The RRCF was pleased to have had a presence at this year's National Specialty in Portland. Under the watchful eye of Nancy Faville and team it seemed to run effortlessly. Those of us manning the Foundation booth met many new people and renewed old acquaintances and friendships. We also had the opportunity to answer questions about the Foundation and elicit areas of concern regarding the health and welfare of the breed. Some of the most frequently asked questions were about how we got started, our relationship with RRCUS and how we are linked to the Canine Health Foundation.
For us it all began in January of 2014 at the RRCUS BOD meeting. Over lunch MaryLynne Elliott and I were discussing the enviable position that RRCUS was carrying too many assets and should probably find a way to reduce their assets to avoid taxes while still benefiting the purpose of the club. We were aware that some 47 other parent clubs had established foundations that operated separately from the parent clubs. As immediate past president of RRCUS I was asked to investigate the possibility. The process took about 14 months as we needed to form a corporation, write a mission statement (which can be seen on our website RRCFUS.org), and file an IRS 1023 form for 501(c)3 status which we received in May of 2016. RRCUS provided the seed money for legal fees and filing costs. In addition, they contributed $30,000 to the Foundation. The Foundation raised an additional $39,000.
At the end of our first year, 2016, we were able to make our first grant to the Tick Bourne initiative of $21,000 making us a Charter Sponsor of the initiative as listed on the CHF website. Accomplishing all of this would not have been possible without the support of RRCUS and donors who recognize that "TOGETHER there is no Limit to what We can accomplish".
So far, this year we have granted $18,000 to the Ventricular Arrhythmia in Rhodesian Ridgebacks study at North Carolina State University. We have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with CHF and will fund this study again in 2018. We also gave $1000 to the AKC Reunite and brought Diane Brown DVM and CEO of the Canine Health Foundation to Portland as the speaker at the annual meeting. Before the year end we will be making additional grants. We will use the information collected in Portland in our decision process.
With appreciation, Jane Missimer President RRCF
Webinar: What's Feeding Those Seizures? An Update on Refractory Canine Epilepsy and the Potential Link to Gastrointestinal Health.
This was one of the subjects discussed by Diane Brown, CHF CEO at the RRCUS NS in Oregon last month. The RRCF has reviewed, selected and supported this Epilepsy Initiative.
The AKC Canine Health Foundation is partnering with VetVine to present a free educational webinar. The one hour webinar will be presented live on Tuesday, October 24 at 8:00 p.m. ET. This special event will feature Dr. Karen R. Muñana, board-certified veterinary neurologist.
Join Dr. Muņana in this complimentary webinar and learn about our current understanding of the mechanisms that can result in drug resistant seizures. The concept of the microbiota-gut-brain axis will also be introduced, and evidence presented to demonstrate the role that the gastrointestinal system plays in the development and progression of epilepsy and other neurological disorders.
Register today and don't miss out on this exciting educational opportunity!
Veterinary Professionals can earn CE credit (Approved by AAVSB RACE, NY State, NJVMA).
Can't join us on the 24th? Good news: the webinar will be recorded and available for on demand viewing on our website.
As a scientist, veterinarian, and life-long dog lover, Dr. Brown's experience and interest in comparative and translational medicine, and veterinary practice and clinical pathology drew her to the Foundation.
Dr. Brown is a board-certified veterinary clinical pathologist who holds a DVM and PhD in pathology from Colorado State University's College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. As an independent investigator and comparative pathologist, Dr. Brown has served as a member of the faculty at Harvard Medical School, as director of the Comparative Clinical Pathology Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital, and as consulting pathologist at the University of Colorado. She previously served as the Chief Scientific Officer for Morris Animal Foundation, and holds an affiliate faculty position in the Department of Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She has held prior affiliate faculty appointments in the veterinary schools at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Colorado State University and Purdue University.
Dr. Brown also brings experience in the corporate world, as former senior pathologist at Eli Lilly and Company. She began her veterinary career as a small animal practitioner for four years prior to beginning her residency and PhD program, and completed an NIH Fellowship in the study of genetic diseases shared by human and veterinary patients. She enjoys teaching and also providing mentorship to students interested in pursuing training and careers in biomedical and veterinary science, and believes in the importance of training the next generation of scientists for animal health. She has served as a board member and volunteer veterinarian for service dogs. Dr. Brown has a son Kyle, a cat Sagwa, and her office mate Lily, an English Setter.
AKC Pet Disaster Relief trailers are donated to LOCAL emergency management agencies (usually government, but sometimes private) with the responsibility for responding to pet-related emergencies in their jurisdiction. Every agency we have donated to has affirmed that they are ready and willing to help other agencies if called upon to do so, and this is common if the agencies are close to each other geographically. The further away they are from each other, the more complicated it gets. If both agencies are within a state, the state emergency management agency may help coordinate/direct the response and which resources are brought in.
We saw that in Texas after Harvey where the trailers in Dallas and Ft Worth were at first kept in their area to create evacuation shelters. Then as the need changed, the Tri-Cities trailer from the Dallas area was requested to help and was deployed south to Port Arthur, TX. Additionally, a trailer from Nashville, TN was requested and went to Rockport, TX with volunteers to help with a shelter, then returned home prior to Irma coming ashore.
These trailers ARE donated to LOCAL emergency management agencies. Response starts at the local level, then state, then FEMA.
Our understanding in Oregon is that the counties that have a trailer did not need to use it in their county (but were ready), and no other county requested their use. Without an agency-to-agency formal request, the equipment and local government personnel do not get deployed.
Tom Sharp President & CEO tws@akcreunite.org | 919-816-3839 AKC Reunite | 800-252-7894 www.akcreunite.org | Like us on Facebook
