2017 AWSC National Specialty and Hunt Tests

August 2 - 6, 2017

Clintonville, Wisconsin

The Club is very grateful to the many companies and individuals that supported the 2016 Nationals.  Your support for this event and the American Water Spaniel Breed is very much appreciated and valued by the AWSC.

(Final List of Donors Coming Soon!)

Also, a big "Thank You" to our Headquarters Hotel,
 the Landmark Motel, Clintonville, Wisconsin

 

AWSC Conformation and Obedience Specialty

August 3, 2017 Olen Park Clintonville, Wisconsin Complete Specialty Results HERE! Congratulations to the Best of Breed Traveling Trophy Winners Lois McCraken and "Blew"

AWSC Field Events:
AKC Spaniel Hunt Tests, AWSC Hunt Tests, and the Roustabout            
August 4 - 6
Wolf River Game Farm
Shiocton, Wisconsin
  

Complete Field Events Results HERE!

Congratulations to the Roustabout Winners!
Eric Wahlstrom, Cole Wahlstrom, and "Max"

All About the 2017 Nationals

   

The 2017 AWSC National Specialty and Hunt Tests were held over five conscutive days at Clintonville, Wisconsin Wednesday through Sunday, August 2 - 6, 2017.

The club welcomed arrivals on Wednesday with a pizza party, social hour, and libation auction.  The Health and Genetics committee arranged for a very informative presentation on spaying and neutering considerations for our canine friends.

    Obedience, Conformation, and Rally trials were held at Olen Park on Thursday, August 3.  Rain for most of the day  could not dampen the enthusiasm of either handlers or dogs, who performed gracefully under cover of the convenient park shelter.  It proved to be a great bonding experience for all.  A new event, the Trash Duck Challenge, was a big hit for dogs and handlers, with many teams competing multiple times to see who could hit the trash can with a training dummy consistently.

    Later, the annual Awards Banquet,  Photo Contest, and  Brown Bag Raffle were held at  The Lake Aire Supper Club in Clintonville. A good time was had by all, especially the raffle winners!  Congratulations to all award winners!

    After Thursday's rain, the soggy weather moved out  and in its place arrived ideal weather for hunt tests.  Temperatures were in the mid-seventies, skies were clear, and  breezes were light.  Dogs and handlers performed in comfort for the ensuing three days of field events.  Wonderful, crisp weather for Wisconsin in August!

The Health and Genetics Committee, with the skilled ministrations of Heidi Reinhart, collected DNA samples from the dogs.  Nearly every dog attending and those from surrounding areas donated blood for future research. The samples are now in the hands of the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals being prepared for future use. Thanks to the OFA, Health and Genetic Committee members, and the Board who helped to make this “free” clinic happen.

Again this year a combination of AKC Spaniel and AWSC hunt tests  enabled participants to obtain qualifying scores for their dogs in both venues.  Mornings were spent with the upland flushing tests, and afternoons were spent with the additional retriever work required by the AWSC Hunt Test program.  The dual hunt tests went smoothly, and those that were entered in both events had good, long days of it.  The club engaged several young helpers to perform as bird handlers and winger operators, which took those burdens from club members so that they could enjoy all the dogs and socialize with the other participants.

Friday evening, the day's hunt test qualifiers were presented with their ribbons.  Club members gathered after dinner for the AWSC, Inc. Annual Meeting where a new Board of Directors was installed and the President reflected on the year's accomplishments.

Saturday, hunt test qualification ribbons and and new titles were presented again with a lot of fanfare, photos, smiles, and laughter.   The annual AWSC Auction, an important and lively fund raising event in support of the AWS breed, followed soon after. Tim Otto did a superlative job in his role as auctioneer, ensuring that all donated items went to the highest bidders!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS!

THANK YOU! to our Conformation and Obedience judges, Ms. Jean Shepherd, Ms. Peggy Beisel-McIlwaine, and Ms. Cynthia M. Pischke for contibuting their skills and interest in the American Water Spaniel breed.

Thank You! to our Hunt Test judges Tim Bauknecht,  Kay Bennett, Paul Kartes, and Dawn Schuster for giving us their time, energy, and expertise.  They were each very skilled,  helpful,  patient, and flexible while we worked all of the dogs through both AKC Spaniel and AWSC hunt tests. Kudos to all!

THANK YOU to Dean and Tammy Daebler and the staff at Wolf River Game Farm for providing us with bug-free grounds, delicious home-made food, and a wonderful family atmosphere for our hunt tests!

THANK YOU! to all of the Individual and Corporate Donors who contributed Specialty Prizes and Trophys!

THANK YOU! to all of the Individual and Corporate Donors who contributed to the Libation Auction, Brown Bag Raffle, Winger Raffle, Kennel raffle, and Banquet Auction.  We all had a great time raising some funds for the AWSC.

THANK YOU! to all of the club members across the country who contributed their time and energy to putting it all together!

We hope to see you again at Solon Springs,  Wisconsin in 2018! 

Link to the 2017 National Specialty and Hunt Test Invitation