Swedish Vallhund Club of America Announces National Specialty, Seeks Sponsorships

The Swedish Vallhund Club of America (SVCA) is proud to announce the 2024 National Specialty, to be held the week of May 20 in Fletcher, North Carolina.

The event, which had succumbed to cancelation during the COVID-19 pandemic, is making its return as a national event for the first time since the National Specialty was hosted in Arizona in 2018. Committee members and the SVCA Board of Directors have been working with the Western North Carolina Agriculture Center and the kennel clubs of the Blue Ridge Cluster of Dog Shows to ensure a comprehensive list of events for all Swedish Vallhund owners, breeders and enthusiasts to enjoy.

The SVCA National Specialty will feature the compact herding breed competing in agility, conformation, obedience, rally and herding. The conformation, agility, rally and obedience will be held onsite during the Blue Ridge Agility Club’s four days of agility shows and the Blue Ridge Cluster’s five days of all-breed shows. The herding will be held at On The Lamb Herding in Gaffney, South Carolina, for two breed-specific herding trials on sheep in one day.

Other events during the SVCA National Specialty will include:

“Between the kennel clubs hosting the all-breed events and the SVCA members, I’m excited to be able to help highlight our beloved breed for our first National Specialty in five years,” says Christina Weger, National Specialty Chair.

The SVCA is searching for sponsors for awards and the banquet, as a way to reward the steadfast Vallhund fancy for their passion and support for the breed, even through trying times. Award sponsorships can vary between $25 to $100, or any numeration for the registered 501c7 organization.

“We were lucky to still have some awards that were slated for the 2020 National Specialty, before it was cancelled, but we’re hoping we can make a big splash as the breed’s ‘coming out party’ with even more awards, hospitality gifts and a spectacular banquet,” says Weger.

The judge for the Swedish Vallhund Sweepstakes will be Ms. Kerstin Otmar. The judge for the National Specialty will be Mr. Fred Basset of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, who will be judging the Non-Sporting Group at Westminster Kennel Club just prior to the SVCA National Specialty.

The premium for the SVCA National Specialty and the Blue Ridge Cluster will be available January 17 via InfoDog.com (MBF Superintendent). Entries close May 5, 2024.

For more information, or to submit a sponsorship, contact the National Specialty Chairwoman, Christina Weger at christiweger@gmail.com