Chapter 5
DCA Road Trial Regulations -- 2001

CHAPTER 5 - Regulations for Road Trial Veterinary Checks.

SECTION 1. Start/Finish Veterinarian and Mid-Point Veterinarian/Veterinary Technician.
The Host shall provide a licensed veterinarian to examine the RD and RDX dogs at the start and finish of the Trial. Such veterinarian shall be referred to as the Start/Finish Veterinarian. If the RD and RDX entries at any Road Trial add up to 7 teams or less, the Trial Host may choose to use only one Veterinarian as the Start/Finish Vet and the Mid-Point Vet. If the RD and RDX entries add up to 8 teams or more, the Host shall provide a licensed Veterinarian or Veterinary Technician to examine the RD and RDX dogs at the approximate mid-point of the course. Such Veterinarian shall be referred to as the Mid-Point Vet/Vet Tech. Regardless of entry, each dog and horse shall be vet-checked at the start, approximate mid-point, and finish of the course.

SECTION 2. Requirements for Veterinarians/Veterinary Technicians.
Any reputable person who is in good standing with The American Kennel Club and who has been duly qualified to practice his profession by law may act as a Veterinarian or Veterinary Technician at Dalmatian Road Trials, as chosen by the Trial Host. It is preferable that the Veterinarian(s) or Vet Tech have experience with Dalmatians, either in owning, breeding, showing (conformation or performance events), providing veterinary service, or having been a member of a Dalmatian Specialty Club for at least two years. It is the responsibility of the Host Club to provide the Vet(s)/Vet Tech with information regarding the judging and assessing of condition of Dalmatians at a Road Trial.

SECTION 3. Overall Duties and Responsibilities of Road Trial Veterinarians/Veterinary Technicians.
At least one of the Veterinarians shall be in attendance during the entire progress of the Road Trial.

The duties and responsibilities of Road Trial Veterinarians and/or Vet Techs shall apply to dogs and horses competing in the RD and RDX classes, and shall include: giving advisory opinions to the judges when requested, examining the health and well-being of dogs and horses, evaluating the suitability of dogs and horses to begin and/or continue in the Trial, assessing the condition of dogs and horses at the end of the Trial, and rendering medical attention to dogs and/or horses in cases of sickness or injury occurring at the Road Trial.

The Veterinarians/Vet Techs shall not be called upon to treat dogs or horses for physical conditions that existed before they were brought to the Road Trial.

Any Veterinarian serving at a Road Trial will have complete authority to: (a) excuse any dog which he considers may endanger the health or welfare of other dogs; (b) excuse any dog from competing in the Road Trial when such competition would endanger the dog's health; (c) excuse any dog who is blind or deaf or who has been changed in appearance by artificial means, other than neutering; (d) excuse any dog that attacks any person, horse, or other dog as described in Chapter 1, Sec. 19 of these Regulations; (e) excuse any bitch in season that has not been reported as described in Chapter 1, Section 19 of these Regulations; and (f) excuse any exhibitor or exhibitor's escort who abuses his dog(s) or horse or who uses foul or abusive language. Any Vet Tech serving at a Road Trial who believes a dog or exhibitor should be excused for any of the above reasons shall consult with the Veterinarian. The Veterinarian may then excuse the dog(s) and/or exhibitor(s) for the above reasons if he deems it necessary.

SECTION 4. Duties and Responsibilities of the Start/Finish Veterinarian.
In addition to the overall duties and responsibilities, it shall be the responsibility of the Start/Finish Veterinarian to check the condition and soundness of each animal [dog(s) and horse(s)] both before each animal begins the course and after each animal finishes the course, and to score the dog's condition at the Finish.

The first evaluation shall serve to (a) determine the animal's health and soundness before being allowed to compete, and (b) establish a baseline for comparison to the final evaluation for each animal.

The Start/Finish Veterinarian shall observe and record temperature, pulse, respiration, capillary refill rate, hydration, respiratory character and quality, musculature, coordination, attitude and willingness, soundness, and any other tests, as he may deem necessary, and indicate these on the score sheet. These observations shall be recorded immediately upon examination, and before starting to examine any other dog or horse.

The Start/Finish Veterinarian's observations shall be recorded on a separate sheet for each horse and team of dogs. The Start/Finish Veterinarian shall rate the dog's condition at the starting vet check with an overall rating of either Pass or Fail. Any dog or horse that receives a "Fail" rating at the Starting Vet Check shall be removed from further competition. The Start/Finish Veterinarian shall rate the dog's condition at the finish, or Final Vet Check, with an overall rating of either Pass or Fail, and a score on a scale of 0 – 100, with 0 – 50 being a "Fail", and 51-100 being a "Pass", indicating the relative condition of each dog. When scoring a dog after the Final Vet Check, the Start/Finish Veterinarian shall compare the baseline information recorded for each dog on the Start/Finish score sheet, the information recorded on the Mid-Point Veterinary score sheet, and the condition of the dog at the Final Vet Check, in order to rate each dog's overall condition.

SECTION 5. Standard of Perfection and Veterinary Scoring.

In scoring each dog at the Finish, the Start/Finish Veterinarian shall take into account all observations recorded at the Starting Vet Check, the Mid-Point Vet Check, and the Final Vet Check. The Start/Finish Veterinarian must carry a mental picture of the theoretically perfect performance and score each dog against this visualized standard, which shall combine the utmost in condition as well as willingness and enjoyment on the part of the dog. Lack of willingness or enjoyment on the part of the dog must be penalized, as must any aggression by the dog, and/or roughness in handling or commands by the handler. The Start/Finish Vet shall award up to 100 points on the score sheet for each dog at this Final Vet Check, with 0 – 50 being a "Fail" rating, and 51-100 being a "Pass" rating. The Start/Finish Veterinarian shall copy his Pass/Fail Starting Vet Check evaluation, and the score and Pass/Fail of his Final Vet Check evaluation into the Official Judge's Book after he has evaluated all of the teams.

SECTION 6. Duties and Responsibilities of the Mid-Point Veterinarian/Veterinary Technician.
In addition to the overall duties and responsibilities, it shall be the responsibility of the Mid-point Veterinarian/Vet Tech to check and record the condition and soundness of each dog and horse at a designated check point, to observe each dog and horse during a rest period of at least five minutes but not more than 30 minutes, to record the "time in" and "time out" of each team, and to transfer these records into the official Judge's Book. This evaluation shall serve to determine each animal's health and soundness before being allowed to continue on the course.

The Mid-Point Veterinarian/Vet Tech shall observe and record temperature, pulse, respiration, capillary refill rate, hydration respiratory character and quality, musculature, coordination, attitude and willingness, soundness, and any other tests as he may deem necessary and indicate these on the score sheet. The Mid-Point Veterinarian/Vet Tech shall record his observations for each dog and horse on the mid-point score sheet immediately and before starting to examine any other dog or horse. In the case of more than one team arriving at the Mid-Point Check at the same time, the temperatures of all dogs shall be taken and recorded immediately, starting with the dog(s) on the team with the earliest start time. Except in an emergency, horses shall be checked after the observations for all dogs have been recorded. The Mid-Point observations shall be recorded on a separate sheet for each horse and team of dogs. The dog's condition shall be given an overall rating of either "Pass" or "Fail". The Mid-Point Vet/Vet Tech shall copy his Pass/Fail rating for each dog into the Official Judge's Book after he has judged all the teams and returned to the starting area. Any dog or horse, which receives a "Fail" rating after 30 minutes at the Mid-Point Vet Check, shall be removed from further competition.

SECTION 7. Timing of the Mid-Point Veterinary Check and Rest Period.
Immediately upon the arrival of each team at the Mid-Point Vet Check, the Vet/Vet Tech or his steward will immediately record the "time in" for each team, and advise the handler of the time recorded. This shall serve as the official start time of the rest period. The length of this rest period for each team shall be at the discretion of the Mid-point Veterinarian/Vet Tech, within the constraints of these Regulations, depending upon the condition of the animals on the team. At the discretion of the Mid-Point Vet/Vet Tech, i.e. particularly hot and/or humid days, the Vet/Vet Tech may order a standardized rest period for all teams, but not for more than 30 minutes. It shall be the responsibility of the Mid-Point Steward to advise the handler of each team how long of a rest period has been ordered, and what the official "time out" will be. It shall be the responsibility of the Mid-Point Vet/Vet Tech to record the official "time in" and "time out" on the score sheet of each team. This time shall be deducted from the exhibitor's total course time. Exhibitors are encouraged to request notification of "time in/timeout" times recorded. The Mid-Point Vet/Vet Tech shall write the time required for each team's Mid-Point Check/Rest into the Official Judge's Book after he has judged all the teams and returned to the starting area.

SECTION 8. Standardized Veterinary Exams.
The same methods and standards must be used for rating dogs in the RD and RDX classes. The veterinarians shall try as much as practical to give standardized exams. One dog should not "fail" when another dog in a very similar condition has "passed", and vice versa. A handler familiar with these Regulations should be able to enter the checkpoints knowing what checks the Veterinarian(s)/Vet Tech shall conduct on his dog(s) and horse.

In the case of a dog or horse that is in either Veterinarian's opinion under stress or incapable of continuing, the animal must be removed from competition. Either Veterinarian/Vet Tech may conduct additional non-invasive tests on the dog or horse other than what is specified in these regulations in order to determine the animal/s health and soundness. Time required for any additional tests shall be subtracted from the team's total course time. The opinion of the Veterinarian shall be final.

SECTION 9. Qualifying Condition.
The Veterinarian/Vet Tech's certification in the Official Judge's Book of a Qualifying Score/Pass Rating for any particular dog constitutes their mutual certification to the Dalmatian Club of America that the dog has performed all of the required tests at least in accordance with the minimum standards and that its performance would justify the awarding of a Road Dog or Road Dog Excellent title. A Qualifying Score and/or Pass Rating must never be awarded to a dog who has not met the minimum requirements, not to a dog that attacks any other dog, person, or horse met along the course, nor to a dog whose handler abuses the dog at the veterinarian check points or on the course, nor to a dog whose handler offers food to the dog on the course, except food that has been arranged at the Mid-Point Vet Check.

In deciding whether a particular dog's condition warrants a "Pass" score, the Veterinarian/Vet Tech shall consider whether the awarding of a Road Trial title would be justified if all dogs in the class appeared in similar condition at that particular point of the course. The Vet/Vet Tech must not give a "Pass" score if he decides that it would be contrary to the best interests of the sport if all dogs in the class were to be in the same condition. Any dog that, in the opinion of the Vet/Vet Tech, requires more than a 30-minute rest period at the Mid-Point Vet Check shall be excused from further competition.

SECTION 10. Official Judges' Book and Veterinarian Score Sheets.
The Veterinarian(s)/Vet Tech must record their observations for each dog on the Veterinary score sheet immediately after examining each dog, and before examining another dog or team. The Official Judge's Book shall be made available for each Vet/Vet Tech to transfer their scores and/or Pass/Fail Ratings once they have completed their area of jurisdiction.

SECTION 11. Announcement of Veterinary Check Pass/Fail Rating.
Each Veterinarian/Vet Tech shall notify each exhibitor of the Pass/Fail status of each dog as soon as the exam has been completed, and the results entered on the score sheets. The Start/Finish Vet shall not disclose the points awarded each dog at the Finish. If a dog or horse has been given the maximum allowed rest period and has failed any veterinary exam, the animal shall not be allowed to continue on the course.

Send mail to sommerdal@dalmania.net with questions or comments about this web site.
Unless otherwise stated on individual pages, all graphics, site content, and design is
Copyright © 2000,2001 by Heather Gearhart, dba Sitting Spots Web Design
Last modified: November 06, 2001