Sporting

See who were the honored winners of the 2017 - 2018 Purina Awards for the highly competitive all-age and shooting dog horseback stakes.

Meet Jordan Horak and his English Cocker Spaniels, “Cato” and “Breeze,” the winners, respectively, of the 2018 National Open and National Amateur Cocker Championships.

Meet “Belle”, who won the 2018 German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America National Field Championship and her handler Diane Vater of Pennsylvania.

Learn about how a hound named “Chief” aced four 90-minute competition rounds over three days and became the 2018 UKC (United Kennel Club) Hunting Beagle World Champion.

An athletic 3-year-old white-and-orange male Pointer named “Mike” ruled the open all-age circuit to win the Purina Top Field Trial Bird Dog Award. Handled by pro Mark McLean of Moultrie, Georgia, Touch’s Mega Mike is owned by Eddie Sholar of Leesburg, Georgia, and Ted Dennard of Haddock, Georgia.

See how three Labrador Retrievers achieved status as a National Retriever Champions by winning their respective Derby, Amateur and Open championship stakes in 2018.

Rusty Boone never dreamt that a walk around the block with his dog would lead to “Nanuk” (MACH5 Boone’s Nanuk Of The North MXB2 MJS2 NJP XF T2B CGCA CGCU) becoming the No. 1 Master Agility Champion (MACH) Siberian Husky.

In a roundabout way, that’s exactly what happened.

Getting better and better with every Federation field trial, FCB Little Ease Pretty Boy Floyd pulled ahead of the competition to win the 45th annual Purina Outstanding Field Trial Brace Beagle Award.

Tracking to the front of the competition, a 13-inch tricolor female Beagle, FCB Bee Lick Bamboo, won the 13th annual Purina Brace Beagle Derby Award out of 372 hounds competing.

There was no quit in a Treeing Walker Coonhound named “Blaster,” who stood out for his endurance and accuracy at nite hunts across the country in 2016 as the winner of the prestigious 36th annual Purina Outstanding Nite Hunt Coonhound Award.

“Bullet” snagged his second consecutive Purina Outstanding Open Retriever Award, earning 52 points during the yearlong competition. NFC-AFC Robbers’ Stray Bullet’s achievement also marked a three-peat for handler Alan Pleasant of Black River Retrievers in Angier, North Carolina, who won in 2014 with Bullet and in 2013 with “Cane” (FC-AFC Ragin Eye Of The Storm). “Bullet is an exceptional marker and consistent on land and in water. He’s a total team player,” he says.

Securing his 10th Purina Handler Award in the program’s 28-year history, third-generation professional handler Mike Tracy of Glenville, Pennsylvania, is the 2015-2016 Purina Top Shooting Dog Handler. Tracy is narrowing the gap for the record number of Purina Top Shooting Dog Handler Awards won between him and his father, George Tracy, who has tallied 12. During the 2015-2016 season, Mike Tracy and his eight-dog string dominated the shooting dog circuit with 12 wins from 20 placements out of 26 Purina Point-earning field trials entered, garnering 2,676 points.