• Home
  • About Us
    • CLUB BYLAWS
    • MINUTES
  • Calendar
  • Events
  • Photos
  • Rescue
Nor-Cal Toy Dog Fanciers

Officers :

President                                 Bonnie Prato            hanashihtzu@yahoo.com
Vice President                         Sue Calestini            STEVECALES@aol.com
Treasurer                                Georgina Miller        sapphireyorkies@dslextreme.net
Secretary                                 Debbie Franklin       toyvillechis@gmail.com
Board of Directors                  Sally Vilas,  Florence Males,  Carolyn Marcus

Membership applications :            Debbie Franklin,     toyvillechis@gmail.com

Our History :

On May 2,1981 a gathering of toy dog fanciers was held in Santa Rosa, on the grounds of the Mensona Kennel Club show. The concept of a toy dog club was to be discussed. It was met with much enthusiasm and the ball was set in motion as to how the club would be organized. Within the next month a second meeting, this time held at the San Joaquin Kennel Clubs event, was held and the clubs charter was established. Thirty four members began the Nor Cal Group V Club. Of those original members, seven are still members, Dixie McCullogh, Bonnie Prato, Leonard Reppond, Antoinette Robinson, Virginia Smith, Sally Vilas, and Mary Walsh. During the clubs third meeting a contest was proposed for a club logo. The board and any members were welcome to submit suggestions. Interesting enough, twenty one years later the club has its first logo ! 
Seven months from its initial meeting the Nor Cal Group V Club held its first match. since it was a non sanctioned event, it was called the Toy-O-Rama, and it was a great success. The new and growing club seemed to be on  its way, with the exception of one stumbling block...
There were only a few all toy clubs in existence at this time, and only two of them were show giving clubs, namely the Progressive Toy Dog Club in New York and the Metro Mile High Toy Club in Denver. These were older clubs
that had been in existence for many years and were established when the American Kennel club looked favorably on Group clubs. In the early 80's however the tone was different. The American Kennel Club actively discouraged the formations of any Group clubs. At that time only one of its board members, David Merriam, was in support of the concept of a group association. Although the club continued to offer matches and other worthwhile events, the discouraging messages from the American Kennel Club dampened much of the enthusiasm of the membership. Although the club still existed in principal, its activities lay fallow for almost a decade.
While traveling to a judges seminar in the early 1990's, charter members Sally Vilas and Lenard Reppond discussed the reactivation of this club. The American Kennel Club was now encouraging the formation of these clubs. Notices were sent out to all of the charter members who were still active in the sport, as well as to other current exhibitors, fanciers and breeders located in the clubs geographical area. Like our very first meeting, the enthusiasm was palpable. would the phoenix of the Nor Cal Group V rise from its ashes ? It appeared to be a resounding yes!! That meeting was held at the Del Valle Dog Club of Livermore show in October, 1994. The revised toy club would be renamed the Nor-Cal Toy Dog Fanciers.
Within a short period of time the club was back to offering fun matches and attempting to build its treasury. 
It would be important to have a sufficient amount of money IF we were ever approved to be a show giving club.
With a growing membership, successful fun matches, lucrative raffles, and a board bent toward fiscal conservatism, the club flourished. So the American Kennel Club approved our clubs formation and we were on to holding a series of sanctioned matches . After our prerequisite B-OB and A-OA matches, we were approved to offer our first point giving show in February 1999.
Since that date we have continued to offer quality all toy shows, in both conformation and obedience, with the number of entries growing each year, and attracting exhibitors from all corners of the United States. 
But shows are only one activity of the club. Education was from its inception thought to be the clubs primary goal. And to that end we have been successful. Training, breed seminars, nutritional requirements, immunization protocols, and diseases effecting toy breeds have been some of the many program topics.
The Nor-Cal Toy Dog Fanciers Club continues to thrive and offer the toy breeders and fanciers in northern California a venue for learning, camaraderie and enjoyment of our beloved toy breeds. We all look forward to many more pleasant experiences as members of the Nor-Cal Toy Dog Fanciers.