From the Duluth News Tribune
published Sept. 21, 2008
Six retrieving dogs from Northeastern Minnesota will be among 287 entered in this week’s Master National Hunt Test, which starts today near Mountain Iron. The event, which tests the top retrievers in the country under simulated hunting situations, is being conducted by the Minnesota Iron Range Retriever Club.
Members of the MIRRC who have dogs qualified to compete in the national event include:
* Jace Tramontin, Cherry, with his black Lab, JT’s Tip Trouble.
* Pete Coldagelli, Eveleth, with his yellow Lab, Ramblin Man’s Bella Donna.
* Mark Vossbein, Biwabik, with a chocolate Lab, The Captn L’il Ace of Peakview and a yellow Lab, The Captain’s Mark-V Renegade.
* Roger Wallner, Cohasset, with a black Lab, Zoe’s Chloe One in a Million MH; and a chocolate Lab, Mysterious Magical Maggie MH.
The event will not select a single winner, as field trial competitions do, said Tramontin, who is president of the MIRRC. Dogs simply compete against American Kennel Club standards for the Master Hunter ranking.
“If 100 of them complete the test and do all the standards expected by the AKC, then they all get a ribbon,” Tramontin said. “It’s tough to say it’s noncompetitive, but it’s not running for first, second and third place.”
This is the first time the MIRRC has hosted the National Masters event, but it has held the AKC National Amateur Retriever Trial in 1997, 2001 and 2005. The club has about 200 members from across the Iron Range.
Tests in the National Masters event will simulate experiences that hunters might encounter in the field.
“When you’re out hunting and three birds come down, the dog has the opportunity to retrieve all three of them on his own,” Tramontin said. “Occasionally, you’ll shoot a bird, and the dog has no idea where it went. Then the handler has the ability to direct the dog with whistles and hand signals to the location of that bird.
“We test them on land, on water and a combination of the two.”
The tests will be conducted on four pieces of property in the Hibbing-Buhl-Mountain Iron area.
To qualify for the Master National event, a dog must have qualified by passing Master Hunter tests five times in seven attempts at AKC member-club events in the current year. In addition, every dog running in the event must also have a Master Hunter title from the AKC.
Tramontin estimates the Master National event will bring at least $3 million into the local economy, based on a Hibbing Chamber of Commerce study following a past National Amateur Retriever Championship.
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