Correction to the Starting Number Announcement

It was previously officially announced that dog #7 would start in the morning. This was because it was thought--at that time--that dogs 85 and 88 had each already started a series. As it turns out, only dog #85 had started a series, thus moving dog #88 into the starting number slot for the morning, and the announcement has been amended as such.

Thank you...

Addendum to Parking Announcement

Tomorrow morning, contestants may be required to park by the barns, due to weather concerns, as well as mechanics for the following series. Please by prepared to be flexible in the morning as everyone works to facilitate the smooth running of this National.

Thank you!

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

Dog #7 will run first in the morning.

Dogs will run in order from there.

The first and only test dog will be at 6:30 a.m.

Handlers with dogs only to park where they are this evening. Everyone else will park by the barn. 

Due to these proceedings..

The test is being shut down for the night. It's currently 4:20 p.m. and the shadows are lengthening rapidly.

The judges have instructed #84 to pick up

Michael Moore picked up Reagan under control before she retrieved a bird.

This was due to the fact that the left flyer was a runner.

Right now, birds are being recovered from land and water.

Since there is an honor on this test, a bye dog will be required when the test resumes.

Dog #84 to kick things off

Michael and Reagan are on the mat.

The announced running order

Dogs 84, 85, 88...

First test dog to the line

Both test dogs have now run...

Dogs have been called to the holding blinds.

Handlers approach the line...

... That is the announcement. Test dogs are in the holding blinds.

Regarding TRAFFIC and Parking

For tonight, traffic will exit out the Morrison gate. That is the road out of the ranch wherein Morrison Rd is across Orange Blossom. It's a back entrance, if you will, to the property.

Tomorrow morning, for this same test area, the gate used will be this same entrance: Morrison gate.
Note that parking will be completely different than what is currently in place... the plan is to park in the vicinity of the barns and a walk will be required from there... across the ponds to the test site.

The circumstances of this afternoon are simply to help facilitate such a quick move.

Thanks!

Callbacks to the eighth series

7, 15, 20, 28, 31, 32, 36, 38, 40, 42, 47, 49, 51, 53, 54, 58, 60, 70, 71, 72, 74, 78, 84, 85, 88

There are 25 dogs back.

Starting Dog is #84 for the next test.

The next test will be in this same area...

... There will be a short move involved... but this short move may take some time. We'll see...

Last dog coming up... Dog #58

So far, three birds... drove between the bird and the holding blind for the left retired and over with a bit of a hunt to the bird.

Tiny is on track so far for the long retired for handler John Henninger. What a nice mark!

Swimming up the first pond... Double Handle

Dog #56, Casey, drove through the left middle mark and beached on a far island in this pond, and then bailed off headed left, in the direction of the left retired. Handler Randy Koch just put a whistle on him to bring him back into the left middle bird.


Now, we have a handle on the long retired mark. 

Up to the fence... and now a Handle on Long Retired

Dog #55 drove up the hill to the fence and hunted along the fence before recovering and coming back down to the water to pick up the left retired mark.

Shock is now handling from left/deep to the long retired mark. 

Ali is Rolling...

... Dog #54 and Mark Smith -- Two extremely nice marks, two to go... and now a very nice left retired is in the books...

Ali has driven up the far hill behind the long retired mark and made a big loop and is now back down to the bird.

Louie ... and Scott Dewey

... two right now... Louie came out for the left retired between the holding blind and the bird, drove up a few steps and then turned down into the bird. Now, he's driven out to the long retired, come up just inside and conducted a short hunt on the levee near the bird. Nice job!

Blue and Al Arthur--Nice Job!

Blue has put four birds nearly between his paws. Really pretty job on this test.

Willie Now Has Three of Four...

... nicely. Dog #49 and handler Dave Rorem.

Willie swam to the far left end, made a quick decision, turned and worked the levee to the bird. 

Dogs have handled on three different marks here

There have been handles on three of four stations on this test...

More to come... on this.

Three dogs have handled on the stand-up station, the left middle island bird. Three dogs have handled on the left retired mark. And, two dogs have handled on the long retired--one of those became a pick up. 

Bart, Dog #48... HANDLE on long retired PICK UP

Has had a nice flyer, and a nice island bird... headed for the left retired mark now... nice job.

Bart is now handling on the long retired from out of sight. He reappeared in the left corner, but had difficulty in handling. Now, the guns have come out and he's got the bird and is coming in to handler Alan Pleasant.

Dog #47, Boss, Halfway Through...

... He had a nice flyer, and went just over the island for the left middle bird and swung back and got that bird. He's come up just left of the left retired and turned out into the bird... coming back. One to go... for handler Jim Gonia.

Boss got out in the left corner of the far pond. He conducted a hunt, stayed with it, and now has the bird, coming back. 

Sugar has been sent for the third bird...

... Dog #46 -- she got her flyer and then went down the side of the shore by the gun for the left middle bird, turned out and got to the right and back into that island bird

Now, she has gone almost directly over the spot where she picked up her second bird, and she's continued to drive across the first pond. This is well to the right of the left retired. As she began to drive up the hill, handler Chris Ledford brought her back into the bird.

After a substantial hunt, mostly left but never really too far from the bird, Sugar now has it and is coming in.

Give that girl an "A"...

Tia, #42 got her flyer and then went for her left middle bird -- the island bird. She missed it and went to the little island just beyond, and then a bit on to the next island, where it would be very tempting to drive beyond and go after the left retired, instead.

BUT--she used her head and came back and got her bird! Smart dog--good dog.

She's got two birds to go... sent for the left retired by Danny Farmer... now has the left retired... and now the long retired! Nice job.

Edge Has Three Nice Marks Thus Far...

Now has the long one and nice job! This is Dog #38, Edge and Steve Yozamp.

Dog #38 is on line...

Eva, Dog #40 is on the mat... HANDLE left retired

She got the flyer and then hunted the bank some before going over to the island for the left middle bird.

Now, she has exited the water for the left retired... and got out right of the bird. She drove up the hill and is being handled back down to the bird by Lanse Brown.

Eva is out in the far left quadrant of hunt area on the long retired bird, back over the dike and up onto the top but left of the holding blind, and up the hillside to the left a few times, still hunting in that left corner... now coming down the pond dam... and on the bird.

Dog #37...

Nice flyer and nice left middle bird, and then went just left inside the left middle retired and out to the bird... swimming back currently to handler Al Arthur...

Streak is now deep of the long retired way up the far hill... and now he's recovered and is back on the bird.

Bravo has four birds..

Dog #36, had a big circle on the flyer, and then missed the island bird by a bit and came back to it. For the left retired he went up the hill and to the left and then back down to the bird.

What a nice long retired for handler Bill Eckett!

Pirate Has Two Marks...

... Dog #32, coming back with the island (left middle) bird at present. Pirate got the left retired nicely.

On the long retired, Pirate swam at an angle to the left, got out and just up that hillside a bit and in sight, and then down and out almost to the bird, and then hunted in the water, and then made a loop back around and up into the bird. He's swimming back to handler Jerry Patopea. 

Thus Far, Three Very Nice Marks...

...for #31, Pete and Steve Yozamp...

now, Pete is getting out at the holding blind, just left and then back right and over to the bird. Nice job!

Free Gets the Left Retired Second... Handle on Left Middle

Dog #30... after getting her flyer she swam right on over to that left retired bird...

Now, Free went through the left middle area over the right tip of the island area just a few yards from the bird and kept going... she required a handle from Bill Sargenti to recover the bird.

Free caught the corner of the far pond as she quickly scooped up her last bird.

We're Back Underway... with Dog #29 on line

Two birds nicely... two to go... for Boo and handler Paul Sletten.

He went left of the holding blind on the left retired, hunted up the hill and over and down to the blind and out to the bird.

Boo has sliced through the right corner of the first pond and is angling left across the second pond. He got out just left of the corner, and went on up the left slope and over out of sight. Now he's back in view and in the water around the holding blind. And now to the right... and has the bird.

Gun Change After Dog #28

Two In For Roxie... Nice Job!

Dog #28 is headed for the left retired... and came out just inside the bird to go right out to it...

Really nice job on the long retired for handler Ray Voigt. 

Billie, Dog #22... Currently out of sight...

Dog #22, Billie, had a circle on his flyer, and made a loop in the water on his left middle before getting the bird from the island... and now he nicely has his left retired.

On his long bird, Billie got out in the left corner of the far pond and has been out of sight... he now has appeared back around the holding blind and is hunting on land and in the water around the blind...

He's got the bird for handler Karl Gunzer.

So Far Fizz Has Three Nicely...

Dog #20 has sliced through the right corner of the first pond and pulled a bit left as she crossed the pond dam into the second pond... she's swimming toward the left corner now. She got out and went over the levee, down a bit right and just a tad up the left hill, back into the water and along and out to the right to the bird for handler Judy Rasmuson.

Flint went up the far hill... HANDLE

... Dog #18, drove up the far hill on his quest for the long retired, and then came back toward the bird, and then went deep again while bearing left, through the far pond deep of the long retired and back to the left and deep, and is now being whistled to the bird by handler Ty Rorem.

Flint had a good flyer and went straight to his left middle mark. He went left of the blind for the left retired mark, up behind a little and then down to the bird.

Moses has 'em!

Dog #15 had a nice flyer, and then a nice left middle. Next, he went left of the blind and over to the left retired bird... 

and finished up the test with a beautiful job straight to the long retired mark for handler Wayne Curtis.

Mercy, #7, Handling...

... on the left middle bird she went down and shaved into the water in front of the gun station, and soon began swimming deep. Handler Paul Sletten is bringing her back in to the bird.

Next she went right of the left retired's holding blind and out to the bird. For her long retired she had a really nice line out nearly to the bird, and then got out left of the holding bind and worked down the levee to the bird.

Duce on line...

Dog #5 and handler Bill Eckett... Duce got the first two nicely, and then went left of the holding blind for the left retired, up the hill a piece and then down into the bird.

Duce angled left across the far pond, got out in the corner and drove behind the hill and came back onto the left hillside slope and then went down onto the levee and to the right out to the bird.

Ozzie has four birds...

Ozzie, #85, got the flyer nicely, and then got in the water in front of the left middle gun back to the left to get the bird, and then went into the left retired. For the long retired, Ozzie got a piece of the first pond, swam to the left end of the second pond and went left, right, back to the blind, up the left hill, into the water, out around the blind, swam back in a piece, then to the right end of the pond and got the bird, returning back to handler Alan Pleasant.

Bullet is traveling in the far pond...

 Bullet is launched by handler Dave Rorem

... Dog #4 has gone straight to three birds thus far. He's angling left across that second pond. Now, he's gotten out at the left corner, looped on land there, and then worked down the levee but not as far as the bird before turning back to the left. He then hunted in the left corner on land again, and then worked back down the levee past the bird to the right and then into the bird.

Grady ... found a dry route to long bird...

Grady sets up beside handler Chad Baker

... Dog #2, He ran down the right hillside and then got deep of the bird, went well up the far hill, came back into the pond behind the long retired and then up the hill to the left of the levee, now is in the water in front of the far levee and his swimming along to the right, toward the bird... He's still in the water, now...has the bird.

Other birds... nice flyer, a circle loop on land near the gun station for the left middle bird, and went over the middle island and then right of the blind to the left retired bird. 

Pink... Really nice job

... Dog #88, had a small hunt on the flyer and then went straight to the left middle bird. Now has gone straight to the left retired...

Pink caught a corner of the first pond and is angling down through the long pond and got out just inside the long bird and then went down to it... now has delivered to handler Al Arthur.

Reagan Is Running...

... She has a small loop into the flyer, a short loop into the middle left bird, came out right of the holding blind and straight to the bird for the left retired, and now is setting up for the long retired.

Reagan is cruising down the right side of the far pond and now has that bird nicely.

Geese trading overhead...

Now up is #72, Diesel...

... and Alan Pleasant. He had a short hunt on the flyer, and then went straight to the left standup bird. He's on his way to the left retired, and has it. Now he's on his way to the long retired and is swimming at an angle across toward the far left corner of the pond... he's run up and back part of the levee and is back in the water swimming to the right... now is coming up on the pond dam... has the bird.

Merlyn Handle on left island bird...

... Dog #78--After getting the flyer, handler Jerry Patopea sent Merlyn for the left stand-up gun and he got in the water between the gun station and the bird and kept going. Jerry brought him back to the bird. He's currently after the left retired...

... went up the hill to the fence for the left retired and down to the bird. Now he's after the long retired... going on a line currently toward the far holding blind. Got out at the holding blind and turned right and ran down along the edge of the levee to the bird.

Molly is getting her third bird...

... Has three nicely at present... for handler Charlene Koeth, dog #74. Molly went fairly high on the shoulder of the hill behind the right flyer when en route to the long retired, and then dropped into and across the right corner of the second pond, to the bird.

Emmit has four..

... Dog #71.. Nice flyer, hunt on the island bird, up the hill and back down for the left retired, and then into the second pond for a swim out and just inside the bird to it... now back to handler Jim Gonia, who hands the last bird to judge Lee Jolley

Nice job for #70...

Piper and Mark Edwards

... Just had four clean birds and came out and put the long retired between her paws.

Dog #60 to the line...

Tyson and handler Alan Pleasant

Right now. got them all...

Got the two up birds fine, had a hunt on the left retired between the holding blind and peninsula, in and out of the water to the bird... and went to the left corner of the pond for the long retired... got out and ran past the holding blind on the levee but not far enough to the bird, went back and then swam down and back and down to the bird.

Sun is rising...

Marshal Co-Chair Rob Reuter radios instructions to the field

... Dogs are filtering toward the holding blinds.

Test dogs summoned, first one on the line...

right now...

both dogs have done this test. It's a land/water quad...

Here Comes Da Sun...

... Up and up...

G'Mornin'! Sit back and have a cup o' joe

First glimmer of daylight out at the test site, taken much earlier than this post

Planning and Discussion

... It will be awhile yet.

The move over to the Boatright Ranch has been rather massive and is still underway. We are on a portion of the ranch that is Boatright/Goodrich owned. It's a positively beautiful morning, and everyone is working hard to get things organized as quickly as possible.

Stay tuned...