JRKC Community Involvement
The James River Kennel Club is an American Kennel Club (AKC) member-club representing the Lynchburg, Virginia area including Bedford, Amherst, Appomattox, Nelson, Campbell and Pittsylvania counties.
JRKC members are active in conformation, obedience, agility, and field events, providing educational and training opportunities to members of the purebred dog fancy as well as educating the public about the sport of purebred dogs.
Upcoming Events
4–8, 2010 Mountain Valley
Dog Show Cluster
Salem Civic Center, Salem, Virginia
26, 2010
Conformation, Obedience and Rally Obedience Match; CGC Testing
Boonsboro, Va.
Club Meetings
All meetings are held at 7 p.m. at the Quality Inn, 3125 Albert Lankford Drive at Odd Fellows Road, Lynchburg, Virginia, 24501
Board Meeting
General Meeting:
Cluster preparation
General Meeting:
Board nominations and Obedience Trial Prep
Board Meeting
General Meeting:
Annual Meeting and Election
Board Meeting
General Meeting
Annual Holiday Shelter Donations
James River Kennel Club is committed to the support of regional shelters with donations of food and supplies. We salute the volunteer workers in Lynchburg and surrounding area shelters working to place surrendered, abandoned and abused companion animals in forever homes.
Each year in December we proportionally distribute food and supplies to regional shelters according to our members’ city or county residence. For example, last year in Amherst County alone we donated
330 lbs. Purina dog chow
220 lbs. Purina cat chow
2 cases canned dog food
28 lbs. Milk Bones
36 rolls paper towels
200 lbs. kitty litter
2 gal. Pine Sol
5 large jugs laundry detergent
2 /90 ct. boxes yard trash bags
Mountain Valley Cluster:
Our Juniors . . . Our Future
The James River Kennel Club in conjunction with the Roanoke and New River Valley Kennel Clubs host the Mountain Valley Cluster each year for five days the first week of August — during students’ summer break. What better opportunity to host a myriad of events to support, honor and offer help to the junior handlers — our future in the sport of dogs.
This year, as was last year, a special event was planned each day specifically for the juniors. Those events included: rosettes for every class placement awarded on Wednesday; a pizza party featuring Sue Whaley, PHA, and Whitney Meeks, former junior handler, as speakers on Thursday; a scavenger hunt on Friday, and grooming aprons, hats and lapel pins were given to every junior entered on Thursday and Saturday. The scavenger hunt was significant in that it encouraged teamwork, thinking outside the box and good sportsmanship. By pairing an older junior with several younger juniors friendships were formed, teamwork encouraged and the older student could monitor the team’s safety during the event.
To wind up the week, photos shot during the first three days of Junior Showmanship competition were taken to the local Wal-Mart who very graciously offered to develop all of the junior’s action shots. Several were then selected to be placed on each of three cakes for the juniors to enjoy on Sunday during the last day of the show. All the photos were made available to the juniors during Sunday’s celebration.
This 5-day cluster of junior activities took very little to accomplish — just some cursory pre-planning and the monetary support of the three clubs. With the help of several James River club members, two junior mothers and junior volunteers the events came off without a hitch. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the week’s activities, especially the pizza party and scavenger hunt. Parents, club members and even exhibitors enjoyed hiding scavenger hunt items and helping the students.
Our entry has increased from 30 juniors in 2005 to just over 50 juniors in 2008. We expect even more entries next year based on the numerous e-mails, accolades and thank-you notes that have been received from very gracious parents and junior showmen. Plans are already in the making to get the PHA (Professional Handlers Association) involved next year and offer an opportunity to have mini hands-on handling seminars. We look forward to 2009 and the opportunity to once again work with and encourage our juniors . . . our future in the sport of dogs.
Mountain Valley Cluster Sponsors Annual Canine Health Clinics
for the Benefit of Virginia/Maryland Regional Veterinary School
Over the past four years during the Mountain Valley Cluster dog shows held the first week of August at Salem, Virginia’s Civic Center, James River Kennel Club has sponsored several canine health clinics. Eye and heart clinics have been held to enable exhibitors to have their dogs checked for anomalies. These clinics not only aid breeders and owners in securing clean bills of health and supply helpful information to use in their breeding programs but also offer financial support to select educational programs at Virginia Tech’s VA/Maryland Regional Veterinary School.
This year a microchip clinic was added which enabled breeders and pet owners identify their dogs in addition to supporting a vet school employee in an attempt to attend an upcoming medical seminar.
Because Virginia Tech is a state supported college, there are no budgetary funds readily available to send students or professors to seminars and clinics held to further educate, brainstorm new ideas and disseminate research findings. Monies received from the eye, heart and microchip clinics help with this endeavor.
Over the past four years monies earned from these clinics have netted the vet school approximately $10,000 in educational support funds.
A huge thank you to Debbie Straw for spearheading these annual events for her alma mater and to her annual faithful JRKC supporters for the time invested in offering their assistance to the veterinary community’s canine educational endeavors.
JRKC Supports Local Law Enforcement K9 Unit with Gift of Kevlar Vests
In recognition of the valuable role K9 partners play within the law enforcement community and the dangers they often face, a number of measures to ensure their protection have been taken. These include the outfitting of these dogs with Kevlar or bulletproof vests to protect them from assault.
The duties of these highly trained K9’s are numerous and varied, including assisting officers on search warrants, school searches, missing or endangered person searches, assaults and robberies within Campbell and surrounding counties.
When James River Kennel Club became aware of the need to provide valuable police K9’s with Kevlar vests, our response was immediate and unanimous.
Our November 2006 program featured as guest speakers, Deputies Bill Elliott, and Mike Garrett of Campbell County, along with their K9 partners, Rooster and Onyx, the recipients of those Kevlar vests.