Tony Webb of Gainesville, Ga., shares a moment with his dog Dougie, who finished second in both the amateur gun dog and open gun dog categories of the East Tennessee Pointing Dog Association's inaugural field trial recently.EAST TENNESSEE POINTING DOG ASSOCIATIONInaugural field trial Oct. 7-9, Spring CityOpen Limited Gun Dog "Dez," GSP male owned by Andy Cooper, Edmond, Okla.; handled by Brenda Roe, LaFayette, Ga. 2. "Wyatt," GSP male owned by J Sensinger, Greenville, Pa.; handled by Bruce Schaffer, Springfield, W.Va. 3. "Topper," Vizsla male owned/handled by Marcia Schlesinger, Somerville, Tenn. 4. "Dolly," GSP female owned/handled by Brenda Roe.Open Puppy "Lexus," Vizsla female owned/handled by Vincent Tuttle, Scottsville, Ky. 2. "Kaylee," Vizsla female owned by Barbara Zahn/Karen Buerki/Trish Burdin; handled by Trish Burdin, Decatur, Ga. 3. "Boogie," GSP female owned/handled by Bruce Schaffer, Springfield, W.Va.Open Derby "Sadie," English setter owned/handled by Paxton Pelfrey, Soddy-Daisy. 2. "Jack," GSP male, owned/handled by Trevor Fuller, Soddy-Daisy. 3. "Traveller," GSP male owned/handled by Reece Chambers, Ringgold. 4. "Alex," Vizsla female owned by Julie Bender; handled by Will Garrett, Gainesville, Ga. Judges Award of Merit: "Gunner," GSP male owned by Jaclyn Secan, Yardley, Pa.; handled by Bruce Schaffer, Springfield, W.Va.Open Gun Dog "Dez" (open limited winner). 2. "Dougie," GSP male owned/handled by Tony Webb, Gainesville, Ga. 3. "Roxie," Weimaraner female owned/handled by Bill Barber, Spring City. 4. "Viva," Vizsla female owned/handled by Martha Schlesinger, Somerville, Tenn.Amateur Puppy "Lexus" (open puppy winner). 2. "Minni," Vizsla female owned by Randy/Mary Anderson, Crestwood, Ky.; handled by Holly Hatfield, Louisville. 3. "Bug," GSP female owned/handled by Kenneth Payne, Hampton, Tenn. 4. "Kaylee" (open puppy No. 2).Amateur Gun Dog "Maverick," GSP male owned/handled by Richard Miller, Springfield, Ill. 2. "Dougie" (open gun dog runner-up). 3. "Zero," GSP male owned/handled by Peggie Sieve, Pacific, Mo. 4. "Roxie" (Open gun dog No. 3).Amateur Derby "Jack" (open derby runner-up). 2. "Miley," GSP female, owned by Mark Luciani, Cornelicos, N.C.; handled by James Arwood, Mathews, N.C. 3. "Traveller" (open derby No. 3). 4. "Jolie," Vizsla female owned by Barbara Zahn/Karen Buerki; handled by Trish Burdin, Decatur, Ga.Amateur Limited Gun Dog "Daisy," Vizsla female owned/handled by Karen Buerki, Decatur, Ga. 2. "Dougie" (open gun dog runner-up).
The East Tennessee Pointing Dog Association already was off to a solid start in membership, and its first sanctioned field trial two weekends ago in Spring City added to the enthusiasm.
Licensed by the American Kennel Club, the event attracted 68 entrants from nine states plus Ontario, Canada, at the Gun Dog Development Grounds.
"From all reports, the trial was an outstanding success," ETPDA secretary-treasurer Bill Barber reported. "The whole thing went extremely well. Of course a lot of work went into it, but we were real pleased. Bird dogs of almost all AKC and American Field-registered pointed breeds competed in eight different amateur and open stakes."
Open stakes allow professional trainers.
Brenda Roe, a pro from LaFayette, Ga., handled the winning open gun dog and open limited gun dog. That was Red Oak's Dez, which is owned by Andy Cooper of Edmond, Okla. Roe also owns and handled the fourth-place finisher in the open limited category, Snips Dalin Dolly.
The "limited" designation means the entrants had to win a derby race or place in a gun dog competition somewhere previously.
Both "Dez" and "Dolly" are German shorthaired pointers. So is Fuller's Point Em All Jack, the amateur derby winner owned and handled by Soddy-Daisy High School teacher and coach Trevor Fuller. "Jack" finished second in open derby to Pelfrey's Soddy Daisy Sadie, an English setter owned and handled by 16-year-old Paxton Pelfrey.
Pelfrey is on the Soddy-Daisy clay shooting team coached by Fuller.
"This was a first-ever field trial for both Paxton and his young derby dog," Barber said. "A first place against a field of nine other dogs, several of which were handled by professional dog handlers from around the Southeast, was an exceptional accomplishment for any amateur."
Barber said the club likely would hold another field trial in March or April.
"We haven't set anything yet," he said. "We had to get through this first one to prove to the AKC that we could do it."