THE OWNER HANDLER
JENNIFER REDFERN
our property. My dad took him to our grandparents’ vet. “Pup” lived with us for eight or nine years before crossing that Rainbow Bridge. Our next pet was a Samoyed, “Queenie.” Dad brought her to us from Alaska where he had delivered hay. Queenie lived with us for seven years before succumbing to complications from cancer. Then I met my first husband who had a young St. Bernard puppy named “Max.” Since then, we’ve owned an English Cocker Spaniel that was stolen from our yard; then a Shetland Sheepdog. Travelling back and forth to Germany with the military, we came across many purebred dog enthusiasts and had friends in one of the German Shepherd clubs. While sta- tioned at Ft. Lewis, Washington, near my hometown of Puyal- lup, I began going to the Winter and Summer AKC Clusters at the Washington State Fairgrounds to watch the shows that are held there. Before I knew it, I was holding dogs for people who were rushing in and out of show rings. I was thrilled to be involved in some capacity. I retired from the military in 2010, and a few months later, my heart dog, a Lhasa mix, passed away. My husband soon decided that we needed another dog. He liked the Min Pin mix that our son and daughter-in-law had. The Puyallup Winter Cluster was going on, so I headed down to the show to seek out Miniature Pinschers. I fell in love, however, with a Border Terrier. (My husband was not a fan.) Well, the next day, I met what I thought at first was a Doberman puppy; I was quickly corrected by the owner. The handsome black and rust-colored male was, in fact, a German Pinscher. On the third day of the cluster, I took my husband to meet this boy. At that time, the breeders asked if we would be willing to adopt their foundation girl and, before we knew it, we had a new pet dog. I continued to visit the Puyallup shows for a few years and stayed in touch with “Bahn’s” former owners. They were pleased with how we were doing with her and asked me to raise their next pick-of-the-litter male. The catch? He had to be made available for shows. In October of 2013, I entered the show ring at Ridge- field for the first time as the owner of a future champion. GCHS Immer Treu v Oakwood Braveheart, aka “Winston,” has taken me on an amazing ride. He is a hard-working boy with a nose for scentwork. He wants to please, and we have achieved titles in Nosework, AKC Scent Work and Barn Hunt, as well as in Obe- dience and Rally. Winston has his International Championship and Gold Championship with IABCA and his UKC Champi- onship. We even accomplished his CGC, CGCA, and CGCU as well as his ATT and Farm Dog Certification. Winston enjoys hunting rats and mice when we are at my sister and brother-in- law’s family farm, and he shows instinct for pushing cows. 2. How many years in dogs? How many as an Owner Handler? I have only been involved in the sport of dog shows and per- formance events for eight years. For all of those years I showed my own dog. I have competed in the Owner-Handled com- petition for seven years with two German Pinschers, “Win- ston,” and his daughter, GCHB Oakwoods Chanel No. 5, aka “Gabi.”
I am from Puyallup, Washington. I am the granddaughter of dairy farmers and I showed dairy cattle in 4-H. I attended Wash- ington State University, but left to join the military in order to pay for further education. I eventually graduated from University of Maryland European Campus with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and Management Studies. After retirement from the US Army, I earned a certificate as a Master Gardener with Wash- ington State University. (I am definitely a WSU Fan.) I am married, with two adult children. My husband and I were both in law enforcement in the US Army and we both retired as Chief Warrant Officer Five. We both served in the Military Police and US Army Criminal Investigation Command as Special Agents. We have both led very competitive lives. I was the first female CW5 Military Police, serving as a CID Special Agent. We worked alongside Military Police Working Dogs and we appreciate the relationship between a dog and its adult partner. One of my sisters is also a German Pinscher owner and an Owner Handler. Our daughter served in the Army for six years in Civil Affairs, serving two tours in Kuwait and Iraq. She is a dog lover too. Our son is an accomplished chef. I am a lay minister and pastor. My dog, “Winston,” is not only a show dog, he was also raised along- side our transient population that we feed in an outreach program through our church. I believe in the healing properties that our canine companions can provide. Winston is one of those special dogs; he senses when to turn off the guarding instinct and become a stabilizing presence for a person in distress. I saw this with an autistic boy who had Winston’s head in a vice grip, and another time when he led me to a woman having an emotional meltdown in a parking lot where he placed his head in her lap until she could get herself together. I see other dogs doing similarly great things, with little prompting or notice from passersby… even at dog shows. I love the community the dog world has brought me to. 1. When were you first introduced to the sport of purebred dogs? To your breed? Since my childhood, we have owned purebred dogs. Our first dog was a Sussex Spaniel who wandered, in bad shape, onto
138 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 2022
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