One of the nice things
about being in busi
ness over 10 years is you begin to see the nice people you were
introduced to early in your business life get the recognition
they have long deserve. This article is about just that.
When we met John and Karen Blackbird back in 1992 they were some
of the nicest people we had met in the industry. Back then we
had thought they had been in the industry for years and actually
it was just a handful of years. But both them and us have grown
in stature in the industry.
Both John & Karen are now judges, and John will be judging
the Retriever National Master Hunt test. The big enchilada this
October in California. To judge the Nationals is one heck of
a feat and a tremendous honor. To be a judge at the Nationals
you need to be CHOSEN by the clubs in your region. Every club
has a delegate who has a vote. Which means you need to get through
all the politics of dog clubs and events and be deemed a person
of fine reputation, which John is. And through all this there
is no pay for the position and two weeks of their time, with
only reimbursement of expenses. More on the nationals later.
John wished to thank all those that have helped him achieve what
he has in the retriever world and and the honor to represent
them at the nationals.
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So how did John & Karen get to this
place in life? John got his first Lab in 1988. He was over 40
year old at the time. After hunting with his sons and losing
a few ducks lacking a dog it was decided they needed a Lab. At
the time John had a gun shy Wirehair and Karen had a wire Fox
Terrier.
In 1990 John got his first title, a Junior Hunter, on that same
Lab. All John really wanted was a good hunting dog. John ran
the Lab with and joined the Hennepin County retriever Club in
which he is still a member.
In 1990, after training with Tom Dolken John & Karen joined
the Lake Country Retriever Club to run AKC and NAHRA (North American
Hunting Retriever Association).  |
John has been club secretary and board
members and both are life members today. Now they run just AKC
hunt tests. They are also still members of the MN Iron Range
Retriever Club and the Central MN Retriever Club where John is
the Field Trial/Hunt Test Chairman.
John & Karen have run hunt tests and field trials. But John
feels hunt tests are more fun, with the possibility of everyone
qualifying and winning. He also believes Hunt Tests are more
realistic to a true hunting situation. And Field Trialers need
hunt tests to add new blood to the trials.
John has titled four labs with master titles, which is quite
an accomplishment for any kennel. In addition he has three times
qualified for the Retriever Master National Hunt Test. To qualify
for the Nationals is a feat upon itself. You need to have FIVE
Master Hunter hunt test qualifications in the past year (Aug-July).
And many retriever Master Hunt Tests take both Sat and Sunday
of a weekend. That's a month of weekends plus and they all must
be passes.
John started judging three years after getting his first Junior
Hunter pass in 1993. His first co-judge was Mandy Meyer the event
was one for the Lake Country Retriever Club. He started judging
as a way to pay back the sport he loved. Karen is a Junior Hunt
Test Judge and will be apprenticing this fall for her Master.
I asked John & Karen about judging and what it takes to be
a good judge. They responded. First, |
