Result: Region 14 Amateur Shooting Dog Championship

Location: Kirkpatrick Lake, Alberta

Post Date: Oct 5, 2026

Submitted By: Andrew Baisley

Region 14 Amateur Shooting Dog Championship. Foreground: Colin Kennedy, Austin Turley with Twice The Dream, Ryan Jones with Ready Or Not, Keith Anderson. Behind (l-r). Aiden and Ashley MacDonald, Madison, Linda and John Raymond, Jeanette Heise, Curtis Raymond, Michelle Turley, Lou Qualtiere, Kelly Anderson, Andrew Baisely (judge), Sheldon Rogers (judge), Lisa, Ben, Rhyer and Raya Bozak. Camp Corgi drawn to the Purina.

The Region 14 Amateur Shooting Dog Championship was contested September 4th, south of Kirkpatrick Lake, Alberta, run in one-hour heats over native prairie chicken and Hungarian partridge across six hard fought braces, the field trimmed to twelve dogs after a handful of last-minute emergency scratches just before the draw. This year marks the 62nd anniversary of trials being run from this camp, ground steeped in as much history as any this Regional Championship event has called home. The course casts out across true native prairie interspersed with bluffs, a true blessing for judges looking to sort out which dogs can take a line, commit to an objective, and string it all together efficiently. Fall was unmistakably in the air. Hayfields lay half shorn of their last cut, wedges of geese cackled their way south overhead, and the first cold breath out of the north was already at everyone's collar as the Championship got underway. Highs held around twenty until the sun finally broke free near noon. Heading into the final two braces a hard cold front rolled through, and the mercury settled for good, and the balance of the weekend played out under a lid of mist and fog the sun never managed to totally burn off. The Championship served as the traditional curtain raiser to the Big Country Field Trial Club's three-day trial, which followed on the neighboring grounds September 5th through 7th.

Twice the Dream, the female setter handled by Colin Kennedy, was crowned Champion with a run that was pure class from post to post. She piled up two handsome finds and wore her character on game with real authority, and though she ran a shade too wild for her handler's liking at times, she always found her way home to the objectives that counted. Runner up Champion went to Ready or Not, the female pointer handled by Keith Anderson, who opened cautiously before a nice piece of work on a relocate got her rolling, and closed with a second half surge that had her filling the country and hitting her marks all the way to the wire. The course gave both dogs a true test, one that rewards tight handling and hard hunting in equal measure, and each made the most of the chance to show what a big going shooting dog can do.

The Championship was placed in capable hands, with Sheldon Rogers of Saskatchewan and Andrew Baisley of Alberta sharing the judging duties.

Thanks go out to Purina for sponsoring the event, and to the club's gracious landowners for opening their ground to the sport: the Scoville, Crowle, Nelson, Didora, and Suntjens families. Thanks as well to everyone who stepped up to make the Championship run smoothly, from those who provided horses for the judges to the crews who saw to set up, cooking, marshalling, driving the dog wagons, and laying out the courses.

THE WINNERS AND OTHERS
Twice the Dream cut an impressive figure across the native prairie, threading the interspersed bluffs with real snap to her cast and a nose that never quit working. Both of her finds were handled with the kind of poise judges remember: birds pinned, wings up, all business. She had her moments of running a shade too far out ahead of Kennedy for comfort, but she always answered the call, swinging back into the course and the objectives in front of her right when it mattered most.

Ready or Not, the pointer under Keith Anderson, needed a few minutes to find her feet, but once she did there was no looking back. A well-handled relocate turned a promising point into a solid piece of bird work, and from there she came alive, stretching into the second half of her hour with real purpose and finishing strong enough to leave no doubt she'd earned the Runner-up Championship.

THE RUNNING
Ready or Not (K. Anderson) - Touch's Cowboy's Work (A. Turley). The second brace belonged to Ready or Not from the drop of the flag. At 35 she settled in behind Touches A Cowboy's Work for a clean back. Sent on again at 40, she was handled to a relocate that turned into a find worth having, producing a bird cleanly for Anderson. She finished out her hour stretched to the front across a big open hayfield, covering country with real purpose.

Twice the Dream (C. Kennedy) - Touch's Amazing Grace (A. Turley). The third brace was all Twice the Dream. Touches Amazing Grace came up empty on a relocate and was picked up. Kennedy's setter broke away with a big, powerful cast and never let up, showing exceptional character on game all hour and standing her birds staunchly at fifty and sixty yards, further out than most dogs care to commit. Her first find, at 10, was actually picked up first by bracemate's handler Turley, and produced a nice covey of about six birds. Her second, in another small depression thick with cover, came at 35 and produced a pair of sharptails.

Birds were pretty good giving most dogs an opportunity. About half of the dogs were picked up for a breach of manners on their opportunity and a few for not pleasing their handlers. And a few made it through the hour but finished birdless.

Kirkpatrick Lake, Alberta, September 4
Judges: Sheldon Rogers and Andrew Baisely
REGION 14 AMATEUR SHOOTING DOG CHAMPIONSHIP [One-Hour Heats] - 11 Pointers and 1 Setter
Winner-TWICE THE DREAM, F1686662, setter female, by P W Sunrise-Annie Mountain Breeze. Colin Kennedy, owner and handler.
Runner-Up-READY OR NOT, F1708651, pointer female, by Seranoa's Valley Below-Affinity. Keith Anderson owner and handler.

Big Country Field Trial Club

Kirkpatrick Lake, Alberta, September 5
Judges: Ryan Jones and Louis Qualtiere
OPEN SHOOTING DOG - 8 Pointers and 2 Brittanys
1st-READY OR NOT, F1708651, pointer female, by Seranoa's Valley Below-Affinity. Keith Anderson, owner and handler.
2d-GUNDRIFTER, F1698029, pointer male, by Touch's Diamante-Ten Oaks Annie A. Rodney John Raymond, owner and handler.

Judges: Sig Guggenmoos and Austin Turley
OPEN DERBY - 3 Pointers
1st-EM REBEL RYE, TL078073, pointer male, by The Alberta Clipper-EM One Hit Wonder. Ryan Jones, owner and handler.

Judges: Andrew Baisley and Sig Guggenmoos
HAUK MEMORIAL AMATEUR SHOOTING DOG - 8 Pointers and 1 Setter
1st-READY OR NOT, F1708651, pointer female, by Seranoa's Valley Below-Affinity. Keith Anderson, owner and handler.
2d-TEN OAKS MAGGIE MAE, F1697901, pointer female, by Touch's Diamante-Ten Oaks Annie. Jeanette Heise & Lou Qualtiere, owners; Lou Qualtiere, handler.
3d-BELLS YELLOWSTONE PRIDE, F1687338, pointer female, by Touch's Diamante-Bellita. Keith Anderson, owner and handler.

AMATEUR DERBY - 3 Pointers
1st-EM HILL BILLY BONE, TL09500, pointer male, by The Alberta Clipper-EM One Hit Wonder. Ryan Jones, owner and handler.