NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

2009

The year the U. S. Complete Shooting Dog National Championship was held at H. Cooper Black, Jr. Memorial Field Trial and Recreation Area.  We started on Wednesday at noon.  In the saddle to give each of the 47 participants their full attention this year, was Pat Casey from Union Level, VA and Jim Jones from Gloucester, VA.  Once again we were generously sponsored by Precise Pet Products, who supplied our winners with Jackets, caps and the champion received 1000 pounds of food and the runner up received 400 pounds.  In addition the winner received an electric collar from Tritronics.


This year the pre dinner get together Friday night, was sponsored by the North Carolina Chapter of the U.S. Complete.  Precise sponsored the dinner Friday night, that was prepared by H.C. Robinson.  Phil Culbreth donated the snacks that everyone enjoyed in between braces.  Lee Laymon was the main bird planter with help from Rich Warters in the morning, and Jerry Raynor on Friday and Saturday, Yvonne even planted from horseback while reporting two braces.  Carl Bishop, and Rich Warters handled the dog wagon.  Collin Bishop was on hand to handle anything anyone needed. 
A handlers meeting was held at the club house ½ hour before the first brace was called to the line.  Judges took the time explain what they wanted to see in a National Championship performance and they would hold to that standard.  First and foremost was clean bird work.


This year’s winner Waybetter Jade, ran an exciting forward race with four solid stylish finds.  She is a classy young pointer owned and handled by Collin Bishop.   They ran in the fourteenth brace.  Merritt’s Pearl put on a performance to garner her runner-up honors.  The female English setter is owned and handled by Terry Merrit, she scored 6 finds putting down a nice forward race. She ran in the 23rd brace on Saturday morning.

The judges listed the following dogs as honorable mention:  Thunderbird Punchbuggy, A Tarheel Passion, Deputy Dog, Honky Tonk Gigilo, and Zumbro’s Ace.

 

 

winners & Judges

Waybetter Jade with Collin Bishop and Merritt's Pearl with Terry Merritt.
In the back Pat Casey and Jim Jones, judges


First brace to hit the ground this year was Bob’s Miller Sue (Phillips) and Urban Brilliance (Ecker).  Sue scored an intense find at 20.  Brilliance had his running shoes on and was up after an abense at 30.  The heat took a toll on Sue and she was up shortly after.

 

Second brace Heaven’s Elhew Taggart (Gellhaus) and Waybetter Max (Bingham).  Taggart scored an intense find at 7 with all in order then suffered an indiscretion and was up at 12.  Max was gone to the front not to be seen and handler elected to call for the tracker at 17.

 First Brace


In the third brace was Taz (Ecker) and Miss Anna (Bingham).  Both dogs were hunting the course, but were unable to produce a bird and at 30 and 32 respectively handlers chose to pick them up.
The fourth brace was Bob’s Elhew Wendy (Phillips) and Thunderbird Punchbuggy (Gellhaus).  This brace was a well paced brace that showed everyone how to run in the heat.  First to score was Wendy who was found standing at 8 with all in order.  Then at 17 point was called to find both dogs standing on a divided find.  Then Wendy went on to  have a find at 25 with style.  Then at 40 both dogs were found standing Phillips flushed and Travis took a back.  Both dogs were stylish and all was in order.  Then Wendy scored another at 50 & again at time, when she got a little happy.  Punch also finished his hour after putting down a good race.  

Bird in Flight
Bobby Phillips with Bob's Elhew Wendy

Brace 4
Bobby with Wendy on Point and Travis with Thunderbird Punchbuggy on Back
Travis & Troy
 The last brace of the day was Lumber River Gold (Bingham) and Skydancer Making Time (Gellhaus).  Gold had her running shoes on and wasn’t seen shortly after breakaway and was up at 25.  Time was found standing twice at 22 and again at 30 both times he was relocated several times before sending him on without a bird.  He was up at 32.


Thursday the weather was mild but dry.  The first brace to the line was Honky Tonk Gigilo (Pastula) and Waybetter Brett (Bishop).  Gigilo, scored first with a find at 6.  Then again with high style at 16 with Brett backing.  It was then Brett’s turn to score with Gigilo backing at 27.  Then at 39 pointed was called for both dogs, with both birds produced, they were sent on.  Then at 47 Gigilo was found standing.  After a flushing attempt he was released for a relocation which was picture perfect and handler flushed a covey with all in order.  He scored one more find at 52.  Brett then scored a find at time with Gigilo coming in for the back.  All was in order and time was called.

Brace 6
Honky Tonk Gigilo on Point with Tom Pastula and Waybetter Brett backing with Collin Bishop
Brace 7
Slim Jim on point with Robert Ecker and Eboga Creek Jack Backing with Ken Tolbert
 In the seventh brace Eboga Creek Jack (Tolbert) and Slim Jim (Ecker).  Both dogs were found standing at 4 with Jim pointing and Jack backing with all in order.  At 13 Jack was found standing with his tail moving  and he was up.  Jim suffered an indiscretion and was up.

In the eighth brace Merritt’s Bruno (Merritt) and Lumber River Buck (Bingham).  Bruno was found pointing at 4 with Buck backing.  After a flushing attempt Buck was taken on and Bruno was relocated, bird  was produced and all was in order.  Bruno had another find with all in order.  Lumber River Buck was up at 45 by handlers choice.  With Bruno still gone handler chose to back and find his dog.

Next came Foxy on Fire (Ecker) and Deputy Dog (Tolbert).  Fire had one find and then suffered and indiscretion was up.  Deputy was showing some nice ground application and was found standing with his bracemate putting a lot pressure on the young dog, who handled it with style.   Handler elected to take the dog on and not flush.   He went on to have three more stylish finds at 39, 42 and 49.

Brace 11
Brace 9 with Deputy Dog and Ken Tolbert.
Brace 10
Brace 10 C Tan's Scyther on point with Tony Bingham

In the Tenth brace Zumbro’s Molly Mae (Gellhaus) and C Tan’s Scyther (Bingham).  Molly Mae put down a nice race but went without any birds.  Scyther scored two nice finds and an unproductive.

  The eleventh brace of Notorious Bodacious (Daniels) and Triple L’s Kate (Bingham) broke away with Kate having her running shoes on.  Bodacious was found standing tall then suffered an indiscretion on running birds and was up.  The Tracker was called for Kate ending the brace.
Brace 12
Brace 12 Cody's Hot Pepper on point with James Baldwin
The twelveth brace was A Tarheel Sweetlick (McGuire) and Cody’s Hot Pepper (Baldwin).  Sweetlick scored one nice find at 20 and a stylish back at 43.  Pepper showed a nice animated ground race scoring to finds with her owner before Tony Bingham graciously took over for Mr. Baldwin when the heat and the sand took its toll.  Pepper went on to have two more finds before the hour was up.


The last brace of the day was Lansdale Mike (Ecker) and Eboga Repo (Tolbert).  Repo was up at 20 due to an indiscretion, but looked good on the ground.  Mike scored his first find at 14 with all in order then had an unproductive.  His last find was found standing in thick cover for a true limb find with the bird located in a small tree, with all in order. 

Brace 14-1
Waybetter Jade on point with Collin Bishop flushing 		Brace 14-2
A Tarheel Passion on point with Roger McGuire flushing

First brace on Friday morning was A Tarheel Passion (McGuire) and Waybetter Jade (Bishop).  At 4 both dogs were found standing for a stylish divided find.  At 10 scout called point for Jade who was found standing in the high cover to the far right side of the course.    Jade was covering all of the course with style and after an absence she was found standing forward at 25 with Passion seen coming into the area who pointed before having an opportunity to back, birds were flushed for both dogs with all in order.  Passion was covering the ground at a nice forward pace after a slow start, scoring finds at 42, a nice covey find at 47.  In the meantime forward on the course Jade was covering the ground and after another absence was found forward standing at 48 with style and Passion came for the back.   Buck Daniels was assigned to handle Passion until his handler arrived with all in order, dogs were broke away and time was called shortly after.
15 Brace
Raynor Elhew Lady and Verlene's Ringo Star on a divided find. The bottom handler is Jerry Raynor and the top handler is Tony Bingham; and Judge Pat Casey on top of the horse.

In the fifteenth brace was Raynor’s Elhew Lady (Raynor) and Verlene’s Ringo Star (Bingham).  Ringo and Lady were found standing at 3 with an intense divided find with all in order.  Ringo was gone at 5 and not seen again during his brace.  Lady was found standing at 8 after an extended flush she was relocated and she hunted her way into a bird.  All was in order and she was sent on.  At 17 she was seen pointing in the distance, and she was seen circling come back to point ending the brace.

The sixteenth brace was Raags True Sportster (Gellhaus) and Sequoha Repeater (Bingham).  Repeater had his running shoes on and handler called for the tracker.  Sportster was not having his normal performance and handler picked him up ending the brace.
The seventeenth brace was Daniels Creek John (Daniels) and Eboga Daisy (Tolbert).  John scored a nice find at 13, then moved during flush and was up.  Daisy scored two nice finds, but during the pressure of a gun malfunction moved ending her hour.

The last brace before lunch was Bob’s Elhew Maggie (Phillips and Miss Fiber McGee (Gellhaus).  Maggie scored a stylish find shortly after breakaway and suffered a minor infraction and her handler picked her up.  McGee was seen under birds, ending her hour.

 Brace 18
Bob's Elhew Maggie with owner Bobbie Phillips handling.
 

The rain began to fall during lunch.  First to the line was A Tarheel Covergirl (McGuire) and Zumbro Ace (Gellhaus).   At 6 Ace was found standing with all in order.  Ace was covering the course and was found standing at 13 after a big cast to the left.  Then Covergirl had a lapse in manners and was up.  Ace’s bird was flushed and he was sent on.  Ace went on to score finds at 21 and 41 with all in order.  After a long flushing attempt at 47 he was sent on without a bird.  His final find came at 59 with less intensity and style then previously shown and time was called.

The 20th brace was Deacon’s Creek Outlaw (Bingham) and Eboga GoGo Anne (Tolbert).  Anne stood at 2, after a lengthy flushing attempt and a relocation she was taken on.  At 13 Anne had a nice find in heavy cover with all in order.  She scored another find at 19.  Anne was found standing at 23, but was loose on point and was picked up.  Deacon’s Creek Outlaw was up early.

The 21st brace was Bittersweet Sensation (Gellhaus) and Reba’s First Choice (Bingham).  Choice.  Sensation was not pleasing her handler and was up at 25.  Choice scored a find at three with all in order, and then at twenty took steps ending her bid at the title.

The 22nd brace was Magnotta Pino Noir (Gellhaus) and Eboga Kate (Tolbert). Eboga Kate was scratched at the last moment and due to the bye dog being another of Gelllhaus’s dog this dog also ran as a bye dog.  Pino Noir was moving nice on the ground but not performing up to his handlers expectations and was collared.

The first brace Saturday morning was Merritt’s Pearl (Merritt) and A Tarheel Sunhawk (McGuire).  Pearl was covering the course scoring her first find at 5 with Sunhawk coming in for a back, with all in order.  Pearl racked up finds at 13, 14, and 17 with all in order.  At 25 both dogs scored finds with all in order.  Sunhawk did not have the intensity at 40 on a find with his tail moving his handler picked him up.  Pearl scored her last find at 41 with style.  She finished her hour as strong as she started.

The final brace of the trial was a bye brace Thunderbird Skydancer (Gellhaus).  Not performing to his ability he was up ending the trial.

We would again like to thank Precise Pet Food Products for all of their support of the U. S. Complete.  Thank you to our judges for their attention and time in the saddle, it is always important to thank all of the participants for without their generous support we would not be able to hold a trial.  Last but not least all of the helpers who assisted with all aspects of this event.  Great Job to all and hope to see you next year.