Leanne Mallini
As part of the Spinoni National Specialty, NAVHDA and AKC Hunt Tests were held Sat-Mon prior to the main SCOA National activities, on the beautiful grounds of, and sponsored by the Appalachian Valley NAVHDA Chapter in Tuppers Plains, Ohio, 2-1/2 hours south of Weirton.
(3) Spinoni participated in the NAVHDA UPT and NA tests on Saturday and Sunday, and at least (17) Spinoni were in attendance for the AKC Hunt Tests and Water Tests on Monday! There were also several Spinoni who participated as cleanup crew, collecting un-retrieved bumpers and ducks, showing the rest of us how it should be done, with grace and class.
The weather was beautiful even when a front moved through Sat as the Spinoni appreciated the cooler side of things. It was a challenging and fun 3-day handler and Spinoni working event, side by side with other pointing/versatile breeds. The stats on collective NAVHDA Prize and AKC qualifying scores and new Hunt titles are typically released on the NAVHDA and AKC websites, but all did fantastic, enjoying field & water work and gaining valuable lessons that can only be learned from what experience can teach.
Big congratulations to all the Spinoni who attended!! What was equally impressive was to see both the handler and their Spinoni transformation from Field to Conformation, seemingly effortlessly! "Seemingly" indeed! Outside of the normal grooming process, adding in burr & sticker removal, esp. those in-between foot pad areas, removing pond scum and feathers from those lovely ears and beards, insect bite care on both dog and human, and not to mention the pack up of field gear and re-setup of conformation gear 2-1/2 hours away.
In the old days, there was no transformation- straight from the field to the ring, but this crew has it down and did it well- the dogs looked amazing in Weirton without a trace of field dirt, without missing a step. In the end, it was wonderful all the way around - Hunter Orange to Evening Wear -Gotta love it!