2013 OBEDIENCE SPRINGER OF THE YEAR
CH OTCH POLESITTER’S ABSOLUTE VICTORY UDX3 OM6 VER RE MX MXB MXJ MJB
AJ
Owned by Kimberly Berkley & Michael Bockhorn
AJ is my pride and joy! He has always loved doing obedience, but mostly he makes me smile when you need a smile the most! He won 16 HC and 15 HIT and 291 OTCH points before he was 3. I am very proud for him to be in the top twenty five all breed obedience for 2013, He went to the national obedience championship in Tulsa when he was 2, I believe he was the youngest dog entered and finished 8th overall with no substantial points deducted. Then off to the classic in Orlando, he won the ESS breed medallion top springer in the tournament and finished 9th overall in the master division with over 50 entries again with no substantial points deducted. He always makes the judges smile too:)
I Can't thank Mike Bockhorn enough for this fantastic dog and introducing me to this breed of gorgeous sweet dogs. It takes a truly special dog to accomplish this resume in such a short time
Stats: Average 397.33 out of 400
Photo by xx
2013 UTILITY SPRINGER OF THE YEAR
CH OTCH POLESITTER’S ABSOLUTE VICTORY UDX3 OM6 VER RE MX MXB MXJ MJB
AJ
Owned by Kimberly Berkley & Michael Bockhorn
After training Arabian horses for 30 years, I changed my competitive pursuits to showing dogs and discovered the joy of owning English Springer Spaniels. My love of doing obedience with A.J. is similar to my love of Dressage with horses. Every exercise must be fine tuned with points deducted for less than perfect execution. A.J. is a dog that just seems to "get it" with regards to doing all those fronts and finishes! There is joy in his face when he gets to play the game, especially on his way to the go out spot! He is only 3 years old and has 346 OTCH points. Our new goal of MACH is getting close.
He is one of 4 CH OTCH offspring from Mike Bockhorn's beautiful Polesitter's Victory Party , ZOE! I can never thank Mike enough for this unbelievable journey with these amazing ESS, can't wait to see what more they can accomplish!!
Stats: Average: 199.17 out of 200
Photo by xx
2013 OPEN SPRINGER OF THE YEAR
CH POLESITTER'S TALLADEGA UDX OM3 BN RN AX AXJ
Tally
Owned by Pamela Brezger, Michael Bockhorn, Laurie Green, & Mary Osbun
I would like to thank the Parent Club for awarding Tally as the 2013 ESSFTA Open Springer of the Year. It is with great honor that we accept this award as she makes the 3rd littermate to win this award and 4th offspring for her mother. I would like to thank Pam Brezger for allowing me to take Tally and work towards her OTCH, which we earned in March 2104. Pam trained and showed Tally to her UD and then Kim Berkley and myself took her and refined the training and showed her to her OTCH. Tally is a dog that loves anything and everyone and never has a bad day. She will work for whoever is asking her to perform the tasks. Sometimes she gets a little too happy in the ring and forgets what she is supposed to be doing. She was a blast to show and it could not have happened without the help of everyone involved. Tally is taking a leave of absence from the obedience ring and is jumping into the whelping box.
Thanks again for this award,
Mike Bockhorn
Stats: Average: 198.5 out of 200
Photo by Jeff Neider
2013 NOVICE B SPRINGER OF THE YEAR
SERENADE'S SECRET FORMULA CD
Sawyer
Owned by Lisa Peters & Anne Hutchinson
I’d like to thank the parent club for honoring performance achievements at so many different levels. Sawyer is such a fun dog to train – she’s up for anything. Because of work commitments we entered only a few shows and picked up one High in Trial for our last leg. Thanks to Anne, Sawyer’s breeder for choosing the smartest dog ever to send to me.
Stats: Average: 197.83 out of 200
Photo by Petscapes
2013 NOVICE A SPRINGER OF THE YEAR
LA CHANSON OF MIRATRI CD BN RN AX AXJ OF
Oliver
Owned by Marti Guzman
At the age of 5, my "Big Dawg" wins Novice A Springer Of The Year! WOW!
2013 was our first ESSFTA Nationals, and Oliver was solely an agility dog. To make the most of a long drive and week-long event, we entered everything, and crash coursed in Obedience and Rally for barely over a month before leaving. He FAR exceeded my expectations, earning five qualifying scores from six Obed/Rally classes in MO.
Back in FL, he completed all those titles in a single weekend. I would be remiss without publicly thanking my friend Barbara Sheedy for her endless generosity to get us into these rings with such success!
It must also be in his genes. His dam, MIRATRI HILLCREST TAR-TANYA UD RAE OA NAJ, was 2011 RALLY SPRINGER OF THE YEAR, and his late, great sire, OTCH MIRATRI TARTAN PETE UDX2 RAE MX MXJ AJP OF, was just a phenomenal all-around performance dog.
Bred by Mirabelle Wrist, I'll never be able to thank her enough for entrusting me with this son from Petie's final litter, this dog who I love beyond measure. I only hope we continue to do her proud.
Way beyond any titles, Oliver is my best friend, my constant shadow. He makes me laugh every day. He has brought amazing friends into my life I'd never have met without him, and gave me dreams I'd never have dreamed. He's not my "show dog", he's my dog, and I look forward to the next adventures, always, with this magnificent boy at my side.
Stats: Average: 182.83 out of 200
Photo by Marti Guzman
2013 RALLY SPRINGER OF THE YEAR
SOCIETY'S LONE GUNMAN CD RAE
Elliott
Owned by Mary Monteith & Paul Monteith
Thank You ESSFTA for honoring Elliott with this award! I’ve been so fortunate to share my life with this amazing dog. This is the second time Elliott has earned an ESSFTA annual obedience award, and it’s also the second time he’s done so after having ACL surgery, making a full recovery and returning to competition; an incredible accomplishment.
As a Canadian team, we had the added challenge of needing to travel to the US for each trial, which often times was several hours drive each way.
Elliott is an exceptional dog. He has amazing heart and drive, and he loves to work. His favorite sport in the world is Rally, and it matches his personality perfectly; he loves the quick pace and energy of it.
As my first obedience dog, he has exceeded every dream I ever had of what we could accomplish together, earning 47 titles to date, multiple performance championships, and dozens of High In Trials across different registries and sports.
He has been the conduit for countless friendships, travel adventures, and becoming hopelessly entangled in the wonderful world of dog sports. He is a joy to live with. He is an ambassador for the breed. Most of all, he is my best friend, a beautiful teammate and skilled partner. He has given me his unending devotion and trust, which I do my best to deserve every day.
Thank you to the ESSFTA. This is an honor and I am thrilled to see Elliott once again mark his place in the history books.
Regards,
Mary & Elliott
Stats: Average: 199.66 out of 200
Photo by Cathi Winkles
