J&A's The Story Behind the Story

The American Kennel Club's "Breeder of Merit" program began in October 2010.  In May 2011 John and I became enrolled as a result of meeting the current qualifications. This included:

• A history of at least 5 years involvement with AKC events
• Having bred a minimum of 4 dogs from AKC litters that had earned AKC Conformation, Performance, or Companion event titles in our Breed.
• A member in good standing of an AKC club.
• Certifying that applicable health screens are performed on animals that we breed as recommended by the American Brittany Club
• Demonstrating a commitment to ensure 100% of our puppies are individually AKC registered. 

Recently, we were very proud to discover we qualified for the AKC BRONZE Breeder of Merit, an advanced level of achievement and recognition. The additional requirements we have met for the BRONZE level include:

• Currently enrolled as a Breeder of Merit
• Provide PROOF of American Brittany Club's required health testing on sires/dams of litters
• Met our commitment of ensuring ALL puppies get registered
• Have had a minimum of 10 dogs earning titles with at least 5 of the titled dogs earning a prefix title (champion in all venues) and suffix titles in conformation, companion, and performance events. 

We've always been breeders of close working gundogs.  It's not a catchy phrase to promote our program.  It's who we are, who we have always been. Our preference was to simply stay in the woods and the fields with our Brittanys. We never had a desire to do much more than 'hunt em up'! Until a good friend said to me, if we wanted to be taken seriously as breeders, we should get involved.  

What did get involved mean?  Well, we discovered it meant meeting other Brittany owners and breeders, join the Brittany club, and support it's events. Then we had others say to us, "your dogs are beautiful, did you ever think about showing?" Well no, I absolute had not and had no desire to do so.  I was encouraged to give it a try although at that point in time I couldn't understand the importance of it.  

I jumped in feet first, without any experience or understanding of showing. Oh the stories I could tell of how I felt like a court jester when showing my dog!  And for years (and I mean YEARS!) when I showed, it was basically 'point fodder' for others.  But that is another story and that's okay! I was the one that the judge said he'd never seen anyone so excited to earn a second place red ribbon!  Hey, I earned a ribbon and I didn't care what color it was. 

So you get the picture.  Eventually my dear friend Julie Harris came into my life and between the two of us, we were determined to show to the best of our ability.  I can't tell you how much money and time we invested before achieving much more than a placement. (In time, we made a decision to enlist the assistance of a most amazing professional dog handler, J.M. Coccia.  Joyce finished Julie's BulletMan and shortly after that, finished our Pippin!) Julie and I improved our handling skills and our grit and determination grew stronger. It's a long story, a road full of twists and turns involving a lot of really super wonderful people. If they are reading this, I'm confident they know I'm talking about them.  And those who were not so 'really super wonderful' I bet they know who they are too! 

I am not a fan of showing dogs. But I believe in the purpose of showing my hunting dogs. Having said that, some of the best times with my dogs have been 'dog show weekends'. And now I really miss them. 

While there surely are many other breeders who have achieved far greater and grander accomplishments than the Bronze Breeder of Merit recognition, for me personally this is very humbling, significant and deeply meaningful.  In just 6 years, from 2012 to 2018 seven hunting dogs that we bred finished their AKC Championship, including one incredible girl who finished as a Grand Champion.

Last summer I showed Revere at the age of 12 months.  We only had 3 dog show weekends together. In that time he won Best in Sweepstakes, Best of Breed, Best Bred By Exhibitor, Group 4 Bred by Exhibitor and a 3 point major! And then, I fell in the ring and tore my hamstring. I went to physical therapy until everything shut down. But the story's not over.  It's just on hold. 

John will continue to title and finish hunting dogs. And we even hope to have a field champion someday - with my ultimate dream of a Dual Champion (both field and show). 

Thank you to everyone in our extended ATB Family who has jumped in feet first just like I did and finished your Brittany in any number of purebred dog sports! You found out it was fun to do something with your dog, that you could indeed compete and finish what you started!  YOU are the reason we are Breeders of Merit (Bronze Level) because you believe in our program, you get us, and understand what we're about.  No, we've never forced anyone but it's always ALWAYS been such a joy to see the determination you demonstrate. We have ENJOYED and will continue to enjoy guiding and encouraging others to step into a world beyond bird hunting! We are blessed. And we truly love you all. 

Our 7 champions and 1 grand champion that John and I bred are highlighted in the column over to the right. Someday I'm going to list ALL of our titled hunting dogs. Some really deserve a shout out for going above and beyond. 

(See John and Ann's Brittany Story for more about us)