A three-year-old German Longhaired Pointer from Andover has won the Kennel Club Hunt, Point and Retrieve (HPR) Championship, which took place at the Swinton Estate in North Yorkshire recently.
Wamilanghaar Tash, known as Tashi, beat some of the UK’s most talented working dogs from the HPR breeds and impressed the judges with his working flair alongside his owner Howard Kirby, of Andover, Hampshire.
“Tashi is one of those once-in-a-lifetime dogs,” Mr Kirby said. “We became a partnership by accident as he had become a bit of a handful for his owners as a companion dog and they felt he would be better suited to a working home.”
“When I collected him he was 14 months old and had done some basic training. It was obvious from the outset to me that this fella seemed to have what it takes. He learned new things really quickly and although he’s a real powerhouse he’s very trainable. About six months into his pointing work I remember thinking, ‘This dog could go all the way’.”
“It’s just fantastic to think that less than two years later he’s competing against the top HPRs in the country and has won this championship. I’m delighted.”
KC secretary Caroline Kisko said: “We’re thrilled for Howard and Tashi on their victory. The HPR Championship is designed specifically to test the dogs’ quartering, hunting and retrieving skills at championship level and is an opportunity for owners of HPR breeds to demonstrate the working skills of their dogs in a competitive setting.”
“The venue provided a stunning backdrop for some of the most talented dogs within the HPR community to show off their flair for working despite the poor weather conditions, and it was great to see the strong relationships between dogs and owners being put to use in the competition.”
“We wish Howard and Tashi and all the other dogs and handlers who competed in the championship, a long and successful future in the sport.”
Second place in the championship went to German Shorthaired Pointer Peersofdale’s Highlander, owned and handled by Jane Herbert.
To qualify for the event, dogs had to have gained a first or second place in an open hunt, point and retrieve field trial, and the qualifying award must have been gained in the two preceding seasons.
Reproduced with kind permission of www.dogworld.co.uk
