The Fall of 2013 was a great season for us.  Riley started to show us the consistency we've been looking for and quickly qualified to run at gun dog nationals.  Riley placed first and second in the Amateur and Open Gun Dog stakes at the Buckeye Brittany Club, 3rd and 2nd in the Open and Amateur Gun Dog stakes at the Michigan Saginaw Valley Brittany Club and 4th in the Open Limited Gun Dog stake at the Southern Michigan Weimaraner Club.  He qualified and ran in both the open and amateur gun dog nationals, where he put down beautiful runs but showed his youth around birds.  We'll be home with our second child in the spring and will be sending Riley with professional trainer Jimmy Johnson.  We can't wait to see what those two will accomplish together.  

Annie has been battling a soft tissue shoulder injury, so we restricted her running this fall to focus on nationals.  She qualified for nationals by placing 1st in a 25-dog Open Gun Dog stake hosted by the Michigan Saginaw Valley Brittany Club.  At nationals, Annie made us proud and was posted (meaning the judges felt she ran a championship-caliber performance) at Amateur Gun Dog Nationals but did not earn a placement.  Her birdwork was beautiful and she showed a lot of grit, but her shoulder slowed her down significantly at the end of the hour.  Allison and I have decided to retire Annie and let her focus on being a mom.  She was a tremendous dog for us and we have a shelf full of ribbons and a mantle full of plaques to prove it.  We look forward to accomplishing great things with her puppies starting next fall.