the base of the tail breaks the water’s surface. A launch has a series of two rounds (cycles) of distance jumping competition. Handler can elect only to jump dog one time and take that as the score for that Launch. The longer jump for each dog will become its official score. The jump must be an intentional jump by the dog and handler. A jump is defined as the handler intending for the dog to go into the pool. If a dog jumps into the pool without the intention of the handler, the dog may be reset for an intentional jump. The jump must be called as not intentional PRIOR to the jump distance being read or recorded. The reset can only happen one time per launch. The dog has a total time of 4 minutes on the dock to complete both jumps that equal to the launch.

Comments/Rationale from the Committee: Clubs asked if this was ok. No reason a dog has to jump two times.

Affected: Judges. Business office for rule book printing.

Effective Date: Immediately upon Board approval.

—

Kalla Jaco

Executive Secretary, Australian Shepherd Club of America

asca.execsec@gmail.com

6091 E. State Hwy 21, Bryan, TX 77808 | (979) 778-1082

Check us out on our Website, Facebook, and YouTube Channel

Members,

The voting results for this motion have been finalized. Please find them included in this email.

Thank you for your involvement with ASCA.

Sincerely,
Kalla Jaco
ASCA Executive Secretary

DJ.23.04 Skipping Jumps in Fetch It

Motion carried (8-0) – Approved: Busquets, Byrne, Creelman, Gann, Gerken, McCabe, Sims, Wesen. Disapproved: None. Abstained: None. Non-voting: None.

Motion by Liaison Wesen to approve the following recommendation from the Dock Jumping Committee.

Committee Recommendation: Motion by Heidi Mobley. Second by Taylor Justice.

Results of Committee Vote: Approved: 7. Disapproved: None. Abstained: None. Non-Voting: 2.

Current Wording:

3.1 General Descriptions

Fetch It – This is another competition that measures the distance a dog jumps. A bumper is suspended out and over the edge of the water at varying distance and the dog must jump and catch or knock down the Fetch It bumper. The dog jumps further distances until they have missed 2 jumps at the same distance or 3 total missed jumps.

Proposed Wording:

3.1 General Descriptions

Fetch It – This is another competition that measures the distance a dog jumps. A bumper is suspended out and over the edge of the water at varying distance and the dog must jump and catch or knock down the Fetch It bumper. The dog jumps further distances until they have missed 2 jumps at the same distance or 3 total missed jumps. Dog and handler can skip jumps after a successful jump. Example, dog is successful at 10 ft, they can skip 11 ft and move to 12 ft.

Comments/Rationale from the Committee: Clubs and handlers have asked for clarification on this.

Affected: Judges. Business office for rule book printing.

Effective Date: Immediately upon Board approval.

—

Kalla Jaco

Executive Secretary, Australian Shepherd Club of America

asca.execsec@gmail.com

6091 E. State Hwy 21, Bryan, TX 77808 | (979) 778-1082

Check us out on our Website, Facebook, and YouTube Channel

Members,

The voting results for this motion have been finalized. Please find them included in this email.

Thank you for your involvement with ASCA.

Sincerely,
Kalla Jaco
ASCA Executive Secretary

IT.23.01 Change Management and Software Development Life Cycle Policies

Motion carried (8-0) – Approved: Busquets, Byrne, Creelman, Gann, Gerken, McCabe, Sims, Wesen. Disapproved: None. Abstained: None. Non-voting: None.

Motion by Liaison Wesen to approve the following recommendation from the Information Technology Committee.

Committee Recommendation: Motion by Motion Liz Carter to approve Change Management and SDLC policies. Second by Mark Sutton.

Results of Committee Vote: Approved: 6. Disapproved: None. Abstained: 1. Non-Voting: 3.

Comments/Rationale: The purpose of this Change Management Policy is to ensure that changes made to our organization’s IT systems and services are effectively managed and controlled to minimize the risk of cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities.

The purpose of this Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Policy is to ensure that all software developed or acquired by our organization is designed, built, tested, and deployed in a secure and consistent manner to minimize the risk of cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities.

Affected: This Change Management policy applies to all IT systems and services owned or operated by our organization.

This SDLC policy applies to all software developed or acquired by our organization, including custom-developed software, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software, and open-source software.

Effective Date: Immediately upon Board approval.

Attachment: ASCA Change Management Policy v1.pdf, ASCA Software Development Life Cycle v1.pdf

—

Kalla Jaco

Executive Secretary, Australian Shepherd Club of America

asca.execsec@gmail.com

6091 E. State Hwy 21, Bryan, TX 77808 | (979) 778-1082

Check us out on our Website, Facebook, and YouTube Channel

Members,

The voting results for this motion have been finalized. Please find them included in this email.

Thank you for your involvement with ASCA.

Sincerely,
Kalla Jaco
ASCA Executive Secretary

JR.23.08 ASCA Junior Awards Fund

Motion carried (8-0) – Approved: Busquets, Byrne, Creelman, Gann, Gerken, McCabe, Sims, Wesen. Disapproved: None. Abstained: None. Non-voting: None.

Motion by Liaison McCabe to approve the following recommendation from the Junior Committee.

Committee Recommendation: Motion by Shelby Shank. Seconded by Andrea Bair.

ASCA Junior Awards Fund – all donations received June 1st through May 31st are to be used for year-end awards for that merit year. It is encouraged that all donations be spent for each accompanying merit year, but leftover funds may be rolled to the following year if necessary.

*Exception: funds donated prior to June 2021 will be combined with any donations for the 6/1/21-5/31/22 merit year.

ASCA Junior Fund (aka Junior General Fund) – all donations received June 1st through May 31st are to be used for that merit year. Funds are to be broken out as follows:

10% – used for Junior Membership Scholarship.**

40% – used for High Point Junior Awards in each program (to be divided evenly between each high point Junior for each  program e.g., stock, handling, obedience, agility, rally, and any other programs to be added in the future, not to be broken down by age or region). These funds to be combined with the donations in the ASCA Junior Awards Fund.**

10% – used for the National Junior Seminar or Activity. (It can be used to cover supplies/expenses in putting on the event).**

30% – used as a Junior Committee Discretionary Fund. To be used at the discretion of the ASCA Junior Committee which must be determined by a majority vote. Every 3 years this fund is to be audited to determine if the funds could be used in another fund area.

10% – Reserve Funds to be held to keep the fund going. Every 3 years this fund is to be audited to determine rollover amounts that should be put back into the other fund areas.

**Leftover funds not used for the accompanying merit year for these areas will move to the Reserve Fund.

Results of Committee Vote: Approved: 7. Disapproved: None. Abstained: None. Non-Voting: 4.

Comments/Rationale from Committee: To put in place procedures on how to spend donations within the 2 funds and balance them from year to year.

Affected: ASCA BO, ASCA BOD, and the Junior Committee.

Effective Date: Immediately upon Board approval.

—

Kalla Jaco

Executive Secretary, Australian Shepherd Club of America

asca.execsec@gmail.com

6091 E. State Hwy 21, Bryan, TX 77808 | (979) 778-1082

Check us out on our Website, Facebook, and YouTube Channel

Members,

The voting results for this motion have been finalized. Please find them included in this email.

Thank you for your involvement with ASCA.

Sincerely,
Kalla Jaco
ASCA Executive Secretary

OB.23.02 Novice A and B Class Eligibility

Motion carried (8-0) – Approved: Busquets, Byrne, Creelman, Gann, Gerken, McCabe, Sims, Wesen. Disapproved: None. Abstained: None. Non-voting: None.

Motion by Liaison Busquets to approve the following recommendation from the Obedience Committee.

Committee Recommendation: Motion by Beth MacLehose to revise Sections 3.1, 3.2, to allow dogs to compete in Novice B for one year after earning their CD title, regardless of HIT awards, and to have dogs move from Novice A to Novice B after earning their CD where they can trial for 1 year. Second by Joyce Charron.

Results of Committee Vote: Approved: 8. Disapproved: 2. Abstained: None. Non-Voting: None.

Comment from Committee Members Betsy Coleman and Marilyn Cherry: General – The 180 day period after earning a CD title, both for moving from Novice A to Novice B, and for becoming ineligible to stay in Novice B once a High in Trial (HIT) has been won after the 180 days, has not been tracked properly under the old computer system.  A straightforward 1-year timeframe where teams are allowed to remain in Novice B for 1 year from the date of earning the CD title should be much simpler for tracking by the office and new computer system.  Those who desire to remain at the Novice level forever now have the option of competing in the Novice C class indefinitely.

Novice A – The entire Obedience Committee is united in viewing new obedience participants (Novice A handlers) as the future of our sport, and we all desire to encourage and support new handlers in our sport.  We want them to continue showing in obedience, and to enjoy our program.  The majority of the Committee agreed that the current motion does not discourage new handlers, but rather encourages them, and will not affect number of entries.  Furthermore, this motion makes it easier for a handler to determine when they must move out of the Novice A class than the current rule requiring tracking 180 days after earning the CD title.

The move from Novice A to Novice B is a lateral move (not a move-up).  There are no mixed orders of exercises at the Novice level (as opposed to higher-level Open B and Utility B classes).  The only difference between Novice A and Novice B are the other teams in the class that a team is competing against.  Teams that have earned a CD from Novice A have the choice to either:  move to Novice B, move to Novice C, or move up to Open (CDX or ODX).  Moving to Novice B could instill confidence before stepping into the Open class rings, and demonstrate that the B class is very similar to Novice A, with exercises in the same order, that the team already knows and can perform.  The majority of the Committee believes that the fairest thing for Novice A handlers is to not have to compete against teams who have already earned the CD title (out of Novice A).  Should handlers be allowed to stay in Novice A for a period of time after earning the CD, then there will be less opportunity for true novices (those who have never earned an obedience title) to win a class, if they are competing against more teams who remain in the class for a lengthy period.

We are committed to provide broad education and notification of rule changes resulting from this motion.  We support educating new handlers so that they understand the rules and their responsibility in adhering to them.  Handlers must sign every entry form which states that they agree to abide by ASCA rules.  We do not support developing rules based on assumptions that the signed contract made with every entry may be contravened.

When comparing ASCA programs, no programs other than obedience have an A class where dogs are able to remain after earning the Novice-level title.  Stock does not separate teams into A and B classes.  All handlers are in Started together – thus brand new handlers with no titles will be competing against the most experienced handlers with their new dogs.  Stock is thus not comparable to Novice obedience.  Rules for rally, which is the most similar program to obedience, state:  “The Rally Novice A class shall be for dogs not less than six months of age that have not earned any ASCA Obedience or ASCA Rally title or equivalent title from any registry, prior to the close of entries of the Rally Trial entered.”  Similarly, agility Novice A handlers may not compete in Novice A once a title is won:  “If the dog or handler has previously earned a Regular Agility – Novice title, a Gamblers Agility – Novice title, or a Jumpers Agility – Novice title or any of the equivalents from any international style agility association, then they must enter in the Novice B category for that class.”  Obedience rules also state:  “The Novice A class shall be for dogs not less than six (6) months of age that have not earned the CD title from any registry.”  The preceding sentence could be interpreted to include dogs competing in ASCA who have not yet earned the title.  Another well-known registry allows dogs to remain in Novice A for 60 days, to allow titles to be recorded and certificates to be issued.  This motion proposes a similar timeframe for Novice A, using the same rationale.

Novice B – Novice B dogs are limited in how long they can stay in Novice B by current rules.  Any team capable of earning a CD is capable of winning HIT; thus any team may become ineligible to show in Novice B under the current rules.  The proposed motion will even the playing field for all Novice teams, making it more fair and equitable for everyone, and allowing everyone the same amount of time in Novice B after earning a CD.

Obedience is one of the performance events offered to MVA handlers at Nationals (though in recent years, very few MVA participants have shown in obedience).  It is our understanding that the MVA Committee wants to encourage handlers to move up to higher obedience classes instead of competing in Novice for multiple years (also, note that the Rally Novice class is not eligible for MVA).  The Obedience Committee can only write rules for our program, but we encourage the MVA Committee to revisit whether Obedience Novice C can be included in their program, if they want to allow MVA teams to remain at the Novice level for multiple years.

Dissent from Committee Member Hilary Hines: Forcing a Novice A team to move up to Novice B upon immediate notification of the CD being attained will do little to encourage new exhibitors in obedience.  Requiring Novice A teams to move into the Novice B class without a grace period may be intimidating.  We need to be more supportive of those new to this sport.

It is a  harsh punishment for those who unwittingly continue in Novice A to forfeit all wins, placements, etc. We all take pleasure in placement ribbons, but newcomers  even more so. Let them enjoy that time that they currently have to stay in Novice A for 180 days, per the current rules.  The rule used to be Novice A had to move up to Novice B after 60 days after achieving their CD in Novice A.   The committee changed that to 180 days due to the fact that obedience trials aren’t offered that often and even more so now.

So many of us are noticing a drastic decline in obedience shows, so a Novice A team may qualify in their first three entries and the next time there is a show within their area might be months out and they will be forced into a class that they are not comfortable in. Let’s leave it at 180 days.

At this time when we are seeing a decline in entries we need to be doing more to encourage new exhibitors.. This will be doing just the opposite.

There is nothing to prevent a Novice A team moving up to B at any time if they so choose, except if the get Open leg or receive HIT after CD title achieved.

Despite the stated rationale for this motion of allowing B teams to stay longer in Novice B after attaining a HIT, it actually does the opposite in that any competitors in Novice B can no longer show in that class one year after attaining their title.  Current rule states there is NO time limit to how long a team can stay in Novice B unless the receive a HIT or an Open leg.  They can continue to stay ad infinitum in that class.

This may also impact those entered in MVA at Nationals if they can’t enter obedience Novice, as Novice C isn’t eligible for MVA.

I do support allowing a titled Novice B team who is awarded a HIT to remain in Novice B for one year.

Dissent from Committee Member Laurie Rubin: I voted no on this motion because I am concerned that its unintended consequence will be to decrease Obedience entries, especially in the Nationals Novice B class. While the motion extends Novice B eligibility for dogs who earn High in Trials, it decreases by years the period of Novice B eligibility for other dogs. Historically, those dogs were eligible to stay in Novice B for their lifetime. Owners whose primary focus was on agility, stock or elsewhere often took the option to enter their CD dog in Novice B when competing in MVA. If this option is taken away, I believe many MVA handlers will simply leave Obedience behind and focus on training for Rally and Agility where MVA points will be easier to achieve.

I totally support the part of this motion that would remove HIT as a restriction to Novice B eligibility.  I believe earning an Open leg should be the only end to a dog’s Novice B eligibility. This would have been an easy and clean change to make. For those that want to clarify and restrict eligibility for the Novice Obedience Finals to prevent the possibility of dogs entering year after year, a simple solution is also possible, one that does not threaten Novice B entries. We could add one clarifying sentence to our Finals rules: A dog is only eligible to compete in Novice Obedience Finals two times.

I am also concerned about this motion’s proposal to decrease the time a team is allowed to enter Novice A. Novice A handlers are the future of our sport. This change makes ASCA more restrictive than the other organizations I know of offering obedience titles. I have always thought of ASCA as a welcoming place for new handlers. Forcing them to move out of the Novice A class immediately after earning a CD sends the opposite message of welcoming and honoring new people.  I believe an additional undesirable consequence of this motion will be to decrease entries in both Nationals and National pre-trials Novice A classes.

Current Wording:

Section 3.1 Novice A Class

The Novice class shall be for dogs not less than six (6) months of age that have not earned the CD title from any registry. A handler must own or co-own the dog entered or be a member of the owner’s household or immediate family, and cannot have previously handled or regularly trained a dog that has earned a CD title from any registry in order to be eligible to enter or handle any dog in the Novice A class, nor may a dog be handled in this class by such person. No dog may be entered in both the Novice A and Novice B classes at any one trial. More than one dog may be shown by the handler provided the handler has not placed a CD title on a dog from any registry and the dog does not have a CD title from any registry. The same person who handles the dog in the individual exercises must handle the dog in the group exercises, with the following exception. Each dog in this class must have a different handler during sits and downs when judged in the same group; this additional handler for the group exercises need not be a member of the owner’s household or immediate family. A dog may continue to be shown in Novice A for 180 days following notification by three (3) judges, two (2) of whom are different, that the requirements for a CD have been completed. After the 180-day grace period is over the team must move out of Novice A. The team can move to Novice B and remain there until they receive a HIT, after the 180-day grace period, OR earn an Open leg. Failure to move out of Novice A will result in the loss of all wins, placements, scores, prizes, etc. earned beyond the grace period.

Section 3.2 Novice B Class

The Novice B class shall be for dogs not less than six (6) month of age that do not qualify for Novice A. Dogs in this class may be handled by the owner or any other person (this includes persons that have never placed a CD on a dog from any registry). A person may handle more than one (1) dog in this class, but each dog must have a separate handler for the group exercises when judged in the same group. No dog may be entered in both Novice A and Novice B classes at any one (1) trial. A dog that earns the CD title from the Novice B class can continue to be shown in Novice B for 180 days following notification by three (3) judges, two (2) of whom are different, that the requirements for a CD have been completed. After the 180-day grace period is over, the team may continue to compete in Novice B until they earn a qualifying score in Open OR receive HIT. If a Novice team earns HIT after the 180-day grace period has expired, they are required to move on to the next class for which they are eligible. Failure to move on will result in the loss of all wins, placements, scores, prizes, etc. which may be earned from the Novice B class beyond the grace period. Dogs may not compete in both Novice and Open at the same trial.

Proposed Wording:

Section 3.1 Novice A Class

The Novice A class shall be for dogs not less than six (6) months of age that have not earned the CD title from any registry. A handler must own or co-own the dog entered or be a member of the owner’s household or immediate family, and cannot have previously handled or regularly trained a dog that has earned a CD title from any registry in order to be eligible to enter or handle any dog in the Novice A class, nor may a dog be handled in this class by such person. No dog may be entered in both the Novice A and Novice B classes at any one trial. More than one dog may be shown by the handler provided the handler has not placed a CD title on a dog from any registry and the dog does not have a CD title from any registry. The same person who handles the dog in the individual exercises must handle the dog in the group exercises, with the following exception. Each dog in this class must have a different handler during sits and downs when judged in the same group; this additional handler for the group exercises need not be a member of the owner’s household or immediate family. A dog may continue to be shown in Novice A for 180 days following notification by three (3) judges, two (2) of whom are different, that the requirements for a CD have been completed until notified by the ASCA Business Office that the CD title has been earned;. After the 180-day grace period is over the team must then move out of Novice A at the next show weekend  at which they enter Novice. The team can move to Novice B and remain there for one (1) year after earning the CD title until they receive a HIT, after the 180-day grace period, OR until they earn an Open leg (CDX or ODX), whichever comes first. The team may move to Novice C at any time after earning the CD title, where they may remain indefinitely.  Failure to move out of Novice A will result in the loss of all wins, placements, scores, prizes, etc. earned beyond the grace period. Dogs may not compete in both Novice A and Open at the same trial.

Section 3.2 Novice B Class

The Novice B class shall be for dogs not less than six (6) month of age that do not qualify for Novice A. Dogs in this class may be handled by the owner or any other person (this includes persons that have never placed a CD on a dog from any registry). A person may handle more than one (1) dog in this class, but each dog must have a separate handler for the group exercises when judged in the same group. No dog may be entered in both Novice A and Novice B classes at any one (1) trial. A dog that earns the CD title from the Novice B class can continue to be shown in Novice B for 180 days one (1) year after earning the CD title, OR until they earn an Open leg (CDX or ODX), whichever comes first following notification by three (3) judges, two (2) of whom are different, that the requirements for a CD have been completed. After the 180-day grace period is over, the team may continue to compete in Novice B until they earn a qualifying score in Open OR receive HIT. If a Novice team earns HIT after the 180-day grace period has expired, they are required to move on to the next class for which they are eligible. The team may move to Novice C at any time after earning the CD title, where they may remain indefinitely. Failure to move on will result in the loss of all wins, placements, scores, prizes, etc. which may be earned from the Novice B class beyond the grace period. Dogs may not compete in both Novice B and Open at the same trial.

Comments/Rationale: This motion has been under discussion and refinement for over a year prior to the committee voting.  After lengthy discussions, member polling, and having an original motion withdrawn and reworked, most members were in consensus with the final wording.  Just as the committee vote was occurring, the Board placed a moratorium on any motions involving computer system changes.  As the committee had already put so much effort into getting the motion to the final stages of development and committee approval, the ASCA Executive Secretary advised us to go ahead with the imminent committee vote, but to wait to present it to the committee liaison until the moratorium was lifted, so that all our work from the past year does not get lost.  We have just learned that neither the office, the old computer program, or the new program track a dog’s class eligibility, so would like this motion to be submitted now.

This motion gets rid of High In Trial as a part of when a Novice dog would need to move out of Novice. Many dogs could earn High In Trial at a small show and not be ready to move up. Other dogs might never earn a High In Trial in a competitive area, even with nice scores over 195, and be able to compete in Novice (and therefore finals) for an indefinite time. By standardizing the amount of time a dog is in Novice to 1 year it gives dogs more time to practice in Novice (if they choose to) than 180 days, especially in areas with fewer trials. It also standardizes the amount of times a dog could qualify for finals in Novice (up to 2 times).  Potentially, 1 year will be easier for the office and exhibitors to keep track of than 180 days.

Affected: Obedience handlers, ASCA Business Office.

Effective Date: June 1, 2024.

—

Kalla Jaco

Executive Secretary, Australian Shepherd Club of America

asca.execsec@gmail.com

6091 E. State Hwy 21, Bryan, TX 77808 | (979) 778-1082

Check us out on our Website, Facebook, and YouTube Channel

Members,

The voting results for this motion have been finalized. Please find them included in this email.

Thank you for your involvement with ASCA.

Sincerely,
Kalla Jaco
ASCA Executive Secretary

SC.23.02 Add Level C to Scent Detection Title Program

Motion carried (8-0) – Approved: Busquets, Byrne, Creelman, Gann, Gerken, McCabe, Sims, Wesen. Disapproved: None. Abstained: None. Non-voting: None.

Motion by Liaison McCabe to approve the following recommendation from the Scent Detection Committee.

Committee Recommendation: Motion by Deborah Divich. Seconded by Sandy Thompson.

Results of Committee Vote: Approved: 8. Disapproved: None. Abstained: None. Non-Voting: 3.

Level               Section & page of revised Rule book

Novice             5.2 Novice Level C, pg. 19

Open               6.2 Open Level C, pg. 21

Advanced        7.2 Advanced Level C, pg. 24

Excellent         8.2 Excellent Level C, pg. 27

Title Abbreviations

Novice, pg. 15

Containers SCNc-C (Scent Detection Novice Containers-Level C)

Interiors SCNi-C (Scent Detection Novice Containers-Level C)

Exterior SCNe-C (Scent Detection Novice Containers-Level C)

Vehicles SCNv-C (Scent Detection Novice Containers-Level C)

ALL NOVICE LEVEL C ELEMENT TITLES – SCN4-C

Open, pg.16

Containers SCOc-C (Scent Detection Open Containers-Level C)

Interiors SCOi-C (Scent Detection Open Containers-Level C)

Exterior SCOe-C (Scent Detection Open Containers-Level C)

Vehicles SCOv-C (Scent Detection Open Containers-Level C)

ALL OPEN LEVEL C ELEMENT TITLES – SCO4-C

Advanced, pg. 17

Containers SCAc-C (Scent Detection Advanced Containers-Level C)

Interiors SCAi-C(Scent Detection Advanced Containers-Level C)

Exterior SCAe-C (Scent Detection Advanced Containers-Level C)

Vehicles SCAv-C (Scent Detection Advanced Containers-Level C

ALL ADVANCED ELEMENT TITLES – SCA4-C

Excellent, pg.17

Containers SCEc-C (Scent Detection Excellent Containers-Level C)

Interiors SCEi-C(Scent Detection Excellent Containers-Level C)

Exterior SCEe-C (Scent Detection Excellent Containers-Level C)

Vehicles SCEv-C (Scent Detection Excellent Containers-Level C)

ALL EXCELLENT LEVEL C ELEMENT TITLES – SCE4-C

Comments/Rationale: The Level C classes are for teams who wish to “Continue” on and earn additional titles in each element or for teams who are not yet ready to move to the next level.

1. Each Level C class shall be for dogs that have completed the ASCA Scent Detection appropriate Level title of an element.
2. The same methods and standards are used for judging and scoring the Level C classes as the regular level classes. Teams may stay in the Level C element class indefinitely.
3. Dogs may not compete in Specific Level C element class and any other element class (different level) in one trial. Example: Team cannot compete in Excellent Level C-Containers and Novice Level C -Containers in the same trial.
4. Dog/handler team must have 7 additional (10 total) qualifying scores from an individual element to earn that Level C element title.

Dogs in the Level C are not eligible for HIT awards unless there are special awards being offered for the Level C classes.

What is the cause and reason for this motion? The committee’s wishes to provide a program that will tailor to a larger group of individuals and not all teams will progress rapidly.  This provides an avenue for teams that would like to stay at a specific level or are not ready to move up to the next level to do so.

Affected: This motion will affect the rule book which we will update internally upon approval.  If approved, we will forward to the business office to get in line for updating it into the computer system along with the computer programming template.  Until then, we as a committee will be prepared to manually update.  The Webmaster will be affected with the addition of the new rulebook. Trial entry forms will be updated and will need to be added to the webpage.

Effective Date: Immediately upon Board approval.

—

Kalla Jaco

Executive Secretary, Australian Shepherd Club of America

asca.execsec@gmail.com

6091 E. State Hwy 21, Bryan, TX 77808 | (979) 778-1082

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