Club members are a diverse group of dog lovers and trainers from all walks of life.  The club is licensed by The American Kennel Club (AKC) and annually hosts a two day AKC Conformation Show for AKC recognized purebred dogs.  But GPCDFA welcomes dogs of all types including those of mixed origins into the club.  The mixed breed or “All American Breed” is welcome and encouraged to participate in our training classes, socialization, and dog sports. 

Club members are active in many of AKC’s recognized events including Agility, Confirmation, Earth Dog, Obedience, and Rally.  Our members, also, participate in a number of dog sports outside of the AKC venue such as Flyball and are very active in community service activities such as Search and Rescue and Pet Therapy.  Members are dedicated to good sportsmanship, training and most importantly fun for both humans and dogs alike.

This club is a community service organization and we provide demonstrations, dog training and educational materials to promote responsible dog ownership.  The club is also a social organization; our members are a knowledgeable and friendly group eager to welcome and assist new members,  provides a place for people with a common interest and love of dogs to meet, train, socialize and have fun with their dogs.

Search and Rescue (SAR). Because of their superior sense of smell, sight, endurance and extensive training, our SAR dogs can assist in finding a missing, lost and/or injured person.  SAR teams assist in finding survivors and victims of disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and floods.  SAR teams help fight crime by finding evidence such as guns, knives, and other evidence of a crime.  GPCDFA is a proud supporter of Emerald Coast K9 Search & Rescue (ECSAR).  ECSAR is made up of volunteer search and rescue dog teams.  The members of ECSAR are, also, active members of GPCDFA.  They donate their time and experience to the club as trainers and educators.    For more information on SAR contact Melissa at MelissaEFrye@aol.com.

Pets Are Working Saints (PAWS).  Animal assisted pet therapy is the focus of PAWS.  Therapy dogs come in all sizes and breeds. The most important characteristic of a therapy dog is its temperament. A good therapy dog must be friendly, patient, confident, gentle, and at ease in all situations. Therapy dogs must enjoy human contact and be content to be petted and handled, sometimes clumsily.  PAWS is an informal Christian Ministry of pet visitation to nursing homes, hospitals, rehab, rehabilitation facilities, children’s programs, and other facilities.  GPCDFA offers PAWS members a welcoming place to train and socialize potential and current therapy dogs for their duties.  For more information on PAWS contact Karen at georgenkaren@comcast.net.

Flyball is a fast paced fun and exciting event for dogs and their owners.  Flyball dog teams are made up of 6 dogs, of which 4 dogs run at one time.  The teams race against other teams in a timed relay race. Dogs earn points based on the team time.   The race consists of two side by side courses that are 51 feet long and have four jumps placed 10 feet apart and a flyball box at the end that triggers the release of a ball when the dog triggers the box.  Each dog must run relay fashion down the course jumping the jumps, triggering the flyball box, releasing the ball, catching the triggered ball, then retrieving the ball back over the jumps.  Flyball is not limited to size or breed of dog; both pure breed and mixed breed dogs are welcome.  For more information contact  Donna at donnainpc@yahoo.com and check out these web sites:   http://flyball.org/  http://www.u-fli.com/ .  Below is the Beach Rover's Team picture.