When did you get the Retriever addiction

[Miriam Wade]

I've posted mine every time this topic comes up, so I'll spare everyone (& the crowd roared!), but I'd love to hear how some of the really successful "heavy hitters" got started.

M

[TN_LAB]

I got my stray lab this spring. It's been so much fun training her.

[lanse brown]

1966 September 1st- Southern Berkshire Golden Retriever Club- Sanction All- Age trial. Judges Helen Ginnell, Frank Hazeltine- Derby Jam. Lots of tears and because of my alcoholic, type "A" personality and life long neurotic need and love for the Labrador breed I have very few other interests in life-it has been very healthy for me.

[John Kelder]

1990 -Shoot Duck . Duck sails in cattails. Look for duck . 2 hours later . Find duck . Mental note to self --Get Lab . Got Lab . Need help training . phone calls .
be a Bird boy Westchester Ret. Club. At the OPEN . Judge screams at me as if I'm a child . All birds must hit THAT spot .
AND THE GROUND SHOOK AS THESE ALL AGE DOGS ROARED DOWN THE HILL . HOOK SET.

[HuntinDawg]

10/10/1994 my "heart dog" was born to a BLF owned by my good friend Todd, who was a duck hunter. I had never hunted ducks and wasn't really interested in it. I wanted my lab pup as a pet first and also as a blood trailing dog since I was an avid bowhunter. I had never seen a trained retriever work at all.

In January 1995 when my pup was around 3 months old Todd calls me and says "you know those Canada Geese that we always see on your dad's farm?" I said, yes. He said "well, this is the first season in Georgia that you can just go buy a license and hunt them and the season is right now. You want to try it?" Well, the deer season was closed already, so the next thing I know I'm out there with my friend, my pup's dam (Sadie) and another friend of Todd's. I've got a borrowed 1100 that only holds 2 3/4 shells. Here come the geese off of the roost pond. We shoot and one falls from higher than pine tree-top high into the pond (think cannon ball). Todd calls her name and Sadie goes sailing off the steep bank (she had a "big" water entry) and retrieves the goose. As Sadie is swimming back with the huge resident canada goose I'm thinking "no way she is coming up that steep bank with that big ole' bird" but she did. Later that afternoon we are walking around the farm and Todd is letting Sadie run. She is probably 200 yards away running down the dam and he says "watch this" and blows a single blast on his whistle. She whirls around, slams her butt down and looks at him as if to say "yes Boss, what do you want?" Then he blows multiple blasts on the whistle and she comes charging as if to say "wow, I get to COME!" It was like she hadn't seen him in a year and I'm thinking wow. Then we are walking along the side of a very large pond and a bird buzzes us and Todd drops it on the water at a considerable distance. He sends Sadie and she is headed straight for it. It was a merganser and it dove and came up a huge distance to her left, but Sadie is still steaming toward the original fall. Her eyes are so low to the water and the bird is sitting low in the water and there is no way she can see it, especially with the chop on the water. Todd blows his whistle and gives Sadie a left "over" cast and she takes it and carries it a great distance and I'm thinking "this must be the smartest dog on the planet...I wonder if MY dog (her pup) could EVER do THAT?!?"

The next thing I know I'm buying training books, whistles, bumpers, a 12 gauge, planting a dove field and trying to learn how to blow a duck call.

EDIT: I left out the other part that I always remember about that day. It was January in Georgia, but it was not cold at all. That afternoon we were hunkered down beside the roost pond hoping they would come in before sunset (end of legal shooting hours). As a huge flock approached (honking loudly) I looked over at Todd because he was to signal when it was time to "take 'em." When I looked over at him I saw that Sadie was shaking uncontrollably from the excitement (again, it wasn't cold). It hit me at that point just how much she loved what she had been trained to do.

[Tom H.]

My addicition with dogs started after high school . I started with coon hounds (redbones to be exact) , but due to working second shift and trying to raise my kids , it wasn't exactley benifical to be running through the timber until the wee hours of the morning . So a buddy of mine sends his lab to a trainer , I get a pup out of FC Nan-Dool Elwood Blues , and the hook is set . Good bye coonhounds and nite hunts , Hello retrievers and Hunt Tests . By the way , NO dog games are cheap , my pocket book still says OUCH
________
Vision insurance advice

[zipmarc]

My first dog when I was still a child was a sighthound (Saluki) followed by a cocker spaniel. I got my first FT dog right after grad school she was a Golden from Torchy Flynn. I took her to Rex and before I even got her out of my station wagon (those were the days...) Rex said get rid of her.

So I gave her with papers to Val Walker of Sungold, and this Kiowa daughter became one of Val's foundation Goldens.

My first black lab was from Delma Hazzard, his name was Reefer Madness out of Snake Eyes Double Or Nothing and he washed out. Then I got one from Judy Weikel Aycock. And so on and so forth.

[Miriam Wade]

I got my first FT dog right after grad school she was a Golden from Torchy Flynn. I took her to Rex and before I even got her out of my station wagon (those were the days...) Rex said get rid of her.

So I gave her with papers to Val Walker of Sungold, and this Kiowa daughter became one of Val's foundation Goldens.

Regardless of the fact that many see him as having walked on water-why would you get rid of a dog based upon anyone's opinion when the dog hadn't even had a chance to prove itself?!? (Asking w/ all due respect, but very curious). Did she go on to do anything at Sungold or was she ever given a chance?

M

[zipmarc]

I don't know what the Golden female I gave to Val Walker did trial wise, but I heard from Val not long ago: "Our Goldens all go back to the female I got from you many years ago."

As for why I was so obedient to Rex, well, just cuz...

[Joe Dutro]

December 28, 2002. That day I was in Arkansas and had the privledge to watch a big chocolate male do about a 225 yard blind. My exact words "I want a dog that will do that". I have now trained 2 to do that and I am currently training 2 more. I love the challenge that each retriever throws at you. If my wife only knew what this would lead to she probably would have left me.
Joe