Champions of the Past

[Mike Bons]

I don't know about everyone else, but I love hearing about various field trial champions of the past. Here are some links that I found very interesting. Not sure if there is another site with a little more Canadian content.

Hall of Fame Retrievers - http://www.browndogmafia.com/hof_labradors.html

National Champions - http://www.browndogmafia.com/nfc_winners.html

Nationals Am. Champions - http://www.browndogmafia.com/nafc_winners.html

Thinking about buying this book, it looks interesting.
"The Finalists" book - http://www.browndogmafia.com/finalists.html

[ducksoup]

Great post -- great history behind our dogs -- sometimes you have to know where you've been to know where you're going!!!!

[Drew Good]

Great post -- great history behind our dogs -- sometimes you have to know where you've been to know where you're going!!!!

I could not agree with you any more.

Great Post Mike Bons, and thanks for the link to that book. It looks like something I just might have to invest in

oh and BTW I moved it into the Retriever section while I was doing a little house cleaning.

[Mike Bons]

Another great site with great stories about HOF retrievers:
http://www.working-retriever.com/library/halldogs.html

[Kevin Hannah]

Great spot to get to see a lot of the great dogs from the past that make up the background of a lot of our dogs today.

Kevin

[Drew Good]

Those links provide some REALLY good reading material . It's nice reading about the famous dogs from our past.

I like how Lottie ( 3x NFC Candlewoods Tanks A Lot ) was the last pup from her litter and was givin away. Once they realized the talent she had they bought her back and went on to 3 NFC's

Drew

[ducksoup]

Yes Lottie was given away but look who she was given to -- Andy Attar -- not a bad trainer to be raised by

[Drew Good]

Yes Lottie was given away but look who she was given to -- Andy Attar -- not a bad trainer to be raised by

Oh for sure, I just thought it was interesting that she was givin away and then bought back once the true talent level was realized.

[waterfowler65]

the picture in my avatar is of Mi-Cris Sailor the 1971 national Champion....
Lloyd Jarvis originally owned him. He sold him for $10 000.00 US.
His blood lines are in both my dogs and most of 3blackdogs crew.

Later...Marc....

[ducksoup]

And Lloyd is still around and playing with the dogs -- saw him last October at Mountain Valley FT at Christie

[waterfowler65]

I train every now and then with Lloyd , He should be out at Christies tomorrow. He's running Raven that's my Zoie's litter mate...

Later......Marc....

[Drew Good]

This is :offtopic: but.......

Does anyone know of any direct decendants ( by that I mean son, daughter ) of Lloyds FC-AFC-CAFC Nilak Super Baron that is still living and trialing today?

[krakadawn]

Hey DD,

Super Baron-known as 'Duffy" belonged to Jack Deans and was campaigned by Dave Thompson.He was sired by Gahonk's Mississauga Totem by Gahonk's Super Dee(Super Chief xCanvasback Dee).Lloyd was not the owner.
Abit of trivia-Totem was the Whittaker Trophy winner(high point Ont. dog) for 1976,77,78,79. Dee Dee was the winner in 81 and 82 and Super Baron was the winner in 1983.
I forgot to mention Totem was out of Blyth's Baron of Cavendish x Gahonk's Sassy Sioux.Baron was also an Ontario dog that was sold to Cotton Pershal at Nilo Farms(Winchester).
Tom Maracle and I bought 2 pups from Totem's first litter-FC AFC Bench of Gahonk and FC AFC Raider of Gahonk-one became the ORFTA Champion and the other a National finalist(80 Nat.-both father and son finalists).
Sorry to digress somewhat but thought you might want some local history-not sure if any living prodigy from Super baron around.
Jim

[Drew Good]

I could have swore it listed Lloyd Jarvis as the owner on his CKC Paper's. I will have to look at them again as obviously I have something wrong.

Drew

[Labber]

Nilak Super Baron was one of the 1st FT dogs I ever saw. Back in 89 or 90 I was nosing around Allanburg, trying to find some of these trainers I'd heard about.
Jack Deans (One of these nicest people you could meet) was out throwing happy bumpers at the far point of the pond for Duffy. It was my first impression of Ft labs, and a good eye opener. We spent a while talking.

I think Duffy's trophy case is still up on display at the funeral home in Niagara Falls. It is big and impressive.

Too bad that there was no frozen seed (I assume).
Pure Canadiana FT history.

[Mike Bons]

That is some great stuff Jim and Scott. :nice work:
Mike

[Baby Duck]

Drew

He likely owend the litter that your dog came from

Mike

[Kevin Hannah]

This has turned into an interesting thread about dogs from the past. The posts from Jim and and Scott has added a lot and I really like reading this stuff about the field trial dogs of the past.

Thanks guys

Kevin

[krakadawn]

Just some other trivia re Totem,
He was a gift to Dave's father in law so he had gone first as a pet.At about 11mos. he was returned to Dave as it was obvious he had talent-hard to imagine he had an open win in his Junior year(75) and went on to become the high point jr. dog in Canada that year.
Later at an US trial Dave was offered approx. $40000 Us from Mike Paterno(Dee's Dandy Dude) Dave turned down the offer. I hunted with Totem many times-he was just as great there as in trials-he had an unbelievable ability to trail game as well and picked up decoys when the hunt was over.Sadly Totem was killed on a higway just north of Coburg one night-way before his time was due.92 points in those days was alot of points for a year when most AA stakes were just opens.
Totem and Raider (father/son) were finalists in the 80 National-I believe one of the first father/son teams to do so-this changed dramatically with Lean Mac and company however!

[Labber]

Jim,
Wasn't Fritz Leeber (sp) the owner of Canvasback Dee?

What was it that made Totem so exceptional? ie what did he do better than other dogs at the time, marking, lining, memory?
Was Totem ever collar trained?
I think but am not sure, that Super Baron only had the collar on now & then to address a few issues.

Was Dave Watts an exceptional trainer before Totem came along?

I wonder what lines out there have Super Baron fairly close up.

Scott

[Kevin Hannah]

These details and stories are great.
I have heard lots of stories over the years from Bill Little about Waldorf's High Tech who is likely in the pedigree of most of the field bred dogs that the members of the board own. He of course sired Lean Mac.
Bill can tells stories for hours about Tech and how he was in training and trials. One of the guys I train with and is a member of our club worked for Bill during the time Tech was there and says that he would come off the truck and walk up to the line and would do things in trianing that would make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.
These stories about dogs that have built the dogs we all have today are great and I could sit and read or listen to these stories all day.

There is a great 2 part story about Honcho listed on another site. Part 3 has never materialized on the site even though everyone would like to see it.

Kevin

[krakadawn]

Scott,
Tom Maracle owned Canvasback Dee-she was an exceptional producer-bred also to Anzac of Zenith-she was out of My Rebel and produced a number of FC's.
Dave Watts was an excellent trainer-no collar for Totem. He excelled in Marking and lining-Dave could move his hand a 1/4 of an inch and Totem would follow-just an exceptional team player as well.At that time Tom and dave Thompson were partners in their kennel and breeding-Dave has always had a keen eye for that.
No doubt the Super Chief line continues on in many of our current pedigrees
Tom by the way bred/owned Gahonk's Pow Wow who was later sold to the Geirmans.Pow titled in Canada and USA and produced a number of Titled dogs-ie NFC Lawhorn's Cadilack Mac owned by Dennis Bath.You'll see Pow Wow in many pedigrees as well.
I usually don't spend this much time on the computer but it's raining and dogs have worked all week!

[Kevin Hannah]

Gahonk's Pow Wow turned up in the back end of the pup I got last year Jim. When I realized it I asked Dave about it when I saw him in the spring and he told me quite a bit about the dog as well. Kind of neat to get a pup from that far away and find a kennel name from around here that you recognize.

Kevin

[Kevin Hannah]

Here is a story about a dog that is in lots of our pedigree's today, enjoy it.
Kevin

Below are Parts I of Honcho's Story, authored by Dr. Ed Aycock.


NFC-AFC San Joaquin Honcho, Judy and Honcho
Attachment Pic's Below

HONCHO'S STORY PART I

The story begins at the end and it will require several chapters, for there is much too much to say about my magnificent old friend in only one chapter. Had he been a man, his life would be legendary.

I wrote his obituary for the RFTN one evening and it says a great deal about him: " San Joaquin Honcho - He was kind, gentle, and forgiving. We called him the King, and he accepted the role, we wept and our hearts ache, not for him, for he had a wonderful life, but for ourselves, because we know that there will never be another one like him".

Also an obituary from Bill Schrader, Jerry Wickliffe, and others "In memory of Honcho, from his sons and daughters, and their sons and daughters, and those of us who have been priviledged to know them".

He was a grand old dog, regal and gentlemanly. We appeared together on the cover of Dallas Life Magazine February 2, 1986. He was seated in an antique chair, while I, his loyal subject, knelt on the floor next to him. If man could worship dog, then I plead guilty. I loved that dog more than life itself. He never won anything for me, in fact, I had very little impact on his competitive career, other than having the priviledge of throwing birds for him. After his brush with death and early retirement he was my constant companion, we even spent some time in the duck blind together.

He loved puppies and kittens and wouldn't harm the hair on their backs. Puppies crawled all over him, and the cats slept on top of him. Never once did I see him even curl his lip.

Honcho's life is the classic tale of the kid who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, who later became president. He was born in California, sired by Judy's brash young male Trumarc's Raider, and out of Doxie Gypsy Taurus, a daughter of FC-AFC Carr-Lab Penrod (NFC-NAFC Super Chief's brother). This is a classic cross breeding of Cork of Oakwood Lane on Paha Sapa Chief bitches, which has produced many, many fine dogs.

John Folsom, who was working for Rex Carr at the time, got Honcho as a puppy. He trained him for awhile but gave up on him early because he kept overrunning marks, even on repeats. He traded this wild pup for the hunting rights on a ranch. John didn't go there much, but when he did, he discoverd that Honcho was not being cared for properly. In fact he was running loose on the ranch, chasing deer and hunting, a childhood that would explain some of his wanderings in his later years.

Upon learning that Honcho wasn't being cared for properly, John repossessed him and began training him again. Judy had 2 dogs at the time, Dual Champion Trumarc's Triple Threat and AFC Trumarc's Raider. She needed money so she decided to sell Punt. He was in the southeast on approval, but it appeared that the sale might not go through, so someone called about Raider, so she sent him off, expecting to get Punt back. When both dogs sold, she found herself dogless and was in the market for another dog.

Since Judy and Rex knew Honcho she decided to attempt to buy him from John. He was 20 months old and had a JAM in the derby.

The first time I saw Honcho, was in the summer of 1975. He was 2 1/2 years old and running the amateur at the Albuquerque trial. His owner, Judy Weikel, was blond and athletic, and the cutest thing I'd seen in awhile. I didn't see him again until the spring after he won the 1976 National Championship Stake at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge near Soccorro, NM. He was lying on a child's mattress in Judy's winter residence on the north shore of Cross Lake in Shreveport, La. One would have never thought that this powerful animal in the field could be so laid back in the house. That was in the spring of 1977 and Honcho and I, only casual acquaintances, were soon to become best of friends and confidants................ to be continued

[Kevin Hannah]

HONCHO'S STORY PART II

I walked into Judy Weikel's rented lakeside cottage in Shreveport, Louisiana in March 1977 and reclining on a mattress on the floor lay 1976 National Field Champion San Joaquin Honcho. I spoke to him and he raised his head, wagged his tail, and greeted me with his version of a canine smile. It seemed odd to see this powerhouse of a dog when he was in the field, reclining in the house, quiet and serene. It was immediately apparent to me that Honcho was a gentleman, which, throughout his life continued to be one of his most endearing qualities.

In 1977 and 1978 I trained with Judy quite a bit. She was helping me with my young bitch, I'd Rather Be Lucky, so I had the opportunity to throw birds for Honcho and to get to know him better.

I made my first visit to Escalon California in July 1978. It was also my first exposure to Rex Carr and his wonderful training facility, CL-2 (Carr-Lab 2). The training water was remarkable and innovative, I had never seen anything like it.

Honcho was an incredible athlete, and that summer, at age 5, he was in peak condition. Judy roaded him around the perimeter of CL-2 twice a day, driving slowly in her tiny blue Datsun pickup while Honcho loped effortlessly along side. He was a powerful swimmer and he was virtually unaffected by wind and rugged terrain. He ran and swam straighter than any dog I had ever seen.

After a week in California I returned to Texas. Later in the summer Judy went to Billings Montana to train with friends, Ron and Carol Reitz, and to run two field trials in Montana. I joined her in Billings for one week, then returned to Texas again. Judy, Honcho, and BJ would follow in the fall, and they would soon become a part of my day to day routine.

Honcho had a very successful 1978 campaign with 3 open wins, 2 amateur wins, 1 open 2nd, 3 amateur 2nds, 1 open 3rd, 2 amateur 3rds, 2 open 4ths, and 1 amateur 4th. He was also a finalist in the 1978 National Retriever Championship Stake at Busch Wildlife Area near St. Louis, and I was there beaming with pride, having served as his part-time birdboy.

When the spring trials began in 1979 he appeared headed for another great year, having at his tender age, already been a national finalist 3 times. In March, he developed a forelimb lameness, that at first was very subtle, almost imperceptible. An x-ray revealed a deposition of calcium near his shoulder joint, the result of a supraspinatus muscle injury. An injection of Depomedrol and a little rest rendered him sound again.

In mid April Honcho developed a dry, hacking cough. He was otherwise fit as ever, and Judy was planning a trip to the midwest to run trials. Her first stop was to be in Kansas at the Jayhawk Retriever Club trial. My partner Walter Legg was also going to the trial, so I felt comfortable releasing my patient for the trip. During the course of the weekend his coughing became worse and he was not feeling great, but still eating. He got to spend the weekend reclining in Barbara Stevens motor home. At the conclusion of the trial Judy sent Honcho back with Walter and continued her trip to the midwest.

Honcho's condition began to worsen, he consistently ran fever of 103.5 to 104.5. Walter and I mustered all of our diagnostic skills, and determined that he probably had a fungal pneumonia. That was confirmed by finding the causative organism for blastomycosis from a tracheal wash sample that we had submitted for pathology.

At that time, the treatment for blastomycosis was a drug, amphotericin-B, which could be highly toxic to the kidneys. We learned of a new antifungal drug, ketoconazole, which had been used in people successfully and had been used in dogs for coccidioidomycosis, but not blastomycosis.

Judy, Walter, and I discussed treatment options, and we decided that ketoconazole was the treatment of choice. With the kind assistance of Dr. Dennis Macy, who was then at Colorado State University, I secured a supply of ketoconazole. While awaiting the arrival of the drug, Honcho's condition continued to deteriorate, and even after beginning therapy he did not immediately improve. He had quit eating and his athletic 75 pound body had shriveled to a mere 55 pounds. I feared that we were going to lose him, so I called Judy and told her if she wanted to see him alive again she should return to Texas.

I laid on the floor with him, my head resting on his massive chest, tears streaming down my cheeks, and I pleaded in is ear "Please don't die, Honcho, please don't die".

Judy drove nonstop from Wisconsin, and her arrival was a godsend for my morale, and Honcho's too. We nourished him by force feeding him balls of raw hambuger meat wrapped around balls of butter. After a few days, his fever began to slowly disappear. Over the period of several days I felt that we might have turned the corner with him, but he still would not eat voluntarily.

His coughing had all but ceased and the weather was warm and sunny so we took him training and he laid in shade resting while the other dogs worked. While we were training, he got to his feet very casually, walked over to the bird pile, picked up a dead pigeon, and proceeded to eat it. To say that we were ecstatic would be a gross understatement and he was allowed to eat all the pigeons he wanted until he began to eat dog food again.

Through the generosity of Pitman Moore Inc. pharmaceuticals, we obtained a supply of ketoconazole to treat Honcho for a year. By fall he had regained his strength and his weight had returned to normal, but his lungs were badly damaged from the disease and his field trial career was over at age 6. He had accumulated 63 Open points and 62 amateur points, won a double header, was a National Champion, and a national finalist 2 other times ('77 National Amateur & '78 National Open).

I do not know if his survival was luck, force of will (ours and his), divine intervention, or just the inner strength of the dog who accepted my plea of "please don't die". I have always felt that his marvelous physical condition helped him to look death in the eye and walk away.

Next time Honcho's Story III - the sire, the elder statesman, the hunting dog, and my constant companion.

[ducksoup]

Fritz Lebeer owned FTCH AFTCH Del-Hi's Ginny, who was once bred to Trumarc's Zipcode -- I remember meeting Chuck Dygos for the first time when he was at a FT with Fritz -- I believe that they trained together
Dan DeVos had a FTCH out of Totem -- Gahonk's Leave It To Jesse I believe the dog's name was -- later sold to George Webster -- after Dave Watts turned professional full-time with Cavendish Kennels, I think Dan was working with Dave as well -- pretty sure that is where Dan met his wife Gloria too (think she had a Lab with Dave)
So it's interesting that two of Ontario's better FT trainers came from the area around Delhi-Simcoe-Port Rowan
And I remember seeing both Super Baron (when I was starting out in the 80's) and High Tech -- both very impressive dogs -- Duffy was an amazing Junior dog that was handled by another trainer (can't remember his name but was from Niagara Falls area) before Dave Thompson -- I remember seeing Totem win the ORFTA Championship north of Peterborough (near Curve Lake First Nation) -- and watching him win the Gold Whistle three times in a row -- I remember seeing Dee Dee run and win so many trials -- I remember watching High Tech come to the line time and again all business -- his greatest work coming later when he sired Lean Mac -- I remember George Stewart's Golden Bumper gettng his Dual Championship -- I remember Tom Maracle's Bench and Jim Ling's Raider -- I remember Jim Blake's Mighty Samson winning the Gold Whistle and also performing so well in FT after FT -- I remember watching The Marathon Man winning the Canadian National Amateur in Timmins running for owner/handler Charlie Hays -- I remember watching Dennis Voight run Taco when they were the team to watch -- I have had the good fortune to train with such pros as Bill Little, Dave Thompson, Dave Watts, Dave Rorem, and Bach Doar, and now have my BLM with Dan DeVos -- I've seen a lot of great dogs and great trainers/handlers over the years -- even all the way back to watching Bob Blyth then one of Ontario's only pros at the Gold Whistle (when I was 10 or so) -- being away for nearly 15 years before getting Maxx has left me with looking forward to seeing future great dogs and great handlers in the years to come -- I was away for a while but am really glad to be involved again in one of my favourite hobbies
Mike Ormsby
P.S. Thanks for posting the story on Honcho from RTF

[Labber]

Paul Collucci of Niagara Falls did the young dog training of Super Baron.
Paul died a few years ago, of cancer.

[ducksoup]

Thanks Scott couldn't think of Paul's name but do remember him running Duffy in Junior -- quite the team