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Fern Hill Hunter MH SR418868/03
Sire: AFC AFTCH Rosehill's Mr. Speaker MH OS FDHF CCA
Dam: Adirondac Hilfy of Fern Hill CDX OD CCA TDI CGC ASCA-CD SR017085/01
Born March 26, 2007
Hips: Excellent GR-98654E27M-VPI
Elbows: Normal GR-EL20371M27-VPI
Eyes: GR-42692
Heart: Normal GR-CA16736/28M/C-VPI
PRA: clear by parentage
CHIC #: 59526


Hunter
Hunter wearing his Master Hunter medal, July 20, 2010

Hunter was the next to the last, the darkest, and the biggest puppy in the 2007 litter. His puppy name was "The Green Dragon" because of his bold and spirited attitude. Nevertheless, he was a very friendly and cuddly little guy, and very people oriented. Even at a young age, he was always the last man standing, with unusual stamina for such a young fella. He went to New York State, near Albany, to live with Jack and Donna Bussey. They also owned Hunter's maternal grandsire, the handsome and illustrious Highland Hoya MH WCX OS CGC, who was still actively hunting up until his death at almost 13 years of age. Hunter had very big shoes to fill, but he has proved to be up to the task! He has been in professional training with Bev and Rick Milheim off and on since October 2007. He finished his JH, SH and MH titles in straight passes, finishing his Master Hunter on June 5, 2010 at 3 years and 2 months of age. He has all his clearances and is now standing at stud. His first litter of 6 puppies was born in April 2010, out of Adirondac Kennel's Drake daughter, Adirondac Calamity Jane SH. One of the boys, Dodger, has joined Hunter at the Busseys to carry on the family line, and one of the girls will stay with Adirondac as a potential competition dog / breeder. Quite a spring for this handsome and talented dog!



News about Hunter, 2010

June 5, 2010
Hunter, Master Hunter! Hunter finished his sweep of the AKC Hunt Tests by earning his Master Title in Newburg, N.Y. today. Hunter will be home at the end of the month -- we want to get "Dodger" used to home without Hunter bothering him. I just marvel at how hard the Master Test is, only half the dogs made it. Out of a field of 42, only 21 passed. Hunter was the youngest to pass. I will try to get a WCX on him in October, and in the meanwhile he will just enjoy life -- he has paid his dues.




Hunter with handler / trainer Bev Milheim, just after he completed his 5th straight Master Hunter pass and earned his title at 3 years and 2 months of age.


May 23, 2010
Hunter passed his 4th straight Master Test in Elkton, Maryland. Bev said it was a very tough test, and she lost her other dog on the first series. They used remotes and the marks were tough to see. He will go for his title on June 5th at Newburg, N.Y. Donna and I will go, it is about 2 hrs from home. He has a shot to sweep the Hunt Test Titles, even my Hoya failed one Master.


May 2, 2010
Hunter passed his 3rd Master Test today in Rocky Point, N.C. Bev said if it were a Field Trial he would have gotton the blue ribbon. They are on their way back to N.Y. tomorrow. Hunter runs again in two weeks in Maryland. His competition career will be over when he gets his Masters, I will get a WCX on him this summer and then run him in the Fun Field Trial in the fall. All I wanted was a gun dog and Hunter was that 2 years ago, but Carol wanted to use him for breeding so hence the titles. It was very hard to give him back to Bev this winter because he is a great companion for my wife around the house. But it was worth it to see the sucess he has had and he loves the work.


April 18, 2010
Hunter passed his 2nd Master Test today. Bev said it was a tough Master Test but he did good. He runs again in 2 weeks at Rocky Point, NC.


April 11, 2010
Hunter got his 1st Master Hunt Test pass in Patrick, S.C. And, the puppies are due in about 10 days. I know my wife is all excited about getting another pup but in 8 weeks when the terrorist comes home it will be different. I will wait till Carol and Joan do the puppy testing to pick a male if there are males to choose from. It would be nice to see the people who are getting a pup,hopefully there will be some that hunt and run Hunt or Field trials. Will keep you posted.


March 16, 2010
We are leaving this Sunday to see Hunter, it seems like he has been away forever. He is training great. Bev expects to run him next month somewhere down there in Master. Her only concern is the water because they haven't trained in the water yet this winter. He also has a birthday coming up and maybe he going to be a father too.



News about Hunter, 2009

December 26, 2009
Carol has Jane with Terry Price who is about an hour from where Bev trains at their winter place in South Carolina. I guess she is due in heat in January. The puppies with the line breeding will be 3/4 Hoya. I guess she has people waiting for the pups. When I ran Hunter in the Qualifier in Massachusetts, I talked to Arline and Terry who owned both Hoya's parents, and they were happy to see the line continue. Kaelan was a legend in New England, and Rip Rorin I think was the alltime top Bitch of Master Hunters. I know that Hoya's litter had 4 Master Hunters before they were 3 yrs old. I think it was the 7th best litter in AKC history. And Hunter being by Speaker won't hurt either! Speaker is 2nd in producing Master Hunters in AKC history and he's not done yet. Hunter is such a nice dog both in the house and as a hunting partner.


December 25, 2009
The first picture is Hunter under Hoya's picture. The second is Hunter with his 1st place Qualifying Ribbon. Hope you and your family are having a great Christmas. Hunter goes to Bev next Friday and they are heading south on Jan 2nd. We are going to miss him, he has turned into a nice family member.




November 22, 2009
Hunter has had a good waterfowl season. He has learned a lot and his boat maners are better than Hoya's. Hoya used to ride up on the bow of the boat, afraid he would miss something. I was afraid that if I ever hit something he would get thrown in the water. Hunter sits in the boat next to me. Hoya wouldn't eat a sirloin when hunting but Hunter would, it is amazing how different each dog is but they all love you and just want to be with you no matter what you are doing.


November 10, 2009
Here is Hunter with our limit of Brant on Lake Ontario.



October 13, 2009
Hunter won the Qualifying stake at the Southern Berkshire Golden Retriever Club. It seems like Hoya was looking down because he won the derby 11 years ago at that trial. He did 2 triples, one on land and one on water plus a blind of about 200 yards, and he did it better than the other dogs entered. Bet you are going to be lonesome in a couple of weeks when Penny's puppies leave!!! Tell the future owners that they are getting some wonderful dogs.


July 20, 2009
Just got the results from OFA. Hunter's Hip are Excellent GR-98654e 27M-VPI, and his elbows are Normal GR-EL20371M27-VPI. I will get an appointment now for eyes and heart. Hunter gets trained 3 or 4 times a week on the lawn which just keeps him sharp and he just loves to train. I can't believe his hips are excellent -- very few Goldens have excellent hips. I think Hunter will be as good as Hoya but time will tell, he is just a dream dog to be around and very smart. I will hunt with him and them send him to Rick and Bev this winter so he can get his Master title if the rest of his clearances come out OK. I think Carol has a lot of people who like the Hoya line plus with his cross to Mr. Speaker he should produce some nice pups. As usual, people talk me into this breeding business when all I wanted was a nice hunting dog -- but I would like other people to have a nice dog which I was very lucky to have with Hoya, Corey and Hunter.



Left, Hunter with his Senior Hunter ribbon 6/17/09. Above, with his Grandfather Highland Hoya MH OS WCX CGC.

Hunter earning his Senior Hunter title with owner Jack Bussey, 6/14/09

June 15, 2009
Email from Diane SanFilippo Let me tell you. Hunter is an impressive boy!! Tom and I (Sedona's parents) had the priviledge of JUDGING Saturday's Senior Hunt test in which Hunter ran and received his third leg. He is a stunning dog to watch work and you can tell he has an actual hunting season under his belt. The boy knows what to do out there. Jack and Hunter make a great team and I see a lot of titles and waterfowl in their futures if, as Jack admits, he can hit the birds! From a judging standpoint, he was one of the finer working dogs we saw all weekend. Bravo Hunter and Jack!


June 14, 2009
Hunter, Senior Hunter! Hunter got the Senior Title with passes both days. He was good with only 13 dogs out of 28 passing Saturday.


April 26, 2009
FLASH! Hunter passed 2 Senior Hunt Test this weekend at Rocky Point, NC. Details to follow.


March 30, 2009
Hunter might run Senior at Mebane N.C. and/or Rocky Point N.C. He is going to get his hips and elbows Xrayed on this Thursday. Hunter is doing great training, he can do blinds at 200 yards and marks even further. His only quirk is that he is popping which hopefully will be taken care of this week. He is honoring now, which is part of the Senior Hunt test, and his going-to-the-line manners have improved. Bev likes him a lot. She said the winter down there was very cold and they were only training in the water a few times this winter. Here are some pics of him training in South Carolina last week.



February 16, 2009
Hunter is training great in S.C. and will be running Senior Hunt tests I think down there in March or April. Will keep you informed.


News about Hunter, 2008

November 30, 2008
Hunter retrieved 4 mallards this morning in 25 degree weather. He has become a good retriever,finding birds in cattails with his nose, riding in different boats, sitting at my side, and handling like a dream. I can't thank Renegade Kennels enough for the fine job they did with him. Here are some pictures.
Hunter with 4 mallards
Hunter with his 4 mallards, November 30, 2008
Hunter swimming to shore
Swimming to shore, November 30, 2008
Hunter by Fireplace
Hunter at home, October 8, 2008
Hunter and Grandaddy Hoya
Hunter with his Grandaddy Hoya, October 8, 2008
September 1, 2008
Hunter passed again today, and his going-to-the-line manners improved a little. He is just like Hoya when I ran Hoya 10 years ago — when it comes to getting a duck, get out of his way. I was thinking of sending him down to SC this winter again after duck season. Bev said there are a lot of hunt test down there in the winter and spring. Right now I think he could do the marks and blind retrieves for Senior, but his line manners would need working on which will come with time. I think he handles better than Hoya at this age. Also, if we have two dogs at home it is easy to travel and be able to vist Hunter and Donna's sister in Atlanta during the spring. Below is a picture of Hunter with his ribbon. Thanks for a Great Dog


Hunter with ribbon
Hunter at home, September 1, 2008 -- Junior Hunter!
August 30, 2008
Well, Hunter earned his Junior Hunter title today at Black Creek in Berne, NY. He is also running tomorrow but only for the ribbon. He brought back shades of Hoya, going to the line on only his back legs. It's a wonder he does not choke himself off going to the line. He is home from "Boot Camp" and they did a great job training him. He handles very well and is also a good marking dog. Now on to duck hunting...I will try to get pictures of Hunter hunting.







Hunter waiting his turn, August 2008


July 13, 2008
Fern Hill Hunter made a successful debut in the Junior Hunt Test at Finger Lakes Retriever Club today. It was a bad weather day, with rain starting during the land series and pouring during the water series which had to be stopped for a thunderstorm just before Sedona was to run and Hunter to follow.

Hunter's last bird was just about sunk and Bev had to handle him to the bird. He had to be in the water for 5 minutes. When he got the bird (which the judges couldn't see ) he got an ovation from the gallery. I doubt that another dog running could have handled to the bird. Bev said the judges were amazed how well Hunter worked with her.

dog and handler
Hunter and Bev Milheim -- First Junior Hunter leg!!


January 1
Talked to Bev yesterday. Hunter is doing good, he arrived in S.C. last Friday. Hunter is at Moree Sportman Preserve in Society Hill, SC and will be there till the end of April. We plan on seeing him there the last week of March.



News about Hunter, 2007

November 20
Hunter is still in New York until Jan 1, when they will be going to South Carolina. He is doing good with the training except he's afraid of using the swinging door that goes from the heated kennel to the outside kennel. Bev's husband who runs the field trial dogs said he needs short, repetitious sessions. But he didn't forget us. We took Corey for the ride and I Know he was afraid that Hunter was coming home with us. The big guys have a few more months of calm!





October 27: News from Boot Camp
Bev had him walking on the leash the first week,the second week he was carrying the bumper while walking and last Sat she started force fetching. My wife has talked to Bev every week and I think she likes him but there is still a long way to go with the training. I think she intends to get him on the collar after force fetching but she does not use the collar that much, that is one reason that he is with her. They have had a great year at field trials, her husband has won quite a few trials with different dogs. Hoya and I are trying to kill every duck in New York State -- at almost 11 years old he is still a great dog.


September 25
This is Hunter's first duck boat ride with Hoya,he was very good and just wanted to chew the grass on the blind.He goes to boot camp this Sat and we will miss him. Hard to believe he is 6 months old.Took him to the vets last week and he weighs 55 lbs with a very curly coat.Other than bothering my other 2 goldens relentlessly he has been a pleasure to be around.


With Hoya in the duck boat

Retrieving


September 17
These are pictures of Hunter & his Granddaddy Hoya taken today. Hoya got 3 geese yesterday but looked like a black lab after going thru the mud. Hunter goes to boot camp on the 29th then back to peace and quiet. My other two won't miss him relentlessly attacking them!


Pestering Granddaddy Hoya

Hunter and Hoya


August 7
Hunter is doing very well, here are photos we took today. What a guy, he is doing singles on the lawn at 50 yds and 25 yds in the water, he has also been through duck decoys during the retrieves. He is incredibly sweet, not scared of anything and seems to learn quickly. We'll see how he does at boot camp when life isn't all roses.

July 31
Hunter is doing just fine,he is retrieving singles at about 50 yards on land and 20 yards in the water. Nothing seems to bother him and have not seen anything scare him. He is still relentless at attacking my other 2 goldens but they have shown great patience in not retaliating. He, like his litter mates, is losing his baby teeth. He has only 8 weeks until boot camp. I intend to show him decoys and take him for a boat ride before boot camp starts.

June 15 (email to the other puppy owners in this litter)
I have "The Green Dragon" alias "Hunter" who 2 weeks ago weighed 20lbs but I suspect he is now closer to 25lbs. He has his last group of shots next week. He is, as Karen said, the Energizer Bunny, he has adopted well to the crate as well as going up and down the stairs and is doing well on the housebreaking. He is relentless in bothering our other 2 goldens. He also has learned to sit and we are working on stay. He is just fair walking on the leash which will get better when I can use a EZ collar on him. He eats very good also, I feed him 3 times a day. He loves to retrieve but only gets to do it 2 or 3 times a day and he brings the dummy to me. He will go to the Pro's in October to start his formal training and will spend the winter in Society Hill, S.C.

May 28
Hunter (alias "The Terrorist") is fitting right in our household. Took him to the Vet Wednesday and he weights 15.2. The Vet was impressed with him. Hoya ignores him but he and Corey go at it all the time, Hunter won't give up bothering Corey despite the weight and size difference. His housebreaking is going great. I have taken him many places and have yet to see him scared of anything.


Hunter showing good attention in the sit

Fetching bumpers in the pond


Hunter with Jack Bussey
Hunter with his new owner Jack Bussey at Fern Hill, 5/17/09

Hunter's 6-week portrait, 5/5/07
puppy on floor
Exploring the entry, 4/26/07
puppy in leaves
A whole pile of interesting leaves, 4/25/07
puppy sitting
Whoops! Fell down making the turn, 4/25/07
puppy in grass
Brave Green Hunter in the grass jungle, 4/25/07
puppy
Charge!!! 4/25/07
month old Puppy
Hunter at 4 weeks, 4/25/07
puppy in grass
First trip outside, 4/20/07
puppy
The Green Dragon at 2.5 weeks, 4/13/07
puppy fight
Chili, Sedona, and Hunter scuffling, 4/12/07
10-day old puppy
Green looks at the world, 4/6/07
puppy sleeping
Green and McKenzie on the sofa, 4/3/07
2 puppies sleeping
Green and Blue, 4/1/07
5-day old puppy
Green with big sister Penny, 3/31/07
fat puppy
Chunky Green Puppy at 5 days, 3/31/07
12-hour old boy puppy
Green Dragon at 12 hours


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Revised November 29, 2010