| canine competition |
| canine competition |
Master National Retriever Club
visits the Rose City
words & photography by William Huff
For the first time in 20 years , Thomasville played host to the Master National Retriever Club for their annual test for region one along the east coast . Handlers and hundreds of dogs traveled to the Rose City from all over the country to compete in this three week long competition .
Cars pulling large trailers from Colorado , Nebraska and even Washington state were lined up along multiple properties in the Thomas County area to show what their dogs can do .
“ It ’ s like an assimilated duck hunting situation ,” said corporate sponsor liaison Michelle Love . “ Our handlers will come to the line with their dogs and they ’ re going to have to get birds that they see and birds that they don ’ t see . There is a number of different challenges to keep them steady on the lines so they don ’ t leave because once you signal that you ’ re ready for the birds you can ’ t talk to your dog again . You just have to trust that they aren ’ t going anywhere .”
The goal is for a dog to hit standard on the judging sheets . It ’ s a pass or fail competition , which
Seasoned veteran Illa makes her final competition run .
10 January 2024 | Thomasville Scene