FC Elmingo's Little Man

Today Zink won the Open in Cheyenne which makes him an FC. It's kind of a big deal in the field trial world! And an even bigger deal to our family. And even cooler, it was 6 years ago today that his mother Miikka won an open in Canada to finish her Canadian titles. Rett has had a goal to get a dog to this level for a very long time. I am so proud of Zink, so excited for Rett, and so grateful to Horsetooth Retriever Kennels, Kenny Trott, and Marcy Wright for all their hard work to get to this point. Congrats Zink and Rett!

Zink and his mother Miikka, August 2015. 

Zink, January 2014.

Zink and Baby Deke, January 2015.

Zink and Stanley, January 2015.

Open Win!

On the weekend of May 9-11, Rett ran Zink in the Open of the Northern Utah Retriever Club Field Trial. And he won! First place! Best day ever! We were so excited for Rett and Zink. Of course, the rest of the family was home, and Rett was all by himself with the exciting news. But we were so happy to hear from him that he won! The Open, for all of you non-field trial people, is all age, all competition. Which means, that professional trainers are also competing in this stake. So, it is quite the accomplishment. Kenny, one of our trainers, told Rett earlier this year, that he'd win one this year. It was just a matter of everything lining up just right. And sure enough, they did it! YAY! This qualified Zink for the National Amateur Field Trial. Congrats on your win babe, we are so happy for you and so proud of you for accomplishing a long time goal.

This is Zink in Texas. Our trainer took the picture. Isn't it beautiful? The blue bonnets are all over down in Texas right now (Or recently when they were there). I was so glad to see this cute picture of Zink. And so grateful to her for taking the time to take the picture and share it with us. Zink came home last weekend and is doing great. Rett is excited to get started on the circuit with him. He's getting to the point where he will be very competitive with the older dogs. And we are excited to see his results this year.

Centennial & Cheyenne

Zink won the Centennial Qual in Saratoga, Wyoming! YAY ZINK! We were so excited! Especially because we were there and Rett got to run Zink. He's been with Kenny & Marcy, so we haven't been able to see him do much for a while. And sitting there waiting for results to be posted on RTF or a phone call just isn't as fun as being there! We hauled our trailer out and camped at a cute little campground. The boys had a lot of fun. It was good to see Zink and even better to bring home a blue ribbon! We put Zink back on Kenny's truck before we picked up the ribbon though, so I didn't get any good pictures of that! But here are a couple of Rett running Zink in that Qual.

While we were there, everyone was really excited to see some bucks. It got Rett and the boys in the mood for bow season! These little guys are deer spotting experts. They love to take a turn in the binocs and get almost as excited as their dad when they seen antlers!

Zink & Libby (his sister) at Horsetooth Retriever Kennels

The next weekend Kenny ran Zink in the Qual in Cheyenne, and Zink took 4th. Which is still a great placing! We are so excited for the dog Zink is becoming and can't wait to see what else he will do! I am also so happy that Rett has come so far with his dogs. He's learned so much and did the basic puppy training with Zink. It's been so fun to see him love the sport so much! And I always love when I get to see his handsome smile from a great performance by one of his dogs!

Zink in Canada

Zink, Libby, Riot

Zink has been back with Kenny and Marcy. They went to Canada to run the trials up there during June. Zink took 2nd place in the Open in Saskatoon, which qualified him to run in the Canadian National later this year. A pretty amazing accomplishment, especially for a 2 1/2 year old dog! Way to go Zink! We miss you, but are so proud of your hard work! Rett was so excited the day he heard the news! It was really cute.

Thanksgiving Point Half Marathon

Last weekend I ran the Thanksgiving Point Half Marathon with an old neighbor and friend, Jen. It was a great race. It ran through the Thanksgiving Point Gardens, Golf Course, and all around. There were a few really steep hills, but they were short, so they were manageable. Jen had an awful cold and cough, so we took it a little easy. But it was tons of fun to run together and get to catch up! My cute sister Jolene came to the finish area with Rett and the boys, and it was so good to see her. She also gave the boys these silly glasses and they have had so much fun playing with them! Thanks for being a great Aunt Jo! The race registration included a couple of free passes to the Thanksgiving Point Venues, so we took the boys to Farm Country afterwards. There were all kinds of baby animals, and it was so fun. Also that same weekend, Rett ran Zink in the Salt Lake Field Trial and took 4th in the Qual. After Zink's amazing year in the derby, it's hard settle for 4th, but he was the youngest dog running it, and he did really well for all things considered.

Jenn & Jen

Jolene, Rett, Jenn, Crew, Drake

Rett, Jenn, Crew, Drake

Jolene, Crew, Drake

Crew & Drake

Zink

Zink ended his derby career with 30 points. That put him in the Top 10 in the US. We were pretty excited with how well he did. He is now back on the winter trip with Kenny & Marcy. We hope he pays good attention and learns lots. It's a big jump to the next level!



This is a page from the December 2011 Issue of Retriever News. Zink is listed with his registered name, Elmingo's Little Man. He had 1.76 points per start.


Here's the Elmingo Gang in Texas. Zink is on the far left of the picture.

YAY Zink!

Zink has had two 2nd place finishes the last two weekends. That puts his Derby Points up to 27! We're so proud of him! YAY ZINK!

Weekend in Bellevue

Thursday after Rett got off work we headed up to Bellevue to stay the weekend with Mark and Gail Henry. Mark (South of Bellevue Kennels) did some training work with Chief and did a ton of Zink's early training. They are also great friends and super fun people to be around. They built a little bunk house that has turned out to be super cool and are so generous to let us stay there when we come up. So, Rett got a lot of training in and the boys and I got to do some playing and watching. It was a nice get away and a fun trip.

We had a couple of photo shoots too! This is Zink.


And here's Zink with his sire Shaq.


Here's Mark and Rett trying to get some training in, but as usual, my boys are wanting to be involved.


Crew fell in love with Mark the first time we went to their place and he was pretty small because it was during a tractor obsession stage and Mark took him on the John Deere for a ride. They didn't get tractor rides this weekend, but they got some four wheeler rides and that was probably their favorite part of the weekend.


Again, Mark and Rett. Mark's so great at teaching Rett. He has taught Rett so much!


Here's Rett sending Zink on a mark.

Snake River Retriever Trial

Rett and Zink did it again! YAY! Another first place! That's 19 derby points for our Zink! I'm so proud of Rett and Zink. The only thing that gets me, is that I haven't been there for any of his wins! I have only really been to half a trial this year, and he didn't make it past the last round. I left early though, so I didn't get to witness that round. He did well the whole time I was there, but I'm so bumbed that every time he's won, I haven't been there! Hopefully he'll do well at one that I'll be at! Because it's so cute to hear the excitement in Rett's voice when he calls with the good news, I can only imagine how fun it would be to be there with him! I don't feel like a very supportive wife this year. In the past, I've gone to most events with Rett. But this year it seems like we keep having other things going on, or it's raining and I don't want to spend a day or two in the truck with the boys. I'm hoping the rain goes away and our schedules start matching up, because I really do want to show my support at the actual event, instead of over the phone! Here's to a great dog, wonderful trainers, and Rett for all his growth and learning about dogs and training!

Northern Utah Retrievers Club Field Trial and Derby List

Zink won the Northern Utah Retrievers Club Field Trial last weekend. Another blue ribbon! He's doing so great. He has run in 5 trials so far and has placed in 4 of them, 2 firsts and 2 thirds. And he still has quite a while till he ages out of the derby too. He's made the derby list. That is when a dog gets 10 or more derby points. A 1st place is 5 points, 2nd is 3 points, 3rd is 2 points, and 4th is 1 point. So Zink has 14 points after just the 5 trials he's been in. I'm so proud of Rett and Zink and how well they are doing. It makes me so happy to see Rett doing so well and so excited about it. I can't even tell you how awesome it is to see the success. So great! Way to go Rett and Zink!



Here's a few of the trophies from some of the past trials.


This weekend we're heading back to Salt Lake for another one. It seems to be the place for Zink. Let's hope this weekend is as good as the last couple at Salt Lake! Good Luck Boys!

Wasatch Hunting Retriever Club Field Trial

Well, over the weekend Rett took Zink to Salt Lake to run the Derby in the WHRC Field Trial. We were a little skeptical because he hasn't been with Rett and there were some really good dogs there. However, we were SUPER EXCITED when he pulled off a 1st place! YAY! Rett was stoked. He was like a kid on Christmas. I know I keep saying that, but when you get to see your husband so happy, it just makes your day! I love that he loves this so much. I just can't wait till I get to be there. We decided not to go down because of the bad weather. Sitting in a truck during rain, snow, and cold with the boys just isn't as easy as staying home. So, plenty of trials to come. And the boys and I can't wait to get to them to support Rett and Zink!


Rett and Zink (1st in Derby), Mark Henry and Piper (1st in Qual), Ward Gray and Sadie (3rd in Derby)


The two Derby dogs have been through South of Bellevue Kennels and Mark Henry. Mark took 1st in the Qual with Piper. Mark and Gail were very excited! Rett couldn't even tell me about their excitement without smirking a little. I wish I was there to see all the excitement! Mostly because they are so hilarious and I can only imagine the fun celebration that could have taken place afterward! Way to go SOB Kennels!

This weekend is a trial in Boise. Rett sent Zink with Mark to run it. Mark kept saying "Great, no pressure for next week!". But I know Zink is in very capable hands. And we hope it goes well up there too!

Kansas City Field Trial Pic

Marcy took this super fun picture of Zink with his ribbon from the Kansas City Field Trial Derby. Zink took third, which is him with the yellow ribbon. Riot in the middle took first, and Libby, Zink's sister took second! Way to go Horsetooth Retriever Dogs!



I also got the privilege of driving out to pick him up yesterday. Rett was going to get him originally but couldn't get off work. I went alone to make the trip easier. It was about a 7 hour drive and I went straight out and back. I left the boys at a neighbors and got home at 2am. But it wasn't a bad trip at all. And we both arrived home safe and sound. Crew woke me up at 7am this morning to ask if his Zinky was home and was super excited to see him! It was really cute. Although I wish I had gotten a little more sleep. Oh well, there's always tonight for that! Drake hasn't woken up this morning yet, but we'll see what his excitement level about having his dog home is. It's funny, because they love Chief, but not like Zink. We decided it must be because they were around when we first got Zink and he was a puppy, so this is their first dog that they have been around from a little thing.

Zink is entered in the Salt Lake City trial this weekend. It was supposed to be small because it's just a Derby and the pro's don't usually want to go to a trial that doesn't have all the events. But it's turning out to have a ton of dogs entered. So we will let you know how it goes! Hopefully well, but Zink hasn't run for Rett at a trial yet, so who knows! Since Rett's been working SO much we're going to send him home with Mark Henry for a couple of weeks or so. That way he can get some good training in and not lose everything that's been put into him while Rett is working crazy hours.

I know some of you think we are absolutely insane! Especially those of you who aren't dog lovers like we are. You have to know how much of a passion this is for Rett though. He LOVES the dogs and the training. And even though some of you think driving for 16 hours to pick up a dog is crazy, I was happy to do it because I know how much it means to Rett. (Ok, so maybe I am a little excited about the brownie points it gave me :) But mostly, I did it because I love my husband and want to do whatever I can to help him out. So, again, I'll say to those of you who think we're crazy, If this is the worst thing I have to put up with in my marriage, than I am pretty lucky! And driving alone for so many hours reminded me of how much I love my family and missed being with them! I'm so blessed to have a wonderful, hardworking, and loving husband, two of the craziest and most fun boys ever, and yes, two very spoiled and hyper black labs that love us just as much or more than we love them!

Kansas City Field Trial

Zink had another pretty good weekend! This time he was in Kansas City, Missouri. Seriously, this dog has been to more states than I have! Lucky little guy! Anyway, he took another 3rd place. The really cool thing is that our trainer Kenny, swept the derby. Riot took 1st, Zinks litter mate, Libby, took 2nd, and Zink took 3rd. All were dogs off of Kenny and Marcy's truck! We don't have any pictures since we weren't around, but may get some from Marcy later, and if we do, you can be sure you'll see them! Anyway, YAY for Zink and his consistency!

Rett's Texas Update

Cajun Riviera Louisiana Field Trial
Zink entered his first field trial last weekend in Louisiana. He did awesome and took 3rd place! Here he is with his ribbon. That means he has two points! We were so excited! YAY! I'm not as competent in this stuff as Rett is, so he may hate this post because it's not as good as if I'd had him write it, but I'm giving it a try. I'll repost if he hates it too much! Anyway, the field trials are a little different than the hunt tests we did with Bell and Chief. The hunt tests are just a pass or fail. The field trials are a competition against the other dogs. At any rate, he seems to be doing really well.


Rett took a trip to Texas and promised pictures to some of you. These are pictures of the training grounds and set up. Zink is with Kenny Trott and Marcy Wright now, who are actually out of Colorado, but take a training trip during the winter down to Texas. Marcy is the one we bought Zink from as a pup, and she owns his mom. We had Mark Henry do all of Zinks early training and he did a great job. Rett has learned so much about training through the last five years or so. He did a lot with Zink before he went to Mark's too. And I'm sure he's in good hands with Horsetooth Kennels now. He's turning into a pretty sweet dog.







This is Danny Farmer's place. He's a pro and has trained some amazing dogs. Rett just informed me that he's trained more field champions than anyone. I don't know that much about him, except that Rett has a dog training DVD that's by Danny. And if he's got a sign that says he's responsible for the training of these dogs that have been National Field Champions, he's got some major bragging rights.


Well, everyone says everything is always bigger in Texas. And football seems to be one of those things. These pictures make me laugh. Mostly because of the area in which we now live, and the area I grew up in, who couldn't even call their football fields real football stadiums. But, here you go.
This one's a high school football stadium.

And this one's a junior high school football stadium. WOW!


Texas is warm. That's the main part I was jealous of with Rett going on the trip himself! I want summer to be here! Anyway, Rett had this trip planned for a long time and I did tell him I was jealous of it. I didn't go mostly because of the expense of it and the boys. I'm happy to support Rett in something that makes him so happy though. It's amazing to me the passion he has for the dogs and training them. He calls me a dog hater sometimes. But I'm really not. I do love Chief as my running partner. He let's me set the pace, doesn't talk about things I don't want to hear, and is happy no matter how my run is going, even if I start to walk because I'm a whimp! But in all seriousness, I'm really not a dog hater. I just like a super clean house, and sometimes when the dogs come in they leave hair and paw prints. I've gotten really good at cleaning it up though. And I don't hate them, I just don't love them as much as Rett does. But back to my original point, I'm happy to have the dogs around, and even in the house. Because I want Rett to be happy and enjoy himself. He works so hard for our family, and so that I can be home with the boys. And, like I'm always saying, if it's the worst thing Rett does that I have to put up with, I consider myself pretty lucky! I may moan about the messes, having to feed them in the bitter cold, the expense of it all, and Rett being gone because of it, but deep down, I do love it, because Rett loves it and it makes him happy. And that makes me happy!

New Puppy

So, Rett's been dying to get a new puppy for months now. He is really into the field trial and hunt test thing with the labs we already had, but kind of had been feeling like they were almost maxed out at the levels they were at. I cannot fathom having three dogs, at least not in our current yard. SO, I had been pretty stern on the no puppy until you buy a house with a bigger yard or sell one of your dogs thing. We ended up, sadly, selling our female yellow lab, Jezabell, that we bought right after we got married, so we had her for almost 8 years. But, she went to a great home and we've seen her since then, and she's very happy.
Then Rett set out looking for a dog. If you didn't know, there are tons of websites dedicated soley to the field trial dog stuff. Rett could spend all night looking at the forums and websites. Crazy! He had a sire chosen, and found a few breedings with females he liked. We had a deposit down on one in Washington, and she ended up having a false pregnancy. After getting the money back from that and about a million emails, Rett got an email from a local guy here in Salt Lake that was going to breed his female to the sire, and Rett was pretty much the one that talked the guy into doing that breeding, and he told Rett he could have first choice of the pups if he wanted. Of course Rett jumped on this, but once he had the ultrasound done, there was one, maybe two puppies and the vet couldn't be sure. Rett was sure the guy wanted to keep one and so he set out trying to find one again. As you're reading this you are probably wondering why I am being so detailed instead of just telling you we got a new pup. But I just had to put you all through a little of what my roller coaster life was like with a husband getting so excited about a new pup, and then being so upset when it didn't work out multiple times. Anyway, finally we found a litter of pups from Canada with the same sire that had already been born, but one pup was not sold yet. SO, we jumped on that and the owner happened to be driving from Canada to Texas for some training with her dogs and that meant we got to drive to Colorado to pick up the little guy!
Wow, that was a long story. Anyway, we finally have the little guy and it's just like another kid. His name is Zink. His registered name is Elmingo's Little Man. (Elmingo is the kennel he came from and "The Little Man" is a goose call made by the company Zink, which is his call name.) I'm not getting to sleep through the night like I've gotten so used to since Drake was sleeping through the night since 2 months. I'm also having to deal with the boys either being too rough with him, or them getting their pants pulled down because he's trying to chew on them. We're having to make sure no toys, hats, blankies, shoes, or anything really is left down, because he'll chew it up.
But he is really cute. And Rett is really happy about him. He says there is already stuff he likes about him and can tell he's going to be a good dog. (I don't really know that you can tell when he's 8 weeks, but I just smile and say ok!) Apparently getting thrown down our full flight of stairs by a 3 year old and not making one whine or cry about it means he's a tough puppy. And he will already do simple retrieves. He's starting to sleep through the night, at least until I get up to work out which is 6 days a week at 4:45, so I guess that's most of the way through the night. I don't really mind except Sundays which is my only sleep in day, and I'm only asking for like 6:30. Rett gives him pep talks every morning talking about how he's going to be a field champion, about how he's the most expensive dog we've ever had, and so he better be worth it, about how he'd better start being nicer to the boys, and everything else. It's cute. He's like Rett's new little kid. All in all, he's a fun new addition to the family! And when they are running around out side, the boys couldn't be happier!