Eastern Irish Setter Association 2018 Calendar (Approved by EISA Board of Directors, Jan

Winter Issue 2017

Eastern Irish Setter Association 2018 Calendar (Approved by EISA Board of Directors, Jan. 6, 2018) * ISCA events; TBD (tentative To Be Determined); TBC (To Be Confirmed)

January 6 (Sat); Jan 7 Snow date -EISA BOD Meeting, Cinnaminson NJ. 10:30 am

February 9 (Fri) EISA All Breed Obedience/Rally Trial - Pending Westchester Hilton, Rye Brook, New York (Rau)

February 11 (Sun) EISA Indoor-- Westchester Hilton, Rye Brook, New York (Rau) Breed Judge: Charles Sloughfy; Sweeps Judge Richard Krasley Chairperson: Lynne Godshall ; Anne Marie Kubacz (liaison)

March 24 (Sat) EISA Supported Entry (NOHS) & General Membership Meeting New Brunswick KC, Edison, NJ (Rau) Breed Judge: Guy Spagnolo Sweeps Judge: Jinny Nealon EISA General Membership Meeting after conclusion of judging

March 30 – Apr. 1 Irish Setter Club of America National Hunt Test & Walking Field Trial. Petersburg, Delaware

May 5 (Sat) EISA Supported Entry; General Membership Meeting Bucks County KC (MBF) Breed Judge: Dr. Elliot More Sweeps Judge: Dr. Eileen McDonald Annual Awards and picnic (Lydia Miller, liaison) EISA General Membership Meeting after conclusion of judging Followed by EISA Board of Directors Meeting

May 26 (Sat) EISA Supported Entry (NOHS), Staten Island Kennel (Rau)- Freehold, NJ Breed Judge: Mr. Danny Seymor Sweeps Judge: Lynn Kwiatkowski

June 4-9 Irish Setter Club of America National Specialty Show, Huron, OHIO

July 22 (Sun) EISA FUN DAY Picnic (noon), General Membership & BOD Meeting TBC Location: Allen’s Kennel, Moorestown, NJ. Liaison: Lynne Godshall; Time: 9:30 am EISA Board of Directors Meeting

Sept. 8 (Sat) EISA Supported Entry and General Membership Meeting Somerset Hills KC, Bridgewater, NJ (MBF) Breed Judge: Paul Averill, DVM Sweeps Judge: Pat Kudla Picnic & General Membership Meeting after Irish setter judging Anne Marie Kubacz, Liaison; Mariette O’Malley, Picnic Coordinator

Oct 5, 6,7 Harvest Setter Specialty Cluster, Vernon, CT EISA independent specialty is Friday October 5 in conjunction with ISCNE specialty and ISCCC specialties the same weekend Barbara Joyal, Chair; Liaisons: Debra Hamilton, Lynn Kwiatkowski Judges' hospitality coordinator: Peter Kubacz Chief Steward: Susan Sullivan; Sweeps Steward: Peter Kubacz Breed & Junior Showmanship Judge: Frank Martire Sweeps Judge: Heidi Laabs Obedience & Rally Judge: Tibby Chase

Oct. 20-21 EISA Field Trial & General Membership Meeting, Petersburg, DE Liaison: Susan Sullivan Secretary: Sandy Jones Will feature VCX and VCA stakes

2 Oct. 27-Nov.4 Irish Setter Club of America National Field Trial, Booneville, AR

Nov. 9 (Fri) EISA Agility Trial Location: Dream Park, Logan Township, NJ followed by Match and Short EISA Board of Directors Meeting Liaison: Lynne Godshall

Dec 29 EISA Holiday Party & General Membership Meeting & Election Location: TBD

2019 Preview

January 5 EISA BOD Meeting, Cinnaminson NJ. 10:30 am; Jan. 6 Snowday

February 8 TBC EISA All Breed Obedience/Rally Trial - Pending (Fri- TBC) Westchester Hilton, Rye Brook, New York (Rau)

February 10, Sun EISA Indoor-- Westchester Hilton, Rye Brook, New York (Rau) Breed Judge: TBC; Sweeps Judge: TBC Chairperson: TBC; Anne Marie Kubacz (liaison)

THE JUDGES SELECTION BALLOT WILL BE IN THE MAIL SOON.

LOOK FOR IT!

3 2018 Eastern Irish Setter Association Officers and Board of Directors

Fiona Geiser (Recording Secretary) [email protected]; Tel 610-358-2950 Cell 484-437-8777 Address: 1054 Wilson Avenue, Glen Mills, PA 19342

Lynne Godshall (Class 2020) [email protected]; Tel 856-461-1389 Cell 856-986-1345 Address: 724 Kossuth St., Riverside , NJ 08075

Debra Hamilton (Class 2019) [email protected]; Tel 914-273-1095 Cell 914-552-5021 Address: 6 Pioneer Trail, Armonk, NY 10504

Lynn Kwiatkowski (Class 2018) [email protected]; Cell 201-274-6293 Address: 3 Brook Dr., Chester, NJ 07930

Debra Krasley (Class 2018) [email protected] Tel 570-992-9711 Cell 484- 895-9265 Address: 103 Evergreen Ct, Saylorsburg, PA 18353

Anne Marie Kubacz (Corresponding Sec.) [email protected] Cell 908-216-2357 Address: 170 S. Hope Chapel Rd., Jackson, NJ 08527

Peter Kubacz (Treasurer) [email protected]; Cell 908-770-4271 Address: 170 S. Hope Chapel Rd., Jackson, NJ 08527

Patricia Lyons (Class 2019) [email protected]; Tel 610-558-0976 Address: 1734 Middletown Rd., Glen Mills, PA 19342

Mariette O’Malley (Vice President.) [email protected] Tel 856-829- 0936 Address: 1 Jeffrey Lane, Cinnaminson, NJ 08077

Susan Sullivan (President) [email protected]; Cell 443-286-7713 Address: 1728 Tacoma Rd., Edgewater, MD 21037

Alex Van Meter (Class of 2018) [email protected] Tel 609-500-1367 Address: 1 Richmond Ave., Lumberton, NJ 08048

Jerome Molitor (Class of 2020) [email protected] (also use [email protected]) Tel 908-879-7009 Cell 973-219-9239, Address: 19 Brown Court, Chester, NJ 07930

4 2018 EISA Committees: (* - Liaison to the EISA Board of Directors)

Standing Committees AKC Canine Ambassadors: Debra Hamilton*, Connie Vanacore Annual Awards: Lydia Miller* Plaques: Lydia Miller Bucks picnic: Lydia Miller Audit: Debra Hamilton* *, Blarney: Susan Sullivan* Constitution: Mariette O’Malley*, Debra Hamilton, Richard Krasley Judge Selection Committee: Charlie Sloughfy, Lynn Kwiatkowski, Fiona Geiser* Membership: Debra Krasley* New Jersey Dog Federation: Susan Sullivan*, Susan Kwiatkowski (rep) Nominations: Susan Sullivan* Public Relations: Debra Hamilton* Website: Fiona Geiser* Facebook: Lynn Kwiatkowski* Supported Entries: Peter Kubacz*, Anne Marie Kubacz Trophies: Mariette O’Malley chair* Nancy Salmon, Karolynne McAteer, Anne Marie Kubucz, Bob Feizet, Debra Krasley

Event Committees Agility Events: Lynne Godshall*, Susan Sullivan, Anne Marie Kubacz EISA Field Trial: Cassie Allan, Susan Sullivan*, Sandy Jones (secretary), Pat Lyons EISA Fun Day: Lynne Godshall*, Susan Sullivan EISA Indoor WGS (Winter Garden Specialty): Ann Marie Kubacz* Karolynne McAteer, Bob McKay, Lynn Kwiatkowski EISA Outdoor (Harvest Cluster): Debra Hamilton*, Lynn Kwiatkowski Barbara Joyal (show chair), Susan Sullivan (Chief Steward), Peter Kubacz, Sweep Steward; Peter Kubacz, Judge Hospitality, Brad Porterfield (grounds), Mariette O’Malley/Lynne Godshall, ( lunch), Fiona Geiser (Raffle)

Proposed 2018 Bench Show Committees Indoor & Outdoor: Peter Kubacz, Pat Lyons, Debra Hamilton, Lynne Godshall, Susan Kwiatkowski, Rick Krasley, Susan Sullivan Field Trial: Susan Sullivan, Karolynne McAteer, Kevin Culver, Jean Culver, Sandy Jones Agility Trial: Lynne Godshall, Susan Kwiatkowski, Sandy Ambrogi, Susan Sullivan, Anne Marie Kubacz, Fiona Geiser

Read Red

As we look at the current negative public perception of purebred dogs and directly at the perception of the Irish setter, I think about the Irish setters that I grew to love through literature. I’m not talking about the many books about the Irish setter breed, but rather I’m contemplating the role of the Irish setter in stories read by both children and adults. In essence, these stories introduced the Irish setter to the world.

A voracious reader, I first fell in love with the breed as a small child when my dad and I read Nita, The Story of an Irish setter. A children’s book, similar in plot to Black Beauty, I cried as I followed this wonderful pup’s life of hardship to her even- tual reunion with Mary, her first loving mistress.

Big Red and Kjelgaard’s other Red novels soon followed. The varied adventures made me aware of the other skills these beautiful red dogs had. From a child’s point

6 of view these big red dogs could do anything!

But it was Jack London’s novella, The Call of the Wild, that truly opened my heart to the empathy of the Irish setter.

“Skeet was a little Irish setter who early made friends with Buck, who, in a dying condition, was unable to resent her first advances. She had the doctor trait which some dogs possess; and as a mother cat washes her kittens, so she washed and cleansed Buck's wounds. Regularly, each morning after he had finished his breakfast, she performed her self-appointed task, till he came to look for her ministrations as much as he did for Thornton's.”

What a girl!!!

Soon after, our family rescued an Irish girly and I begged to name her Skeet. Her sweet temperament and gentle playfulness epitomized our new family member. My father, first generation Irish who spoke fluent Gaelic, countered with the name Garryowen. We spent many hours reading James Joyce’s Ulysses together. The Cyclops episode introduced me to the “Ill tempered” Irish setter, Garryowen, “ a bloody mangy mongrel.”

“In Kiernan’s pub we meet a radical Irish Nationalist called The Citizen, who is a virulent racist, and who is accompanied by his equally malevolent dog, Garryowen.” “The bloody mongrel let a grouse out of him would give you the creeps. Be a corporal work of mercy if someone would take the life of that bloody dog. I’m told for a fact he ate a good part of the breeches off a constabulary man in Santry that came round one time with a blue paper about a license.”

My dad suggested the name Garryowen to tease me, but my heart went out to the poor abused, but loyal dog, owned by the vicious Citizen. My mother named our Irish Heather.

Stephen King’s The Stand, a post-apocalyptic horror/fantasy novel, introduced me to a brave and loyal Irish setter named Kojak. While journeying to Las Vegas after being attacked by wolves one of the people Kojak is traveling with, Red- man, is injured and cannot continue his journey. Kojak chooses to stay behind with Redman. He fetches sticks for fire and kills small animals for food to sustain life.

These stories are advertising at it’s finest! Through intriguing text and anthro- morphism the character of the Irish setter is repeatedly revealed. The loyalty, intelli- gence, stamina, fortitude, and kindness not to mention the beauty and grace of our breed become obvious.

Purebred dogs are under fire. Surely literature has shown why our Irish setters should be cherished and honored. One of the best methods of teaching students is through the use of stories. Perhaps we could use our personal stories to emphasize and advertise the qualities of the Irish setter.

8 Eastern Irish Setter Association, Inc. (EISA) Board of Directors Meeting (BOD) Saturday May 8, 2017, Erwiana, PA (Bucks)

Welcome, Roll call, Check-In The meeting was called to order at 12:24 pm by the EISA President, Susan Sullivan.

Members present: Susan Sullivan, Lydia Miller, Lynn Kwiatkowski, Debbie Krasley, Rick Krasley, Fiona Geiser, Lynne Godshall, Mariette O’Malley, Pat Lyons, Anne Marie Kubacz, Debra Hamilton.

Members absent: Peter Kubacz, Alex VanMeter Report of the Recording Secretary Fiona Geiser provided her recording secretary report from the EISA BOD Meeting on March 25, 2017. There were no suggested changes. Motion to approve the minutes was made by Pat Lyons and seconded by Debbie Krasley. The minutes were unanimously approved by those eligible to vote.

Report of the Treasurer Lynn Kwiatkowski presented the written treasurer report which was filed with the recording secretary. Lynn also submitted a letter of resig- nation from her position as treasurer. She suggested that the former treasurer, Peter Kubacz, complete the 2017 Treasurer term since his name is still attached to the accounts. In addition, Lynn requested that the Board of Directors allow her to assume Peter’s current BOD position in the Class of 2018. Motion to accept both requests was made by Mariette O’Malley and seconded by Fiona Geiser. The motion was unanimously approved.

Standing Committee Reports

a. The nomination committee was selected by the BOD as follows: BOD Representatives: Pat Lyons, Fiona Geiser - Chair General Membership : Lorrie Bortz, Charlie Sloughfy, Karolynne McAteer Alternates: Linda Tripodi, Karen Schwartz Corresponding Secretary, A.M. Kubacz, agreed to notify all nominees.

page 1 of 2 EISA BOD Minutes – May 2017

b. Membership – Debra Krasley, Chair In order to complete the membership application process for Cassie Allen, the BOD suggested that a Special General Membership Meeting be held at the 2017 ISCA National. Although Cassie’s application had been read into the General Membership meeting on March 27, 2017, the special meeting would be for the purpose of introducing Cassie to the membership for the second reading and membership vote. (Note: On Monday, May 8, 2017, President, Sue Sullivan, broadcast a notifi- cation to EISA Members to meet ringside on Thursday May 18 immedi- ately after judging.)

c. There were brief discussions about judge selection. A.M. Kubacz agreed to follow up on suggestions for rally judge options for the Har- vest Cluster in October 2017.

d. Mariette O’Malley summarized the status of hospitality events for ISCA National. 6. Adjournment at 1:21 pm. A motion to adjourn was made by Lydia Miller seconded by Debra Hamilton. Approval was unanimous.

Minutes submitted by Fiona Geiser. Approved July 23, 2017

page 2 of 2 EISA BOD Minutes – May 2017

10 Eastern Irish Setter Association, Inc. (EISA) Meeting of the Board of Directors (BOD) Sunday July 23, 2017 at Moorestown, NJ

Welcome, Roll call, Check-In. The meeting was called to order at 9:47 am by the EISA President, Susan Sullivan. The 7 BOD members present constituted a quorum.

Members present – Fiona Geiser, Lynne Godshall, Anne Marie Ku- bacz, Peter Kubacz, Pat Lyons, Mariette O’Malley, Susan Sullivan.

Members absent – Debra Hamilton, Debra Krasley, Richard Krasley, Lynn Kwiatkowski, Alex Van Meter, Lydia Miller Report of the Recording Secretary A motion to approve the BOD minutes from the May 8, 2017 (Bucks) meeting was made by Pat Lyons and seconded by A.M. Kubacz. The minutes were unanimously approved with no changes by those eligible to vote.

Report of the Treasurer Peter Kubacz, who recently reassumed position as Treasurer (as de- scribed in May 2017 BOD minutes), provided a detailed summary of EISA income, expenses, and savings accounts. His reports were filed with the recording secretary.

MOTION: Since an EISA money market account is due to expire in October 2017, a motion was made by A.M. Kubacz and seconded by Pat Lyons requesting Peter Kubacz to explore and take ad- vantage of savings and money market options. The motion was unanimously approved.

STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS Report of the Audit Committee Peter Kubacz reported that the Audit of the EISA Treasury is complete and there are no material deficits.

Nomination Committee BOD Representatives: Pat Lyons, Fiona Geiser - Chair General Membership : Lorrie Bortz, Charlie Sloughfy, Karolynne McAteer

11 Alternates: Linda Tripodi, Karen Schwartz The above nomination committee has been in frequent email cor- respondence. The chair is in the process of canvassing all BOD members as to their availability to serve in 2018. The nomination committee plans to meet at the Somerset Sept. 9 dog show to fi- nalize approval of a 2018 slate of officers and BOD class of 2020. c. Membership – Debra Krasley, Chair. Peter Kubacz reported for Debra Krasley that she found in following up on unpaid members that sadly Peter Grunebaum had passed away. An updated Membership address list was provided at the May EISA Gen- eral Meeting.

d. Finance Committee for 2017 National- Anne Marie Kubacz The finance committee was a temporary committee charged with alloca- tion of funds for the 2017 ISCA National in May 2017. A spreadsheet accounting of the fund dispersal was provided by Mariette O’Malley and A.M. Kubacz that was filed with the recording secretary. There were a number of excess supplies such as pirate bandanas and trash bags that Mariette would like removed from storage in her house. Therefore, the below motions were made for their dispersal.

Two Motions were made by Mariette O’Malley and seconded by A.M. Kubacz. 1. The pirate bandanas left over from ISCA National will be donated to a local high school called “The Pirates.” 2. The Trash Bags will be donated to individuals who can make good use of them. Both motions were unanimously approved.

e. Constitution – Mariette O’Malley, Chair. - Arrangements have been made with an AKC contact to whom another copy of the EISA Constitution will be mailed week of July 24, 2017. f. Facebook – Lynn Kwiatkowski, Chair – “Nothing really new with Facebook. We're now up to 600 likes. Many are from outside the US”. g. Trophy Plaques (Members) – Lydia Miller, Chair - Peter Kubacz reported for Lydia Miller that the bills have been paid for imprinted plates.

12 h. Trophies (Events) – Anne Marie Kubacz, Liaison Lenox trophies have been generously donated by Rob Carroll for the Oct. 8 EISA Harvest Cluster. Also unused imprinted bags and cool clothes purchased by EISA for the nationals could be used as trophies for the Outdoor show.

MOTION: Mariette O’Malley motioned to donate trophy supplies (such as imprinted bags and cool clothes) for use at the 2017 Harvest Clus- ter on Oct. 8. Therefore, membership solicitation for trophy funds for the 2017 Harvest Cluster will be waived. Motion seconded by A.M. Kubacz and passed unanimously. i. Touch O’Blarney – Susan Sullivan, Chair Deadline for submissions to the Summer 2017 Touch O’Barney will be August 1,2017. Wins, new titles, setter tails and news are requested. j. Website – Fiona Geiser, Chair* The home page was updated with helpful links. The Spring 2017 EISA Touch O’Blarney pdf file was loaded on the website at: http://www.easternirishsetters.org/assets/eisaspr2017pdf.pdf k. AKC Canine Ambassadors- Debra Hamilton Sue Sullivan reported for Debra Hamilton the following: “July fun day is upon us and a great outreach to community. At the meeting can we suggest purchasing canine oxygen masks for each area we visit for specialties. Maybe have the other 2 clubs at Harvest can do the same.

I intend to submit our fun day to the AKC Canine ambassador program to see if we can receive a certificate for the club. Aside: Legislation is ongoing to limit our rights as breeders and owners of purebred dogs. As always keep abreast of what is happening in your neck of the woods by going to the AKC legislative Alert page.”

In response to Debra’s suggestion, A.M. Kubacz proposed that both the Har- vest Cluster and Winter Garden organizations should be asked to donate canine oxygen masks to local EMR. The suggestion was supported by the other BOD members.

l. New Jersey Dog Federation – Susan Kwiatkowski Sue Kwiatkowski attended the EISA General Meeting at noon where there was a lengthy discussion about the importance of participating in “Meet the Breeds” activities by Lynne Godshall and Bob Feizet as a way of letting the public know about our wonderful Irish Setters.

13 m. Supported Entries-Peter Kubacz - 6. Event Committee Reports Peter Kubacz is coordinating with the Somerset dog show for a reasonable time such as 10 am if possible. Mariette O’Malley should be contacted about picnic entries. a. Harvest Outdoor (Harvest Cluster), Debra Hamilton, Chair A.M. Kubacz reported on this subject for Debra Hamilton at both the BOD meeting and at the General Meeting. The decision was made for EISA to provide breakfast and lunch on Sunday Oct. 8 to be arranged by Mariette O’Malley and Lynne Godshall. Also, there was an announcement that there will be a barbeque at the Kubacz trailer for all show attendees (food donations would be appreciated).

Additional comments: “Jerry Berkowitz is breed judge: Suzanne Montgomery is sweeps judge; Susan King is Obedience judge; Linda Krasley is Rally Judge. Other Harvest Judges we know: ISCCC has Anne Katona Breed and Deb mason-sweeps. Tibby for obed and rally. ISCNN does not have their breed/sweeps judges yet but they have Tibby for obed rally. This may have changed. I have written AMK and Barb for update.”

b. Agility Events, Lynne Godshall, Chair Lynne Godshall provided a report at both the BOD and General meetings on the upcoming Nov. 11 EISA Agility Trial using the club’s recently acquired license. Details are provided in the General Meeting report. The BOD agreed to provide a Match (starting about 3 pm). c. EISA Indoor WGS (Winter Garden Speciality)- Anne Marie Kubacz Lynne Godshall (Show Chair) agreed to also serve as Junior Judge d. EISA Field Trial- Susan Sullivan 2017 EISA October 21,22 Petersburg, DE 2018 March ---March 30,31,1st of April ISCA NATIONAL 2018 Oct.20,21 EISA Petersburg Delawre 2019 Oct. 19-20 EISA Petersburg Delaware

7. Old Business: None 8. New Business: None 9. Adjournment at 11:39 am .A motion to adjourn was made byPeter Kubacz seconded by Pat Lyons. Approval was unanimous. Minutes Submitted by Fiona Geiser, Recording Secretary Approved by EISA BOD on Nov. 21, 2017

14 Eastern Irish Setters Association, Inc. (EISA) General EISA Meeting Sunday September 9, 2017, Bridgewater, NJ (Somerset Dog Show)

1. Welcome, Roll Call, Check-In The meeting was called to order at 12:49 pm by Mariette O’Malley, EISA Vice President. The 21 members in attendance are listed at the conclusion of these minutes. A guest, Christine Raposa, was introduced to the club. Mariette noted that the EISA President, Sue Sullivan, was unable to attend the meeting due to recent surgery. 2. Report of the Recording Secretary Fiona Geiser submitted the General Meeting minutes from the July 23, 2017, EISA Fun Day at Allen Kennel. A motion for approval of the minutes was submitted by Peter Kubacz and seconded by Ka- rolynne McAteer. The minutes were approved unanimously without changes by those eligible to vote. 3. Report of the Treasurer Peter Kubacz verbally summarized the financial status of the club.

Standing Committee Reports a. AKC Canine Ambassadors. Debra Hamilton reported that the American Kennel Club had recently sent two trailers to Houston, TX, to aid in Hurricanes Harvey and Irma recovery. Karolynne McAteer, ISCA Delegate to AKC, further provided the below contact information stating that club donations were encouraged. AKC Reunite Canine Support and Relief Fund American Kennel Club, Inc. 8051 Arco Corporate Drive, Suite 200 Raleigh, NC 27617 Telephone 919-816-3980 (Grant Administrator)

Karolynne further added that the Irish Setter Club of America and the Irish Setter Club of America Foundation have each set aside $15,000 designated for financial assistance to ISCA members requesting funds for care, shelter, feeding, etc., for their Irish Setters following the hurricanes. Information can be obtained from Jay Zirkle [email protected]. b. Constitution. Mariette O’Malley reported that a second copy of the EISA Constitution was submitted via both email and US mail. c. Facebook. Lynn Kwiatkowski reported that there are 650 followers.

d. Membership. Debra Krasley reported that there are no new EISA membership applications for consideration at the meeting.

e. Nomination Committee. Fiona Geiser, Committee Chair, reported that the nomination committee had finalized the slate of EISA Board of Directors Nominees to serve in 2018. After the nominees are notified by Anne Marie Kubacz, the slate will be published in the next Touch O’Blarney issue as well as emailed to EISA members. If there are no runs from the floor, the slate will be elected at the EISA Holiday Party on Saturday Dec. 2, 2017, 2 pm at the home of Karen Schwartz, Delanco, NJ 08075.

f. Trophies (Events). Mariette O’Malley reported for Anne Marie Kubacz that the EISA BOD had voted at the July 23, Fun Day meeting to donate can- vas bags that were unused from the Nationals as first place trophies at the Oct. 8, 2017 Harvest Cluster. Additional Lenox crystals were kindly donated by Rob Carroll for the big prizes.

g. Touch O’Blarney. Mariette O’Malley reported for Sue Sullivan that the deadline for the next issue of the Touch O’ Blarney is the week after the Oct. 8 Harvest Cluster.

h. Website. Fiona Geiser reported that pdf files for all Blarney issues are posted at the EISA website: http://www.easternirishsetters.org

5. Event Committee Reports i. Harvest Outdoor (Harvest Cluster) Sunday Oct. 8. The judge’s hospitality plan was summarized by Mariette O’Malley for Sue Sullivan who has coordinated arrangements for Sweeps and Regular Conformation judges. Lynn Kwiatkowski agreed to make arrangements for the rally and obedience judges. Fiona Geiser requested raffle items to be brought to the show.

j. EISA Field Trial. Mariette O’Malley issued a plea for help for the Oct. 21-22 field trial in Delaware.

k. Agility Events. Lynne Godshall requested helpers to help unload the agility equipment from the truck on Thursday Nov. 9 between 2-5 pm at Dream Park in Logan, NJ. Lynne can be contacted at [email protected] for more details.

6. Old Business None

16 7. New Business After extensive discussion, a motion was made by Debra Hamil ton and seconded by Lorrie Bortz that the EISA Board of Di rectors is instructed by the membership to consider a donation of $1000 for Hurricane Harvey victims through charitable or ganizations. The donation can be divided between 3 or 4 groups. The motion was passed unanimously.

8. Adjournment. A motion for adjournment was made at 1:24 pm by Lynn Kwiatkowski and seconded by Peter Kubacz. The motion was passed unanimously.

Attendance: Fiona Geiser Carolyn Greenland Lydia Miller Lynn Kwiatkowski Debra Krasley Rick Krasley Lorrie Bortz Jerome Molitor Debra Hamilton Karolynne McAteer Anne Smith Susan Kwiatkowski Dave Blantz Stephanie Blantz Linda Dick Peter Kubacz Pat Lyons Mariette O’Malley Sally Campbell Louis Molnar Sandy Ambrogi Lynne Godshall

Approved December 2, 2017 Submitted by Fiona Geiser, Recording Secretary

17 Eastern Irish Setter Association, Inc. (EISA) Telephone Meeting of Board of Directors (BOD) - Tuesday Nov. 21, 2017

 Welcome, Roll call, Check-In: The telephone meeting was called to order at 8:03 pm by the EISA President, Susan Sullivan. The president thanked Debra Hamilton for supplying her conference call capability in order to conduct the meeting. The agenda was modified from a typical BOD meeting in order to address issue that will be further discussed at the January 6, 2018 (Sat., 10:30 am) BOD meeting to be held at the home of M.T. O’Malley, Cinnaminson N.J. The 11 BOD members on the conference call constituted a quorum. Members present –Anne Marie Ku- bacz, Peter Kubacz, Debra Krasley, Richard Krasley, Lynn Kwiatkowski, Fiona Geiser, Pat Lyons, Mariette O’Malley, Lydia Miller, Susan Sullivan, Alex Van Meter Members absent – Debra Hamilton, Lynne Godshall

 Report of the Recording Secretary. A motion to approve the BOD minutes from July 25, 1917 (Fun Day) was made by A.M. Kubacz and seconded by M.T. O’Malley. The minutes were approved unanimously without any changes by those eligible to vote. A motion to approve the BOD Electronic Vote Sept. 22-23, 2017 was made by M.T. O’Malley and seconded by P. Lyons. The minutes were approved unanimously without any changes by those eligible to vote.

 2020 Morris & Essex Dog Show A letter from Lorraine Bisso requesting EISA participation at the October 2020 Morris & Essex Dog Show was discussed. The one-day show will be held in Northern New Jersey before the 2020 Irish Harvest Specialties in Vernon, Ct. MOTION: A motion was made by A.M. Kubacz and seconded by R. Krasley for EISA to accept the invitation to participate in the 2020 Morris & Essex Dog Show. The motion was approved unanimously.

 Irish Harvest Specialties, Lynn Kwiatkowski provided a summary of a recent phone conference meeting by the three Irish Setter clubs (EISA, ISCNE, ISCCC) participating in the October Harvest Specialties. EISA is scheduled to hold their conformation specialty on Friday Oct. 5, 2018. There was a discussion about fu- ture rules regarding food and grounds handling as well as premium changes and dog-friendly lodging recommendations. There was also a discussion about EISA sponsoring an Obedience/Rally event in 2018 at the same venue for which Tibby Chase has agreed to judge. The consensus of the BOD members was to proceed with plans for 2018 although the BOD requested data for a financial review of the event at its Jan. 2018 meeting. .  2018 EISA Calendar. Fiona Geiser, who has drafted the 2018 EISA Events Cal- endar, alerted the BOD about the need for a sweeps judge for May 26, 2018 at Freehold, NJ. Danny Seymor has been scheduled as the conformation judge. The consensus of the BOD was to continue supporting the show which will be held the weekend before the 2018 ISCA National in Ohio

Adjournment at 8:39 pm. A motion to adjourn was made by M.T. O’Malley, seconded by F. Geiser. Approval was unanimous.

18 Christmas Party

19 Eastern Irish Setter Association, Inc (EISA) General Membership Meeting & Election December 2, 2017 Delanco, New Jersey

Welcome: Time 2:42 PM The meeting was called to order by Susan Sullivan, EISA President. There were 10 EISA members present and two guests as listed at the conclusion of these minutes. Report of the Recording Secretary Fiona Geiser submitted the EISA General Meeting minutes from Sept. 9, 2017 (Somerset dog show). There was one correction in which Lynne Godshall’s name was added to the attendance list. A motion for approval of the minutes was submitted by Richard Krasley and seconded by Mariet- te O’Malley. The corrected minutes were approved unanimously by those eligible to vote. Report of the President Sue Sullivan thanked Karen Schwartz (and her Irish Setter, Rosie) for hosting the EISA Holiday Party. Sue also expressed appreciation to the club membership for their efforts in making the 2017 ISCA National in Rhode Island very successful. Report of the Corresponding Secretary Anne Marie Kubacz reported that all upcoming 2018 events have been approved. Membership Debra Krasley reported that about a dozen members have paid their 2018 dues, including the payments she received at the current meeting. Debra requested that the Dues Form should be included in the next issue of EISA Touch O’Blarney. Blarney Sue Sullivan notified that December 29, 2017 is the deadline for the Fall Issue of the Blarney including brag submittals.

2017 EISA Agility Trial Lynne Godshall and Anne Marie Kubacz reported on the Nov. 10 EISA Agility Trial held at Dream Park in New Jersey. Lynne commented that there will be the need to hire an individual to help with the heavy lifting of Agility equipment in 2018. Anne Marie noted that it was necessary to purchase EISA ribbons this year which was an added expense from the past 3 years when ISCA supplied ribbons. On a positive note, Lynne commented that the two EISA Agility matches at the end of the day were well attended and staffed primarily by non-EISA ring workers. Also, ring workers greatly appreciated the well- stocked raffle bags. (Note: EISA “pays” ring workers by giving them raffle tickets.) A full financial report will be submitted at the upcoming Jan. 2018 Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting. 20 EISA Outdoor Harvest Specialty Debra Hamilton reported that EISA will be holding their 2018 conformation specialty on Friday October 5 at Vernon, CT. The EISA obedience trial will be held the next day using equipment borrowed from Irish Setter Club of Central Connect- icut. Also, important ground rules will be added to the premium. Karen Schwartz requested that the grounds information should also be added to the program book. A full financial report of the Oct. 8, 2017 event will be submitted at the upcoming Jan. 2018 BOD Meeting. 2017 EISA Field Trial Sue Sullivan reported that a full financial report of the 2017 EISA field trial will be submitted at the upcoming Jan. 2018 BOD Meeting. She noted that attendance was good in spite of the fact that the Irish Setter Club of Delaware Valley specialties were being held the same weekend (Oct. 20-21, 2017). At least one participant, Pat Lyons, managed to attend both events. Sue also requested EISA membership help in running the upcoming Irish Setter Club of America National Hunt Test & Walking Field Trial at Petersburg, Dela- ware on March 30 – April 1, 2018. Sue will submit a request in the upcoming Blarney issue. 2018 EISA Indoor, Rye, NY Anne Marie Kubacz reported that the premium has been submitted to Rau. Debra Hamilton agreed to be present at the facility as the EISA Representative until the end of the day, Sunday Feb. 11, 2018. There was considerable discussion about ribbons and trophies for the 2018 supported shows. Debra and Rick Krasley will transfer cool cloths and snoods purchased for 2017 ISCA National to Anne Marie for use at the 2018 Freehold Supported show on May 26. Old Business: Donations to Hurricane Victims Sue Sullivan reported that in response to the EISA membership request in Septem- ber, the EISA BOD authorized funds to be divided equally among four Hurricane Relief Organizations suggested by the members. Details will be provided in the upcoming Blarney. New Business: Election of 2018 EISA Board of Directors Nominees As stipulated in the EISA constitution, the EISA recording secretary, Fiona Geiser, cast one ballot for the below nominated slate. President: Susan Sullivan Vice President: Mariette O’Malley Recording Secretary: Fiona Geiser Corresponding Secretary: Anne Marie Kubacz Treasurer: Peter Kubacz Class of 2020: Lynne Godshall and Jerome Molitor

13. Adjournment: 3:41 pm A motion for adjournment was made at 3:41 pm by Richard Krasley and seconded by Debra Hamilton. The motion was passed unanimously. Attendance: Guests: Jay Conway and Donna Conway Members: Fiona Geiser, Lynne Godshall, Debra Hamilton, Debra Krasley, Richard Krasley, Anne Marie Kubacz, Randy Kubacz, Mariette O’Malley, Karen Schwartz, Susan Sullivan Submitted Dec. 4, 2017 by Fiona Geiser, EISA Recording Secretary 21 ROYAL CANIN EUKANUBA INVITAIONAL

The morning of December 10th began before dawn as I arose to 4 inches of fresh powder and I wasn’t going Skiing. So, it had to be removed before I could leave for Florida. Instead of leaving at 6am we were off by 7:30. Snow was present on the ground in some form until we hit North Carolina; it was cold! We stopped just south of Savannah, GA for the night and we woke to frost on the windshield. We still had to wear gloves and hats, Brrrrrrr.

We hit that Welcome to Florida sign and silly me I just thought, “finally warmth,” but the car thermometer still registered in the 30’s. It wasn’t going to hit 60. We pilled into the Convention Center just before noon and saw the crate line. It was long and we were not going to be allowed to start moving in before 2pm. Aaaarrrggghhhh! Thankfully, Abigail would wait in line so I could check in to our accommodations.

The next morning I handed Christie over to Abigail at 5:30 am for her bath at the Convention Center. She would show in both Breed and then Juniors. I, however, headed to Epcot after Breed for my Disney fix. I had a blast even though we needed to layer sweats and wind breakers. The Christmas Processional was amazing and the day ended with fireworks, WOW!

Wednesday morning, Christie once again showed in Breed and Juniors. I then checked out the lay of the land in the Convention Center. Performance activities: Agility, Obedience, Rally, Dock Diving Etc were ongoing. A Booth for Meet the Breed was front and center.

Rick Krasley arrived Wednesday night. Lynn Kwiatkowski showed up and then I got a glimpse of Sue Kwiatkowski. Karolynne McAteer and Anne Marie Kubacz were hard at work in the agility ring. EISA was well represented. Our Irish teams would be competing in BOB, OH, OB, Rally Dock Diving, Meet the Breeds and Juniors. We were everywhere! What a versatile breed we are. I worked the 24” Jumpers ring Saturday morning before Breed and manning the Meet the Breeds booth. I got to see our Irish run and vocalize to their handlers. What fun! Wendy Culbertson with Bridget finished 4th Overall in the 24”class. Teddy went BOB and OH BOB. Christie went OH BOS.

Happy New Year! The AKC welcomed in several new activities in 2017, Grand Cham- pion in Agility, Rally Championship RACH, Achiever Dog, and Scentwork and Trick Dog. There’s plenty to do in the New Year.

Lynne Lady Christie

23 CANINE DOMESTICATION AND VERY FRIEND- LY DOGS By Fiona Geiser, Ph.D. How does your adult dog greet you when you step in the house? Does your dog greet you and then quickly return to other activities? Or does your dog greet you for a period lasting a full 2 minutes? This was the pivotal test used by the research group of Bridgett M. vonHoldt, Ph.D. at Princeton Uni- versity that aided in their discovery of a genetic explanation for canine domestication. In Dr. von Holdt’s study, adult (1-yr-old) wolves raised in captivity were compared to similarly-raised adult dogs on a battery of cognition and friendliness tests. Whereas wolves showed little interest in prolonged contact with humans, some of the canine breeds displayed what the authors called “hypersociability.” Those particular dogs also exhibited a breed-specific mutation similar to a human syndrome, Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS), charac- terized by hypersocial behavior. Below are 2 you tube links that explain WBS behaviors in children and how it appears in dogs. Basically, WBS is a spontaneous mutation that occurs on Chromosome 7 in humans where a short portion of about 25 genes are deleted on one of the chromosomes. Affected dogs have a similar deletion on their Chromosome 6 but it varies for the different breeds. The cognition animal studies were conducted on 18 domestic dogs and10 gray wolves at the Oregon State University lab of Monique A.R. Udell, Ph.D and her team. The 3 traits that clustered together for affected dogs were: hypersociability (HYP), attentional bias to human social stimuli (ABS), and most importantly social interest (friendliness) to strangers (SIS). It is easy to see why SIS would not be a desirable trait for wolves surviving in the wild since they would be at risk of being killed or shot. Further research will tease out the actual genetic changes that have evolved in dogs in the formation of different dog breeds by human selection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5IQeBw4KHk https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=Z5CIBg3qDDM

Bridgett M. von Holdt et al, Structural variants in genes associated with human Wil- liams-Beuren syndrome underlie stereotypical hypersocialbility in domestic dogs. Sci- ence Advances 2017:3;w1700398 19 July 2017. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5517105/pdf/1700398.pdf)

24 DOG TALES

Brando and Marienn reporting from Christmas in Cape May!

Bob always says there is some kind of magic every time we pay a visit to Cape May and last Friday was no exception when Bob and I went on live TV with CBS3 Phila weather person Kate Bilo for our 2 minutes of fame! Well at least Bob’s sister and brother-in- law were watching! Kate had never seen an Irish Setter in person and we caught her attention as soon as the CBS van pulled up to Christmas Wonderland at Congress Hall and there we were. She is a really nice person and promised to look more into our breed. After our “live performance” outdoors, Bob, Mar and I were welcomed into the main lobby of Congress Hall where we were surrounded by hundreds of curious persons wanting to meet us. Marienn and I were on our best behavior since dogs are not nor- mally allowed in the prestigious lobby! I think Bob was worried I was going to mark one of the Christmas trees but I held out (Brando) until we headed over to another tree lighting by Elaine’s Dinner Theater where we met with many of our Cape May friends. Hope everyone has a HEALTHY, HAPPY AND HOLY CHRIST- MAS!!

25 The Eastern Irish Setter Association

2018 Membership Dues Payable: JANUARY 31, 2018

_____Family Membership $35 (2 or more at the same address, entitled to 2 votes) _____Individual Membership $25 _____Junior Membership $10 (18 years and younger)

Please include your current email address – Touch of Blarney will be sent out electronically to each household. If you want a hard copy, you can print it out. If you do not have a computer, please advise, and a paper copy will be mailed to you.

Please make your check out to EISA, and mail it to: Debra Krasley EISA Membership 103 Evergreen Court Saylorsburg, PA 18353 Print Name______

Mailing Address______

City______

State______Zip______

Email Address______Home Tele- phone______Cell______

**Please check here if any of the above contact info has changed from 2017______**

26 From the Editor’s Desk:

EISA members have so much to offer. Please send in your Winter wins, new titles, news and Setter Tales for publication in the Spring issue of Touch of Blarney. The deadline for submission is April 1st. I’d like to thank Fiona Geiser for all of her kind help. May you have a great Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, Saint Patrick’s Day and Easter. Thanks, Suz