I have been married to my Wife Karen for over 39 years, and credit her with starting me in the canine sports. In 1982 I started showing dogs in conformation. We have lived in Colorado since 1979 and are active in many clubs in our region. We started showing GSPs in the early-1990s and have never looked back.
I started competing in Agility in 1996. I completed the AKC Judging Seminar in March 2005 and have judged many Agility National Specialties. I’ve judged twice at the AKC Nationals – first in 2012, and I was honored to judge Finals in 2013. I was a volunteer helper for the 1999 AKC Agility Nationals and was head of the scoring table for the 2001 AKC Agility Nationals, both hosted in Denver.
In 2015 I was one of three finalists for AKC’s Companion Events Lifetime achievement award, and in 2016 was honored as “Sportsman of the Year” for the German Pointer Club of America’s recognition.
I participated in both the 2009 and 2013 AKC Rules Advisory Committees held at AKC Headquarters in Raleigh and was pleased to meet the companion events staff. The experience allowed me to appreciate AKC operations in this sport and get to know the senior staff in the Agility Department. I participated in the formation of Time 2 Beat (T2B) with the AKC Agility Department and hosted the very first Special Exhibition of this event anywhere in the country at an event in Colorado.
More importantly to me, I’ve been happy to share this sport with my wife Karen, an AKC Conformation Judge, and participate in Conformation, Agility, Tracking, Rally, Obedience, and Hunt Testing. I am the Versatility Chairman for the German Shorthaired Pointer Club of America, and have been the Agility, Obedience, and Rally Trial Chairman for many GSPCA National Agility Trials. I’ve also been a Trial Chairman for our local Obedience Club’s All Breed Agility trials.
I am always honored to be asked to judge – it is a trust the club, chairman, and exhibitors put in me and I strive to meet those expectations. My thanks for honoring me with this assignment.