Chick was Joe's first field trial golden and provided him with many thrills and great memories. Joe trained her on his 300 acre hobby ranch while he was a professor of traffic engineering at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL.

On the advice of Dottie Ramsey, who owned Tigathoe's Funky Farquar, Joe purchased Chick as a puppy from her co-breeders - Mrs. George (Torch) Flinn and Mrs Robert (Pat) Sadler. Joe diligently trained and campaigned Chick to her titles and record number of field trial points. She won a double header at the Golden Retriever Club of America Specialty in 1975.

Chick was bred only once. Joe chose FC AFC Kinike Chancellor, who was then a prominent field trial golden from the famous breeding of Poika of Handjem and Shenandoah of Stilrovin. The breeding clicked and produced two AFC's and 2 others with all age placements.

Joe had several other goldens after Chick but none measured up to her prowess. He no longer actively runs field trials, but his ranch is still used many times each year by the Jacksonville Retriever Club for training groups and sanctioned and licensed Hunt Tests and Field Trials. Joe chairs some of these events and occasionally still judges licensed field trials.

Contributed to Working Retriever Central! by Jackie Mertens, Elgin, Illinois