NEWS and EVENTS

2009 FBGDA Annual Meeting and Conclave Muscatine, IA March 25-28, 2009 Rooms are $76.00 per night. To make reservations click here.

      On May , 17, 2007 in a Spring Type (L) field trial run on Bobwhite Quail here in Denton, Montana Zeus Ebony Leaps Alot achieved the final requirement to be named the second UKC Champion of the Field (CHF) in the United Kennel Club, Inc. Pointing Dog Program. The five year old hard charging black and white Epagneul Breton male, earned his third First Place, and further added to his already impressive record, a Reserve Placement the next day in a separate field trial.
      Zeus’s three First Place Wins have been earned under UKC Judges Sandy Gunn of Canada, Regis Toulet of France, and Butch Nelson of Montana. However, any judge who has had the pleasure of watching Zeus work, will tell you that he is an outstanding bird dog. “ Over time, Zeus has just gotten better, and better and he is now at the top of his game,” said UKC Senior Judge, Butch Nelson, who awarded the recent First Place, satisfying the final requirement of the UKC Champion of the Field Title. Zeus is owned by Peter Wax and Sherry Niesar of Bismark, North Dakota. He was handled by Peter Wax in each of his UKC field trials.
      Zeus’ inaugural field trial First Place win came in Hinsdale Montana, where Zeus displayed beautiful form, when he pointed a pair of wild Hungarian partridge near a thicket of chokecherry bushes in high steppe country. This was a Type (W) wild bird field trial run on native partridge, pheasant and grouse. The dog pointed with a high head, in the classic style of the Epagneul Breton, and remained taunt as the pair of honeymooning partridge flushed away and the shot of the blank gun saluted their exit. After that first sterling piece of bird work resulting in a First Place win and the first Open placement for a dog in the burgeoning UKC program, Zeus had several near misses from being atop the winner’s podium, earning two Reserve Placements and a Pass in field trials run on both wild birds and liberated birds.
      Zeus Second First Place win came at the 2008 FBGDA National Level Field Trials in Minneanapolis, Kansas, on a bitterly cold day in March. That placement was earned with perfect handling of three birds demonstrated to Epagneul Breton breed specialist Judge Regis Toulet of Ossun, France, in a Type (L) shot bird field trial. Judge Toulet also liked the stout black and white dog’s conformation, as he rated him a Very Good specimen of the Epagneul Breton breed based on the dog’s physical structure when performing confirmations of individual dogs the day after the field trials. His hips are also sound, and rated OFA-Good.
   Zeus’s owners keep him in top physical condition, by running Zeus almost daily when in field trial training mode. Aside, from his ribbons and accolades in competition, Zeus is an outstanding hunting dog and places many pheasants and grouse in the Wax game bag each fall. As a companion, Zeus is also a unique individual. He lives in the house with the Wax family, sleeps at the foot of the bed, and on more than one occasion has kept Peter’s feet warm at the bottom of his sleeping bag during those frosty mornings, when snow can greet field trailers in the northwest part of the United States. Peter has also had success in the NAVHDA circuit, where Zeus received a Utility Prize 1 Score or 204, and is believed to be the first Epagneul Breton ever invited to the NAVDHA Invitational. While hard charging and intense in the field, Zeus is a mellow individual around the house. He tolerates his playful offspring well, rides up front on the way to hunting places (to make sure no birds are missed), purrs like a cat when his belly is scratched, and likes to pass the summer heat in North Dakota, by submerging his rear end, in a pool of cool water.
      All whom have judged and competed with Zeus and Peter extend a hearty congratulations to an exceptional bird dog, and a fine gentlemen serving as his owner/ handler. Zeus and Peter have truly earned, and well represent the title “ UKC Champion of the Field.”

     Vernon De L’Escarbot and owner/handler Mark Dinsmore have added another “first” to their long list of achievements in field competition, as Vernon won First Place in this years Open Braces Type (W) Wild Bird field trial run on wild native pheasant at the 2008 FBGDA Nationals near Salina, Kansas. This was the second First Place win in braces competition for Vernon, as he earned another First Place last year in type (L) liberated braces competition, run on bobwhite quail and chukar in Arizona. The 2008 First Place on wild game was the final requirement for Vernon to be named UKC Grand Champion of the Field. Consequently, the four year old orange roan Epagneul Breton male is the first dog of any UKC Pointing Breed to earn the coveted UKC GR CHF title.
      In this year’s FBGDA Open braces trial, Vernon was braced with Violette Des Renfro a/ka/ “Shug”,a three year old Epagneul Breton female, owned/handled by Fred Overby. The dogs cast off into the CRP like rockets, and from the first moment, it was clear that the competition between the duo of Bretons was intense, as each sought to point the first bird. As the heat wore on, each dog brought out the best in the other, with Vernon making longer casts initially and Shug methodically quartering back and forth with shorter casts at the insistence of her handler. There were no birds in a bottom with some small standing timber, and the judges turned the duo north towards the end of the CRP field. As the time in the heat reached approximately the thirteen minute mark, Shug’s handler attempted to cut her next cast to the left short and to send her straight ahead, sensing that a running rooster was between the dogs, their handlers and the approaching fence row at the end of the CRP field.
      Shug did not cut quite as short as her handler asked, and Vernon, who had also sensed that birds were out ahead was charging into the area where the birds were thought to be. Within thirty yards of heading forward to the fence row, Vernon snapped on a quick point in a clump of thick native prairie grass. Shug, who had curled back around to get in sinc with the prevailing wind, backed Vern perfectly and was then leashed for the flush for Vern. As Vernon’s handler reached in to get his blank gun out of the holster in anticipation of a flush his hands were numb from the extreme cold. The blank gun accidentally discharged coming out of the holster, and the rooster which had been pointed flushed up wild and cackling. Judge Toulet yelled to the startled (and momentarily frustrated) handler to fire his blank gun again after the flush. Vern stood perfectly through the initial accidental shot, the subsequent flush of the cackling rooster, and the second commanded firing of the blank gun by Mark Dinsmore, his handler. He was then leashed, and the handlers walked to the judges for further instructions. The judges allowed the handlers to release the dogs again for another minute, but time soon expired. Again, Vernon had found a way to produce game for the gun, in a field trial. Overby walked over to Dinsmore and stuck out his hand, saying “Congratulations— now that was a lot of fun! You owe me and Shug both a beer, for not messing up your and Vern’s bird!” Dinsmore laughed, and said “Thanks—I’ll be glad to oblige-- Shug ran very well today.” Overbv said in closing, “Well Vernon got the bird, and he ran beautifully today—I hope he gets his Grand Champion title!”
      Vernon has won various placements under Judge Henri Guelou of France, Jacques Bordet of France, Butch Nelson of Montana, Regis Toulet of France, Sandy Gunn of Canada and others. He has won wild bird trials in various venues and shot bird trials in various venues, running both solo and braces. He has won a field trial via barrage, and won several field trials without the necessity of a barrage. In addition to reaching the supreme achievement by virtue of capturing the UKC title Grand Champion of the Field, Vernon has also received placements in other venues such as AKC field trials in the United States and in FCI field trials run in France, the native country of the Epagneul Breton breed. Vernon is the first American bred Epagneul Breton to win a CACT in a European Field Trial where the competition amoung the Continental Breeds is very stiff. In addition to his achievements afield, Vernon is a UKC Champion in conformation, and was rated Excellent in overall conformation for the Epagneul Breton breed, by J.F. Bordet a breed specialist from Aunac, France. His hips are OFA rated Good.
      Congratulations to Vernon de L”Escarbot and Mark Dinsmore upon becoming UKC’s first Grand Champion of the Field of any pointing breed!

     Beginning January 10, 2009 in Cordele, GA at the Veterans Memorial State Park, a series of events will begin marking several first for a regional club.  The Georgia Club, a regional club of the UKC and the French Brittany Gun Dog Assoc. of America will be bringing Mr. Jacque Bordet, a highly respected judge, from France to work with our club in the development, understanding and judging of our Epagneul Bretons. He most recently served as a judge at the FBGDA National Conclave in Arizona in 2007. He was most helpful to all who attended and we are proud and fortunate to able to bring someone of his caliber to Georgia.

    We will hold a Seminar at 9:00 am on the breed to be conducted by Mr. Jacque Bordet of France. This will be followed by a time of Conformation beginning at 11:00 am during which Mr. Bordet will be checking dogs to determine if they meet the breed standard. An evaluation will be made and reported to the FBGDA for their data base. If you desire you may also have this results published. The cost will be $20.00 per dog for the evaluation and $10 for having the result published through FBGDA.

     After this time there will be Breed Specialty Show  beginning at 2:00 pm judged by Mr. Bordet. Day of Show (DOS) entries will be from 1:00-1:30 pm. This will provide you an opportunity to show your dog and have the experience of participating in an event such as this. This will be a learning opportunity for all involved in this show.

     The following weekend of January 17, 2009, there will be a field trial held for all breeds. On Saturday the 17th there will be an all breed trial on liberated birds. On Sunday the 18th there will be an  Epagneul Breton only Open Wild Bird Trial. These trials will be judged by Mr. Bordet, Robert Olson and R.L. Dalrymple. These two weekends prove to be an exciting time for our club.  I hope you will all make time and take the opportunity to participate and attend all of these events. The location for the Saturday Trial has been set tentatively for the Veterans Memorial State Park in Cordele, GA. Please watch this site and the www.frenchbrittanyga.org site for further information, times and locations as they become available.