The sunscreen was put away and rain gear brought out as a wet, windy day greeted the competitors for the commencement of the seventh series. Harry and Risa Loyens provided the use of their property, with beautiful man-made ponds and a cottage on the edge of one of the larger ponds. The judges made full use of the covered veranda and rocking chairs and set the test up in front of the cottage. The tents provide by Purina and Iams were greatly appreciated by workers and gallery alike in their attempts to stay dry. Purina again provided a well-received complementary breakfast.

Test 7 Water Triple - left	Test 7 Rt.

 

The test was a water triple with two retired guns and an honour. The center bird on a point at 90 yards, fired first, throwing a drake left into stump and stick-infested water. When the gunners sat down they effectively disappeared. The second gun standing on shore to the left at 114 yards, threw a drake, along the shoreline then retired. The go bird gunners, at 100 yards, stood along a bush line 20 yards from shore and threw a drake left along the bush line.

The dogs ran from a gravel driveway in front of the cottage, down a step bank to the waters edge. To retrieve the go bird they crossed 75 yards of lunging water then up a steep bank to the bush line. To retrieve the center bird they swam across 70 yards of open water, then negotiated 20 yards of logs and weeds. The memory bird required a difficult angle entry and a swim across open water with some weeds at the end.

Thunderstorms and rain caused a short delay, but at 0850 female test dog Pilkingtons Kayte Of Southgate, owned by Bill Cummings and handled by Al Haggerty ran. Male test dog She Kon Kawera Honti, owned and handled by Jim Green then ran.

Both test dogs had little trouble with the go bird, but had a hunt on the center bird and both landed early on the left bird.

Dog # 44 FTCH AFTCH Prairie Marsh’s Duckman, owned by Norm Elder, and handled by Colin McNicol was the first competitor.

At 1630 the test was finished and the following dogs were dropped, #’s 11, 14, 22, 29, 36, 44 and 57.

Test eight, a 282 yards water blind, was set up in another pond on the Loyens’s property. It consisted of a no picture blind, starting behind a small mound. The perfect line demanded the dogs run downhill, over a pine tree laid in their path, into the water. They had to swim to, then cross the tip of a scented point, re-enter the water, cross another scented point, re-enter the water again, then swim past several goose decoys and a gunner in a boat.

Test dogs Pilkingtons Kayte Of Southgate and She Kon Kawera Honti ran and at 1800 dog # 59 FTCH AFTCH Comstocks Bodacious started the series. The judges stopped the test due to darkness after 12 dogs, and will run the remaining dogs in the morning. With the blind to finish, plus land marks and water marks left to do, it should be a busy day tomorrow.

Judges (L to R) Gerry Burmaster, Harry Steingart and Graham Tyler	Head Marshal Gerry Pozzebon giving instructions