KG Korner page 4

SOUTH FLORIDA SCHUTZHUND CLUB TRIAL
BY BUD YESNER

Click here for Photos by David Wells and Greg Naranjo

Our fall trial finally arrived Dec 1-2-3. The weather cooperated beautifully with cool mornings and cool evenings. Needless to say, the dogs loved it as did the handlers… Now, on to the trial.

We had three Bh’s and all passed beautifully and can continue on to their VPG titles. I must tell you to watch future trial events for Amanda Campbell and her dog, Rita May. They were fabulous. If Amanda continues with her training, this team will be on the podium in the future. Remember, you heard it here first. Pat Crowell with Hannah Barbara did a very credible job and passed nicely. Also, Ed Reyes, our “out of town visitor” did very well with Condo and should progress up the scale.

Our VPG 1’s both passed with only a few points separating them. Kim Cole with Jasmine showed very professionally in spite of fighting bad back pain. Artie Malesci with Hugo did extremely well. Artie is very new to the sport and this was his first time in a trial. In spite of his inexperience, he was high VPG 1. Good going Artie and Hugo!
Our other “up the line” guest was Jason McNew with his dog Nesko. They took the first place score for VPG 2 with a fine score of 96-90-95 for a total of 281. Our own Jackie Purdham with Chadwick’s Striker was second with 96-90-91…for a total of 277. Only 4 points separated the two!

Now on to the VPG 3’s…
This was the competition all were looking forward to. I truly believe we (SFSC) have some of the best VPG 3’s of any club in the country.
Phil Hoelcher with Cira scored the highest with a V rated 288. This was truly a team to watch. Phil also came in second place with Turk at 283. So with Cira, his scores were 100-90-98 and with Turk 97-93-93. You can bet they are National material and podium bound. Karen Grier with old faithful, Filou was a great third place with 97-88-93 for a total of 278. Karen also showed Anakin for a fourth place finish with 99-90-85 for 274. Claude Sours with Pepper was next with a 273 and David Wells came in next with Racker and a total of 270.

My dog Max was in the mix with 89 in obedience and 96 in protection, but he decided to poop out in tracking with a score of 71 for a total of 256…last place.
I find it worth noting that all the obedience and protection scores were very close indeed…from 88 to 93 in obedience and from 85 to 93 in protection.

All in all, all of the dogs passed and we had a fine trial. Our usual track layer, Frank Reeves was ill and passed on this trial but he assures us he’ll be ready for the next one. We all miss his great spirit and his even better tracks (Editors note…and his unique and dramatic sense of fashion)…Get well soon Frank.

Mike McGowen, another member of our club, filled in admirably with the VPG 2 and 3 tracks, Thanks Mike.
Phil Hoelcher and Karen Grier found perfect tracking grounds for us; it wasn’t easy as the farmers are in planting mode! They also deserve kudos.

Ben Slater didn’t get to see much of the trial as he tended the food concession and did a fantastic job. Ben, we couldn’t do it without you.
Chris and Cathy Daugaard made baskets for our Bh’s that were just beautiful, Thanks to you both.
We couldn’t do any of this without two of our most stalwart members handling the paperwork. Robin Holley and Pam Rosen made sure all was properly taken care of in the most professional manner.
Our two decoys, Charlie Purdham and Greg Naranjo did a stupendous job with the dogs. They were careful, efficient and safe and all dogs were handled as they should be. Special thanks to you guys for a difficult job made to look easy.

What can we say about our judge, Fred Marashi? He was informative, helpful and most consistent. For new people, he was great as he imparted his knowledge of the sport. Oh yes, he was tough, especially on the VPG 3’s, but he scored every team with the same sharp pencil. Consistency personified.
I’m sure I left some people out for which I apologize… you know who you are, so thank you.
It was a great trial and everybody had a good time. Most important, nobody failed.

Until next time, keep trialing, keep training, and remember… this is a sport. It’s the finest in the world. So enjoy your dog, your club and its members. The rewards are too numerous to mention.