The Girls

Meg

Meg

Meg was purchased as a 7 week old pup from one of the first litters sired by NFC-AFC Storm’s Riptide Star (”Rascal”). The breeding had occurred prior to Rascal winning the ‘96 National, so the price was a steal. We had avoided chocolates over the years but decided to take a chance since the pedigrees were predominantly black. It turned out to be a very wise decision.

Meg is a beautiful 70 lb. female with impeccable temperament and a tremendous desire to retrieve. She is an excellent, close-working pheasant dog and loves to hunt ducks and doves as well. In earning her Junior and Senior Hunter titles she impressed judges and galleries alike with her phenomenal water entry.

At a Junior Hunt test event for the Bootheel Retriever Club, Meg’s performance in the water test drew an audible gasp from the gallery and a sincerely admiring expletive from one of the judges (”%$#&@!!!” – or something to that effect). We are pretty used to the way she launches herself into the ponds back home where we train, but we could hardly believe it ourselves. She sailed through the air, clearing an old log that was floating about 15 feet from shore. Every other dog had chosen to swim around it. It was a feat of such fearlessness and flair that it took our breath away – and it was as natural to her as her love of retrieving.

Meg has not competed at the Master level due to time constraints and the demands of motherhood. She has whelped 4 litters of pups with glowing results and she has been an excellent mother in every respect. Children and adults alike have been dazzled by Meg’s wonderful disposition and her complete faith in humans.

Meg is dark chocolate and weighs 70 lbs.

Meg is now retired from competition and breeding.

Ruff

Ruff

Ruff was born in May of 2000 just prior to our move to Little Wappaoolah. She was our pick of a litter out of Haley( Blindfaiths Renegade MH) and Bubba( FC-AFC Hilltops Hayseed) that has done very well. One of Ruff’s sisters is Nebo’s Millenium Jade*** who is close to getting her FC-AFC, winning the open at Yuma ( 10-26-2007) and nearly winning the Am. Ruff’s training suffered some setbacks due to the many problems inherent in building a new house, kennels and farm from scratch. In spite of the delays, she quickly obtained her Junior Hunter title. We began running her in Senior, took some time out for her first litter of puppies, and were pleased to have her finish her Senior title with three straight qualifying scores.

Ruff is an exceptional upland dog and hunts pheasants with great exuberance. She is affectionate and eager to please. Ruff weighs in at 60-65 lbs. and is medium yellow.

Ruff has had 6 beautiful litters of puppies and in each case performed all of her matronly duties perfectly. Ruff is very stylish and an excellent marker. She earned her UKC HRCH title in early October, 2005  and then her AKC master title in late October,2005. She had a great year and ended 2005 by being bred to Pic for a repeat of the breeding of one we did for her first litter two years ago.  Ruff was bred to Pic once again in 2007, picking up a few additional master passes before and after the litter. She was bred to Riparian Windfall*** for a spring 2008 litter and to our Morgan for a winter 2008-9 litter. One of those puppies, True, owned by long time pro, Paul Shoemaker of Washington state won a field trial puppy stake the day he turned 3 months old!! No collar, no lead and delivered to hand!! WE WILL repeat the breeding for Ruff’s last litter and we will be keeping a yellow female.

Ruff needs two master passes to join her mother, Haley, and grandmother, Mindy, in the Backwater Retriever Club Hall of Fame.

Maggie

Maggie

Maggie was one of our own pups, born on our farm in July 2001, and she certainly took after her mother, Meg. Like Meg, Maggie was wild to retrieve and had a water entry that could rival many a “Big Air” dog on ESPN. Maggie was very stylish in and out of the water. Her temperament was an extraordinarily happy one and she was very loving and affectionate. Maggie was a fine upland gundog, working close and retrieving with gusto.

Maggie weighed 70 lbs and is a deep, shiny chocolate with golden eyes. She had a beautiful head and a wonderful “otter” tail. Maggie was probably the best looking lab we’ve ever had and her puppies have followed suit.

Maggie  had five litters (December, 2004, June 2006, August 2007 , July 2008 and March 22, 2009). The puppies were beautiful and she was a great mother in every way. Maggie was to continue her handling work along with our other dogs and then spend the rest of her days hunting and raising beautiful lab puppies that bring happiness into each and every home they enter. Unfortunately Maggie passed away on December 10, 2009 after a short illness. We are content to know that she waits for us at The Bridge and that she is enjoying hiding in the deep grass, waiting to chase some unsuspecting canine friend who comes close. Till we meet once again, Adios, Maggadocio.

 

Sophie

Sophie
  • HRCH Ten Bears Dream Catcher MH
  • FC-AFC High Tech CEO x
    HRCH Rascal’s Chocolate Pie MH, QAA
  • DOB: November 12, 2002
  • OFA: LR-147352G24F-PI ; LR-EL24949F24-PI
  • CERF: LR-39764/2004–19
  • CNM: Clear
  • EIC: Carrier( see below)
  • Download Sophie’s Pedigree (120 KB PDF)
  • View Sophie’s Photo Gallery

We purchased Sophie in April 2004 and we knew we had a lady on our hands. Although she had never been a house dog, Sophie’s manners were impeccable when we brought her inside to stay. The first thing she did was to pick up a pair of rolled up socks which had fallen from the laundry basket and bring them to Marcia, who held out her hand and said, “Thank you.” Sophie gave them up most graciously.

Sophie completed her SH title at Central Kentucky in the  spring of 2005 and promply reeled off 10 straight UKC Finished passes to obtain her HRCH title at age 2 1/2. Sophie passed four AKC Masters while still two and completed her MH title this spring a mere 3 weeks after her puppies went to homes. During the 2007 season Sophie qualified for the Backwater Retriever Club Hall of Fame and was inducted on January 26,2008, making Sophie and Linc our 3rd and 4th dogs so inducted. Sophie will continue running HT’s along with trying her hand at some field trial qualifyings and she will be the primary gundog of her faithful owner, Big Bill.

Sophie is eager to please and runs hard, swims hard, goes hard. She is intensely focused when she is at your side and she handles like a dream. Sophie is an exceptionally good lining dog and she ran blinds at eighteen months usually reserved for much older dogs. Sophie has numerous full siblings with hunt test titles and running in field trial all-age stakes.

Sophie has had three litters,one sired by GRHRCH UH Dakota’s Cajun Roux MH and two sired by Ten Bears Road Trip***. First litter is doing very well and the second is doing exceptionally well with 5 of the 7 now with professional trainers. Pups from Sophie’s third litter are now in homes, some with pros and some with hunt tests titles already!

Sophie is black (chocolate factored). She weighs 60 lbs.

Sophie is an eic carrier and so will be bred only to eic clear studs. Puppies will be eic tested at age 3 days so that buyers will know whether pups are carriers or not. Please call for specifics and see the official website dealing with eic ( www.vdl.umn.edu). Sophie is a wonderful dog who has produced wonderful pupppies!

Ripley

Ripley
  • Blindfaiths Ain’t No Foolin’  ( Ripley has been sold)
  • DOB: April 1, 2007
  • Blindfaiths Pick A Blue Moon MH x HRCH Blindfaiths Ruffian MH
  • CERF: LR-50850/2008–18
  • OFA  LR-182506E27F-VPI; LR-EL44031F27-VPI
  • CNM: Clear (by parentage)
  • EIC: Carrier
  • Download Ripley’s Pedigree (18 KB PDF)

Ripley is a big (70 lbs ), stylish young yellow female who began her hunt test career in the junior at Central Kentucky on October 27, 2007. Ripley passed her first junior at the ripe old age of 6 months 27 days, by far the youngest dog entered. We have high hopes for Ripley to continue in the footsteps of her mother, grandmother and great grandmother. At the present time Ripley has had her first few introductions to Illinois pheasant hunting and she performed remarkably, flushing and retrieving numerous birds. She caught on fast…so far, so good!

Ripley is progressing very well in her handling work ( running her first cold blinds after finishing the swim-by) and is an excellent marking dog.  She is very stylish and eager to please. We  reluctantly decided to sell her as a gundog or competitive dog . The only reason we sold Ripley is that she is an eic carrier and we would rather not go to the trouble of ” breeding around” that condition as we do with Sophie. Ripley is a relatively soft dog and does not need much pressure.  She is a nice dog in the house. Ripley had her hips and elbows x-rayed at Dr. Maury Link’s in Madison, Wi. on July 15  and they have came back Excellent and Normal so she is set to go.

Lily

Lily
  • Blindfaith’s Lil’ Brown
  • DOB: April 19, 2008
  • Wing Magic’s Louisiana Roux MH, QAA x Somedays Sweet Lean’n Mean MH
  • CERF: LR-54223/2008-6
  • CNM: Clear (by parentage)
  • EIC: Clear
  • Download Lily’s Pedigree (18 KB PDF)

Lily is a dark chocolate female which we purchased from Cypress Creek in Texas. She was born on Bill’s birthday after we thought we had lost out. The pups were whelped and we did not get our female or so we thought. When Louann Orms awoke in the morning there was another chocolate female! Lily has done well in her training, loves to retrieve and goes like a rocket. She’s a little small at 15 months, weighing in at 50 pounds,  but makes up for it with a big spirit. She hunted her first pheasants in January ‘09 and will probably run her first hunt tests in the fall.

Lily is doing well with her beginning handling training and will have hip/elbow prelims done soon, probably after August 7 so that we can do Bustin’s as well.

ZIVA ( picture to come)

      Blindfaiths Hot Buttered Rum

      DOB: July 18, 2009

      HRCH Maple Creeks Captain Morgan MH  x  HRCH Blindfaith’s Ruffian MH

      CERF clear

      EIC & CNM: clear by parentage