dogs amassing more than 500 AKC sport titles. “It was humbling to learn that I had been selected as a Sport Breeder of the year in 2016. Representing Westies in Earthdog by having bred the most ME titled dogs over the course of time, is an honor and privilege to represent my breed, the West Highland White Terrier. “I started in AWTA Earthdog before it became an AKC event and partici- pated in the first AKC tests. To date, my dogs have amassed 17 Master Earthdog, 18 Senior Earthdog, 18 Junior Earthdog and four Certificate of Gameness titles. I currently judge Conformation, Track- ing, Rally, Earthdog, Barn Hunt and Junior Showmanship.” Martin finishes with this advice: “Follow your dreams and passions; you never know where they will lead you down the road of life.” AL & CINDY CROPEK Pointing Field Events, Brittany Spaniels “We have always taken a lot of pride when it comes to breeding our Britta- nys and we have strived to breed dual national quality Brittanys. Even though we don’t show our dogs ourselves in conformation, we have used profession- al handlers through the years. “Cindy started field trialing in 1977 and I myself in 1991 when we started dating. God has blessed us with 15 National Gun Dog placements. We have won the National Gun Dog Champion- ship five times with four of them out of our breeding. “We are also very proud to be the breeders of 2016 National Amateur Gun Dog Champion FC/AFC High Hopes Little Ann owned and handled by Dan Riedl. We could not have received this honor without the peo- ple who have bought and campaigned our dogs through the years; but most importantly are the breeders before us that have given us amazing lines to work with. “Our special thanks go to the owners of the stud dogs we have used through the years. We believe our success has come from going outside of our own kennel and using national blood lines to keep improving the breed at a dual national level. “Cindy and I are grateful to the American Kennel Club for this special recognition in Pointing Field Events.”
Below, Left to right: “Andy”, Ch. Dawn’s Up N’ The Ante TD JE RE ROM; “Sunny”, Ch. Dawn’s Sunshine N’ The Poconos TD SE RE; “Girlfriend”, the dam, Ch. Dawn’s Maid N’ America TD ME RE ROMX PROMX (she was born during the attack on the Twin Towers on 9/11, finished her Championship on Memorial Day and her brother, Ch. Dawn’s Born N’ The USA VCD2 CDX TDX ME OAP OJP RE completed his Championship on the Fourth of July); “Curly”, Ch. Am/Can Dawn's Disorder N' The Court TD SE RE ROM RATO and “Gigi”, Dawn’s Goodbye Girl TDX RE RATN.
Above: Dawn Martin’s West Highland White Terrier breeding program has produced over 150 Champions and over 500 AKC Sport titles.
Above: 2013 & 2014 National Gun Dog Champion DC/AFC High Hopes Dark Nite Right: Al & Cindy Cropek and granddaughters winning the National Gun Dog Championship in 2006 with FC/AFC High Hopes Tar’s Dot Com.
DAWN MARTIN Earthdog, West Highland White Terriers
“Knowledgeable breeders are criti- cal to the continued success of canine sports. These breeders have shown a long-term dedication to enhanc- ing breed instincts and to breeding sound dogs with good temperaments,” said Doug Ljungren, Vice President for Sports and Events. “Their accom- plishments represent the highest level of commitment to their breeds and sports.” The American Kennel Club salutes these individuals for their dedi- cation and success in breeding purpose- bred dogs. I had the privilege to speak to some of these honorees about the reward- ing aspects of breeding purpose- bred performance dogs. Here’s what they shared:
“Everyone who knows me can attest to my passion for the world of dogs in performance. Participating in many dif- ferent sports is my passion in purebred dogs. From the very first title—a CD on my foundation Westie bitch Abigail— through the current in-residence dogs, I believe in having titles on both ends of their names. My breeding program has a commitment to ‘form follows func- tion,’ that I have stayed true to over the course of 30+ years in dogs. “I have bred more than 150 Wes- tie Champions and of those dogs, I am proud to report that more than half are also AKC performance titled
42 • S how S ight M agazine , F ebruary 2017
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