Irish Setter Club of Milwaukee
April 19 - 21
First things first, many thanks to all the awesome volunteers at the Irish Setter Club of Milwaukee’s Fast CAT event. Club President Debbie Triplett, Tim & Yvonne Wandel, Jackie Schenck, Joel & Deb Schenck, Al Becherini, Pauline and Stollenwerk & Big Jim, Margie Hohman, Jolee Chartrand, my daughter Piper, and Don Adams with his amazing crew at Fast & Fun Dogs.
To all my Fast CAT friends, I’m slogging my way through all the paperwork to get your results submitted to the AKC. However, I wanted to take the time while this past weekend is still fresh in everyone’s mind to thank you all for supporting ISCM’s Fast CAT! I know that historically the ISCM doesn’t have the best week weather-wise for the humanity of our sport, but it’s better than late July, at least for our dogs.
As the Fast CAT Event Chair, I am so grateful and humbled by your dedication and generosity towards
“RUN FOR THE HEALTH OF IT”. Together we raised just under $17,000!!
Unfortunately, a big chunk of that goes towards the expenses of hosting these events. This event combined with the proceeds of ISCM’s huge raffle at the Waukesha All Breed show in July, which you are all invited to attend, are the only sources of fundraising currently. The ISCM doesn’t have a brick-and-mortar building or a mortgage and our annual operating expenses are minimal, so we can afford to maximize our impact in the canine health research science field. I want all of you to be as much a part of where the money goes as an ISCM member. I will continue to post updates as we move through the process of finding the right research that affects all dogs.
"I hope everyone had enough dog treats and raffle prizes at the Fast CAT event. I will work even harder to find more sponsors and prizes for the next year’s event. I challenge each of you to bring a new participant or sponsor to the event. Although we ran 797 dogs, I fell short of my target goal of 960. Next year, I promise to make it bigger and better."Follow along because “you ain’t seen nothing yet”!!
The Irish Setter breed became very popular in the 1960s and 1970s, thanks to the Disney movie "Big Red" and King Timahoe's presence in the White House with the Nixon family. Unfortunately, their popularity declined quickly due to their vulnerability to cancer and epilepsy. It's likely that each of my fellow club members has been affected by one or both of these devastating diseases. In the early 90s, ISCM made it their mission to raise funds for finding a cure and providing assistance where needed. The Canine Health Foundation is a large organization that allocates millions of dollars every year towards finding a cure for canine diseases. It may seem unrealistic to expect that the few thousand dollars we contribute will make a significant difference, but after having to put down four of my own dogs since 1981, including my most recent Indy, in 2019, I finally reached a point where enough was enough. I realized it was time for me to dedicate my life to something meaningful and worthwhile. Therefore, I do all of this in memory of my beloved dogs and in honor of all the dogs that have passed away due to diseases.
Sincerely and till next time,
Mike Langkau
Photographer: Grayhaus Photography www.greyhausphoto.com/