How the Club Came to Be...

The CCWCC held its inaugural meeting in December 1997.  Twenty-one interested cardigan owners and breeders met to discuss the possibility of forming an AKC sanctioned breed club, with the belief that cardigans can do just about anything.  In fact, a lot of the dogs had AKC titles in conformation or herding or obedience or tracking.  Some also participated in agility.  These cardigan fanciers believed that there were enough cardigan owners in the DC/MD/VA region to support a cardigan club.  They were correct in believing that other cardigan owners would want to meet regularly, attend workshops, watch demonstrations, listen to guest speakers and just hang out and have fun with their dogs with others who appreciate this incredible herding breed.

The first task the newly formed club faced was choosing a club name.  According to the AKC, it had to reflect the geographic area of the club members and be recognizable to people in other regions.  Suggested names were:  Chesapeake, DelMarVa, Mason-Dixon, National Capital, Tri-State, and Upper Potomac Valley.  Obviously, Chesapeake was chosen.  The next name choice involved the club newsletter.  CARDI CLIPPER seemed appropriate with the Chesapeake Bay connotation.  This theme extends to the club logo of a cardigan steering the wheel of a ship.

Early club meetings were held in member’s homes.  Then the club began meeting at the current location, the 4-H Center.  This location is ideal---it has an indoor meeting area for the colder months and a spacious outdoor area for meetings and activities in the warmer months.  Meetings are held in February, April, June, August, October and December.  At the election year holiday meeting, the club holds a silent auction of donated cardigan or dog theme items.  

Some past CCWCC activities included:  supporting shows, holding herding, fun and B matches, agility, tracking, and flyball demonstrations as well as hosting guest speakers with such topics as grooming, choosing a stud dog, homeopathic and routine veterinary care and an exceptional cardigan hearing service dog.  The club continues to provide area cardigan fanciers with interesting programs.

Today, the CCWCC remains strong with over 100 members, dedicated to furthering the goal of achieving AKC club recognition while still being committed to having fun with cardigans.