J U N E 1 3 , 2 0 0 7

In keeping with The Tracking Club of Mas-

sachusetts purpose to encourage the sport

of tracking. It’s been a very busy couple of

months for the members of the Club.

Planning and running a TD/TDX Test,

a VST and a Beginners Tracking Clinic in just 2 months was very ambitious and went off with

out a hitch. This Newsletter is a testament to all of the hard work and dedication the club

members put into these events. The photos on this first page are all from the Beginner

Tracking Clinic held on June 23-24. A picture is worth a thousand words!

Welcome to the Club

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

Calendar 2

Club Elections 2

Tracklayer’s poem

And Photos

3

TD / TDX Event

Results & Photos

4-5

VST Event

Results & Photos

6

Brags and Photos 7

T R A C K I N G C L U B O F

M A S S A C H U S E T T S TCM

V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 2 W W W . G O N E T R A C K I N G . C O M

C L U B O F F I C E R S

P R E S I D E N T

A R T H U R T W I S S

7 8 1 - 9 4 4 - 5 4 0 8

A T W I S S 2 @ V E R I Z O N . N E T

V I C E - P R E S I D E N T

M I L E S G A R R O D

6 0 3 - 4 7 1 - 0 3 6 0

R E C O R D I N G S E C R E T A R Y

P A M E L A F R A T T A L L O N E

9 7 8 - 4 8 6 - 3 1 5 7

C O C K E R D O G @ V E R I Z O N . N E T

C O R R E S P O N D I N G S E C R E T A R Y

M A R I A N N E W O O D

9 7 8 - 7 7 2 - 2 6 1 3

M F W O O D T K @ N E T 1 P L U S . C O M

T R E A S U R E R

K A R E N O L I V E R

9 7 8 - 8 6 6 - 6 4 9 4

K R O 0 6 1 1 @ C O M C A S T . N E T

D I R E C T O R

J A N E T S T E E G E R

7 8 1 - 7 7 1 - 1 3 7 3

J A N E T . S T E E G E R @ Q C M E T R I X . C O M

D I R E C T O R

D O N N A K I U R U

9 7 8 - 6 6 5 - 2 9 3 3

L E O M E C S @ A O L . C O M

D I R E C T O R

B I L L W O O D S

6 1 7 - 3 5 9 - 3 7 6 5

W W O O D S J R @ C O M C A S T . N E T

Club President, AKC Tracking Judge and

Clinic Instructor Arthur Twiss.

Arthur watches

Eoin and Shorty

try this thing called Tracking.

Dom and Mac at the Starting Flag.

Art keeping a close eye on Lorna and her

Weimaraner .

Tracy and her Bull Mastiff “Sophie”

checking out the track.

Nancy with her Spinone Italiano “Marco”

on the scent.

June 2007

*June 23-24 Beginners

Trackers Seminar

Wrentham, Ma

*Oct. 7 TDX Test

Gardner, Ma

*Oct. 13-14 Beginners

Trackers Seminar

Ayer, Ma

*Oct. 28 TD Test

Ayer, Ma

TCM

UPCOMING EVENTS

The Votes are In!

W W W . G O N E T R A C K I N G . C O M

Lets all welcome

TCM’s two newest

Directors

JUNE 2007

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13

TCM

Meeting

14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

Tracking

Seminar

24

Tracking

Seminar

25 26 27 28 29 30

P A G E 2

Donna Kiura

Bill Woods

President

Arthur Twiss

Treasurer

Karen Oliver

Vice President

Miles Garrod

R. Secretary

Pam Frattallone Director

Janet Steeger

C. Secretary

Marianne Wood

Mary placing flags at

High Ridge.

P A G E 3 W W W . G O N E T R A C K I N G .

A Tracklayer’s Lament By Sarah ten Bensel

Oh, I pity the dog that runs this track.

It started so well but I couldn’t find my way back.

The first flag was easy and so was number two.

But things quickly faltered...what’s a track-layer to do?

Sixty-seven paces to the far tree-line,

a right past the maple next to the sign,

then out pops a pheasant, and then a raccoon.

A tracker’s dilemma but a hunting dog’s boon!

I was steadfast and determined despite all my doubt.

Besides, I thought, isn’t this what tracking is about?

Continuing forward beyond the cover the woods appeared to open to a large range.

And from the east a strong wind came.

I referenced the turn and it started to rain.

I reached in my pouch to get my rain hat

And I fell in the mud on my face, flat.

The mud was thick and deep like a stew.

I emerged from this swamp minus a shoe.

Then through the short weeds that suddenly grew,

I was quickly lost and it was only turn two.

“Why do I do this?

This sport of tracking and all!

I only wanted my dog to come when I Call!

I limped ahead to rest by a tree. “Oh no!’

“ I pondered, Is this leg three?!”

Do I go left, do I go right, or move straight ahead.

What direction did I come from, may be I’ll go backward instead.

My track laying friends will understand-they are so nice,

What we really need is a global positioning device.

I pulled out my map I so carefully plotted,

But the hard rain that came had left it all rotted.

I just plodded forward toward a small well.

Meandered through thorns—this track’s gone to hell!

So I zigged and I zagged through sand and rock.

All this wear-n-tear I was now without the sock.

Finally I decided to end this journey I placed a brown glove next to an oak tree.

Miraculously I found my way back to my friends.

They were wide eyed and worried. “It’s late! Where’ve you been?”

I smiled and told them about my disaster.

I tried to return sooner but I could not go faster.

In all, I said, I was glad to be back

But I pity the dog that will run on my track.

Janet, we

want you to

go there!

Can you find the Tracklayer in this photo?

Mike, Art and Mary

May 6th

TD / TDX TEST

At High Ridge Wildlife Management Area

In Gardner, MA

P A G E 4 W W W . G O N E T R A C K I N G .

What a good weekend to have a Tracking Test. The Judges Arthur Twiss (Art) and Michael

Clemens (Mike) and all the Tracklayers enjoyed the sun on Saturday. Plotting their tracks,

drawing their maps and for some, including tracklayer Mary Walter, climbing over rocks and

through thorn bushes, trying to keep up with Mike.

I quickly learned watching Mike plot out the

TDX tracks with Art that a TDX title earned on

one of Mike’s tracks is something to be very proud

of. Mike, like all judges, takes great pride in plotting

out his test tracks and is always looking to add that

something special. Just ask Mary the next time you

see her.

The hours flew by, thanks to the great

company, which included a 8 week old Australian

Shepherd puppy that Randy was watching. Tracks

were plotted, flags were placed, cross tracks were planned

and the judges were happy. Saturday was done!

Sunday started at 6:30 am for the judges, Tracklayers

and Test Committee Members. What a fine day for a Track-

ing Test. Temperature in the 60’s with a slight breeze.

Tracks were laid, then the

cross tracks for the TDX’s. Then the Draws, 8:30 for the TD and 10:00 for

the TDX.

The TD event got off to a great start with “CH TIMBERWIND’S

DREAMKEEPER CD HIC” (Belgian Tervuren Dog) and owner Kathryn

Kraft earning a TD Title on Track #1!

The TD event finished strong with “HOLLYOAK’S COL DES ARA-

VIS” (Rough Collie, Bitch) and owner Lisa Gorn earning a TD Title on Track

#3.

Not a bad showing for the TD event with 2 out of 3 entries earning

a TD Title.

Thank

You for all

your help!

Karen

Janet

Donna

Randy

Susan

Bette

Julia

Bill

Mary

Mike laying out a track.

Denise and her Corgi on the TDX course.

Kathryn & her Belgian Tervuren

P A G E 5 W W W . G O N E T R A C K I N G .

The TDX event got off to a slow start but picked up

scent with “WET ACRES MON AMIE TD RN

JH” (WIREHAIRED POINTING GRIFFON, BITCH) AND

OWNER Brian Bright. Watching this dog cross the road and

then go back only to cross the road again 4 more times was

a great example of the level of trust that a handler must have

in his dog . He just let the dog work it out. And this dog

worked it out all the way to a TDX Title on Track # 2!

PROPWASH CASINO TANGO CD TD RE

(AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD, DOG) and owner Nancy

Gauthier kept the string going with a TDX Title on Track #3!

And after Track #4 the Testing was done. A good

showing with 2 out of 4 entries earning their TDX Titles.

Congratu-

lations

To all the

new TD

and TDX

Title

Holders!!!

Mike, Kathy, Art and of course

CH TIMBERWIND’S DREAMKEEPER CD HIC TD

Mike, Brian, Art and

WET ACRES MON AMIE TD RN JH TDX

Mike, Nancy, Art and

PROPWASH CASINO TANGO CD TD RE TDX

Mike, Lisa, Art and

HOLLYOAKS COL DES ARAVIS TD

The Road

On the grounds of Hewlett Packard

Nashua, NH May 20th,2007

Variable Surface Tracking (VST) Test P A G E 6 W W W . G O N E T R A C K I N G . C O

According to the AKC for the year of 2006 . Out of 333 entries there were only

25 pass for a pass rate of 8%.

Being a Track layer the first time for a Variable Surface

Tracking Test the first thought that must go through your head

has to be “Hey this doesn't look too hard”. But then you start

thinking about where the scent is drifting to? Which way is the

wind blowing? How is the ground sloped? And how is the scent

moving next to the buildings. The change in terrain, going from

grass to blacktop, back to grass. Then to cement, now in the

open, then next to a building. You start to realize “Hey this is

pretty hard’. And you haven’t even thought about the weather.

And once again the weather played a big part in the Vari-

able Surface Tracking Test this Weekend. It rained hard, it rain

light and it rained a

lot. We did have times when it didn’t rain ( like right after the

testing was done). But it seemed to rain the heaviest mid-way

through all of the track.

All four of the entries made a valiant try to earn this elu-

sive title. But in the end there was just too much rain and not

enough scent. Some good advice from the judges to the entries

and the Test was done with no dogs passing this time.

SPECIAL Thanks to Judge Michael Clemens for filling in for

Miles—Get Well Soon Miles.

And last but not least a Job Very Well Done by Donna Kiuru. Donna was the Test Secretary (first time)

and the home

made soup

was a great hit

on a rainy day.

Grounds of Hewlett Packard

Thanks

for all of your help!

Donna

Janet

Leland

Bill

Pam

New Members

Brags and Photo’s Congraduations to Julia Slatkiewicz on her new addi-

tions to her family “Wingover’s Mother Maybelle”

(Maybelle).

New Members

If you have a brag or a photo

are both and would like then in

the TCM newsletter just send then to Bill at

wwoodsjr@comcast.net

Or you could send them to me at

Bill Woods

93 Bowdoin Street

Newton Highlands, MA, 02461