Series Nine –
Water Double. The marshal said for all 12 dogs to at the field for 8:45 am with
the test dogs being called to the line at that time. However, Mother Nature
decided not to go along with the plan. We were under a rain delay until after
11:00 am when test dog Doc and Judy came to the line. After about another 30
minute delay after the test dogs ran, our first running dog #10 Johnny came to
the line at 11:50 am. He received the only no bird, (the only other no bird
came to the second to last running dog #7 Rain). The next dog #13 Songbird came
to the line at 11:51 am. One dog #30 was picked up. We were down to our last
two dogs #7 Rain and #8 Grit when the judges called for everybody to get out of
the field at 12:52 pm. Then at 1:33 pm the last two dogs were called to come to
the line. The ninth series was in the books at 1:45 pm. In the five hours we
spent at the ninth series test sight, we had a total of 63 minutes of competing
dogs, which means it took each dog 5.25 minute to complete their test. Two dogs
were dropped #30 and 32. Ten dogs were going on to the 10th and
final series.
Series Ten –
Water Double with a Drake Flyer. We have 10 dogs competing to be crowned the
2019 National Retriever Derby Club Champion. They are #7 Rain, #8 Grit, #10
Johnny, #13 Songbird, #14 Mona, #22 Lucy, #23 Pireaux, #26 J.J., #27 Willie and
#31 Shadow. A new test dog “Just” with handler Sue George was called to the
line at 2:31 pm. After the test dogs our first running dog #31 Shadow to the
line at 2:56 pm. The last ten Derby dogs seemed to handle this test. With no handles,
pick-ups, no birds, this test was in the books when the last running dog #27
Willie brought in his last bird at 4:14 pm.
This test took
one hour and seventeen minutes to complete and an average of 7.3 minute for
each of our 10 Finalists to complete their final test of the 2019 National
Retriever Derby Club Championship.