Day Five

Day 5 – Co-sponsored by Hydro Clean and Steve’s Snow Removal

The day dawned sunny and the temperature was just right for running dogs. You could feel the excited tension in the air as everyone prepared for the fifth and final day of the 2024 Canadian National Master Retriever Test.

The judges had setup a water quad with a water blind which had to be picked up after the second mark has been retrieved. The first mark is thrown (R-L) at 55 yards and landed on the far bank of the pond. The second mark was thrown (R-L) at 70 yards and landed with a splash in the corner of a bay. The third mark was thrown (L-R) at 55 yards and landed on the far pond bank in long grass. The 4th and final mark is thrown (L-R) from a winger at 20 yards and landed in the water in front of the working dog with a big splash. The fourth mark is shot from the line with a 12g popper. Both the working dog and the honour dog are sitting remotely in front of holding blinds while the marks are being thrown.

The blind was approximately 80 yards long. The line to the blind had the dogs crossing a point of land that came out from the left pond bank and then swim by a bay on the left that had several decoys in it which tempted the dogs to break their line and potentially go out of sight. The dog then crossed the pond and had to parallel the right side shore line to the far side of the pond where the blind was planted.

This test challenged the dogs. The water blind and the short “breaking bird” were the areas which caused the most trouble for dogs.

The test took about 12 minutes per dog to complete.

Testing finished around 5:30 PM.

After the testing had concluded, workers and contestants gathered at the event headquarters where they eagerly awaited the judge’s decision on which dogs qualified.

Thankfully the judges did not keep us waiting too long and soon a new batch of NMHs were presented with their ribbons!

Qualifiers at the 2024 Canadian National Master Retriever Test are as follows:

· Dog # 2: NMH GMH Huntersbest Chip off the Block, O/H Hal Morris

· Dog # 12: NMH GMH OTCH B-Lines Touching The Autumn Sky RM WCX, O: PatVanBregt / Chris Bayles, H: Chris Bayles.

· Dog # 15: NMH GMH PGold MacNutt's Simba QFTR, O/H Shawn MacNutt.

· Dog # 16: NMH Nilak's Massawippi Madness MH, O/H Danny Lemay.

· Dog # 17: NMH GMH Westpeake Ida's Beretta, O?H Leroy Mulrooney

· Dog # 19: NMH PGold Crank It Up MH CD, O: Laura Brunet & John Kuepherling, H: Kuepherling.

· Dog # 23: NMH GMH Taygold's Christie Teal CDX WCX QAA, O: Jeff & Anne Bendig, H: Anne Bendig.

· Dog # 24: NMH PGold MacNutt's Scout MH, O: Molly & Shawn MacNutt, H: Shawn MacNutt

· Dog # 25: NMH Excelab Beaubec Shelby Super Snake QFTR MH, O: Stephane Poissant, H: Sandie Bond

· Dog # 27: NMH GMH Calandubh's Rub Me Rigt Way WCX, O/H: Nancy Jean Van Bougie.

· Dog # 28: NMH GMH Baypoint's Rumor Has It WCI, O: Alec & Evelyn Hoyt, H: Evelyn Alec Evelyn Hoyt

· Dog # 33: NMH GMH Sterre Spirit of the West WCX, O/H Shelly Blom

· Dog # 34: NMH Chenil De Sauvaginier Franky MH, O/H Denis Igolkin.

· Dog # 35: NMH GMH Riveron's Throw Away The Cork, O/H Danny Lemay

· Dog # 36: NMH Riveron's Yellow Trooper MH, O/H: Sylvain Laurier. .

· Dog # 44: NMH Sterre She's all That MH WCX, O/H Shelly Blom

· Dog # 49: NMH Colic's Loki MH, O: Alex Colic, H: Sandie Bond

· Dog # 50: NMH GMH Saltydog's Picture Perfect, O: Jennifer Hunt & Aaron Hunt, H: Aaron Hunt

· Dog # 51: NMH GMH AJtop Unexpected X WC, O/H Sylvain Blanchette.