Awards & Recognition

A pleasing, determined and seemingly tireless 3-year-old Pointer called “Patch” commanded the field with eight finds to win the National Championship for Field Trialing Bird Dogs in February in Grand Junction, Tennessee. Whippoorwill Justified consistently stayed to the front of handler Larry Huffman of Michigan City, Mississippi. “Patch finished the three-hour horseback stake as strongly as he started. He caught the judge’s eye with his smooth, flowing gait and his precise pointing ability,” says Huffman, a three-time winner of the esteemed event.

Balancing high energy with excellent steadiness to wing and shot, a far-ranging white-and-orange Brittany named “Kate” won the Mid-America Brittany Championship with pizzazz this past April in Raymond, Nebraska. FC Sniksoh Little Diamond worked smoothly with pro handler Jimmy Johnson of Ravenna, Ohio, completing the hourlong stake with three finds to top the competitive 43-dog field. “Kate is snappy and stylish. She grabs the gallery’s attention as well as the judges’,” says Tom Wonderling, who owns the 4-year-old female with his wife, Jane, of Pulaski, Wisconsin.

A hard-charging 8-year-old male black Labrador Retriever called “Mickey” propelled through 10 challenging land and water series to win the 2016 National Retriever Championship this past November in Bonham, Texas. NFC-AFC Windy City’s Mighty Mouse, a four-time National Finalist, topped 97 retrievers to give owner-handler Charlie Hines of Hinsdale, Illinois, a 27-year veteran of the sport, his first National win after having handled 13 National Finalists. “Mickey has a positive attitude,” Hines says.

In the final hourlong stake of the United Kennel Club’s National Shoot to Retrieve Association (NSTRA) Performance Classic, a hard-charging 7 ½-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer drove to the front with precision, speed and stamina. 22XNSTRA CH Quail Valley’s Nose Knows came out on top with seven bird finds and retrieves, outperforming 83 dogs and winning the event in June in Waverly, Nebraska. “‘Nose’ has a sixth sense in knowing when the stakes are high. When her brace begins, she goes from zero to 100,” says owner-handler Adam Fellers of Bondurant, Iowa.

Striking first and finishing strong, a Treeing Walker Coonhound called “EZ” won the Autumn Oaks National Grand Nite Championship on Labor Day weekend in Richmond, Indiana. Outperforming a record number of more than 755 hounds from 33 states to compete at the event, the 3-year-old male, NGRNCH GR NITE CH ‘PR’ Handsome Big EZ, clinched the championship after two consecutive nights of hunting by coming out ahead in the final three-dog cast. “EZ started off and kept going strong in this action-packed hunt.

A talented, young Bluetick Coonhound called “Allie” hunted with independence and treed with accuracy to win to win the 2017 United Kennel Club Grand American Nite Hunt in January in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Outperforming more than 600 hounds,  the 1 ½-year-old female, ‘PR’ Payt’s Sassy Allie Girl, clinched the championship after three rounds, an impressive feat especially since it was only her second competitive hunt.

In a mesmerizing finale to the 2017 Continental Open All-Age Championship, held this past January at the historic Dixie Plantation in Greenville, Florida, a statuesque English Setter called “Jack” and consistent Pointer named “Mike” wowed the judges and gallery to emerge as Champion and Runner-Up Champion, respectively.

NGRCH CCH GR CH ‘PR’ Spanky’s Rockin Blue Popacap outshone 114 coonhounds to become the National Grand Show Champion at Autumn Oaks on Labor Day weekend in Richmond, Indiana. “Rocky,” a statuesque 5-year-old male Bluetick Coonhound, is familiar with the intense competition at Autumn Oaks, having won the breed there as a 7-month-old in 2012. Other big wins for the solid 80-pound dog include being named the 2017 Coonhunters Kennel Club World Show Champion and the 2015 Purina National Overall Bench Show Champion. “Rocky has a commanding presence.

Projecting power and grace, “Allegra,” a 3-year-old white-and-lemon Pointer bitch, recently captured her third Best in Show of 2015 at the Beaver County Kennel Club (Canfield, Ohio) Dog Show. Multi-BIS/Multi-BISS GCH Hipoint Here Comes the Sun, the No. 1 Pointer in the country, also took Best of Breed at this year’s Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Allegra is fueled by Purina® Pro Plan® SPORT Performance 30/20 Chicken & Rice Formula.