Fri, 01/27/2023 - 11:43pm

Pickin’ and Grinnin’ in Knoxville, Tennessee

2022 Bulldog Club of America National Specialty

 

 

Performance by Bea Page

Photos by Sandra Martinez

 

The lovely Marriot Knoxville was our home for the week of November

21 through 26. With its glamorous decor, cavernous show room and a very spacious grass area for the dogs, this facility proved to be an ideal location.

Members of BCA Division 8 and its local clubs were our hosts and did a great job. Show Secretary Pam Moore was right on top of everything. We give them all thanks for their time. Special thank-yous go to co-chairs Christine Dudney and Ashley Miller, and Trials Chair Jennifer Wolfgang, plus Annette Nobles. The outstanding ring stewards were Martha Griffin, Scott Johnson and Mark Stowell. 

Most people arrived at the hotel on Sunday, as Monday morning started the week off bright and early with national obedience and rally trials and the judges education seminar and workshop.

Coverage of the performance trials by Bea Page is as follows:

Obedience, followed by rally, kicked off the weeks events with a good-sized combined entry that even outnumbered class entries in conformation. There were quite a few Novice A entries, which is a great sign that new exhibitors are supporting and growing AKC performance sports.

Judge Marlene Burford from Canton, Georgia, reported thoroughly enjoying her assignment, and exhibitors expressed great appreciation for their experience showing to her.

The BCAs Performance Committee set up a fun zone where educational how-tos” were provided to encourage folks to learn about and try a variety of sports. All levels of Canine Good Citizen and Trick Dog title testing were offered, which yielded a total of 21 new titles! The committee also sponsored a trick contest that provided light-hearted entertainment for spectators as well as a glimpse into how teaching tricks is a fun way to build skills for other performance endeavors. To motivate maximum participation in all that was offered throughout the week, a Best Overall Bulldog Competition took place with lovely prizes for the top four.

The BCA has integrated performance into its Hall of Fame program and includes Versatility among its awards programs. New Performance HOF inductees and top-tier Versatility awardees were announced at the banquet to cap off a wonderful week for performance Bulldoggers.

 

 

The eventual High in Trial was RACH2 Wildwood Little Miss Sure Shot CD BN RM7 RAE4 FDC NAP AJP BCAT TT OSD CGCA TKP, owned by Beatrice and Clay Page, and Tammy and Amanda McAllister. Oakley was also the Winner of the Best All Around Bulldog.

Judging national sweepstakes dogs was Barbara Morgan from Elyria, Ohio. Bitches and intersex were judged by Julie Carlson of Henderson, Nevada. Judge Julie selected Pelee’s The Hippest Of The Hip as her Best in Sweepstakes, bred and owned by Melissa Lamb and handled by Amanda McAllister.

Best of Opposite Sex in Sweepstakes went to the 9-12 Month puppy dog, D’Nahros Star Santiago, bred and owned by Hugo Martinez Brito.

Following the day’s judging was a lovely welcome reception hosted by Purina. The band was terrific, as was the food. Everyone had a great time!

National class judging began on Tuesday. Judging BCA National regular dog classes was Donna Mouser from Sunbury, North Carolina.

 

 

Going Winners Dog, all the way from Mexico, was the Sweepstakes Best of Opposite Sex Winner, D’Nahros Star Santiago. Expertly presented by Sergio Gomez, this dog would end up winning all three available Winners Dog awards. This is the first time this has happened since Cherokee Daniel Boone, also from 9-12 Month Puppy, did it in 1988, at the Charlotte, North Carolina, national. 

 

 

Reserve Winners, also from Mexico, was the Open dog Obsesiones Pretty Boy Luna, bred by Mario Alberto Luna Valdez and Fermin Vasquez and owned by Noé Hernández Serrano. Ivan Garza is his handler. 

Duwayne Miller of Millcoats Bulldogs from Derby, Kansas, judged a lovely group of regular class bitches.

 

 

From the 12-15 class, Cherokee Legend Frost was awarded the big purple ribbon. Cody T. Sickle and Connie Chambers are her breeders and owners. 

 

 

Reserve Winners Bitch from the Bred-by class was Betsy Love’s B-Loved The Meg. Meg would also be the Winners Bitch at the Division 8 show later in the week under judge Ken Roux, with Frost going Reserve.

 

 

Wednesday morning was the annual BCA council meeting, with Junior Showmanship, non-regular classes and intersex starting at noon. National Junior Showmanship was judged by Carol Sommerfelt of Lenoir City, Tennessee. Out of an outstanding group of young handlers, Judge Sommerfelt awarded her Best Junior Handler to Annabelle Walters. Reserve Best Junior Handler was Zoe Brewer.  These lovely young women traded off for Best Junior Handler and Reserve throughout the week under judges Walter Sommerfelt and Adrian Quesada.

As usual, the Veteran classes were met with loud applause and a few teary eyes. Best Veteran Dog was Bullyhills Pale Rider, bred by Julie Crook and owned by Christine Dudney.

Best Veteran Bitch was GCh. Bulldacious Own Your Own Crazy, bred by Amanda and Tammy McAllister and Melissa Lamb, and owned by Tammy and Amanda McAllister, and Robin and Cindy Stansell.

Among the most coveted awards in dogs is the National Specialty Best of Breed. Tasked with this most prestigious job was Caroline Miller from Derby, Kansas. Mrs. Miller looked her usual elegant self in a long, black evening gown.

 

 

After steady deliberation, Mrs. Miller selected for her Best of Breed GChG. Cherokee Legend Encore. Bred by Cody T. Sickle and Connie Chambers and owned by Kevin and Natalie Mason and Alaina Moulton, Star was escorted to this win by Dennis O’Connor. Dennis becomes the first handler to win Best of Breed at the national with two different bitches, the first being his own home-bred, Windy.

Best of Winners went to the Winners Bitch, Cherokee Legend Frost.

 

 

Best of Opposite Sex was awarded to GChP. Irresistibull Winter is Coming of Danditops. Winter’s breeders are Annette and Ricky Nobles and Dianna Thompson. He is owned by Annette Nobles and Link Newcomb. His handler is another who is no stranger to the BCA national winners podium, Jay Serion.

Both Star and Winter will have their oil portraits added to our wonderful Hall of Fame Gallery of Winners.

Select Dog was the Mexican-bred GCh. Ashton (Castenada), bred and owned by Roberto Castaneda and shown by Edgar Coria. Ashton also won Select at the first BCA Division show later in the week.

Select Bitch went to GChG. Bright Lights Rocyn’s 24K Magic, bred by Kara Gordon, Robin and Cindy Stansell, and Eduardo Lima; owned by Kara Gordon, Joan Fisher, Anne M. Hier and Eduardo Lima, and handled by Eduardo Paris. Treasure repeated this win at the second BCA Division specialty on Saturday.

Awards of Merit winners were as follows:

GCh. Jester Bomber’s Memphis Belle, owned by Erica Peters.

GCh. Karma’s Simply Irresistible, owned by Pat and Wendell Tinsley, and Betsy Leugers.

GCh. Agape’s Winds of Change Spears, owned by Alecia Wagner and Charles Spears.

Ch. Little Ponds Armed and Dangerous, owned by D. and E. Karshner and W. and P. Tinsley.

GCh. Shakira Hip Shaking Bombshell TrueGaBulldogs, owned by Melissa Brown. 

All the Award of Merit winners are owned by their breeders. 

Best Owner Handler went to Alecia Wagner and GChG. Agape’s Winds of Change Spears.

Best Puppy went to Rachel Garde’s 9-12 Month Gone’s Isn’t She Lovely. 

 

 

Best Brace was won by Christine Hermiller with GCh. Dog Gone’s Living on a Prayer and Hermy’s Hold My Hand Izabella.  

The stud-dog winner and recipient of the Fearnought Bowl was Cody T. Sickle and Connie Chambers’ GCh. Cherokee Legend Steele. Steele is the sire of not only the national winner, Star, but also two of the Award of Merit Winners, Palmer and Sioux.

 

                               

Winning the Brood Bitch class and the Minnesota Fats of Kelly Road Bowl was GChB. Poplarhill Reap the Wild Wind, owned by Sandra Renfro and Rachel Garde. 

 

 

Wednesday evening featured a cocktail party followed by the very popular trick-dog competition and a question-and-answer panel of experts presented by the BCA Education Committee. Trick-dog performances featured carting, rope-walking, skateboarding, and hide and seek, among others. Such talented dogs and trainers! The educational panel included Cody Sickle, Dan Bandy, April Paulman, Julie Crook and Elizabeth Milam, with Vincenza Pitman as our outstanding moderator. 

Because the national week very often happens during Thanksgiving, many of us have come to look forward to spending the holiday with our Bulldog family. The hotel provided an outstanding Thanksgiving buffet. 

Earlier in the day was the first of two Division 8 specialties. Adrian Quesada judged class dogs, with Michelle Quesada officiating the bitch classes. The Quesadas hail from Corona, California. 

As mentioned, D’Nahros Star Santiago was Winners Dog, with Cutting Edge Slaterpryce Only Time Will Tell, bred by Shirley Slaterpryce, Brandon Edge, Tina Edge and Linda Pitts and owned by Shirley, going Reserve. 

Winners Bitch went to Cherokee Legend Hildegarde, bred and owned by Cody Sickle, Connie Chambers and Christine Trotter. Reserve from the 12-15 month class was Karma’s Sweet Talkin’ Woman, bred by Pat and Wendell Tinsley, and Dan and Liz Karshner, and owned by Pat and Wendell.

Later in the evening was the Top 20 Competition. Marcie Bassett did an outstanding job hosting this lovely event. Julie Crook did a terrific job as emcee. The DJ kept everyone moving!

The judges were Lalaine Policar, Scott Johnson and Neil Koeniger. 

Winner of the Top 20 Competition was GChB. B-Loved Shot Heard Round the World, breeder-owner-handled by Betsy Love.

The People’s Choice Award went to Winter with Jay Serion. 

Division 8 intersex classes were held Friday morning with Richard Truong of Huntington Beach, California, judging. Winning the breed was Winter, with Star as Best of Opposite. Best of Winners as well as Best Puppy was D’Nahros Star Santiago. Select Dog as previously mentioned was Ashton, and GChB. Major League Red’s Pretty Woman was Select Bitch. Ruby is bred by Teresa McDermott and Zachary Lane, and owned by Leanne and Vince Long.

Friday evening was the annual awards banquet. Among the awards for Hall of Fame breeders, stud dogs and brood bitches were the Performance awards, the Versatility awards and the Ambassador for Health awards. The Outstanding Individual Contributor to BCA award was presented to long-time BCA member Dennis Ehntholt. Dennis and his wife, Carla, have been devoted and hard-working members of BCA for decades.

A much-anticipated part of the banquet is the reveal of next year’s national specialty, including date, location, logo and judges.

The week wrapped up with the Division 8 specialty on Saturday morning. Judging dogs all the way from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was Carlos Albuquerque. As mentioned, D’Nahros Star was Winners Dog, with Jacob N Muir Trash Talkin Time going Reserve. He was bred by Cody Sickle and Christine Trotter and owned by Susan Muir. Ken Roux from Dixon, Illinois, was the bitch judge, with Meg and Frost as his main winners.

Intersex judge Steve Terry of Lukeville, Arizona, also awarded Winter as Best of Breed, with Star as Best of Opposite. Best of Winners was Meg, the Winners Bitch. Select Dog and Best Owner Handler was Ken Dudley with Ch. Kendee’s Mysterious Lone Ranger, and GChG. Bright Lights Rocyn’s 24k Magic was Select Bitch.

We will be traveling to Olympia, Washington, in early September 2023. Dates are September 11 to 16 at the Olympia Hotel at Capitol Lake. Jeff Ryman and members and clubs of BCA Division 5 will play hosts. We hope to see you there!

 

 

 

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