To: Cristy Joy, President
As many people are aware, the Parent Club has had to deal with an unfortunate situation regarding sick dogs being brought to a field trial in Colorado. The full extent of what was known by who and when is likely never to be clear in any factually meaningful way. The Parent Club is subjected to routine criticism, and I contribute to this criticism as well. However, it was put in a position that was not winnable regardless of how it responded to this issue.
As a member of the Parent Club, I want to thank your leadership for trying to collect information, separate hysteria from science, and formulate guidance to the clubs. Not everyone was happy with the guidance and some clubs canceled trials or were more stringent regarding which dogs could enter their respective events. No individual was forced to run in a trial yet many complained anyway.
I fear that this is the future of our spaniel community and we will be subjected to continued deep division for the simple purpose of not allowing a different opinion on issues. We should not be surprised by this as we are a collection of different persons with different backgrounds and experiences much like what is currently going on in our Country. While we once had a common bond of the dogs, I now question if that similarity is enough. After all, like most of the spaniel community, I know for a fact that my opinion is the right one.
Thank you again Cristy. You are a better person than me for volunteering for the position you and Mike are in. I am sure you volunteered to improve things. Unfortunately, you will have to navigate through the petulant children while trying to achieve your goals. I hope we do not break your leadership in the process.
Todd Agnew
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