 |
1973-2013 - A journey to making a Field Champion
by Kaye Fuller, DVM
|
I bought my first Golden, "Tobe", from
an ad in the Houston classified ads in 1973. Toby was talented
enough to earn his CDX and WCX. Thought many intervening years
and many intervening Goldens, my dream of a field champion came
true in 2013, with FC Topbrass No Time To Paws SH CCA. A
wonderful dream comes true. As fate would have it, after I bought my first "researched" Golden, CH Jungold's Fleetwood Fantasia CD WC** OD DDHF, Dottie Mikeska moved a few miles away from my home, and I began training with her and her National Derby Champion, soon to be Dual Champion AFC Tigathoe's Funky Farquar CD OS DDHF FDHF. I bred my bitch to AFC Holway Barty OS, kept training, and have never looked back. After graduating from vet school, I met and married Roger (I've been heard to say because he can throw a great bird and hit a pigeon every time). His first field dog out of our breeding was AFC KC's Chip Off The Ole Block MH WCX OS. "Chip" won two all-breed Amateurs in 1996! Over the years, we've had a number of talented field trial Goldens, some with All-Age placements and wins. Our routine had been to have our friend and young dog trainer, Bruce Curtis, put basics on our dogs when he was wintering at our place, and then Roger and I would "take it from there!" We had a great amateur group and trained two or three times a week like most amateurs do, and had good success with our dogs. Our highlight each year would be to attend the National Specialty Field Trial, and see all the wonderful Goldens and their owners. |
The year 2007 was a difficult one. I had recently lost my
four-year-old the cancer, then I lost my nine-year-old and
three-year-old to cancer. I found myself with no
Goldens! I looked for a breeding that had strong bitch lines -
gotta love those girls! I knew "Ticket" and "Lisa" though their
owner and my good friend Mary Maurer, who owned their dam
"Halley" (AFC Topbrass Comet OD FDHF). So when I saw Lisa had
been bred to "Beau", I called Jackie Mertens right away. Roger
drove to Florida and picked out "Flash" and drove home straight
through over 900 miles to Texas. For some reason he didn't
relish the idea of spending the night in a motel room with a
bouncing baby Golden boy. As usual, Bruce Curtis did Flash's basics. I remember it took a very long time to teach Flash to sit - his tail wouldn't stop wagging long enough for his butt to remain stationary. And it still hasn't stopped wagging. I ran him in a couple of Derbies. Then about that time we found out that Roger's Dog, "Punch" had contracted Chagas disease, and had to be immediately retired from training. Our family amateur dog training activities came to a grinding halt. Luckily, Karl Gunzer had begin wintering at our place and agreed to train Flash. He took him to his summer training grounds for two summers, and we were able to spend some time there and run a few trials. At the beginning of his second year of winter training, Flash amazed us with his big Open win, beating a field of 95 Open dogs, including over 30 Field Champions. |
Karl continued to
finish and place in Opens with him. I finished a number of Amateurs with him including earning an Amateur second. In the spring of 2013, Karl retired from field training, and Bill Eckett (who also winters near our place) took over Flash's training. He only needed one more point for his FC at that time, but Bill and Flash quickly became a team and he won the Open at Ft. Collins in August 2013. That finished his Field Champion title, and qualified him for the 2013 National Open Championship. I was lucky enough to get to get some excellent handling coaching from Bill in August and September, and Flash and I have become a better team. The 2013 Golden Retriever National Specialty was a dream come true. Flash and I won the Amateur and took 2nd in the Open, qualifying him for the 2014 National Amateur Championship. He also earned his CCA at the Specialty! Flash is all I could ask for in a dog. He has a wonderful Golden temperament. He's a great marker and a fabulous water dog. He demonstrates great courage, willingness to please, and loves to train. And his tail is still wagging! I have been very lucky to have been in a position to let Flash reach his potential. He is such a cool dog. Thanks to all our friends and supporters along the way. Article reprinted from the Golden Retriever Club of America Golden Retriever News, Vol. LIIX, No. 1, January - February, 2014 |