The MCOA JOURNAL
The MCOA Journal is a bi-annual publication dedicated to Mastiffs and their owners. The Journal contains articles on a variety of topics, such as health, training, and news. Each issue also highlights a different sporting event and the Mastiffs that play them. Mastiffs are a Working Dog after-all!
Journal subscription services is currently unavailable. Please check back for updates.
Journal Advertising & Past issues
MCOA Journal Advertising
MCOA Journal Ad Information
Advertising Dogs and Kennels is for MCOA Members and Associate Members in good standing only.
All dogs advertised must be solely owned, co-owned, or bred by MCOA members or Associate members in good standing. Advertisements placed by MCOA Associate Members must include the footnote: “MCOA Associate Member.” Please advise the editor if you are advertising as an Associate Member.
Breeders advertising a dog they bred that is owned by a person that is NOT an MCOA member, must have written permission to do so from the dog’s owner. Advertisements of this nature may NOT be litter announcements and are subject to the approval of the editor.
All owner names (as listed on AKC registration papers at the time the ad reservation is made) must be included for dog/s advertised. Names of non-member owners must be indicated on Member/Associate Member ads, but the kennel names, addresses, phone numbers; e-mail addresses of non-members cannot be included.
You are not required to list Breeder names. However, if you choose to, all Breeders (as listed on AKC registration papers) must be included.
All advertising rates listed below include ad design by a member of the MCOA Journal Committee, when needed, with ONE photo on the ad (must be provided at 300 PPI). If you are submitting your own ad (not having the Journal team design), there is no additional cost for extra pictures.
Please send all ads to mastiffjournal@gmail.com.
Rates
*The above rates also apply to ad pages without photos
Veteran ad – 1/2 page with photo
Artwork Requirements
Digital photos must be scanned at 300 DPI. The photo file name must include the dog’s name. Pre-made ads will be accepted with no charge for additional photos. Ad specifications are as follows: Trim: 8.5 x 11, Live print area: 8 x 10.5, Bleed: .125, Color space: CMYK
Commercial Ads
Commercial ads are defined in this magazine as any ad for a product or service, regardless of whether or not the advertiser is affiliated with the MCOA.
Awards Recognition Section: Collar Awards – Hall of Fame and Working Dog Titles All collar award winners are eligible for 1/3 page in this section at no charge. Owners are responsible for submitting all award ads and hall of fame ads. Hall of Fame & Working Dogs ads are $35.
Reserving Ad Pages/Covers: Ad pages and covers may be reserved by contacting the editor. They must be pre-paid online via the MCOA PayPal. Cover deposits are nonrefundable. If you are reserving a cover (front, back, exterior or interior) call the editor to find out which covers are available. To the best of our ability advertisements appear in the Journal in the order they are received. Please call the Editor if you need assistance with your ad.
F.A.Q
1) WHO CAN ADVERTISE IN THE JOURNAL?
a) ANY MCOA Member or Associate Member in good standing
2) DO I HAVE TO OWN THE DOG I ADVERTISE?
a) You must be an owner, co-owner or breeder on any dog you are advertise
i) Breeders advertising a dog they bred that is owned by a person that is NOT an MCOA member, must have written permission to do so from the dog’s owner
3) WHY AREN’T THE NATIONAL SPECIALTY BOB WINNER AND THE BOS WINNER ALWAYS ON THE COVER/BACK COVER? ARE THE COVERS SOLD TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER?
a) The Journal cover and back cover are available for purchase to whomever wants to buy them. If the Specialty BOB/BOS would like to be on the cover, they can contact us immediately following their win at mastiffjournal@gmail.com
b) Advertising space is NOT open to bids. There is a set fee for advertising space based on placement and ad size. All advertising is available equally to all members. Premium placements are handled on a first come/first serve basis, as there is only one of each available. (premium placements include: cover, inside front cover left, inside front cover right, center spread, back cover, inside back cover left, inside back cover right)
4) WHAT IS THE RATIO OF ADS TO ARTICLES? IS THE JOURNAL JUST ANOTHER DOG SHOW AD PUBLICATION?
a) The Journal strives to provide current, informative, and relevant articles that focus on Mastiff health, care, and sporting events, as well as printing MCOA information, training tips, and happenings in the “dog world”.
b) We also try to involve the membership in as many aspects of the publication as possible (e.g., requesting membership pictures to accompany articles, membership survey with results printed in the Journal)
c) We typically sell 15-20 ads (over 90% single page pieces), while article/interview/info pieces average 35-40 pages per issue
d) The Journal committee is always open to suggestions and welcomes member feedback! Please email us at mastiffjournal@gmail.com
HOW DO I CONTACT THE JOURNAL COMMITTEE?
The Journal committee can be contacted at mastiffjournal@gmail.com.
Please DO NOT use FB Messenger or personal emails to communicate official Journal business.
5) OK – I WANT TO PLACE AN AD HOW DO I PAY FOR IT?
a) The Journal offers several payment options
i) Paypal Payments can be made via the MCOA website:
https://www.mastiff.org/product-category/mcoa-journal/journal-advertising/
Payment via check, made out to MCOA, can be mailed to the MCOA Treasurer, Barbie Fiorentino 24112 N Park View Ln. Chattaroy, WA. 99003
Note: Work will NOT begin on your ad until payment is received.
What goes in to putting the Journal together?
The Journal is a labor of love for those of us who volunteer on the committee. An incredible amount of time and effort are invested into each issue.
Advertisement, picture, and article contribution requests are made to the membership and reminders are posted periodically
Once an ad has been paid for and the copy and photo(s) are received, the images are retouched and formatted for printing. Quite often the resolution of the pictures we receive is not acceptable for printing and designers take great care to make every attempt to retouch/boost the quality of your selected images so that they can be used
The ad then gets designed in InDesign, shared with the purchaser, revised as needed, and finally approved
One ad can take anywhere from 3-10 hours from start to finish
An article list for the issue is created and authors/article liaisons are sourced and assigned. Information published in the Journal comes from various sources and a lot of follow-up is often required
Some articles get researched and written by committee members and/or contributing member
Some articles are provided by third parties (e.g., AKC, OFA sources)
Some information is obtained from other MCOA committees (e.g., The Health Committee provides CHIC data)
Regional Clubs may send in any information they would like printed (e.g., Regional Specialty results)
Any outside articles are reviewed and if images are included they are retouched. If images are not included appropriate image are researched, obtained, and retouched
Interviews are conducted for columns such as Meet the Member and Ask the Vet columns
Articles being written by the Journal Committee or MCOA contributor are drafted and then proofed
For the National Specialty/Awards Issue, results, in an editable format, need to be obtained, meaning it cannot be a photo of a marked catalog that we would need to rekey. As it is, there is a lot of type styling that needs to be done–this is a long process
For the National Specialty/Awards Issue, we need to receive the photos of the winners from the show chair or photographer, which always proves to be a challenge, requiring constant follow-up and sometimes we do not receive pictures of ALL winners no matter how hard we try
Images received need to be identified (dog, owner, breeder names), retouched and formatted for printing. This is another time consuming process
Charts often need to be recreated so that they will reproduce well—this is mostly for the health articles and CHIC numbers
The issue gets laid out
Articles may have to shift around for fitting or flow purposes
Artwork needs to be created to help enhance the layouts
Sidebar articles, infographics and additional art is created and used to fill any open spaces
Ads are laid in between articles
The issue is proofed and any edits are provided back to the designer
The designer makes edits, double checks image quality/format, and sends a revised copy back out for another review round (this process repeats until no further revisions are required)
The designer uploads the final version of the Journal to the printer’s prepress system, which is yet another time consuming process, as the file is quite large. If any errors or warnings are received, the designer addresses them and re-uploads the updated version. Once the pre-press upload is clean, the document is released for press approval
The committee chair reviews and approves in the printer’s system
While all of the design work is finishing up the mailing lists and print/postage quotes are reviewed and processed
The printer runs plates for the job and outputs a hard copy proof for review
Once the hard copy proof is approved, the document is released to the press and mailed to membership upon completion
MCOA Journal "Truth In Advertising" Health Testing Claims
All claims of OFA, CERF or GDC certifications on any Mastiff advertised in the MCOA Journal must be accompanied by the corresponding permanent certification numbers written on the ad. Photocopies of permanent certifications are not needed. All OTHER health testing claims, such as “OFA PRELIM,” “thyroid normal” (non-OFA), “vWD clear” and other “certifications” can only be made in Journal advertising if the advertiser sends a copy of the laboratory report (not a veterinarian’s letter of opinion) with the ad as proof. Generic statements about a particular dog’s certifications and reports, such as “he passed all genetic tests” without further clarification will not be allowed.
Show Rank Claims
All claims of show rank on any Mastiff advertised in the MCOA Journal will be accompanied by the “as of” date of the ranking (such as “#4 MCOA BOB (3rd qtr. ‘97),” due to the lag time between ranking, publishing and distribution. These claims will be verified by the Journal staff. The Journal will allow rankings published by other sources ONLY with accompanying written documentation, such as a photocopy of a standings page in a dog show magazine. This must be submitted with the ad.
Non-Show Certifications
All claims of non-show certifications, such as CGC, TDI, TT, etc., must have supporting documentation submitted with the ad, such as a photocopy of the certificate (a copy of the TDI license is all that is needed for CGC/TDI). It is not necessary to submit any proof of AKC titles, Collar Awards, Hall of Fame induction or Working Dog titles; these can be verified by the Journal staff. The use of the Mastiff Standard in advertising copy is prohibited. These policies extend to the MCOA Breeders Directory, published in the Journal. The Editor reserves the right to remove or make changes to any claim that is incorrect, illegible, does not meet these guidelines or cannot be verified in a timely fashion. All advertisements are subject to review by the Journal staff. HOWEVER, it is the overall responsibility of the ADVERTISER to make sure that all claims are true and accurate.
Billing Policy
All Advertisements will be paid in advance by PayPal or checks. Work will not begin on your ad until payment has been received. If the Checks are returned for non-payment, MCOA will charge an additional $25.00 returned check charge. Entries for MCOA National Specialties will not be accepted from individuals who are in arrears to MCOA.
Email the Journal Editor with any questions.
Dispelling Myths
MYTH 1: THERE ARE TOO MANY RULES AROUND PLACING AN AD…
The Journal has basic rules around advertising that are similar to other publications of this nature. These rules are necessary These rules cover:
Who can advertise?
MCOA Member or Associate Member in good standing
Recently added: Breeders of dogs that are owned by non MCOA members (written permission from owner required)
Advertisements of this nature may NOT be litter announcements and are subject to the approval
What must be included in the ad?
Associate member ads must be footnoted with * MCOA Associate Member”
All owners must be included for dogs advertised Non-member owners must be indicated on ads, but their kennel names, addresses, phone numbers; e-mail addresses cannot be included
Truth in Advertising policy
Certificates of testing results must accompany health claims
Generic statements such as, “he passed all genetic tests” are not allowed
Show rank claims on any Mastiff advertised must be accompanied by the “as of” date of the ranking
The Journal allows rankings published by other sources as long as supporting documentation (e.g., a photocopy of a standings page in a dog show magazine) is submitted with the ad
Non-show certifications, such as CGC, TDI, TT, etc., must have supporting documentation submitted with the ad (e.g., photocopy of the certificate)
We also specify
- Advertising rates
- Design/artwork specifications for those submitting pictures and/or designing their own ads
- How to submit ads
- How to pay for ads
- Details about free or reduced rate ads
The use of the Mastiff Standard in advertising copy is prohibited
All ads are subject to content review and verification. However, it is the ultimate responsibility of the ADVERTISER to make sure that all claims are true and accurate
MYTH 2: I DON’T SHOW MY MASTIFF, I HAVE NOTHING TO ADVERTISE…
NOT TRUE!! Here are some “other” things you can advertise about:
- CGC, TDI, and other temperament or service titles/achievements
- Working Dog achievements or competition successes in sports such as nose work, barn hunt, or lure coursing
- Celebrate the perfect homes you found for your puppies
- Acknowledge a fellow MCOA member for an outstanding achievement
- Special Birthdays!!! Why not place an ad to celebrate your pup or a pup you bred becoming a Veteran?
- Celebrate the life of a special Mastiff or Mentor that has crossed the Rainbow Bridge (yes…us Mastiff lovers cross the bridge, too…after all, we have to pick up our hearts before we reach our final destination)
- A special moment, a priceless picture, a memorable event…
MYTH 3: I DON’T ADVERTISE BECAUSE THE JOURNAL IS ALWAYS LATE/DOESN’T COME OUT ON A SET SCHEDULE…
The Journal is officially scheduled for 2 issues per year:
January & July
Since the new Journal team has been put in place, our issues have mailed as follows:
2015 Issue 2 – mailed December 19, 2015
2016 Issue 1 – mailed July 19, 2015
2016 Issue 2 – scheduled to mail December 30th
Note: If you have opted to receive your Journal via the standard bulk mail option, the timing of your copy being delivered will vary and that timing is out of the control of the Journal committee. If you want to get your issue without the bulk lag time, you should select First Class mail as your delivery method.
MYTH 4: THE JOURNAL COMMITTEE INTENTIONALLY SPELLS MY NAME, MY DOG’S NAME and/or MY KENNEL NAME WRONG…
ADVERTISEMENTS: All advertisement wording is copied directly from the email sent to us by the advertiser. However, we are human and mistakes can happen as text or design updates are made. To ensure accuracy and to make sure your ad is exactly what you want, all ads are sent to the advertiser for approval with instructions to carefully proof. It is only after we receive final approval from the advertiser that the ad is placed in the master document.
CONFORMATION RESULTS:
NATIONAL SPECIALTIES: All National Specialty results (all activities) are copied directly from the Superintendent website. If your name, your kennel name, or your dog’s name is spelled incorrectly in the catalog, it will most likely be misspelled in the results as well. Please contact us if this is the case; we will be happy to update the Journal accordingly. However, the Journal committee cannot be responsible for proofing the results as provided by the Superintendent. Doing so would be an additional labor-intensive task that would take many hours that we simply don’t have. Our proofing of Superintendent provided results is limited to checking for consistency in the way titles are listed.
REGIONAL SPECIALTIES: Accuracy of Regional Specialty results is the responsibility of whomever is submitting the results for publication. As with National Specialty results, the Journal committee is not culpable for misspelled owner, breeder, kennel, or dog names. We only proof for title consistency.