Presents the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award to Elena Smith Lamberson, Silversmith Farm, Johns Island, SC Elena joined WCA in 1978 after purchasing her first show dog and ultimate foundation bitch from Barbara Wise. April became Ch. Wismar s April Silversmith, CDX RD NSD TD VX BROM and all Silversmith Weimaraners have her in their pedigrees. A strong supporter of the WCA, every puppy sold by Elena comes with a sponsored membership to the WCA. She bred her first litter in 1981. Since then has bred/co bred some 200 Champions, several Foreign Champions, International Champions, Group winners, a BIS winner, a German BIS winner, many BISS, Futurity & Maturity winners, Top 10 show, field, obedience, and is currently breeder of the most Champions with a Master Hunter title.
In addition, she bred the first Champion bitch to earn a Master Hunter title (HOF Ch. Silversmith Harbor Cruise, MH CD,NA,SDX,RD,VX2 ) and also the first GCh bitch to become a MH (GCh. Silversmith Catch Of The Day, MH RDX CA RATN CGC NSD NAVHDA UT3 VX2).
She is the owner/breeder of the only bitch to ever produce 4 Ch/MH pups (Ch. Silversmith Blosser Evolution MH NRD SDX VX BROM FROM). She is the owner/breeder of the only Number 1 Top producing Sire (2014, 2015,2016 & 2017) & Number 1 Top producing dam (2014) to have Master Hunter titles. Two of her dams are BROM/FROM with a 3 rd to qualify soon. In 2015, three of her GCh/MH bitches were tied at 2 nd & 3rd Top Producing dams.
In 1982, Elena met with 7 other Weim owners and together they formed the Gr Charleston Weim Club, which eventually became licensed to hold AKC Hunt Tests, specialty shows, obedience and Field Trials. Although she is the last founding active member, Elena has continued to recruit new members and has served in various functions of the club, including chairing 5 WCA Futurity/Maturity shows for the WCA. In addition, as a member of several Charleston dog clubs, she has served as Treasurer, President, VP, Chairman of Show, Obedience, Field Trials, Hunt Tests, tracking tests. In 1984, Elena flew to Ardmore to find out what Field Trials were all about. She found out and loved it. Her 5 yr old male, Tide (who she had already trained to RDX, SDX and UD) was sent to Tom Hansen to trial in 1985. In 1986, after only 8 months of training and trialing he became FCh Weick s Tidewater Silversmith, UD RDX SDX SH VX. In 1988, Tide was handled by Dr. Allen Smith in National Bird Hunter trials (American Field) with pointers & setters and ended up in Top 10 for South Carolina. Tide was the first Weimaraner to be on the cover of Gun Dog Magazine in 1989. 1983 Elena helped develop Weimaraner Rescue in South Carolina and it was managed for some 25 yrs by the Gr. Charleston Weim club members. In 2012, she split rescue from GCWC and incorporated it as SC Weim Rescue, Inc- a 501c3 entity. Elena served as a WCA Board member & then Vice President 1984-1991 In 1988, Elena secured permission for the Gr Charleston Weim club to hold the first AKC Hunt Tests in the southeast and the first Weim Club in the nation licensed to hold AKC Hunt tests. She also became among the first HT judges. Elena served as the WCA Correspondent for the AKC Gazette 1985-1997 In 1986,Elena discovered that Dick Slater (Reichenstadt) could no longer continue to record the Breed Register Of Merit records. Dick gave her the handwritten BROM records in boxes. Elena recruited Marcia Snyder and they began working to update the records and organize the information for a computerized BROM system. A friend designed a basic computer program to calculate BROM points for WCA records. Five years later the records were then transferred to Sandy West and her mom, Polly, who further computerized it with the help of Pam & Ed Patunoff, and they continue our records today.
1987 Elena went to Germany and represented the Weimaraner Club of America as WCA Vice President and to attend the Major Herber Herbstzuchtprufung in Pommersfelden, Bavaria. She presented a specially designed WCA trophy for the German Weimaraner Club for this prestigious fall youth trial. Elena and her late husband Dr. Allen Smith videotaped the various trials. Elena edited and produced a VHS movie as a gift to the WCA for educational materials. On that trip to Germany, while talking to the Breed Warden, Dr. Werner Petri, Elena learned the plight of the German Long Hair breeding pool (only about 10% at that time) in their small pool of certified Longhairs, the only certified LH sires were producing hip dysplasia. In 1988, Elena was able to buy back one of her 2 yr LH pups, had his hips certified, taught him some basic German commands and then donated him to the German Club. This dog, Bernie, was placed with LH breeder Dr. Hans Schmidt who had him trained by Hans Rogan. Uberraschung von Silversmith,187 HZP, 314 VGP(Prize1) became a successful German stud dog. He also ended the German notion that US Weimaraners are only show dogs like the Poodles. Subsequently, over the next few years, several additional excellent US LH Weims were also donated, thus giving our founding breed club an infusion of new blood from America. Elena chaired the first WCA approved Judges Education Seminar in 1995 and has mentored many judges at ringside. She became an official WCA Breed Mentor when the program started. For many years, Elena has been concerned that a majority of show breeders select almost exclusively for looks, and ignore the most important feature of the breed: its hunting instincts. In 2009 Elena led the formation of the Dual Weimaraner Program. Starting with a small group of 9 likeminded breeders who strive to breed dogs with both correct conformation and strong hunting ability, it now has over 500 Facebook members. The Dual Weimaraner Program Achievement Awards provides incentives for owners and breeders of show champions to earn higher field titles. The Awards are sponsored by others in the group and consist of full page ads in the Weimaraner Magazine. This serves two purposes the owners & breeders are recognized and the ads provide funds for the Magazine.
Concerned that many new breeders had no one to mentor them in field work, Elena initiated and taught the first 2 Novice Field Seminars for the WCA. Since then it has been offered in cooler areas during the National Specialty week and it has produced much needed interest in field work by show breeders. Although not as active in events, Elena is still delighted to help novices get started in field work with their Weim and it remains her favorite part of being a breeder. She is always available to help with information about Weimaraners at her home on Johns Island, SC www.silversmithfarm.com