Ridge Creek Cody won the 2010 Bill Conlin Setter Shooting Dog Derby Award. This award honors the top English setter shooting dog derby in horseback trials and, with this year’s wine, Cody set a record by amassing the most points ever for a male. Cody is owned by Larry Brutger and was handled by professional Shawn Kinklaar.

Second in point standings was his litter brother, Houston’s Blackjack, owned by Frank LaNasa and Leroy Peterson, and handled by Frank.

Congratulations to these fine young setters and their owners and handlers.

Northwoods Bird Dogs is especially proud of these dogs. The dam, CH Houston’s Belle, was bred and is owned by Dr. Paul Hauge. I trained and handled Belle to two championships and four runner-up championships in grouse trials from Minnesota to Pennsylvania. Due to her outstanding and versatile talent, and with Paul’s blessing, I also handled her to horseback wins on sharptail grouse.

When it came time to breed Belle, Paul and I worked together to choose the best sire. When we saw CH Can’t Go Wrong at several grouse trials, we were impressed with his desire, fluid gait and uncommon bird-finding ability. The litter was born in January 2008 here at Northwoods Bird Dogs and was raised by Betsy and me.

Both Cody and Blackjack returned to us for training. Cody went to North Dakota during his first summer and I worked Blackjack on Oklahoma quail and ruffed grouse and woodcock in 2009.

The breeding goal of Paul and NBD is to produce setters that have the physical build, instincts, brains and bidability to adapt to their owners’ hunting. According to the observations of Mike Husentis, reporter of the US Quail Shooting Dog Futurity, we are meeting our goals.

Cody’s lineage traces to dogs that were primarily campaigned in the woods and foot trials. Cody’s performance here was proof positive that good dogs adjust to their handler’s wishes and to the type of terrain on which they hunt regardless of where they began.

~ Mike Husentis