The Head of the Lakes Kennel Club is an all-breed club based in Northern Wisconsin, with members mainly from the northern Wisconsin and northeastern Minnesota areas.
Formally formed (though there had been a lot of prior discussion in this
consideration) in the summer of 2020 in the midst of a worldwide pandemic,
our nearly 40 founding members have a valued depth of experience in the
dog sport and pet fields. We have multiple members with top leadership
experience with all breed clubs as well as chair and committee experience
in numerous events, including conformation, obedience, rally, agility,
and much more. Our interests cover the spectrum of dog sports activities,
including hunt trials, field tests, nose work, barn hunt, FastCat, dock
diving, along with the aforementioned hands-on experience of our members.
Many of our members have been active not only in the USA, but also in Canada,
gaining many titles across many of those fields in AKC, UKC, and the Canadian
KC, as well as some international titles, and many trips to Westminster
and other invitationals..
With the northern 1/3 of the entire state of Wisconsin having no prior
all-breed clubs and most of our members needing to travel 3-5 hours for
most events, we believed there was not only a need for more events in this
part of the country, but also a greater variety of options. Our home base
is the Head of the Lakes Fairgrounds in Superior, Wisconsin, a 900,000+
square foot property with numerous buildings and lots of open space. Having
developed a great relationship with the fairgrounds and county, we are
excited about the opporunities we can provide moving forward, including
versatility and performance events as well as all breed conformation.
We have already worked with the Western Lake Superior Poodle Club with
their first matches on site in mid-July, as well as worked hard to bring
the Twin Cities Poodle Club north for their annual show due to the cancellation
of their regular time and location earlier in the year. TCPC was able to
hold 4 shows over 2 days in late August on the fairgrounds. We have worked
constantly with Onofrio Dog Shows, many times being the eyes and feet on
the ground here, in coordinating the mid-September all breed cluster with
two of our closer neighbors (Indianhead and Marshfield Kennel Clubs).
We believe in the community we call home. Superior, Wisconsin is in the
very northwestern part of not only Douglas County, but the entire state
of Wisconsin. We recently became an active member of the Superior/Douglas
area Chamber of Commerce and look forward to playing an active and positive
role in our community. As a part of northern Wisconsin we believe in supporting
the opportunities and economic boost events and training/classes provide
across the region. As a part of the greater Duluth/Superior Twin Ports
region we likewise support this greater region as a part of our approach
in everything we do.
During the pandemic of 2020 an attitude of cancellation became common,
and the devastation this has caused is beyond simple description. Just
within our dog sport world, we have judges, superintendents, handlers,
vendors, venues, registries and their staff, and so many more that depend
on an active circuit to keep our economies and well-being above water.
We have developed relationships in all of these areas over our many, many
years of experience in the dog world, and these relationships and the people
and lives behind those relationships matter to us. From our own members
to our local businesses and venues, to local lodging and transportation
facilities, to the vendors that rely on shows, to the handlers in the region
and around the country, to each and every judge, to the superintendents
and staff, to the registries and staff, and anyone and everyone else involved
directly and indirectly in our sport, we care about each and every aspect
that goes into our own activities and interests.
Thus, we leaned toward a perspective of not simply asking *can we/can't
we*, but rather *how do we?*
How do we put on events in a climate like we are experiencing?
How do we do all of that safely and responsibly?
How do we do all of this to benefit the most people?
How do we do this to build for the future?
How do we do this, not only for ourselves, but for everyone involved?
And this is what we like to call the Superior Spirit.
A spirit of positivity and responsbility.
A spirit of hope and optimism.
A spirit of creatitivy and vision.
A spirit of community and inclusion.
A spirit of possibilities and opportunities...for everyone.
Very simply, a *can do* spirit and attitude.
And it is with this spirit that we move forward, not only today, but every
day.
Join us for our mat times and training and classes.
Join us for our events (large and small).
Join us in helping others hold events that matter.
Join us in moving forward and onward.
Join us in this ongoing journey with a Superior Spirit.
