Where to begin—let’s start with some folks
Who we don’t often see (‘tho they send email jokes!)
The Heads, Mike and Anna, we’ve not seen at all—
That’s because they’re out chasing those old soccer balls!
Their three kids thought it would be fun to do,
Now the soccer bug’s bitten their parents too!

The Bundsens in Washington have bought a new home.
To good old “So.Cal” they don’t often roam.
But Delaena’s brought Krystal down once in a while
And just needing one major is making her smile!
Now, if Sande and Jan would accompany them here—
I’m sure she’d be a champion soon in the new year!

Chris Blom is in Nor-Cal, but she does her part
Painting and donating her great Keeshond art!
It’s nice when she visits—it’s not often, though,
We saw her last at our Specialty show!

Kathy Kondor’s gone missing, but I think that she’s fine
Living with her Keesies in good old Irvine.
If you’re reading this, Kathy, please call or write
‘Cause I’m hoping you’ve not moved and dropped out of sight!

Then there are the Frasers, Joanie and Jim—
We have all sent good wishes to her and to him.
While Joanie was healing, trying to make her hands right,
Jim broke his arm while riding his bike!
On behalf of our members Best Wishes I’ll send
And hope that you both are soon on the mend!

Rita and Joyce are members, you know—
But we don’t see them much at the meetings or show.
I think they are flying and taking their Kees
To other Keeshond specialties.
Perhaps we’ll see them more and I’ll have more to say
When Rita’s not so involved with the KCA.
Then they’ll stay close to home and that will be fine—
And it will be easier to put them both in my rhyme!

The Lustmans—Karen and Louis, you know—
Are still in the club, but just not at the shows.
Karen has a new job, and she’s often there,
While Jake is with Bogie, home growing more hair!
And once he masters that one little thing
It should be about time to put Jake in the ring!

I was recently told by some little mouse
That two of our members have a brand new house!
Losacco and Monday—Lynnette and John—
Now have more land around them to run their dogs on.
(In case you have missed it, you see in these lines
That it’s quite hard to make some members’ names rhyme!)

And speaking of members (and of course, I am!)
I just have to mention dear Ernie and Fran!
The Rays introduced me to KCSC—
And wow—if they hadn’t, would I even be me?
They now live in Redding, and I know this is true—
From KCSC Happy New Year to you!

Last month at the clinic it was like days of old—
Nine Kees in obedience! What a sight to behold!
They sat there so pretty, they sat there so tall—
In case you can’t guess it, this verse is for Paul!
He’s always supported our Kees in the ring
But we know that obedience is really his thing!
So Paul, if you’re reading, isn’t it about time
To adopt a new Kees to put into my rhyme?!

The Tylers are quiet, but I know they’re out there
When a Kees needs a home they’ll appear from nowhere!
They’ve fostered a number, they’ve saved quite a few
Doing things that original owners should do.
The little, lost Keeshonds that land at their door
Often seem to stay there—and they’re lost no more!

Our club has some workers who are sometimes unsung
But they are heroes to us for all that they’ve done.
We’ve not seen them in ages, not for lack of tryin’—
Now you know that I’m talking of Sandi and Brian!
The Kerrs have been busy, but it now must be said
That they’ve given some order to our club storage shed!
They’ve boxed stuff and tossed stuff and dragged it around
And without Sandi our Specialty won’t get off of the ground!
She’s taking the entries—she did last year too—
Hey, Brian and Sandi—we’ve really missed you!

A person among us has given such joy
To so many Keeshonds—it’s Susan McCoy!
She’s rescued and fostered and been a real friend—
But the dogs just keep coming—will it never end?
Those owners who left them—most just had no heart;
So Susan steps in and does more than her part.
She raises the money to go to the vet—
And when they are ready, they become someone’s pet.
It’s a hard job to do—she’s a wonder, indeed—
She is truly an angel for the Keesies in need!

Two members we’re missing are Mel and Dee
Of course, you remember, they’re in Tennessee!
They love their new home there, they’ve plenty of land.
And from their Christmas letter it sounds really grand!

There are several more members we don’t often see
But they’re still loyal to good old KCSC.
Lani McKennon is doing just fine
Either judging or getting exhibits in line.

If you’ve not seen the Shorts in a while, when you do
You sure won’t be surprised to see them with “Q.”
He’s a constant companion, he goes where they go—
If one doesn’t like Keeshonds, then the Shorts they don’t know!
It bears mentioning here that their help we did need
When we set up our booth for “Meeting the Breeds.”
They made us a backdrop of a Kees near a barge—
And that backdrop’s in storage—it’s really quite large!
“Meet the Breeds” will be back and we’ll show that we care—
And I’m sure that the Shorts and “Q” will be there!

Barbara Brown is retired and doing quite dandy
She’s now in obedience training with Kandi!
They came to the clinic and both did their thing—
Did you see all the Kees in that obedience ring?
Well, Kandi did super, she sure wasn’t bored—
And if I remember, Barbara won an award!

Laura and Penny, who own Tubby and Pebs—
Got a new Keeshond puppy to climb up in bed.
Scottie was special, he’d just sit there and chatter,
So they broke down and bought him his own little ladder!
Now that he’s grown and more into this thing
We’ll soon be seeing Laura and him in the ring!

The Weisses, Mitch and Linda, you know
Are so very busy, always on the go!
They travel the world—what a life that would be!
But they always remember good old KCSC!
Mitch is part of a musical group, I believe,
And they make and sell music on shiny CDs.
Linda rides in dressage, she’s up high in the ranks!
For their trusty support I now offer our thanks!

Nearly two years ago the Pierces came back
To take part in our club, but a Kees they did lack!
Sharon sneaked a cute puppy in through the front door—
Jack took just one look and said, “Oh, what’s one more?”
And just like that they were Kees folks again—
Now I ask you, who’s smarter—women or men? ;-)

And speaking of puppies, Eileen and Jim—
Whelped their first ones in ages and they’d do it again!
“Confetti’s in season, the stud lives far away”—
Buy a new motorhome and just drive for three days!
The trip was well worth it, the puppies are great!
And Eileen and Jim had to add a new plate!
“Tagger’s” their puppy, he’s cute as can be—
Will Jim really show him? Stay tuned and we’ll see!

There’s a member we know, and she’s always busy
Making baskets for raffles—it can make her quite dizzy!
Christa Sheek is a wonder, so many donations!
Our Specialty raffle’s a real celebration!
She does therapy work with her good pal Simone—
And now little Skye just won’t leave them alone!
I hear she’s a devil, but she’s very dear—
I don’t understand—she was so demure here!

Betsy and Stephanie have had quite a year
And they’re keeping busy, there’s nothing to fear!
Both Jazzie and Zoe are agility trained
But then Jazzie was bred and the pups soon did reign.
Now that they’re all gone and peace has returned,
Get back in the ring—you’ve titles to earn!
Agility beckons and the girls love to run—
And you’ve got to admit it—it really is fun!

Ethie’s been training both Kira and Nikki,
But running them both can be rather tricky.
Tho’ Kira is good she can do a strange thing—
She takes the first jump and runs out of the ring!
Don’t worry, I’ve been there with Ready, you know—
One thing is for sure—these dogs aren’t really slow!
The day will come when she’ll stay for the game
And add several titles in back of her name!

This year two new members came on the scene—
Of course, I’m referring to Nob and Irene!
They’ve been really good members and I think it’s keen
How they’ve supported our Keeshond Agility Team!
When they’re not right behind our agility troop
Nob is taking Candide to the Non-Sporting Group!
They’ve come really far, it’s quite nice to see
An owner-handler with a Group-winning Kees!

It’s not been long since the Freeland clan
Gave Alex a brand new brother named Sam!
He arrived rather early, he thought it was fine
To begin living life on his own timeline!
Angela and Erik, the proud mom and dad,
And big brother Alex think Sam’s quite a lad!
A future handler he’s sure to be—
In Breed, Obedience, and Agility!

Dottie Dougherty joined us this year,
And she’s always filled with such good cheer.
Her puppy named “Inky” is called “Inc” too
‘Cause the Canine Communicator said that’s what she should do.
So if devilish doings bring your puppy fame
You can make him act better by changing his name!

Sandra’s been busy doing more than just laundry—
She’s burning the rings up with both Parker and Andre!
Parker’s in Breed and they make quite a show—
Remember the day when he just wouldn’t go?
He’s all over that now, he’s winning those points
And he’s acting the big shot, like he owns the whole joint!
But the place where Sandra really does her thing
Is on weekends with Andre in the agility ring!
They’ve breezed right through Novice and Open, it’s true—
They’ve accumulated a nice little number of Q’s!

“Once upon a time”—I think it goes—
Jan and Harley put on quite a show.
Harley ran wild and obviously with glee,
While Jan would shout out, “Harley, you come back to me!”
But now they’re a team and Jan’s in control
And Harley and Jan are sure on a roll.
This summer they entered Novice A—
They went straight through to Excellent—they started today.
And what is it Jan says when finishing a run?
“I just have to say, this is just SO MUCH FUN!”

Lisa Marzban’s been busy, it’s been quite a year—
And we’re really lucky that she’s even here!
While driving down the street one night
She was hit by a truck when she stopped for the light!
No need to be too sentimental—
The car she was driving was only a rental!!
So Kayla, Kika, Kinsey and Munch
Still have a car, although Lisa was crunched!
She’s doing OK, she’s back running trials—
You’d think she would pamper herself for a while!

Our other new members, Anna and Ed,
Have entered the shows whenever we’ve said.
They soon finished Maggie, it’s now Keefer’s turn,
It’s amazing the short time it took them to learn!
Ed puts the tent up and Anna will comb—
And as often as not they will take some points home!

My good friend Tawn’s year has been up and down—
She retired in August, now she’s never around!
Obedience lessons she gives everyday
She’s so busy that working just got in the way!
She lost her friend Solo and Tiffany too—
But a true Keeshond lover knows just what to do!
So Tuffie’s the newest challenge for Tawn,
And that pup is working her magic on John!
JD thinks she’s silly, but there’s no denying—
She’s winning him over without even trying!
At ten, JD is doing just fine—
And I’m sure he’ll keep Tuffie toeing the line!

Toni and Barbara, of Turbocharged fame
Are hard names to fit here inside of my game.
They’ve had Shelties for years, but then they got some Kees
And they’ve learned that the breed was created to please!
First came Kori, followed by Jett—
Let’s hope their Kees collection isn’t done yet!
They both train lot of folks for agility—
Even those with so little ability!
I know, because I’ve been there myself—
And without both of them, Ready’d be on the shelf!
Barb’s the head of our Keeshond Agility Team,
And when our run is good we can see her beam!
Their joining our club has been quite a plus—
We appreciate all that they’ve done for us!

The year’s ticking away as I sit in my home,
And I’ve still myself to include in this poem!
At Winsome we’ve had a very fine year—
One that was filled with good friends and good cheer.
Alex “retired,” but he doesn’t know—
He’ll be out at our upcoming Specialty show.
Dixie’s championship was so sweet—
When she earned it in May amid record heat!
We were happy about the puppies we had—
When we had to sell them, ‘twas still a bit sad.
The owners all write us, they’re all doing well—
This breeder gets photos on her AOL!
Carson loves puppies, so what does it matter
If he steals their food and just keeps getting fatter?
Rio is lucky, ‘cause he nearly died
When he body-slammed Dixie while running inside.
He made it, he’s OK, he’s a champion-to-be—
Of the 15 points he now needs only 3.
Ready’s my buddy, and he does make my day
When he runs the whole ring without running away!
The biggest change, I’ll have to agree,
Is the time I now spend in agility.
Thursday’s for lessons, the weekend’s for trials—
Hmm—why wasn’t I doing this all the while??

Now we’ve started a team and it is lots of fun—
You’re all welcome to join us, but you’ll have to run!
We have a team logo, a vest and a shirt—
And we wear them each weekend when “playing in the dirt!”
(You now may be asking, “Just why does she
get such a long verse?”—It’s easy, you see:
I’ve sat here for days just trying to find
The right words and phrases to fit into this rhyme!
Some of your names do not naturally fit—
But I’m trying my best, so just get over it!
I do know myself and what I have done—
Now I’m just about finished and I’ve got to run!)

Well, that just about does it—my poem’s nearly done,
And I hope I’ve said something about everyone!
If you can’t find yourself, please don’t sit there and curse—
Just send me your name and I’ll write you a verse!
This poem grows longer each year, you know—
What will happen next year if our membership grows?
I’ll have more to mention, so much more to say
That I’ll have to begin it around Labor Day!

So now as New Year’s is fast drawing near,
It’s time to put the dogs to bed here.
We’ve had memorable moments in 2004—
In the coming year we plan to have more!
On behalf of the Club, let me wish everyone
An ’05 that’s filled with good health and good fun!

May you each have the happiest of New Years and a wonderful 2005!
See you at the Specialty!