GREEN MOUNTAIN DOG CLUB OFFICERS

 

President ……Roberta Garrand                        Vice President…..David Jones

Corresponding Secretary…..Mary McFaun 
Recording Secretary…..Louise Rauh

Treasurer…..Deb Jones

Board of Directors – Class of 2012
Bonnie Peterson…..Caulder Ripley…..Jenny Chambers

    Board of Directors – Class of 2011
Bob Jones…..Andrea McMahon...Mary Ann Hatch…..Louise Rauh
AKC Delegate…..Caulder Ripley          Show Chairman…David Jones

Breeder Referral Ed and Bonnie Peterson (802 229-2345)


To access contact information for all officers of the club, click on the link below.

gmdc_officer_directory_2013.xls
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             GMDC History - The First Fifty Years:

This history of the club, written some years ago by an early member, will be of interest to fanciers in the Central Vermont area.

In 1947, a group of people met several times in Montpelier,Vermont to consider the establishment of a dog club. At first it was promoted as a state club, and there were members from the Burlington area. A little later the Burlington people decided to establish a separate club in their own area.

In 1948 a "B" type match was held, which created a great deal of interest among people enthusiastic about purebred dogs, drawing many spectators because it was something new and different. The following year the Green Mountain Dog Club was well established, and on March 6th put on an ambitious "B" match with Charles Dudley as show chairman and Roy Hine as president. The show, which was a benched show, was held in the
Montpelier City Hall, the benches having been made by members of the club, and there were 168 entries in breed classes.

The club was incorporated in 1950, and with Roy Hine as president and Mauro Comi as show chairman, the club put on two "A" matches at the Montpelier City Hall. In about 1951, obedience classes were started in Montpelier, conducted by Elton Sherman and Hugh Jones,and later by George Meech and Dorothy Niebling.

There was discussion of holding a point show in 1951, but it was postponed until the following year because it looked like an extremely big project. In 1952, the first point show and obedience trial was held at the Montpeleir Country Club with 365 entries, and for three more years the show was held at the Country Club, each time with a big dinner following the events. Each of these early shows was open with a little speech by the Governor or Commissioner of Agriculture.

In 1954 the entry increased to 586, largely due to the Champlain Valley Kennel Club holding their first point show with the Green Mountain Dog Club. At the club's show in 1955, the Newfoundland " Little Bear's James Thurber" went Best in Show, which is the only time it was ever won by a dog bred and developed by club members.

When the Country Club ground became unavailable, the show was held for 3 years at the Montpelier Recreation Field, but the space was inadequate and wet, so in 1959 the show moved to Stowe and Mrs John H ("Darby") Chambers served as show chairman for nine years. This move was good for the club because many enthusiastic dog people in Stowe became active
members.  In 1960, the Woodstock Dog Club held its first point show and completed Vermont's part of the Scenic New England Circuit.

In 1969 the club became a member club of the AKC and appointed its first Delegate, Mr. Vadim Chem. In the 31 years through 2000 there were only four Delegates - Vadim Chem, Anne Simoneau, Gene Ann Condon
and Deborah Mulvey.

The Club grew slowly during the sixties and seventies. The show site was eventually moved to the Topnotch Field in Stowe as show entries continued to increase, to a high of 1,939 in 1990. During these growth years, Anne Simoneau and Arlene Dartt, among others, served as president and ably guided the club.

In 1998, after an extraordinarily wet spring and summer which made the club's Stowe show site unusable, the club was forced, at the eleventh hour, to move the show to the Champlain Valley Kennel Club site at the
Champlain Valley Fairgrounds in Essex junction. In 2000, the two clubs decided to form a "cluster" so the Green Mountain Dog Club moved to join the CVKC at the brand-new air- conditioned building at the Champlain
Valley Fairgrounds, where the show was held until 2010.  In 2004 the Woodstock Dog Club joined the new Vermont Scenic Cluster.

In addition to holding its annual Dog Show and Obedience Trial, the Green Mountain Dog Club has over the years been involved in many dog-related activities, and holds a "B" match annually, with classes for Breed, Obedience, Rally and Junior Showmanship. In 1978-79, the club worked with a local 4-H Club teaching canine care, and that program continued for several years. The club has actively participated in the community, holding Obedience and Handling classes throughout the years. Booths have been manned at Home Shows and at the Champlain Valley Fair in conjunction with the Champlain Valley Kennel Club.

In 1989, one of the first Agility seminars to be given in Vermont was hosted by the GMDC and held in the Waterbury Armory.

Canine eye clinics, as well as tattoo and more recently microchip clinics, have been offered to the public as part of our Public Education Services, which also includes visits by club members to many local schools with
dogs and information.

During the 1970s, the Club set up a Scholarship for a pre-vet student at UVM. When the program at UVM ended, the scholarship was changed to go to a student studying animal science. A portion of the proceeds
from the club's annual dog show goes to this scholarship, which in recent years has been set up to be self sustaining.

Several dog members have reaped the benefits of this program and one of the graduates subsequently set up practice in Waterbury Center, Vermont.

In 1991, the club worked with Central Vermont Humane Society to rescue 150+ dogs from a puppy mill, requiring many hours of work by many club members. With the support of other dog fanciers, the club then
set up a rescue fund and has since given donations to many areas of the country when the need arises.

The club has also sponsored a service dog. In recent years the club has taken part in Working Dogs Day, organized by UVM animal science students and held at the UVM Horse Farm in Burlington, and at the
Canines & Company Obedience and agility Demonstration held on the State House Lawn in Montpelier, sponsored by the Central Vermont Humane Society.

The Club has also donated kevlar vest to the Vermont Police K9 unit. The Club Logo, which first appeared on the catalogs in 1964, was drawn by a local artist /member Anna Prince and represents the earliest drawn dogs of Ancient Egypt. A close look at the logo reveals the artist's whimsy- two are bitches being chased by a dog.

The Green Mountain Dog Club, throughout these 50 years, has always shown great commitment to our sport and will continue to do