ON-LINE PETITION FOR SUPPORTING THE ACCEPTANCE
OF THE GARMIN DC30 GPS COLLAR
AS AN APPROVED TRACKING COLLAR FOR
FIELD EVENTS

This web site being used to collect names of people who want to voice their support for approving the Garmin DC30 GPS collar for use in AKC (American Kennel Club)  and AFTCA (Amateur Field Trial Club Association) events.

YOUR  E-MAIL INFORMATION WILL BE KEPT PRIVATE!!!

All entries from this form are e-mailed to my personal e-mail address which is on the same server as this web page. The data stays with me. I will submit the names and addresses only on condition from the AKC Parent Clubs and  the AFTCA that the information will be kept private and confidential.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE FORM

WHY WE WANT THE G30 APPROVED

The Garmin DC30 collar along with the Astro 200 receiver is the first high sensitivity GPS location system designed for locating dogs. The Garmin web site description is HERE.

For we who are involved with field events this collar and receiver give you an exact location of your dog if they are missing. We need to locate and find our dogs fast and efficiently, not only to keep the event on track, but for the safety of our very expensive and very loved dogs.

One screen gives you an exact direction and distance from your location:
CLICK HERE FOR SCREEN

Another screen gives you a map with your dog's moving location:
CLICK HERE FOR SCREEN

I myself lost my "dog of a lifetime" at an event where the use of this tracking equipment may have saved his life.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE FORM

WEIGHT ISSUE

The AKC and AFTCA has determined that the Garmin DC30 weighs more than the permitted weight. This is the rule as listed on the AKC web site:

"The transmitter, battery, antenna and screws placed on the dog shall weigh no more than five (5) ounces. The transmitter shall be mounted on a one-inch (or less ) wide collar. A regular ID plate may be affixed to the collar. The collar surface adjacent to the dog shall have no protrusions."
(http://www.akc.org/events/field_trials/pointing_breeds/tracking_collars.cfm)

The Garmin site states:

4.1 oz (116 g) for transmitter and antenna
8.7 oz (246.6 g) total weight
(https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=15512#specsTab )

The Tracker Radio site states that the Strike collar weighs 7.6 oz. including the collar.
(http://www.trackerradio.com/hunting-tracking-system/dog-hunting-collar-strike.asp )
that is 1.1 oz. less than the fully equipped DC30 collar at 8.7 oz.

I have not independently verified this with my own weighing but here is more data that I received from James Pryon:

I contacted an Outdoors Specialist at Garmin International who graciously dismantled a DC 30 tracking system to provide the weight of the applicable components (as specified by AKC) to compare to the AKC 5.0 oz limit.  The results show that:

Garmin DC 30 Components (without collar) = 5.37 oz, or, 0.37 oz over AKC limit , which amounts to, (5.37/5.0 – 1.0)100% = 7.34% over AKC  5.0 oz limit

To put this into a more meaningful perspective, the increase in body mass for a 35 lb Brittany due to 0.37 ounces would be:

[(35 + 0.37/16)/35 – 1.0]100% = 0.066%, which is essentially insignificant.

We have heard unofficial reports that the AKC has called the DC30 and its receiver Astro 200, "impressive technology".


CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE FORM

THE TRADITIONS ISSUE

There is concern that if we let this new technology into the sport that we are giving up that part of the sport that is more concerned with the raw performance of the dog and handler wihtout the aid of  technology.

Some say ""we have sacrificed some of the rawness of our game by allowing radio recovery units to help assure the swift and safe retrieval of our dogs." and "The question now is whether to approve the use of advanced technology that has an extensive capacity well beyond the ability to aid in the recovery of our dogs."

The concern is that subjective judging will be replaced and "opening the participants and ultimately the game to criticism and accusations that cannot be defended"

My response is that we do not currently, or propose the use of tracking devices by anyone at a trial until a dog is out of contention. A GPS can tell you lots of things about where the dog is and where the dog went, but what it will not tell you is:

Did the dog
Keep to the front of the handler and judges?
Respond appropriately to the handler?
Use terrain and cover wisely to hunt?
Move and cover the ground in a pleasing manner?
Run with his head up or root?
Have good and appropriate range?
Find birds?
Point with style and intensity?
Keep intensity when the bird is flushed?
Stay steady to wing and shot?
Honor his bracemate?
Make a strong finish?

These are the subjective qualities that we judge in a dog's performance and these cannot be replaced by any technology.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE FORM

WHAT WE WILL DO

I will gather all of the e-mails and make a spreadsheet of those petitioners. When we get a number of people listed I will contact the individual breed clubs represented and give them the spreadsheet (w/o e-mail addresses) and on request give them the e-mails as proof, as long as I get a guarantee that the e-mail addresses will be kept private and not used for any nefarious purposes.

I will also inform the AKC and the AFTCA of our efforts, the numbers, and that we have asked the parent clubs to pursue this matter. On request, I will also give them the spreadsheet (w/o e-mail addresses) and on request give them the e-mails as proof, as long as I get a guarantee that the e-mail addresses will be kept private and not used for any nefarious purposes.

If you have further suggestions please add them in the message below.

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN

Fill in the fields below, write your own statement if you wish, and press SUBMIT. If you want to know more about me in order to trust that i will do as I say, please see that I am a member of the Georgia Brittany Club and have field trialed for 15 years. I host the Georgia Brittany Club, the Music City Brittany Club, the Bama Brittany Club, and the International Brittany Club web sites. I serve on the BOD of the Deep South Brittany Free For All Championship Association.

Also please let everyone that you know that might have an interest in participating in this petition know where they can find it and encourage them to add their name to the list.

If you would like to see a list of what others have said in their response line
CLICK HERE


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