The dates, April 2-4, 2010, for the UKC Carolina Classic (hosted by the AHTA) are rapidly approaching. Pre-entries are being taken via the UKC website through 4:30 PM EST on March 22nd.

At the Classic, the AHTA will be offering 5 Conformation shows, 2 days of Terrier Racing, and 3 days of Weight Pull (on rails this year - run by our friends with A.P.B.T. Showdog's of Florida). Total Dog opportunities abound - Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Outside of the shows and performance events, one of the highlights of the weekend will occur on Saturday evening. The AHTA will be hosting a catered dinner and a seminar on dog genetics. The seminar will feature world renowned canine (and human) geneticist, Dr. Mark Neff (formerly of UC Davis, now with the National Institutes of Health).

Dr. Neff has 17+ years of experience in dog genetics. His work began in 1993 when he became a Human Genome Distinguished Postdoctoral Scholar and traveled to UC Berkeley to work with Dr. Jasper Rine on the first Dog Genome Project. He later was named as the Associate Director of the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. In addition to studying the genetics of behavior, he also investigates the genetics of complex diseases, including epilepsy, hip dysplasia and autoimmunity.

Dr. Neff is an energetic and entertaining speaker who is able to effortlessly communicate to the level of his audience. We had the pleasure of having him join us (and some other members of a local, multi-breed UKC dog club) for dinner after one of the FL shows this past fall. Those present at the dinner included fanciers of many breeds, including AHTs, APBTs, Chinese Crested, and more. While some of us entered the evening fearing a dry, potentially boring, lecture on genetics, the time spent with Dr. Neff was anything but that. His energy level and enthusiasm for his work is infectious. After speaking, Dr. Neff took time to field questions, breed specific and general, from all who had them.

I truly hope you take advantage of this tremendous opportunity. We'd love to see you both at the shows in Hickory and at the seminar.

Sincerely,

Ryan Pingel
AHTA President

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Christi Grimes