Bill and Tatoo with the trophy from his
CACT
field trial win. The first
American owned Breton to win a CACT in France and the first American handler
to do so!
We
own a wild pheasant hunting lodge and our first priority is dogs that
perform at a superior level in the field.
The total dog concept utilized by France
has successfully preserved the breed throughout all these decades in the
country of origin, and it is this concept of the "total dog" that we are
striving to maintain and promote at our kennels.
Therefore, in addition to Tatoo's field ability at our lodge and his trial
wins, he has also won two shows in France and gotten two CACS for those, and
he also won a rating of Excellent at the 2005 CEB's National Breed Show.
He has a Trialer title in
France, and with his wins in both Spring and Fall trials, plus his Excellent
win at the National Breed show in France, he is now rated by France as a
RECOMMENDED SIRE, a very elite rank in France and the only dog in America
with his accomplishments.
Field trials
in France are walking trials that are held on strictly wild birds. In the
spring it's partridge. FCI rules are exacting, the dogs must be steady to
wing and shot, must be under control of the handler, must not be verbally
encouraged, must quarter actively and point the birds with authority and the
drivers must handle quietly to name
just a few of the requirements. The trials are held on continuous courses, therefore no dog is
required to run over ground that has been previously covered by another dog.
Bill spent all of March 2005
in France participating in the field trials and handling Tatoo himself. This
was a first for any American to do, and wasn't an easy task considering the
language barriers. The first few that Tatoo were entered in were cancelled
due to snow (no training or trialing of dogs is allowed in France if there
is any amount of snow on the ground). Some alternative trials were entered
and by then
the snow melted and the
remaining trials went on as scheduled.
Tatoo had three excellent points during his run
at Fontaine where he won the CACT, and they were at distances
where they all required the couler which were
performed perfectly each time.
The judge, M. Louis, toldMr. Gubbe, who presented Bill with Tatoo's trophy, that Tatoo ran
an excellent course perfectly and was an excellent Breton.
In addition, Tatoo was also awarded a TRES BON in the field trial at Fresnoy
le Grande on March 26, 2005 which is in the north of France about 80 km from the
Belgium border. So we feel that coming home from France with two trophies made
for a very successful and rewarding trip as well as being a first for any
American handler!
Barrage at Fontaine.
