New AKC Junior Hunters (pending posting results)

Marc and I took Paloma and Patriot up to Scattercreek, a hunting area between Rochester and Maytown, WA,  June 19th and 20th, 2010.  Marc jokingly kidded that Father's Day was cancelled this year because he would be running dogs. 

The Washington Brittany Club and the German Shorthaired Pointer Club of Washington held their Hunt Tests on both days which meant there were four chances for each of them to earn their JH titles.  Patriot already had two legs from the Irish Setter Club of Washington's tests at the beginning of May and only needed two more but, Paloma needed all four.  The weather was nice when we arrived at the field but by the time it was Marc's brace with Patriot, it had started to rain. And, not just rain, it was pouring. Nevertheless, Marc came out of the field with a smile on his face - Patriot had done well. We broke for lunch and then returned to the southern field for Marc and Paloma's brace. Again, the rain came down.  I would love to be able to give you a "bird by bird" account but I wasn't in the field.  All I know is that both dogs found their birds and pointed them for both tests. Patriot finished at the GSP HT and was awarded a big triple ribbon from Char Benedict, GSP HT secretary. The judges on Saturday were Joe Waitman, Mark Sherman, Peggy Tucker and Meg Eden.  

Sunday morning was a little more dramatic. I had estimated we wouldn't be on the line until 9:30am but Kirsten called at 8:20am to let us know we had 25 minutes to get from the hotel in Tumwater to the line. We made it in 15 with plenty of time to spare. Paloma ran first and I wasn't sure she was going to qualify but she proved me wrong, finding and pointing her birds. Marc ran Patriot for good measure since he finished his qualifying legs the day before.  We broke for lunch and returned to the northern field and camp.  The braces became skewed as people finished their dogs and scratched them from the run list. Marc and Paloma were moved up to second brace and he would run back to back with Patriot in the third.  Paloma found two birds and finished her JH at the Brittany of Washington's test.  Hunt Test secretary, Jodi Pollack, awarded Paloma her three ribbon rosette.  Patriot did well, ran big and followed a bird to the staging area where a guy picked it up and was holding it. With everyone's back turned to him, Patriot responded to Marc whistling him back on course. He went on to find another bird before time was called.  Patriot ended the weekend with six qualifying legs.  

Finishing Paloma and Patriot's AKC Junior Hunter titles was an exciting Father's Day present for Marc. He was extremely stoked at how well both Paloma and Patriot did in the field.  They still need lots of fine tuning and if they were to move on to a higher level, they would need plenty more training. We'll just have to see but for now, it's time to get into the show ring.

Catch A Fire's Autumn Blaze aka Jasper

Jasper earns his AKC Junior Hunter title at the end of May 2010. 

Brian writes: "Roy and I left Friday morning, the 21st, and drove 12 hours to Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  The hunt test started the next morning at 7 am at a location that was about a 20 minute drive from Sioux Falls.  Of course, it was raining as we drove to the course, but by the time the junior braces were called at about 10 am, it was just overcast and windy.  The course for the test was different from any of the others we had run this year.  Instead of a front course, a clearly marked bird field, and a back course, this one was laid out as one long course with a continuous bird field.  The juniors were to run the same course as the senior and master levels but they were not in the field as long.

Roy and I were somewhat apprehensive about that arrangement at first, but it ultimately provided the dogs with plenty of opportunities to find birds.  On Saturday, Jasper ran well  and was not hampered by the strong wind.  He covered the course well, circling back whenever he caught scent and narrowing his search area until he was on the bird.  He had two finds in the first half of the course and although he wasn't as steady on his points for as long as I had hoped for, it was good enough for a pass.  I ended up being very thankful for his performance, though, especially since his brace mate went birdless.   Kaari also passed on Saturday, so the pressure was off for all of us on the first day.  Roy and I had two new junior hunters!"

Congratulations Brian and Jasper!