When did you get the Retriever addiction

[Richard Halstead]

I have had dogs since but purchased my first Lab in 1979 before that I had coon hounds in high school. My first lab that was out of field trial breeding was a yellow sired by AFC Super Disco Dancer, a 1985 National Amateur Finalist. I sent the dog south with Wayne Curtis and upon his return from Texas the dog was 20 months old.

The dog failed his first derby because of my error. A few weeks later on the dike road at the Duluth Retriever Club 4th series a fair swim. I tried to remain calm but internally I was in distress. When the Judge walks over, his hand on my shoulder and tells me "get this one clean and you are the winner". I nearly fell ater two weeks of our failure the dog was on the derby list with his second win. Hooked from here on.

[Bob Gutermuth]

I got my first Chesapeake in 1977 intending to use her for a ducking dog. then I discovered the H/T game. In 1994 she became QAA by placing 2nd in a licensed qualifying. The hook was set.

[HeavenSent]

I currently have my first Field Bred Lab and she is 7months old. We are about to start training with a Pro. I got hooked watching her breeder,her Sire's owner and a friend of mine training. I got to watch some dogs in my pups line work and just seeing the dogs responding to their handlers did me in! So much for my original plan to just do obed. and agility! I still don't really know what I am about to start but, I sure am excited to get started

[Tim Carrion]

My affliction is genetic. I know no other life.
My late father founded the Maryland RC in 1947. I probably attended by first trial inutero. Add a good first dog and Derby 4th on my first try, there is no cure!

Tim

[Patrick Johndrow]

I have had the hunting dog addiction since I was old enough to carry a stick in the field with my grandfathers pointers but got the retrieve Jones going sometime in my early teens. A local variety store’s (T G & Y) sporting goods department had the Peterson’s True Blue dog visit on a Saturday…begged mom to take me and when I saw “blue” I just had to have one. I was working for a birddog guy at the time and he helped my mother find a well bred lab and been hooked on the animals ever since.


But I will admit we would have had a lot more success this morning if we would have had a nice pointer with us.

[Chris Meyer]

As a boy my father would tell me stories about a great lab he owned in his teens that the town folk would ask to hunt with. I was always intrigued but never actually understood it. I was brought up a deer hunter and bird hunting was one thing my mother made my father give up when us kids came along.

My start was 4 years ago when I came home and my girlfriend at that time left a little black lab in our apartment where we couldn't have dogs saying her parents dog was old and they would take this one since it was free. Well, as it went her parents didn't want it, so I had to get rid of this mix breed lab. My mother talked my father into it and so it happened that I started him with obedience and handling. He was luckily smart enough to catch on to everything even from my novice skills. Thank God for that, cause if I'd have started with the high roller I've got now, I'd have given this up.

[John Lash]

Uhhh Bob,

You might want to edit that, unless she was that old...

John Lash

[jgrammer]

I got my first golden in about '78 and she was to be just a pet but she ended up being a wonderful hunting partner for my ex (neither of us knew anything about training a gun dog but she worked so nicely for both upland and duck, guess we got really lucky!). The next to come along was in '95 and she got me started in ob and agility. In the end, she had a UD, 8 legs to a UDX and AX, AXJ. In '97 Sage came along and again went UD, MX, MXJ. The next to join the family was in 2000 and bless his little heart, he is what made me switch to a field line for my next one . Firemark Serendipity came to me in 2007 as an agility/obed. dog. I made the mistake of taking her up to a pro to evaluate her to see if we could maybe do a JH or WC. We are now totally immersed in field doing a combination of pro training and pro training me to train her and we are loving it. She is hunting (yes, with the ex but with me handling her, don't want her messed up) and she is doing great there, just need a better shooter . Hope to see some of you in the NW at the HT this next spring/summer. Jean

[John Lash]

I got started in 1980 by buying a FT bred dog in Delaware. Recommended by Jay Sweezey, who I had only met by telephone. I called various local numbers and would be referred to another and another until I ended up calling him. He was training the sire of that litter, so they came highly recommended...

The puppy was $350 and I could hardly believe I was going to pay that much for a puppy. I only planned on hunting with her, the breeder from Delaware contacted the Fort Pitt Retriever Club in Pittsburgh and gave me some numbers to call. I joined and started training with a few other members.

Best I ever did with her was a Qualifying third, only had field trials then.

John Lash

[1st retriever]

I just got my first retriever in June. She is now 8.5 months old. My friend raises goldens and wanted me to keep the pick female for her and if she passes all her heath tests at the approriate age she will breed her to keep her line going. She has been trying to do this but her first attempt they ended up with cancer, the next time she tried they had heart problems, and now this will be her third attempt and this will be her third generation from her dogs that she has kept intact and not sold as pets. She also raises Shiba Inu's so didn't have room to keep another so that is how we came to get Corona. She asked me if I liked bird hunting and I asked why and she said that these pups should be quite birdy. She told me about the hunt tests and I checked with the guy who helps at the 4-H dog project who is part of the retriever club and he evaluated her and said she has plenty of drive and we made it to two weekends of training and then I got sick so come spring we will be training for at least a JH. Sorry kinda long!