Result: Northeast Ohio Field Trial Club

Location: Polk, Pennsylvania

Post Date: Jun 11, 2026

Submitted By: Mark Fernandez

Larry Sutter Memorial Amateur Shooting Dog (l-r): Russ Fazio with Hypointe Monarch Express, Robert Ecker (judge), Doug McMillen Jr. with Double Deuce Miles, and Mark Fernandez with Dun Roven's Cody.

The Northeast Ohio Field Trial Club held its spring trial May 15--17, 2026, at the beautiful Pennsylvania Brittany Club grounds.

The Brittany Club was established in 1959 and moved to these grounds in Venango County in 1964. There are 184 well-groomed acres that consist of fields, woods, and brushy cover that make a great venue to show a hunting shooting dog. There is also a converted farmhouse with a well-sized kitchen and a large covered porch. This serves as a headquarters and gathering place. Additionally, there is a barn with a large quail pen, which makes holding and capturing quail very efficient.

This trial is dedicated to the memory of Larry Sutter. Larry was a dedicated field trialer who wanted to rekindle the Ohio walking field trial scene. He was the driving force behind the formation of this club dedicated to the walking handler and shooting dog. Unfortunately, Larry left us too soon, but three others picked up the baton, most notably Larry's wife, Paula Giulitto. Paula has been our spark plug, organizer, cheerleader, and problem solver. She put great effort into ensuring the trial ran smoothly, from handling the paperwork and getting the dogs on the line to making sure everyone was well fed. Chris Jaeger is our resident mechanic, equipment transporter, and expert bird planter. Mark Fernandez is the side-by-side driver/reporter who fills in where needed.

The weather was variable, with Friday cool and sunny with low humidity. Saturday was warmer with clouds and some light rain in the afternoon. Sunday started foggy but soon turned sunny, hot, and humid, making afternoon bird-finding tough. The muddy spots on the course were in better shape this year, and the previous mowing made it easy to see the dogs.

We want to express our appreciation to Purina and the U. S. Complete Shooting Dog Association for their continued support. Also, we extend our thanks to those who stepped in to help. Joe Cammisa's wife contributed delicious homemade pastries for breakfast, and Don Knight helped with bird planting as well as lending the use of his 4-wheeler. We are also appreciative of the generosity of Russ Fazio, Nick Mellon, Paula Giulitto, and Chris Jaeger for the use of their side-by-sides and 4-wheelers. We were fortunate to have secured a highly qualified group of judges who have many years of bird dog experience, both in hunting over their dogs as well as successfully competing with them. Joe Colglazier came in from Indiana and is well known in the cover dog world. Joe Cammisa has been active in all aspects of the field trial world for many years. Doug McMillen has developed and handled his dogs to multiple championships. Jeff Keller has been field trialing for seven years and, in 2022, began developing the Black Moshannon field trial area, which is now a high-quality, multi-course grouse/woodcock venue in Pennsylvania. The well-known Kevin Kline from Erie, Pennsylvania, has been involved with bird dog competition for many years, as has Mark Fernandez. Rich Hollister of Dun Roven Kennels and Robert Ecker of Midnight Kennels are well-known and respected professionals who elevated the quality of our judges. We sincerely thank all of our judges for donating their time and expertise. We started Friday morning with the Open Puppy. Joe Colglazier and Joe Cammisa evaluated an exciting group of young dogs. Taking first place was "Stormy," a setter female with Russ Fazio. She had an exciting, strong, and forward race with speed and snap. Second was awarded to Charm City Marlo, a pointer male handled by Robert Ecker. "Marlo" had a classy style running, stayed forward, and had some impressive casts. Third went to "Girl," a pointer female with Christy Helmes. She is fast and beautiful moving. She got behind early, but once she got going, she really put on a show.

Next up was the Open Shooting Dog with Joe Colglazier and Jeff Keller judging. The blue ribbon went to Double Deuce Zeke, a pointer male owned and handled by Doug McMillen. "Zeke" is a powerful pointer who lays down a big forward race, always hunting the cover. He had four finds with impeccable style and manners. Second was "Rambo," a pointer male with Robert Ecker. It took Rambo a few minutes to get into high gear, but after that, it was game on, and he was fast and strong hunting to the front. He had two well-spaced finds complemented by two backs, all with style and perfect manners. Third went to "Zeke," an English setter male owned and handled by Nick Mellon. Zeke is a beautiful dog, moving and pointing, and runs with impressive speed. He had two finds, a back and an unproductive, coupled with a good race that shortened for a period near the mid-point.

Doug McMillen and Jeff Keller judged the Open Derby. The blue ribbon was awarded to Perfect Storm, an English setter female owned and handled by Russ Fazio. "Stormy" is another quality dog in Russ's string. She had a reaching forward race with two finds. The last was a limb find at 22, following which she showed off with a big finish. Second went to "Sprout," a pointer male owned and handled by Sarah Gomes, who traveled in from Ontario, Canada. Sprout had a consistent, more moderate forward race. He had three well-handled finds with good style. Third place went to "Hippie," an English setter female handled by Rich Hollister. Hippie was quick, fast, and snappy, and hit all the likely spots. She had two well-handled finds and is a picture on point.

Rich Hollister and Mark Fernandez judged the Shooting Dog Qualifier. First place went to "Ginger," a pointer female owned and handled by John McKellop. She was fancy moving and ran a moderate race with a solid hunting effort. She scored one well-executed find. Second was awarded to "Smokey," a Gordon setter male handled by Robert Ecker. He had a smooth, attractive gait and put together some nice casts with one find. Third place was withheld.
The 8th Annual Larry Sutter Amateur Shooting Dog Memorial began on Sunday morning with a light fog slowly burning off. Rich Hollister and Robert Ecker were our judges. This event is the highlight of the trial and, as usual, saw a group of quality dogs competing to take home the coveted rotating trophy. This year's winner was a clear-cut choice with a "no doubt" performance. "Tess," a classy pointer female under the whistle of proud owner Russ Fazio, bested the field with a blazing breakaway and an exceptionally fast and upfront race. She had three perfect finds with one requiring a well-executed 20-yard relocation. She also sandwiched in two backs. Her last find was near the end, following which she showed her heels with a big edge running finish. The second-place dog was "Miles," a pointer male with owner Doug McMillen handling. Miles showed off his bird-finding ability by scoring five finds. He had an unproductive and was a little behind at the end. In third place was "Cody," a setter male owned and handled by Mark Fernandez. Cody had three finds and a back. He had a short absence early but finished with a solid race.

The Amateur Derby was our last event, and it was getting hot and humid with minimal breeze. Our judges were Kevin Kline and Doug McMillen. "Dixie," a pointer female owned and handled by Russ Fazio, took home the blue ribbon. She had an early unproductive but really turned it on with two later finds handled with exceptional style and manners. She ran steadily far to the front, her tail cracking, with no letdown in her application. Second place went to another Russ Fazio contestant, Perfect Storm, a setter female. She ran a steady, well-paced forward race, showing intelligence in how she attacked the cover. She was rewarded with a find near time. Third place went to "Milly," a pointer female owned and handled by Joanne Sampson. Milly had four finds and an unproductive with some inconsistency on the ground.

Once again, we want to extend a heartfelt "Thank You" to all the handlers, owners, judges, participants, and sponsors who contributed to making the 8th Larry Sutter Amateur Shooting Dog Memorial Field Trial such a success. We look forward to seeing everyone here again next year!

Polk, Pa., May 15
Judges: Joe Cammisa and Joe Colglazier
OPEN PUPPY - 5 Pointers and 5 Setters
1st-HITAIL PERFECT STORM, F1720599, setter female, by Dun Rovens Zip-Castle Rock's Autumn Breeze. Russ Fazio, owner and handler.
2d-CHARM CITY MARLO, F1721340, setter male, by Boatright's Maverick-Outcast Siren Song. Michael McIntyre, owner; Robert Ecker, handler.
3d-COUNTRY GIRL, F1720939, pointer female, by The Treasure Chest-Mohawk Mill For Real. Les Bressler, owner; Christie Helmes, handler.

Judges: Joe Colglazier and Jeff Keller
OPEN SHOOTING DOG - 9 Pointers, 10 Setters, 1 Brittany, and 1 Irish Setter
1st-DOUBLE DEUCE ZEKE, F1673940, pointer male, by Double Deuce Peter-Funseeker's Holiday. Douglas E. McMillen Jr., owner and handler.
2d-GROUSE HILL RAMBO, F1696375, pointer male, by Bo of Piney Woods-Grouse Hill Prima. John Capocci, owner; Robert Ecker, handler.
3d-HYPOINTE SHARPSHOOTER, F1706315, setter male, by Dun Rovens Zip-Castle Rock's Autumn Breeze. Nicholas Mellon Jr., owner and handler.

Judges: Jeff Keller and Doug McMillen Jr.
OPEN DERBY - 5 Pointers and 4 Setters
1st-HITAIL PERFECT STORM, F1720599, setter female, by Dun Rovens Zip-Castle Rock's Autumn Breeze. Russell Fazio, owner and handler.
2d-CAL PEAK APPLE OF MY RYE, F1713584, pointer male, by Cal Peak Hundredth Meridian-Double Deuce Sage. Sarah Deline Gomes, owner and handler.
3d-DUNROVEN HIPPIE GIRL, F1713542, setter female, by Dun Rovens Drifter-Dunrovens Midnight Eve. Rich Hollister, owner and handler.

Judges: Robert Ecker and Richard Hollister
LARRY SUTTER MEMORIAL AMATEUR SHOOTING DOG - 8 Pointers, 3 Setters, 2 Brittanys, and 1 Irish Setter
1st-HYPOINTE MONARCH EXPRESS, F1704239, pointer female, by Springflow's Backcountry P-Apple Annie's Sweet Delight. Russell Fazio, owner and handler.
2d-DOUBLE DEUCE MILES, F1691405, pointer male, by Double Deuce Zeke-Bucket List Bella. Douglas E. McMillen Jr., owner and handler.
3d-DUN ROVEN'S CODY, F1701977, setter male, by Dun Rovens Zip-Dun Rovens Soozee. Mark Fernandez, owner and handler.

Judges: Kevin Kline and Doug McMillen Jr.
AMATEUR DERBY - 8 Pointers and 1 Setter
1st-HITAIL ROLLING DIXIE, F1714644, pointer female, by Hifives Rolling Stone-Speed Dialing Kaia. Russell Fazio, owner and handler.
2d-HITAIL PERFECT STORM, F1720599, setter female, by Dun Rovens Zip-Castle Rock's Autumn Breeze. Russell Fazio, owner and handler.
3d-MILLIE THYME RYE, F1713588, pointer female, by Cal Peak Hundredth Meridian-Double Deuce Sage. Joanna Sampson, owner and handler.