We
purchased Miss Kitty as a pup through Millercreek Kennels
in the fall of 2002. She was whelped on September 22nd, 2002.
Both
her parents pack some tremendous credentials. Dad is FC-AFC Rebel
With A Cause, and mom was HRCH Cropper's Dazzling Texas Indy MH. Needless
to say, we have some pretty big plans for Miss Kitty.
Doc
told us at Kitty's first checkup that she is shy and timid, and
to this day Doc was generally right. But Kitty is also an instigator.
In fact we since have nicknamed her "The Demon-Dog". She's
a pretty funny nut, and full of piss and vinegar (so to speak).
She keeps our boy dogs on their toes and so far lives up to her
Dad's namesake.
At
approximately 6-months of age, Kitty was sent to Pat McHale at
Ridgewood
Kennels outside of Plantersville, Texas, where she was
trained to be an obidient gun dog. As much as she loves being home
with us and her other partners in crime (Mason and Tater) she seems
to also be in her element at "Uncle Pat's". Kitty thrives
in the sports of hunting and hunt tests and revisits Ridgewood Kennels
often in preparation for hunt test seasons.
I
ran Kitty in the AKC hunt test circuit the fall of 2003 and at 13-months
of age she cleanly earned her Junior Hunter title. Cindi handled
Kitty to her HRC Started Hunting Retriever title at 17-months in
February of 2004. All together Kitty ran a total of eight tests
and passed every one smooth as a whistle. Kitty then ran Seasoned
level tests in the spring and fall of 2005 and earned her Hunting
Retriever (HR) title. In November of '05 she earned 3 of the 4 Upland
passes needed for a UH title. Her Trainer, Pat McHale, handled her
to her Hunting Retriever Championship (HRCH) title in the spring
of 2006, just 13 days before the expected whelping date of her 2nd
litter. Pat ran her for me in the fall of '06 in Master level tests.
We decided to skip the Senior level and go straight to Master, which
meant she had to get six passes instead of the normal five. On the
last test of the season, her wheels fell off and she had to be handled
on two marks (of all things) in the first series. Needless to say,
she was dropped; talk about bursting the bubble. BUT...we ended
the season only needing one pass for her MH. Hey, then Pat ran her
in November of '06 at the BCSRC fall HRC Upland and got her final
pass needed for her UH title! YESSSS!!! On March 3rd and 4th, 2007
Kitty ran her first Master level test of the '07 season at the Bryan
College Station Retriever Club's Spring AKC test and performed very
well, thus earning her Master Hunter title!!!
Kitty
qualified and ran the 2007 Master Nationals in Remington Virginia.
She did not come home with a plate, but she and her handler put
forth a great effort and we have plans for her to try again the
fall of '08.
As
you may be able to tell from some of the photos below, Kitty has
a very high drive. She has tremendous marking abilities, and perserverence
that doesn't end until she finds the bird, regardless of obstacles
or terrain. She's fun to handle and a joy to watch.
Kitty's
hips were x-rayed the day she turned two years old and the OFA evaluated
them as GOOD. Click
here to view Kitty's OFA certificate. Her eyes are examined
and cleared annually by CERF.
Below
are some great images of Miss Kitty as she grows and leaves fond
memories in our lives. Click on the thumbnails for a larger view.
This page will be updated often so visit it again soon.