nov./dec. 2018
On some days, Vero Beach surfers catch symmetrical sets while fishermen prowl the renowned Indian River Lagoon for reds and trout. Vero is a romantic town, with many legendary stories of pirates, among them a 1715 sinking of a Spanish fleet loaded with gold. Now, a new legend is gaining momentum. It s a wee-bit inland from the hibiscus and salty tang, and involves Blue Cypress Kennels British Labrador retrievers, located at the already notable Blue Cypress Ranch. For three-quarters of a century, Blue Cypress Ranch s roots were cattle and horses. Those choices made perfect sense, for their ancestors were likely introduced in 1521 by Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon. The conquistador brought domesticated steers and cows along with horses and dogs, and central Floridians took notice. For the next half-a-millennium, Florida cowboys developed these animals into some of the best in the country. Central Florida was cattle country centuries before the Chisholm Trail, and in the 1940s, it became a business opportunity for the Rollins family. The Rollins are leaders in animal husbandry and they are results driven. They have combined careful study with insight, wisdom and a dash of good fortune to create a recipe for innovative techniques. Among their many accomplishments are successful breeding programs, proper grazing habits and management systems for their beef herd. Yet before each of these methods is announced to the public, they are first developed and vetted on their own ranches in Florida, Georgia and Texas. Their experience ultimately trickled over into their personal lives and, as life-long wild quail hunters, their focus continued on to horses and most recently on to dogs. One day many years ago, patriarch Randall Rollins decided that he wanted a better string of Tennessee Walking Horses. He clearly defined characteristics he wanted in a walking horse, and they were ones that would enhance the breed while being perfectly suited to quail hunting. But Rollins didn t just want to fill his stable; he wanted a winner. After many years of work he succeeded; in 1966, Ace s Sensation, his gorgeous black stallion, won the World Grand Championship. Inspiration struck again 20 years ago, but this time it was on a driven shoot in the UK. Rollins fell in love with British Labrador retrievers. The dogs had calm dispositions and were quiet and focused. But how could these peaceful dogs have more drive than any other retriever he d seen in a lifetime of hunting? They were slightly smaller than their American Kim, a British lab, watches intently as Callum Macgregor calls in a flock of mallards. Macgregor has had a tremendous impact on the success of Blue Cypress Kennels. Destinations by Tom Keer BLUE CYPRESS KENNELS HAS BECOME THE EPICENTER OF IMPECCABLE DOG BREEDING PROGRAMS. counterparts, but their musculature and stamina was incredible. Equally unique were the handlers training methods, which favored encouragement instead of scolding and punishment. Rollins was both smitten and encouraged, so much so that upon his return stateside, he set forth a new mountain to climb. As usual, he set the bar high, and his goal was to develop an outstanding British Lab in the U.S. He began by assembling a team from his internal resources, which included his Chief Legal Officer Callum Macgregor, a life-long sportsman and fanatical bird hunter and dog trainer. Macgregor had the perfect pedigree: born in Scotland and raised in Florida. His personal provenance is heavily intertwined in the rich fabric of British sporting life as his kin includes gamekeepers and field-trialers with exposure to the best dogs on the circuit. Finding fountainhead dogs was easily achieved. Next, their proven and successful experiences learned from breeding and raising prize-winning cattle and horses came to good use. One might say that Blue Cypress Ranch as gone to the dogs, and that is a good thing. The cornerstone of Blue Cypress Kennels gundog program is to enhance the breed. We give a tremendous amount of thought and SPORTING CLASSICS 157
research into each litter, said Macgregor. We want Blue Cypress dogs to be intelligent, have tremendous drive, and to be a teammate with other dogs on a string. We want them to be honest dogs that do what the handler wants them to do. For conformation, our females weigh between 40 and 55 pounds and our males are in the 50- to 65-pound range. Smaller athletic dogs with good muscular development is important, mostly because we want our dogs to cover ground in the fields, to not get winded and to hit the water fast. They need to have an athletic gait, stylish manner, and be both strong and fast, he said. Our plantation standard is for dogs to be quiet on the truck, to look good, have style and to be experienced. As a boutique breeder, we re breeding the best possible dog for personal, not for commercial, use. As a result, every Blue Cypress sire and dam is from one hundred percent British field trial lines. We do not breed dogs from lines that are one or more generation removed from their native country, he added. For personal use as well as quality control, we keep one pup from every litter for our use on the plantation. And since Mr. Rollins will be hunting over them, they have to be the best. Twenty years of breeding dogs has resulted in Augustus Fink-Nottle, call name Gus. Gus is stacked. He s all muscle, the lab equivalent of Arnold Schwarzenegger in Pumping Iron. Macgregor noticed his natural ability as a young pup, and began an extensive training program to prepare him for competition. When Gus was 18 months old, Macgregor sent this American born, raised and trained British dog to a handler to be campaigned on his home turf. Gus was entered into field trials in England, Scotland and Ireland. The results were impressive: a first place at the prestigious Gamekeeper s National Association Field Trial in Scotland and two awards at the Northern Ireland Gundog Club and Field Trial Society. He took first place and Jeremy Criscoe, the renowned head trainer at Blue Cypress Kennels, cuts Billy loose on a covey of bobwhites. received the President s Perpetual Award for best retriever in the working test. Add in a slew of second and third place finishes and you ve got a pup from away coming home for one heck of a visit. If the Beatles and Rolling Stones were part of the 1960s British Invasion of America, then Gus might be the beginning of a reverse version called the American Invasion. Every good dog program needs a head trainer with credentials strong enough to match the impeccable breeding. Following an exhaustive search, Jeremy Criscoe joined Blue Cypress Kennels in 2017 as the new head trainer. Training dogs is in his blood. Criscoe s grandfather was particularly well-known as a breeder and trainer of shorthairs from the 1930s through the 1970s, and he founded his 158 SPORTING CLASSICS
own kennel in Alabama, which is currently run by his daughter. It comes as no surprise to anyone that a retired U.S. Navy E-5 rescue swimmer would favor water dogs. When the opportunity to join the Blue Cypress Kennels team arrived, I jumped in without hesitation, said Criscoe. After working with many different breeds, I found the British Lab a perfect fit. I particularly enjoy the British method of breeding and training retrievers, too. As trainers and handlers, we currently have a better understanding of dogs. It s far better now than it was when my grandfather was training. Contemporary training methods are more encouraging than before and, since the British methods are older than American techniques, there is an element of tradition. Training methods bring out a dog s innate qualities, ones that come from good breeding, he added. It s why Blue Cypress dogs are under control and biddable. I like my dogs to be naturally competitive. They should be game-finders and retrievers with an attention to please their handlers. Those characteristics come from excellent genetics and breeding, and my job as a trainer is to identify each dog s best qualities and bring them to the forefront. Gus is the first British lab bred in America, born in America and trained in America to return to his native land and win field trials. No other British lab from any other state-side breeder has accomplished that lofty goal. There is a bronze statue of Secretariat in Lexington, Kentucky. A statue of King Buck appears near the kennels at Nilo Farms. Robert Wehle sculpted an English pointer perched on an eight-foot granite pillar in Union Springs, Alabama. At some point in time, I imagine there will be a similar statue erected at Blue Cypress Kennels. And it will be of Augustus Fink-Nottle. Who really knows if Ponce de Leon s animals are the ones that had such a profound affect on the Rollins family. For those interested in cattle, horses and dogs, Central Florida certainly is such an epicenter of impeccable breeding programs. One thing is for certain; if de Leon saw Blue Cypress Ranch and Kennels and how far these animals have come since 1521, he d wear a tremendous smile. That much is for sure. n 160 SPORTING CLASSICS