Red Dog Reader. Kyou. July - August BISS CH Lagniappe s Who s Your Daddy? CD, RE, MH, VC

Transcription

1 Red Dog Reader July - August 2010 Kyou BISS CH Lagniappe s Who s Your Daddy? CD, RE, MH, VC

2 What s Inside Cover Story Cover story Kyou Name the Newsletter Contest Winner Upcoming Events Snake Avoidance Clinic UKC Field Trial - Walks on the Wild Side Litter Announcements Brags - New Wins & New Titles Membership Applicants Newsletter Features ECVC Board and Committee Members Contact Info By: Elizabeth Chandler This is Kyou s story. Kyou is named after my grandfather s hunting dog. When you plan a breeding of Vizsla pups you dream about what the pups will be like. Well for Kyou s litter, my imagination fell far short. Kyou is so much better than I imagined. From the minute Kyou was whelped, he chose me. We instantly bonded. I was supposed to keep a girl, but I could not let this wonderful male pup go. At six months of age, Kyou began his hunting career going four for four junior hunter qualifications with high scores under some very tough judges. Kyou earned his first title, Junior Hunter. I was very proud to show Kyou in conformation in the bred-by class. Kyou s first confirmation dog show was at the age of seven months. There Kyou and his sister, Soleil, showed together and both won three-point majors. Kyou then went on to win a Best in Specialty Show (BISS) title at the first ever South Louisiana Vizsla Club Specialty, a five-point major, finishing his championship, and later that day winning a Group 2 at the young age of 13 months. That was the highlight of my many years of conformation experiences. Kyou and I then tried the rally obedience ring where he quickly earned his Rally Novice (RN) title. Kyou scored 86 on his first leg (mom was nervous), 88 on his second leg (again mom s fault), and a 96 and 4th place on his third leg to finish the RN title. Kyou and I immediately started competing in Rally Advanced (RA) scoring 96 on his first leg, 96 and 4th place on his second leg, and 94 and 3rd place on his third leg to earn the RA title. We jumped right into Rally Excellent (RE). Kyou scored an 88 and 3rd place for his first leg, a 95 score for the second leg, and finished his RE title with a score of 86 on the third leg. Kyou s scores were high, and would have been higher, had it not been for handler errors. I was Kyou s handicap. A huge THANK YOU!!! to... Dr. Bud Calderwood DVM who made the four hour trip from Alachua and stayed overnight just to be able to offer his Snake Avoidance Clinic for us! Read more about the clinic in the article in this newsletter. Last hunting season we had been practicing for Senior Hunter. Both Kyou and Soleil went into the field four times and qualified earning their Senior Hunter titles. Kyou was doing so well and earned his title so quickly that I moved him up to Master Hunter. Then Kyou earned two legs of his Master Hunter. Kyou not only earned his Senior Hunter title, but two legs of his Master Hunter title in this one season. Kyou also ran in a field trial taking a 4th place in Amateur Gun Dog. I was thrilled. We were a team. Kyou works so hard and wants so much to please. Last summer we were working hard and were ready to try for his Companion Dog title in obedience. Kyou almost finished at the Perry, Georgia dog show where he qualified with good scores two out of the three days entered. We then traveled to Pensacola, Florida for the Five Flags Obedience show to finish his title with a bang. Kyou scored a 192 and earned a 3rd place ribbon. Earning this Companion Dog title qualified Kyou for the Vizsla Club of America s Versatile Vizsla (VC) title. We could not wait for this past hunting season to start. The thrill of working with your dog in the field is so exhilirating. To watch a dog hunting and performing at the Master Hunter level is breath taking. We started off with a 3rd place in Amateur Gun Dog. Then it was three hunt tests in a row where Kyou earned five more legs of Master Hunter. It takes five legs to earn the Master Hunter title. Kyou put down one perfect performance after another. Kyou became Lagniappe s first Master Hunter at three years old.

3 I was just delighted. Kyou, Remy ( Kyou s father), Rage (Kyou s half brother), and I got to do several guided hunts on wild birds this season. That was a fantastic opportunity that we took full advantage of. Then a United Kennel Club (UKC) wild bird field trial offered to all pointing breeds came to Quincy, Florida. We entered and Kyou earned a qualifing score and a leg toward his Open Gun Dog title (equal to the Master Hunter title ) in UKC. Wow, I was elated. To put the cherry on top of the hunting season, the Emerald Coast Vizsla Club had its first ever hunt test and field trial. In the field trial we had 18 dogs entered in the Amateur Gun Dog stake. This was a four-point major. Remy won 1st place and Kyou won 3rd place. What a season and what a dog. I am very proud to say that I am Kyou s breeder, owner, trainer and handler. Kyou made it look easy. Kyou makes Lagniappe Vizslas look so good!!! Proud Breeder, Owner, Trainer, & Handler Beth Chandler Pictured on the cover is Kyou BISS Ch. Lagniappe s Who s Your Daddy? CD, RE, MH, VC OFA # VZ-10989G24M-VPI Sire: Ch. Valley Hunter s Big Easy CDX, RE, SH, VC Dam: Valleyhnter Here Comes The Sun SH Owned by Beth & Chet Chandler Upcoming Events Board and General Membership Meetings There will be a Board Meeting and General Membership meeting on Saturday, July 17, 2010 in conjunction with a Retrieving Demontration & Instruction and Field Discussion at the home of Beth and Chet Chandler: Date: July 17, 2010 Where: Beth & Chet Chandler s Home 4234 Lakemore Drive Tallahassee, FL It is VERY important we have a quorum to vote, so please make every effort to attend this meeting! We are very pleased to announce that Darby Wagner- Boyett is coming to demonstrate and instruct our members on retrieving and how to teach forced retrieving to our dogs. She has over 35 years experience in training sporting breeds for the field. Agenda: 1:00 pm Board Meeting 2:00pm General Membership Meeting including By-Laws revision 3:00pm Retrieving Instruction To Follow: Round Robin Discussion on What We Have Learned From Our Mistakes In The Field If you have learning to share, please type these up and bring copies to share. NAME THE NEWSLETTER CONTEST Thanks to everyone who participated in our Name The ECVC Newsletter Contest! We received many wonderful suggestions and the winner was chosen by a vote of our members and will recieve the prize of a free full page ad. Congratulations to Shella Black for her submittal of Red Dog Reader!!! Your Help Is Needed! As you all know, our club is brand new and just getting its paws wet! Rather than trying to put together some sort of fundraiser to acquire revenue to put on our upcoming Hunt Tests and Field Trials, we are asking for your donations to help fund our upcoming events. I know these are diffcult times with the economy and now the oil spill, but any amount you can share is welcome. If you can help in any way, please send your donation to our Treasurer, Tony Akridge, 322 Calle Escada, Santa Rosa Beach, FL Thank you in advance for your help - it is greatly appreciated.

4 Walks on the Wild Side by Beth Chandler On Friday and Saturday, February 19 and 20, 2010, my dogs, Remy, Kyou, Rage and Abby, and I participated in the Southwest French Brittany Gun Dog Field Trial Classic at El Consuelo Farms in Quincy, Florida. This event was hosted by the Epagneul Breton Gun Dog Club of Georgia. I had received an about this United Kennel Club event and wanted to see what it was all about. On Wednesday night before the field trial, my friend, Ms. Patrica Chin, told me that you could enter the event with a temporary UKC registration for your dog. I called the secretary of the event, Mr. Jackie Hutwagner, to confirm that I could enter. Jackie politely explained some of the rules to me. He told me the field trial had three classes: TAN (similar to AKC Junior Hunter dogs under three years of age), Gun Dog (similar to AKC Senior Hunter), and Open Dog (similar to AKC Master Hunter). Jackie then advised me to enter Gun Dog. However, I told Jackie that I preferred to enter Open Dog. Jackie explained that my entries would be sheer profit for the club. But, I did not waver. Jackie snickered and said, I will be glad to take your money. So I entered my dogs. Now, while Jackie was very helpful, he told me later that he really did not expect me to show up. He therefore was surprised to see me early Friday morning, my completed entry forms and temporary UKC registration numbers in hand. The EBGDCG puts on several events a year. The club s president told me that even though the club s name says of Georgia, the club really covers a five-state area. This event was a wild bird field trial open to all pointing breeds. Some of the EBGDCG s events use penraised, liberated birds while others depend on wild birds only. What interested me most about this field trial was hunting wild birds. Wild bird hunting is really different from penraised, liberated birds. Wild birds must be pointed from a distance away and when flushed are so very fast. Any chance one gets to hunt on wild birds is a great experience for your dogs and you. When I drove into El Consuelo Farms, I noticed I was the only woman, and I had the only Vizslas. As on other occasions when I appeared, some of the men rolled their eyes, shuffled to the side, and all of the conversations stopped. I introduced myself and offered my entries. Now, all of these men and their dogs were wild bird hunters, and I am sure that I looked like a woman with show dogs. But, I smiled a lot and tried to keep quiet. I would let my Vizslas do the talking. These good ole Georgia boys now had a woman spoiling all of their fun! This event was on wild bobwhite quail on continuous courses. The UKC field trialing format requires both judges and handlers to be on foot. There were two judges each judging a separate course. Mr. Guy De La Vin, the owner of the property, is a purist so there were as few loud motorized vehicles as possible. Quiet golf carts were thus used. Excitement was in the air. As it turns out, this field trial was steeped in tradition. Before we started, Judge Mark Bird, aptly named, was ceremoniously awarded a French horn. Then, the president of their national club addressed the handlers and blew his French horn to start the field trial classic. On Friday, Remy was the second dog to run under Judge Bird. They allowed me to drive my SUV out to the starting line because all of their dog boxes were way too small for my Vizslas. Then, Remy and I were taken out in a golf cart to the point where the first dog finished. Remy and I began the course. Remy quartered well and after a few minutes was flagging (stopped, tail wagging) in heavy brush near a pond. The judge asked me if Remy was on point. I said, No, but Remy is telling me birds are in the area. He does not have them pin pointed. I asked and was given the okay to relocate Remy. He worked the area, but those wild birds were gone. We moved on and soon Remy went on a staunch point in waist high grass. Remy was not moving a muscle. I called point, and as I walked as quietly as possible toward Remy, about 12 wild birds flushed as fast as shot gun spray. In the excitement Remy went with the birds. Judge Bird said, Thank you very much. Next, it was Kyou s turn. We started right where Remy left off. Kyou hunted nicely and went on point. Kyou held nicely as I made my way through the perfectly groomed grounds. Seven or so birds flushed in all directions as I walked up. I fired my pop gun. Kyou held perfectly still.

5 One bird was running through the waist high grass and flushed as I got closer. I made my way to Kyou and I was asked to heel my dog away. We worked in another direction, and in a few minutes Kyou got birdy. I asked Kyou to get in the heavy cover, the result of a downed tree, and he did, but it was such a large thick area, Kyou could not pin and point the birds. My time was up. Kyou had passed! I was delighted. It takes three qualifying passes and a Reserve Win, or two qualifying passes and a First Place Win, to earn a UKC Grand Championship. Kyou was off to a great start! When I arrived on Saturday morning, I was told I was the topic of conversation at dinner after all, I had invaded this men's club, and one of my dogs had earned a passing score in Open Dog. Their attitude towards me and my Vizslas had already changed. On Saturday, Remy was the first dog to run under Judge Fred Oversbee. Remy shot off the line and covered the grounds perfectly. He was out of site a few times but checked back. He responded to my every command. I sensed this was going to be a good day. Remy soon found a covey at the edge of a cut area. It took a few minutes for me to get to him. Remy held his point. Again, these wild birds flushed before I could get to Remy. I fired my gun, Remy held, and we moved on. Remy s bird work was flawless. Judge Fred Oversbee instructed me to give Remy water (there was no water on course). I did and off we went. Remy tore off to find more birds. The morning flew by and it was lunch time. We had a wonderfully catered lunch of grilled chicken, roasted potatoes and Caesar salad. It was much like a typical French dinner. In the afternoon, I was told that Remy was tied for first. Remy would have to run in a barrage! A barrage is a run off. That meant that Judge Oversbee had picked Remy as his first place dog on his course, and Judge Bird had picked Vern as his first place dog on his course. Neither judge has to pick a first place dog, but on this day, both judges picked first place dogs. So, Remy and Vern would now compete in a barrage. I had been hearing all about Vern GrCHF CH Vernon De L-Escarbot TAN owned by Mr. Mark Dinsmore, all the way from Minnesota. Well, Vern was from some of the best French stock and had sired many of the dogs at this field trial. In addition, Vern was the number one Brittany in the country. When Mr. Dinsmore got back to the barn area, he made it a point to come talk to me. He told me that I was no longer in contention for the barrage. He said, You should just pack up your dogs and go home. My face showed disappointment. I really did not know what had happened. I thought maybe some other dog had done well, or maybe I had committed some foul of some sort. Then a lady standing close by said, Don t believe him, he s lying. Mr. Dinsmore explained that if I were gone when they called for the barrage, then I would forfeit, and Vern would automatically win. I looked back at Mr. Dinsmore with shock It seemed like only a few minutes and the judge called time. As I leashed Remy up, Judge Oversbee asked me all about Remy. Judge Oversbee told me that I would be in for some points, so hang around. I smiled and thanked him, although I had no idea what he meant. It sure sounded good. I was very pleased with Remy s performance. I walked back to my SUV. The second dog was one of Jackie Hutwagner s dogs, and was running so well, that Judge Oversbee extended the time to 50 minutes on his run, but Jackie s dog went birdless. Kyou was the third dog to run. Kyou ran a great course, covered the ground nicely, and ranged well, but found no birds. I was very disappointed. Judge Oversbee extended his time too, but we went birdless, as did many other dogs. and a smile and replied, My what a good sport you are! He laughed and walked away. As the afternoon wore on, Mr. Dinsmore could not help himself. He had to come back and brag about Vern. He wanted me to

6 know that Vern had been in six barrages and had always won. Vern is competing in 8 to13 trials a season. Vern has won this French Brittany Classic competition for two or more years in a row. And on and on and on. Now each time Mr. Dinsmore wanted to talk to me, many people would gather round to hear him boast about Vern, but then after a few minutes they would all leave. It was then I knew I had my chance to pump him for information regarding the barrage. I told Mr. Dinsmore, You have me at a disadvantage because I do not know the rules to this UKC field trial. Just what is a barrage and what do the judges look for? Well, he was loving the thought that he had a captive audience and started to tell me that they just take both dogs out to run and hunt. They are not as interested in their bird work because they have already proven themselves. They want to see the fastest dog off the line and their hunting styles. They want to see these dogs run and work. Then Mr. Dinsmore went right back to how great Vern was and that he had never lost a barrage. Mr. Dinsmore also told me that he was a judge himself and a long time member of the club. Thinking that he had sufficiently intimidated me, Mr. Dinsmore asked me just what I thought about that! I stepped closer to Mr. Dinsmore, and with a twinkle in my eye replied, BRING IT ON! A very shocked Mr. Dinsmore walked away. all went back to the barn. Now I had to keep quiet because I did not want to show any disrespect and I wanted to be invited back. So, they had a beautiful awards ceremony. Again each judge described each dog s run as they passed out the ribbons. It was really neat to hear the judges opinions of your dog. I eagerly awaited Remy s description. As Judge Bird presented Remy s award for Reserve Placement ( a big blue ribbon and a trophy), he congratulated me and Remy for becoming the first non-epagneul Breton Gun Dog Club dog to win a placement in the Club s five years of field trials. They then presented Mr. Dinsmore with Vern s trophy. Mr. Dinsmore spoke about Vern and how he had won this trophy last year and he looked forward to coming back next year. As he turned to go back to his seat, I stood up and said, And I ll be back next year too! The crowd cheered and I felt welcome. Later Jackie took me aside to explain how the barrage worked and wished me good luck. They drove us out even farther on the property for the barrage. We came to a dove field. Everyone still at El Consuelo Farms followed us out to watch. They were all taking bets. Most, if not all, however, were rooting for their hero, Vern, the number one Brittany in the country. Now, all afternoon I had taken Remy out for short breaks. I wanted him to shoot off the starting line like a land rocket! Remy wakes up with his hair on fire! So, I knew we were ready. I held Remy by the collar and clipped his lead on. I tried to look calm all the while my adrenaline pumping. Remy queues on my every emotion. I looked at him with excitement. The judge said,: On three, release your dogs. I blew my whistle and off they went. Remy tore out in front and Vern was off a little to the left. Vern looked over at Remy and Remy moved over to and bumped Vern three times. I blew my change of direction whistle; Remy looked back at me and I yelled, Get up front! Remy took off for the next county, while Vern turned around and went back to circle Mr. Dinsmore. Mr. Dinsmore started yelling, Come Vern... I will not put up with that bumping... You can award her first place and I will take reserve, but I will not allow this. I just kept walking! Then, unexpectedly, a few seconds later Judge Bird called it. The barrage ended just as it was getting started. They gave Vern First Place and awarded Remy Reserve. Mr. Dinsmore then stated that Vern would have soon attacked Remy had the barrage not been stopped. I apologized for the bumping. I called Remy back in and we Judges Oversbee (L) And Bird (R) Present Remy s Ribbon and Trophy We then took pictures as everyone was leaving. Mr. Dinsmore walked over to me and said, For you to come to a UKC field trial, enter Open Dog, get a pass with one dog the first day and a Reserve with another dog on the second day is phenomenal. I said, Thank you very much, and we all went home. This was a wonderful event. I appreciate so much a wild bird event. Once I proved I was a serious competitor, everyone was very nice and really great sports. I have been smiling and thinking about my walks on the wild side for days. It was one of my great weekends with my Vizslas.

7 Snake Avoidance Clinic a Success! by Sue Towne On May 22, 2010, the ECVC held its first Snake Avoidance Clinic in Freeport, FL at Sue Towne s home. Dr. Bud Calderwood was gracious enough to come all the way from Alachua, FL to hold this clinic for us. We had 54 dogs go through the clinic, which progressed swiftly with Dr, Calderwood at the wheel! All types of dogs attended, Vizslas (of course!), German Shorthaired Pointers, Pointers, Australian Shepherds, a Labrador Retriever, Great Pyrenees, Pit Bull and Mixed Breeds to name a few. Dr. Calderwood brought a diamondback rattle snake and a water moccasin, two very common snakes in north Florida. I know at least one individual who participated (also a vet) lost his dog last year to a diamondback rattlesnake bite. A number of others had already encountered snakes or had their dogs bitten and survived. The reward to having put on this type of clinic on was two days later, Sue Towne received a call from a participant who had attended with three dogs, one of whom had been bitten several times in the past by snakes. The call was to thank us for putting on this clinic as this individual s dog (who had been bitten in the past) had encountered a 3-4 foot water moccasin, took one look at it and ran as fast and hard as its paws would take him! Goal accomplished! Dr. Calderwood shared that he would be more than willing to come again next year - so stay tuned as we plan another date for this most invaluable learning experience for our dogs. MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS The following membership applications will be voted on at our July 17th meeting. Additional applications received prior to the meeting will be sent out to current members via .: Kristen Sullivan 1000 SW 59th Terrace, Unit D Gainesville FL Membership: Associate Sponsors: Sue Towne & Beth Chandler Justeen and Matt Oess 4665 Bryn Mawr Circle Atlanta, GA Membership: Associate Sponsors: Kelly Wood & Sue Towne LITTER ANNOUNCEMENTS Sire: Ch Valley Hunter's Big Easy CDX, RE, SH, VC "Remy" AKC REG#: SR CHIC#: OFA HIPS: VZ9708G24M-PI OFA ELBOWS: Normal VZEL628M27-PI THYROID: Normal VZ-TH171/27M-PI CERF: Normal VZ639 VON WILLEBRANDS- Clear DNA: V DOB: 3/21/04 Dam: Woods AFire VlyHTR I D Claire JH " Claire" AKC REG#: SR281814/01 OFA HIPS: VZ-10882G34F-VPI THYROID#: VZ-TH 221/19F-PI DNA# V DOB: 8/5/05 ~ Puppies have arrived ~ 4 bouncing boys and 1 beautiful girl! Contact - Lynnie Brown Woods AFire Kennels 5433 San Luis Drive Orlando, Florida dogscorch@yahoo.com Home Phone: (407)

8 BRAGS Newsletter Brags are free to ECVC members! Submit your brags to Patty Hart at MEMBER ADVERTISING Open to members and approved non-members to place an ad. The ad sizes will be 1/4 page, 1/2 page, full page as well as the Cover Page Photo and Story. All dogs in the ads must have documented OFA number(s) or if under 2 yearsof age, the OFA number and AKC registered name of the sire and dam are required. Spayed/neutered Vizslas need no OFA number. Newsletter Rates* Front cover and inside story: $25 Inside ads: $5-1/4 page $10-1/2 page $15 - full page CONTACT US ECVC OFFICERS President - Vice Pres. - Treasurer - David Black 71 Tranquility Lane Destin, FL tsto@me.com Sue Towne 356 Whitfield Rd. Freeport, FL suetowne@cox.net Tony Akridge 322 Calle Escada Santa Rosa Beach, FL t.kridge@yahoo.com Please send your payment to our Treasurer, Tony Akridge (Tony s mailing address is on the last page of this newsletter.) Deadlines for Ads & Brags - Deadline will normally be the 15th of the month preceding the publication month (ie the July/Aug. issue will be due on June 15th) however adjustments will be made to accomodate major events like Nationals. Sept./Oct. - Nov./Dec. - August 15th - this issue will be a hard copy print distributed to members and at Nationals - see submittal details in box below. Oct. 31st (deadline delayed to allow receipt of Nationals photos) Cover Dog The Cover Dog along with the Cover Dog Story will be reserved in advance. Here is the current availablility: Sept./Oct.- Nov./Dec.- McArthur Available GET YOUR RESERVATIONS IN NOW! *NEXT ISSUE ADVERTISING* The Sept./Oct. issue of Red Dog Reader will be issued in hard copy rather than electronic format so that we can take extra copies to distribute at the VCA Nationals. A Full Page ad will be 7.5 high by 4.5 wide and a Half Page ad will be 3.5 high by 4.5 wide. More details and pricing will be distributed via to ECVC members once finalized. Secretary - Directors: Webmaster Newsletter Editor Dana Akridge 322 Calle Escada Santa Rosa Beach, FL dakridge@mac.com Shella Black 71 Tranquility Lane Destin, FL shellablack7@gmail.com Beth Chandler 4234 Lakemore Dr. Tallahassee, FL vizslasr2cool@yahoo.com Jim Spencer 6007 Running Deer Road Milton, FL jwsreconranger@aol.com Crystal Rothhaar mrscrys@gmail.com Patty Hart pjhart@windstream.net