Well folks after much peer pressure from Fishduck and Laidback I entered the North Alabama Retriever Club’s AKC Master HT for March 2, 2013. I guess they kind of felt sorry for me for that @$$ raping I got [ insert something else here] and wanted to divert my attention away from [another venue which is highly respected] and convince me to run AKC and pursue a Master Hunter title. Reluctantly I gave in and entered the event. The event washeld at the M. Barnett Lawley Forever Wild Field Trial Area in Greensboro, AL. The grounds are awesome. These grounds are also what was formerly known as “the State Cattle Ranch” i.e. “PRISON” (the State continues to house inmates here and they are outstanding bird technicians).
I was very concerned when I arrived at the event,thelast time I saw this many dog trucks was at the Grand! 474 dogs!I arrived at mystake “Master C” and received a warm welcome from some of the club members and one of them (Fishduck) immediately handed me some papers and said “here, this is the list, get some handlers and dogs lined up”. Awesome, I just arrived and I’m already being treated like family and I’m not even a member of this club! I was honored to receive such a warm welcome, at first, but by the end of the weekend I was looking forward to my parole. I don’t know what I did to deserve that other than befriending the guys in my signature.
So, eventually I get in line to attempt this very demanding setup. Actually I wasn’t worried about the test as much as I was worried about the judges letting me pick up a mark [bad memories from elsewhere]. So eventually the judges say “dog 19 to the line” and me and “Jack”, my [dog with horrible line manners]head to the line. On our walk from the holding blind to the line, in the back of my mind I can hear chanting “fresh fish, fresh fish, fresh fish” . So I make my way toward the line, with my dog, and the first mark is a walk-up, boom! Bird falls and my dog is still heeling with me the same way he did [insert another venue]. I waited and listened for the judge to say “that’s not what we’re looking for”but no one ever said it so I stood there and watched the other two marks. The flyer was shot and the other mark thrown and the judges let my dog pick them up! Couldn’t help but stand there with a big grin on my face and thinking “hey Great Dog!"
Long story short, I had a great time, met some nice folks, ran some difficult setups, and was judged by fair judges who judged dogs by their work in the field I guess my friends were right, I have been running in the wrong venue.
BTW, my [wild]dog was one of the 20 that qualified (passed all 3 series and received a ribbon) in my flight! And YES I am bragging!
Lonnie Spann
I was very concerned when I arrived at the event,thelast time I saw this many dog trucks was at the Grand! 474 dogs!I arrived at mystake “Master C” and received a warm welcome from some of the club members and one of them (Fishduck) immediately handed me some papers and said “here, this is the list, get some handlers and dogs lined up”. Awesome, I just arrived and I’m already being treated like family and I’m not even a member of this club! I was honored to receive such a warm welcome, at first, but by the end of the weekend I was looking forward to my parole. I don’t know what I did to deserve that other than befriending the guys in my signature.
So, eventually I get in line to attempt this very demanding setup. Actually I wasn’t worried about the test as much as I was worried about the judges letting me pick up a mark [bad memories from elsewhere]. So eventually the judges say “dog 19 to the line” and me and “Jack”, my [dog with horrible line manners]head to the line. On our walk from the holding blind to the line, in the back of my mind I can hear chanting “fresh fish, fresh fish, fresh fish” . So I make my way toward the line, with my dog, and the first mark is a walk-up, boom! Bird falls and my dog is still heeling with me the same way he did [insert another venue]. I waited and listened for the judge to say “that’s not what we’re looking for”but no one ever said it so I stood there and watched the other two marks. The flyer was shot and the other mark thrown and the judges let my dog pick them up! Couldn’t help but stand there with a big grin on my face and thinking “hey Great Dog!"
Long story short, I had a great time, met some nice folks, ran some difficult setups, and was judged by fair judges who judged dogs by their work in the field I guess my friends were right, I have been running in the wrong venue.
BTW, my [wild]dog was one of the 20 that qualified (passed all 3 series and received a ribbon) in my flight! And YES I am bragging!
Lonnie Spann
