April 2026

​

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

​

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

​

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!

​

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

​

• 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.

​

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.

​

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!

​

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

​

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.

​

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!

​

Cynthia Downing

​

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

​

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!

________________________________

​

March 2026

​

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

​

• 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.

​

• 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.

​

• 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.

​

• 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

​

• 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

​

• 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.

​

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.

​

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!

​

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

________________________________

 

February 2026

​

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:

​

• 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.

​

• 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.

​

• 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!

​

• 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!

​

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

________________________________

​

January 2026

​

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!

​

Cynthia Downing