Events

GRCA National Specialty

The purpose of the GRCA National Specialty is to showcase all aspects of the Golden Retriever in conformation, field and performance venues, to provide educational and health-related seminars and clinics, to hold the GRCA Annual Meeting, and to provide opportunities for social interactions.  As the popularity of the Golden Retriever has grown and the multitude of AKC events expanded, so has the size, interest and complexity of our National Specialty.

GRCA Regional Specialties

The Golden Retriever Club of America offers three Regional Specialties each year—one each in the Eastern, Central and Western regions.  The purpose of the GRCA Regional Specialty is to draw Golden Retriever fanciers from the Region together and to allow people who might not be able to attend a National Specialty to participate in a premier Golden event.  As such, a Regional Specialty is bigger than a local, independent specialty, but considerably smaller and less labor-intensive than the GRCA National Specialty.

Who can host a GRCA Regional Specialty?

Ideally, a member GRCA club which has hosted a couple of independent specialties and field events like the WC/WCX, but which doesn’t have the resources to host a National Specialty or wants a “warm up” to hosting a future National Specialty.  In reality, any GRCA member club can host this event.  If a club has not held its own independent specialty and is therefore not “licensed” by AKC, the Regional can be a first step because the event is held in the name of GRCA using the GRCA “license.”  Any club considering hosting a Regional Specialty should contact the National Specialty Committee (NSC) at NSC@grca.org  for help and guidance.

The links below will provide useful tools on hosting a GRCA Regional Specialty:

GRCA