How The ACKCSC Was Founded

How The ACKCSC, Inc.
Was Founded
After the May, 1994 CKCSC, USA vote on AKC recognition was defeated, the breed was left in a precarious position. The American Kennel Club had made its intentions very clear – Cavaliers would be recognized. The CKCSC, USA had also made its position very clear – they did not want to become the parent club for the breed.

It is up to a breed’s parent club not only to protect the breed, but to also write the breed standard, write the illustrated guide to the breed, film the breed video, hold educational seminars for judges to teach them about the breed, hold specialty shows, help local clubs form, etc.

Who would now become the Cavaliers Parent Club? There was great concern, since the Border Collie had just been recognized without a parent club and the AKC was doing all the things a parent club normally does. Many Cavalier owners were very concerned about this, and rightly so. The welfare of the breed was important. How could we abandon this wonderful breed that we all loved, and allow it to be turned over to strangers, who would in turn make all the important decisions for the breed?

After much discussion, about 150 Cavalier breeders, owners and exhibitors, many of long standing and most being members of the CKCSC, USA, including the top breeders and owners of the top stud dogs, as well as two sitting board members, decided that the only way to protect the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was to form a new club, the American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club, Inc. The first Officers and Board of Directors were John D. Gammon, Meredith Johnson-Snyder, Martha Guimond, Hazel Arnold, Douglas Clevenger, Stephanie Abraham, Susan Adams, Patricia Kanan, Joanne Nash, Robert A. Schroll and Julie Sturman.

The goal was to protect the Cavalier and represent its interests in the AKC. It was further decided that after all the trouble caused by the recognition issue, that this new club’s Regular membership must be active breeders and exhibitors. Therefore, a separate type of membership was established, called Associate, which had all the privileges of Regular membership with the exception of voting, being counted in a quorum and holding office. A Breed Standard, Constitution and Bylaws were written and members soon began to join.

When the CKCSC, USA learned of this club, the founding members were told that they must resign from the newly formed club or they would be brought up on charges. When they refused, a hearing was held in Chicago in September, 1994 and all were suspended for a period of two years and each fined $2,000.

In December of 1994, the ACKCSC, Inc. went to the AKC and asked to be the Parent Club for the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and this request was granted. In March of 1995, the AKC opened its Stud Book, and Cavalier owners began to register Foundation Stock. The rest of that year was very busy as the Club continued to organize, began to publish a magazine, hold match shows and fly from one end of the country to the other holding judges’ education seminars.

On January 1, 1996, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel became AKC’s 140th recognized breed – over 40 years after Trudy Brown Albrecht and Sally Brown had first made their request – and for the first time the Cavalier was eligible to compete as a recognized breed at AKC events, with the American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club, Inc. as its Parent Club. The American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club, Inc. held its first National Specialty in May of 1997.

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