June 2026

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June! Can you believe the year is half over?

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For those going to ASCA Nationals in Colorado this year, entries opened yesterday.

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Congratulations to PASA members who are in the top 60 Standard Agility Finals (Jackie Young, Mike Freitas, and Cynthia Downing); possible standard agility alternates (Debby Thompson, Donna Highstreet, Pam Jewel and Erika Maurer); in the top 40 Veterans Agility Finals (Jean Danver, Susan Laursen, and Tracy Lovelis); and possible veterans agility alternates (Suzanne Clark Morlock, Donna Highstreet, and Sue Graham). Also congratulations to Monica Salusky who is a possible alternate for Rally Finals. Note: the ASCA Finals standings lists have not been updated with the last three weeks of May yet so standings may change a bit.

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PASA’s May 30-31, 2026, agility trial is now in the books. We had 193 runs on Saturday and 178 runs on Sunday. This is about the same number of runs as last year (192 runs on Saturday and 172 runs on Sunday). It’s too soon to tell whether PASA made or lost money on this trial but one thing is certain. PASA would have lost a lot of money on this small trial if the Board hadn’t reduced the number of comp entries to just 3 and set budgets for non-trial related expenses. No one likes to tighten belts but these prudent steps mean PASA will be able to continue hosting agility trials in the future.

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A huge thanks to the people who came early on Friday, May 29, to help set up for the trial: Helen Bauer, Donna and Ken Highstreet, Sharon Johnson, Susan Laursen, Erika Maurer, and Mona Nichols.

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And a very huge thanks to those who stayed to load the trailer on Sunday, May 31: Helen Bauer, Francie Brewster, Mike Freitas, Sue Freitas, Sharon Johnson, Susan Laursen, Tracy and Scott Lovelis, Erika Maurer, Vicki O’Malley, Warene Waters, and Jackie Young, With all the help, it only took 30 minutes to put everything back in the trailer. Congratulations to Francie Brewster who won the trailing loading contest drawing and one day of agility entries (or half a $150 package of runs) to be used over the next year.

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We couldn’t hold agility trials without people to help set up, volunteer during the trial, tear down, and load the trailer after the trial ends. Thank you to everyone who stepped up and made it happen for this trial.

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PASA held its first Membership Meeting on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. 14 members were on the call. It was a productive time for socialization, sharing, offering suggestions, and discussing Club business. We will hold a second Membership Meeting in November and I hope everyone can attend.

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Now’s the time to enter PASA’s August 1-2, 2026, agility trial at Manzanita Park in Prunedale. Michael Black is our judge. There are only TWO MORE TRIALS where you can earn a free entry by getting a non-member to enter all 12 runs at the August trial. Invite a friend and take advantage of this contest! Membership Contest

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Still, no new members since the first part of April. In the membership recruitment contest, Helen Bauer, Francie Brewer, and Warene Waters remain tied with 2 members apiece. If no new members are recruited, we will hold a random drawing as the tie breaker for the membership recruitment contest.

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As a point to note, the Board meeting agenda is sent out to the general membership before every Board meeting. The agenda contains committee reports from the Agility Committee, Rally/Obedience Committee, and Scent Detection Committee as well as the ASCA affiliate report. Keep abreast of Club business by reading all the pages of the agenda. In addition, if you would like to address the Board on any topic, you have two options: (1) you can ask to be put on the agenda and you will be given time; or (2) you can speak during the “member comments”

section which is at the end of every agenda. These agendas, while more formal the years past, are designed to get Board business done efficiently. They are NOT, however, meant to limit member input on Club business.

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Here’s wishing us all a fun and productive rest of 2026!

 

Cynthia Downing

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May 2026

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May Day! May Day! Today’s date, not a PASA crisis thank goodness! In fact, thanks to our new

Treasurer, Erika Maurer, we will soon have budgets for all events as well as the Club overall.

Knowing how much events bring in and how much they cost will go a long ways towards

keeping PASA on solid financial footing into the future.

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PASA hosted a rally and obedience trial April 11-12, 2026, at 4 Paws Training in Martinez.

Thanks to Lila Lippow for making her facility and equipment available to us. Despite pouring

buckets of rain both days, PASA had 47 rally runs on Saturday and 45 obedience runs on

Sunday. Exhibitors had fun and the event netted more than $340 for the Club.

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May will be a busy month. The PASA Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 11, 2026.

Social time starts at 6:45 p.m. and the Board meeting starts promptly at 7:00 p.m. If you would

like to address the Board on any topic, please let me know by 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 3, so I

can add you to the agenda.

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The first PASA general membership meeting this year is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at

7:00 p.m. We will give a brief update on progress during the first 4.5 months of the year and

then, listen to member input and feedback. If you would like to address the membership, please

let me know by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12, so I can add you to the agenda. Since this is your

club, I hope lots of members are on the Zoom call.

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Have you entered PASA’s agility trial May 30-31, 2026, at Manzanita Park in Prunedale? If not,

please send in your entry. Lou Brannick is our judge and this is the last trial that counts towards

2026 ASCA Finals standings. Don’t forget you can earn a free entry for the May agility trial.

All you have to do is get a non-member to enter all 12 runs at the May trial. Invite a friend and

take advantage of this contest! Membership Contest

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Sadly, there have been no new members since the first part of April. In the membership

recruitment contest, Helen Bauer, Francie Brewer, and Warene Waters remain tied with 2

members apiece. Membership is so important to PASA’s future. New members are tomorrow’s

leaders and volunteers.

 

The Scent Detection Committee is getting organized and starting to plan an upcoming event.

To provide this new committee with some seed money, I’m selling the extra “PASA Dogs Rock”

potholders. I have 8 left at $10 apiece. If you’d like to buy one or more potholders to support the

Scent Detection Committee, send a check to: PASA Treasurer, c/o Erika Maurer, 200 S. Main

Street, Suite 130-178, Sebastopol, CA 95472. Or Zelle your payment to:

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I look forward to talking to you or seeing you soon!

 

Cynthia Downing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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April 2026

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April Fool's! Let’s hope that’s not me for getting a puppy!

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Welcome back to Susan Roberts who’s returning to PASA after many years away!

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The March 28-28, 2026, PASA agility trial in Turlock had 447 runs compared to last year’s trial which had 473 runs. While 26 fewer runs may seem like a lot, it’s actually just 3 dogs fewer than last year. That’s why it’s so important to invite your friends! Every entry counts!

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We appreciate everyone who helped at this trial but some special “thank yous” are in order:

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• For trial set up the ring and first jumpers course on Friday afternoon: Susan Laursen, Suzanne Clark Morlock, Pam Jewell, Roxanne Scolari Wright, and Debby Thompson.

• For taking 21 “day of” runs and earning the Club an extra $336: David Comnet.

• For taking care of hospitality and the NQ raffle: Mona Nichols, Laurie Preston, and Donna Highstreet.

• For helping load the trailer on Sunday after the trial was over: Sue and Mike Freitas; Susan Laursen; Maureen Loughney; Tracy and Scott Lovelis; Anne Pearson and her husband; Livia Quan and her husband; Warene Waters; and Jackie Young.

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We tried something different this trial. The names of those who stayed and helped load the

trailer were put in a drawing for a free one-day entry (or half the package for all 12 runs) in a

future agility trial. The goal was to give people an incentive to stay and help rather than have

the trailer loading work fall on the same handful of people. Based on the post agility trial survey

results, some people liked the drawing and some did not. We will continue to work on ways to

get the help that’s needed to load the trailer after trials conclude. There are no easy answers

because everyone wants to get home.

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Three teams entered Team Contest #1 and submitted answers to the same problem. PASA

members were then invited to vote for the team with the best answer. Congratulations to Team

#2, The Movin and a Groovin Silicon Valley Team, for winning the contest with 9 votes. Team members Jean Danver, Josephine Delvey, Linda Gohl, and Daniel Philippidis came up with well thought out solutions and a creative presentation. Each member of the winning team won $25! Team #1 and Team #3 each got two votes. I hope those who participated on teams and by voting had fun with this contest!

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Speaking of contests, no one got a non-member to enter all 12 runs at last weekend’s trial to earn

a free trial entry. There are only three more trials this year. Encourage a friend to enter and get

your May, August, or November agility trial entry free of charge.

Membership Contest

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Helen Bauer, Francie Brewer, and Warene Waters are still tied with 2 members apiece in the

membership recruiting contest. If you’d like to help PASA grow, I’d be happy to give you some

prospects to contact. Membership is so important to PASA’s future. New members are

tomorrow’s leaders and volunteers.

 

We are starting to plan a general membership Zoom meeting in May. Please let me know if there are topics you’d like to have discussed at this meeting.

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Thanks, again, for supporting PASA! This is your club and hopefully, we’re all doing the best we can to make it a positive experience for everyone!

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Cynthia Downing

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What do you get when you cross a dog with a tulip? A collie-flower!

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P.S. There are two schools of thought when it comes to public recognition. (1) Don’t thank

anyone in case you miss someone and hurt that person’s feelings; and (2) thank people publicly

and if you miss someone, correct the oversight. I subscribe to this second approach. There were

two people I missed when it came to thanks for helping at the agility trial last weekend: Denise

Patterson who also stayed to the very end and helped load the trailer; and Sharon Johnson who

drove the trailer from Gilroy to Turlock on short notice on Friday morning. Thanks to both of

you!

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March 2026

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Spring. A time for new beginnings. So how is PASA doing at the beginning of 2026?

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• Trial at WAG January 10-11. We had 478 runs and 30 exhibitors, up from January,

2025, when we had 408 runs and 26 exhibitors.

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• Trial at Lone Oak Equestrian February 7-8. We had 345 runs and 30 exhibitors, down

from February, 2025, when we had 407 runs and 26 exhibitors. This year, we moved the

date up two weeks to avoid conflicting with a UKI trial at Morgan Hill Dog Sports.

With the date change, we were up against even stiffer competition from the UKI West

Coast Festival at Thorsen Arena and the Super Bowl in San Jose. A huge shout out to

Jackie Young who presented a very interesting educational event on the use of the AED

defibrillator.

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• New Members. Five new members joined PASA since the last President’s message.

Please join me in welcoming: Ann Benninger, Jennifer Brown, Diane Gong, Renate Rood,

and Maryse Shank. Two members did not renew in 2026 so PASA is up a net of 5

members this year! People join anything because they’re invited. Please help PASA

develop a culture focused on membership by inviting your friends to enter PASA trials

and join the Club.

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• Membership contest. Only two members have earned free agility trial entries in 2026

because they got non-members to enter 12 runs at one of PASA’s trials. I hope you take

advantage of this membership contest before it expires at the end of 2026. Details are at

this link: contest

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• Suggestion box. We have received two suggestions since the suggestion box went live.

We want to hear from you so please tell us what you think! Here’s the link: Suggestion

Box | PASAdogs

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• Volunteers. Sadly, not a single person volunteered for the simple yet important jobs in

last month’s President’s message. Your Club could use your help. Please volunteer if

you can. Email Cynthia Downing if you’re interested.

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PASA’s next agility trial is March 28-29, 2026, at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds in Turlock.

Jeff Hayes is the judge. This is a very fun trial so we hope to see you there.

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On April 11-12, 2026, PASA is hosting rally and obedience trials in Martinez, CA. The trials are

almost full so if you’re planning to enter, send your entry in soon!

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Thank you to every PASA member for being part of the PASA family! You are appreciated!

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February 2026

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Happy Valentine’s Day! While Cupid is out looking for lovers, we’re looking for volunteers.

There are several small, easy jobs you could do such as:

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• Content Creator. Help us get to know our members. Interview at least one member

each month and write a short article about him or her. Let your imagination roam.

Create content you find interesting. Some ideas? Training tips. Dog and human interest

stories. Dog food and health information.

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• Calendar Keeper. Each month, make sure public calendars (ASCA, Western US Aussie

Trials and Shows Facebook group, Karey Krauter, any others you find) have all PASA

events listed. This job only takes a few minutes each month but is very important to

make sure PASA events get maximum exposure.

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• Humor Hustler. Find one (or more) funny things to share with the Club each month.

Could be a cartoon, joke, or humorous story. Make us laugh!

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• Assignment Tracker. New things often start off with a bang then fizzle out. This job is

crucial to keep things on track and sustain the momentum. Make sure the Content

Creator, Calendar Keeper, Humor Hustler, and other volunteers are doing their jobs!

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Let us know if you’d like to volunteer. We sure would appreciate your help!

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January 2026

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Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed the holidays! Have you made your New Year’s resolutions yet?
 

As your incoming PASA President, I have some simple New Year’s resolutions. These are my

goals for the year:
 

1. Recruit 10 new active PASA members in 2026. PASA needs new members to grow and

thrive in the future. Joining is inexpensive: $20 for a single one-year membership. The

membership application is on PASA’s website at this link: Membership | PASAdogs.

Will you invite your friends to join?
 

2. More communication to inform, engage, and activate PASA members. Your feedback

will help make PASA a fun and vibrant community. Will you provide constructive

input?
 

3. Offer more than just agility trials. PASA is hosting a rally and obedience trial April 11-12,

2026, in Martinez. PASA’s new scent work committee is exploring options for scent

work trials. We might be able to arrange a stockdog instinct testing weekend. Are there

other things you and your dogs would like to try?
 

4. More participation in PASA agility trials. You can help achieve this goal. Will you tell

your agility instructors about upcoming PASA trials? Ask them to let their students

know about PASA agility trials. Your instructors may prefer UKI and USDAA but for

those with Aussies, have you told them how awesome it is to be invited to ASCA Finals?

Or to enter ASCA Nationals? Or to make ASCA’s top 10 agility merit list for Elite, Open,

and Novice dogs?
 

If you love PASA, please help revitalize our Club by getting involved. Thank you from the

bottom of my heart!
 

And speaking of thanks, please join me in thanking the 2025 PASA Board for the time and

energy they devoted to conducting PASA’s business.
 

2025 PASA Board Officers:
 

Suzanne Clark Morlock – President

Maureen Loughney – Vice President

Susan Laursen – Treasurer

Monica Salusky – Secretary

Donna Highstreet – Affiliate Representative

David Connet – Membership
 

At Large Members:
 

Tracy Lovelis

Vicki O’Malley

Anne Pearson – Website

Warene Waters

Being on any Board can be a thankless job. If you see any of these 2025 Board members, tell them

how much you appreciated their hard work. You could even send them Emails! When it comes

to volunteer organizations like PASA, there is no such thing as saying “thank you” too many

times!

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Cynthia Downing