President's Message – November/December 2003 It is amazing how many things had to come together to make this year’s Nationals as memorable as any previous.  Not only do we need to thank those persons seen working the desks and setting up the events but those too who worked behind the scenes to bring it all together.  Also the local clubs who lent their support to the hospitality room as hosts and financial contributors.  Elsie Tagg and her Committee Chairs tried their best to catch everyone’s name and contribution but there were bound to be those who were left off the lists.  To them and on behalf of all of us let me say THANK YOU. Congratulations to all of the winners as well as to all those who participated and allowed us to view their hounds.  Of course you come to the Nationals to try to win but, the BHCA Nationals is far more than that.  It’s about seeing old friends, meeting new ones, learning new things and checking out the hounds that you’ve only seen in photographs or only heard about.  The Annual Meeting is always of major importance and this one was made special by presentations made to Barbara Wicklund for over 25-years service as the BHCA’s AKC Delegate and to Joan Urban in remembrance of the hound lost during the motor-home fire last year.  Another was the first BHCA President’s Lifetime Achievement Award that was presented to Mrs. Margaret Lynwood Walton of Lyn Mar Acres kennel fame, for her tremendous worldwide contributions to the Basset Hound breed.  Also, the Life Member Committee awarded BHCA Life Membership statuses to: Joe Miller, Anne Lindsey and, I am humbled to say, yours truly.   Please join us in welcoming new Board members, Gale Yamaguchi, Carol Ann Hunt and returning Recording Secretary, Jerry Rush.  As the Board takes a very close look at the areas in which the Club can look for improvement, its attention turns towards Basset Hound Rescue services.  This year and with the help of those Rescue organizations that were represented, we made the time to meet with and discuss many of the issues surrounding the need for recognition by the national organization.  That organization is the BHCA as the Parent Club of the Basset Hound breed in the USA so we can no longer look the other way and expect that someone else is doing the job that we should at least show an interest in as the “guardians of the breed”.  Yes, there are many hurdles and no, we are not talking about putting bunches of money out as some of the Rescue organizations could buy and sell the BHCA.  Of course, there are many that cannot.  The point is that there are hundreds, maybe thousands of Basset Hound supporters out there that have either never heard of the BHCA or that look upon it as an elitist group of know-it-alls who could care less about the actual hound if not one of their own.  I know it isn’t true and you know it isn’t true but our lack of progress since the early days of Rescue, tells them otherwise.  While I have previously written about having passion for the breed, the Board is not looking into this area with blind emotion.  In fact, as one Board member noted, we need to look at the BHCA’s basic objectives to see if Rescue even fits the Club’s philosophy or, we might have to change the objectives altogether.  At first glance it certainly might take such a change but reading very slowly might allow for a different twist.  There are four separate paragraphs that define our Club’s reason for being.  One of them, the last . . . begins with “to do all in its power to protect the interests of the breed“. . . it then goes on to name the competitive activities that will help us do so.  I am not sure that the Founders ever had to consider times when hounds were left to fend for themselves on the streets; set ablaze just for kicks or, left in rotting conditions so bad that local law enforcement has to act to save the hounds.  We’ve all heard the horror stories but . . . as with much of what goes on in the world . . . it’s happening to someone else.  The BHCA needs to offer our cooperation and collaboration to help bring continuity and a standard of excellence to Rescue programs by helping them to gain an affiliation with the BHCA.  Obviously, we must tread slowly as there may be legal implications to be considered.  At this moment, our Rescue Advisory Committee, Chaired by Rosemary Ryan, will be taking in new committee members to specifically help in developing a basic criterion to be met before any affiliation with the BHCA is possible.  This is not without its self-serving components in favor of the BHCA.  The largest of which may be new individual memberships of Basset Hound devotees.  They may provide the new member pool to help some of our lackluster entry levels for such activities as the local show rings, field trials, and obedience and tracking events.  Agility is bringing new attention to the breed as can Rescue enthusiasts turned Hunters!  Even the possibility of bringing into the Club new members that at heart only want to support the best interests of the Basset Hound breed should give us hope for the future of the BHCA’s membership roster and its varied competitive activities.   Only yesterday I was speaking to a current BHCA member/exhibitor who accidentally found out that friends in their same line of business have been long-standing Basset Hound enthusiasts and always had a Basset Hound in their home.  BHCA?  What’s that? The BHCA has core values and purposes that are our creed.  With them to always guide our way we must add an envisioned future with goals that are attainable and not just some unverifiable inspiration.  Dreams and inspirations are great, without them where would we be?  At times, however, we need to get down to earth and do what needs to be done.  The Board has yet to set its agenda for the year as it has been attending to new Board obligations as well as reacting to more immediate new news as it happens but, it will.  One item may be to support and attain a Rescue accreditation program; another will be to get into all members’ hands the new educational CD of the breed; to continue support of the Hunt Test program to full AKC recognition; to redefine the Futurity Stakes status within the Club’s national competitive activities, etc., etc.  Things keep happening daily to make those 5000 e-mails appear on Board member’s computer screens! There are only a few top winners each year so most of us need to be prepared to lose once in a while but we should also to be there when the breed needs us.  As a Club we must commit ourselves to constant improvement.  The BHCA’s record on Rescue needs to improve so as we start down this road . . . let’s travel safe! Randy Frederiksen