Award Rules and Links
    HOW TO TURN IN AWARD ENTRIES 


We have such AWESOME dogs, AWESOME owner/handlers and an AWESOME club! Our Awards program has not significantly changed for 2021 except to add the Distinction In Herding Award.  As AKC makes changes to their programs, the Award Team will review and make parallel changes to our program. 

Continue tracking of your team's progress throughout the year!  The sooner you start turning it in, the sooner you will see your dog on the website!  Below you will see these documents to turn in your awards on.  Simply download once, add some events, turn in, go earn more, add to form, turn it in again, add more.  Final deadline is January 31, 2023 to turn in your information.  

Example of how to fill out the entry:  

Word Document to Submit:   


Send word documents and photos to kbaileycooper@gmail.com by email or Karen Bailey Cooper private message on Face Book.
2023   
AWARDS GUIDELINES
 AWARD OF EXCELLENCE, VERSATILITY, PUPPY, JUNIOR
MAMASC logo


2023 MAMASC TEAM ACTIVITY PAGE AND AWARD RULES


During 2023, information will be updated, as received, to show what each team has accomplished during the year. Award information will be added to each dog’s record when available. These posts will be in alphabetical order by dog’s call name, as much as possible. Participation certificates with final team activity may be sent to each team. Dogs may be listed on the MAMASC Website Team Activity, Puppy Antics and PeeWee/Junior pages who have received recognitions or have activities the owner wants recognized; however, if no titles are earned during the year, only a participation certificate will be awarded to that team. When there is no activity during the year the dog will be removed from current year’s pages. A new Team Activity Page will be set up yearly. The human portion of the team must be a member in good standing of MAMASC. After March 31, only titles received in the months following payment of membership will be considered for awards (with the exception of Junior/Pee Wee Handlers, who may join at any time during the year and have all awards earned during that year count toward year-end awards).

Title events currently in process by AKC will be implemented starting the date AKC implements the event title. Any changes to this guideline will be implemented by the MAMASC Awards Team or Board of Directors. All changes MUST be reported to the General Membership so everyone has the same opportunity to participate in the all awards. Titles/awards implemented by other venues will be considered and applied to Versatility, Junior/Pee Wee, Herding and Puppy Awards. If the ownership of the dog changes during the year, each case will be looked at separately to determine status of awards. 

Most teams consist of 1 dog and its owner/handler. In the case of multiple owners, the primary owner as registered by AKC, and a member in good standing with MAMASC, will receive the award. Other owner/handler situations may be submitted to the Awards Team for a decision as to eligibility.

List of Awards

Award of Excellence
High Overall Award of Excellence
Junior and PeeWee Award
Puppy Antics
Distinction in Herding Award 
Versatility Award
High Overall Versatility Award


Award of Excellence

This program highlights teams achieving titles in recognized AKC sports. The award period is from January 1 through December 31 yearly. The deadline for submitting entries will be January 31 of the following year. Each team will receive 1 plaque the first year they earn the award, or other award as determined by the MAMASC Award Team or Board of Directors. The award will recognize all AKC titles earned by each qualifying team during an award period plus any AKC titles earned by the team prior to the first award period. Subsequent years’ award will be a hanging plate to the plaque stating the year and AKC titles earned during that year (or other award as determined by the MAMAMC Award Team or Board of Directors).

Sport is defined as any conformation, performance or companion class recognized by AKC and MASCUSA for Miniature American Shepherds. (I.E., if a title is recognized for certain breeds, but not for MAS, such as hunting titles, the title will not be used for the Award of Excellence, but can be used for Versatility Awards.) As MAS are a herding breed, the Herding Instinct Certificate will also be applied to the Award of Excellence as if it were a title. Conformation is a minimum of 5 points earned toward a Championship and/or NOHS.

As MAMASC’s parent organization, MASCUSA, is an AKC Breed Club, the MAMASC Award of Excellence only uses titles earned in sports recognized by AKC. For a title to be considered for this award, which has been earned outside of AKC, proper AKC protocol must be followed by applying and paying for the title through AKC. Any AKC recognized title will appear on AKC’s website on a dog’s performance record. Titles will be verified prior to being used for an award. In addition to titles from other organizations recognized by AKC, there are some certificates and titles earned within AKC, such as CGC, CGCA, CGCU, Trick Dog and FDC which also require an application process with AKC. As soon as the procedure is completed and AKC records the titles, those titles will also be used for the Award of Excellence.


High Overall Award of Excellence

This award will be given to the team who earns the most AKC titles (including Herding Instinct Certificate) during the award year. The dog must be 12 months or older. Ties will be broken by number of different sports the titles are earned in, highest titles and then score/times/ jumps. 


Junior/Pee Wee

The Junior Award is for Junior handlers between the ages of 9, up through 18 only. Each Junior must handle at least 1 Miniature American Shepherd. Junior teams will be featured on a separate page as this category includes titles/achievements in all venues and are unique. The team may also qualify for a Versatility Award as described below. The award will include a participation certificate and an award as determined by the Awards Team.

The Pee Wee Award for Pee Wee participants is for children 5 through 8 who handle Miniature American Shepherds in Conformation. All children will receive an award which will be determined by the Awards Team.

Titles/achievements earned at anytime during the current year will count no matter when the Junior/Pee Wee joins. This allows more flexibility for young handlers to understand and get up to speed during a year before deciding to join the program.


Puppy Antics

Puppy Antics will be similar to the Team Activity Page and lists certificates, awards (i.e., BOB, Group, Puppy Kindergarten) or titles between 12 weeks old and up to 12 months old. The first of the month in which a puppy becomes 12 months old, it will be moved to the Team Activity page. This means puppies will move to the Team Activity Page when 12 months or older and those titles will be considered for the MAMASC Award of Excellence. Titles earned before 12 months will be applied toward a puppy award and titles 12 months and after will be applied to Award of Excellence. Awards from both Puppy Antics (Including Puppy of Achievement and S.T.A.R. Puppy) and Award of Excellence will be applied to Versatility Awards. These puppy teams could possibly have an Award of Excellence, Versatility AND a Puppy Antics award. These teams will receive a participation certificate and a rosette (or another award deemed appropriate by the Awards Team.) 


Distinction in Herding Award

The Herding Award shall be awarded to the handler/dog team who shows a dedication to showcasing the Miniature American Shepherd in the sport for which this breed was bred – Herding. The winning team shall receive an award for the year as determined by the MAMASC Award Team or Board of Directors and treasurer. The winner shall be determined by the most titles earned by the team during the year in any venue (AKC, ASCA, AHBA, etc.). In the case of a tie, the tie breakers will be as follows
1)highest title earned in AKC
2)highest title earned in any venue
3)highest score for the top title.

Versatility Awards

These awards are dedicated to the dogs who have worked with their owners and achieved more than one title each year in sports as defined above in Award of Excellence, except the titles can be earned in any venue. These awards show the true versatility of the Miniature American Shepherd. Entry information must be submitted by January 31 of the subsequent year. The following are minimum qualifications.


Versatility Herding Categories

HCVM- Herding Conformation Versatility Master -Top & Highest Award:
        1) One Herding Title or Test Certificate, AND
        2) Five AKC Conformation points, Title or equivalent from another venue AND
        3) Five or more additional performance titles from at least five different sports.

HCVE - Herding Conformation Versatility Excellent:
        1) One Herding Title or Test Certificate, AND
        2) Five AKC Conformation points, Title or equivalent from another venue, AND
        3) Three additional performance titles from at least two different sports.

HCVA - Herding Conformation Versatility Advanced:
        1) One Herding Title or Test Certificate, AND
        2) Five AKC Conformation points, Title or equivalent from another venue, AND
        3) One additional performance title.

HVM – Herding Versatility Master:

        1) Three Herding Titles and/or Test Certificates, AND
        2) Five additional Performance Titles from at least two sports.

HVE - Herding Versatility Excellent:

        1) One Herding Title or Test Certificate, AND
        2) Five or more additional performance titles from at least two different sports.

HVA - Herding Versatility Advanced:

        1) One Herding Title or Test Certificate, AND
        2) One additional performance title.

Versatility Non-Herding Categories

PCVM- Performance Conformation Versatility Master - Highest Non-Herding Award:

        1) Five AKC Conformation points, Title or equivalent from another venue, AND
        2) Ten or more performance titles from at least three different sports.

PCVE- Performance Conformation Versatility Excellent:

        1) Five AKC Conformation points, Title or equivalent from another venue, AND
        2) Three additional performance titles from at least three different sports.

PCVA- Performance Conformation Versatility Advanced:
        1) Five AKC Conformation points. Title or equivalent from another venue, AND
        2) One additional performance title.

PVM- Performance Versatility Master:

        1) Ten performance titles from at least four different sports.

PVE- Performance Versatility Excellent:

        1) Five performance titles from at least three different sports.

PVA- Performance Versatility Advanced:
        1) Two performance titles from two different sports.



















High Overall Versatility Award

For the team who earns the most titles/certificates/achievements from all venues. Tie breakers are:
        1) Teams earning herding titles and conformation titles.
        2) Teams earning herding titles, but no conformation titles earned.
        3) Teams earning no herding but conformation titles earned.
        4) Further ties will be broken by number of different sports titles are earned in, highest titles, score/times/jumps.