2007 NADKC Annual Meeting

Brunswick, Maine USA

The Northeast Region of the North American Deutsch Kurzhaar Club was proud to host the organization's annual meeting April 27-29 in Brunswick, Maine. Members traveled across the United States and the Atlantic Ocean to attend the festivities. It was a great time to renew acquaintances and make new friends. Everyone was poised to have a great weekend and enjoy some warm New England hospitality.

The Northeast Region was honored to have three guests in attendance from Germany: Christine Hammerer, Margitta Albertsen and Hermann-Josef Schomakers. Margitta and Hermann were judges at the Derby Test on Friday and the Zuchtschau on Saturday. We all learned so much from them and appreciated them sharing their knowledge. Frau Albertsen also eloquently conducted the Judges' Seminar on Friday and the Apprentice Judges' Seminar on Saturday. One of Margitta's quotes that I jotted down was, “you will never be able to teach a dog to point, it is in the genetics”. The enthusiasm of new and old members at this meeting was contagious.

Thursday–Meet and Greet

Activities kicked off Thursday afternoon with the Northeast Region hosting a “meet and greet” at the historic Captain Daniel Stone Inn on the banks of the Androscoggin River. Many members enjoyed this time to have refreshments and greet old friends. Warm hugs, smiles and handshakes set the tone for the weekend ahead.

Later that evening we all dined at a turn of the century textile mill tastefully decorated with period antiques and photographs. Outside the mill’s windows, the swollen Androscoggin River showed its strength and fury. Inside the Sea Dog Brewery and Restaurant assembled the longest dining table I had ever seen. The food and the drinks were only surpassed by the warm friendship shared amongst NADKC members.

Friday–Derby Test

Friday morning came early as we set up for the Derby Test being held at the Thurston Farm in New Gloucester. Its rolling fields, ponds and marshes full of turkeys, migrating ducks and geese were a perfect setting for our test. David and Carol Trahan led the caravan of cars and trucks from Freeport. The skies threatened rain, but luckily, only a light drizzle fell off and on throughout the day. (Note * * It always seems when Rob is in the field judging, it rains. I always feel bad as he never puts on a raincoat. Would someone please put that on his Christmas list! ) Nothing could dampen the spirits of 21 Derby handlers and their young DKs. The judges for the day were Margitta Albertsen, Hermann-Josef Schomakers, Robert Engelking, Willy Engelking, Rich Dobey, Dave Brewer, Jerry Kellogg and Lloyd "Butch" Grover.

Following a great lunch the three teams of judges read the scores. There were many happy DK owners and breeders. Blaine and I are grateful to our puppy buyers for their dedication of time and money as all pups in our litter were tested and all received perfect scores in the Derby.

As DK breeder’s, responsibility does not end when that cute bundle leaves their first home at seven weeks. Support and encouragement from the breeder is always needed and welcomed to ensure a great future for the young pup. The kennels proudly represented at the 2007 Annual Meeting were Merrymeeting, Riverwood, On Point, Beaver Creek, Keljer, Sparta-gr, James River, Gänsehimmel, Madlage, Wasserschling, Czarnego Dworu, Esteresch, and Thüringer Zipfel.

Friday Dinner

Friday evening we gathered at the Brunswick Golf Club for food, drink, conversation and, of course, "lotsa" raffle tickets and auction items. John Petros did an amazing job "acquiring" a great display of raffle, silent and live auction items. Relentless phone calls from John kept us on our toes. The highlight of the auction items were the 12 bottles of wine with our DK's pictures on the label donated by Wayne and Lisa Davis. They created a lot of interest displayed in our reception area.

Chef Jimbo Gallant prepared a delicious German dinner for us which was perfect right down to the yummy dessert. I had to laugh when my granddaughter Ella took her glass of blue Gatorade over to Rob, tapped on his shoulder and said "cheers". The youngsters added a lot to the weekend.

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Photo Slideshow of 2007 NADKC Annual Meeting

Photo Slide Show AM - Click to stop or start.

Judges’ Seminar

As we relaxed after dinner, Margitta Albertsen presented her informative JGHV Judges' Seminar. Many of her points were discussed and hopefully better understood.

Saturday–Annual Meeting

Fresh fruit, warm baked breads, and the breakfast entrees prepared by Chef Jimbo started our Saturday morning. We had a large crowd in attendance for the JGHV Apprentice Judge Seminar conducted by Margitta Albertsen. We sure kept her busy; she and her staff of “PowerPoint” technicians...There were many great discussions and we all went away with a better understanding of our judging/testing system.

Zuchtschau

The sunshine arrived as we all enjoyed some free time before lunch. Many handlers were seen practicing their handling techniques for the Zuchtschau which followed our lunch. David Trahan and his steward Andrew Maciejewski did a great job having handlers "on the line!" Judges for the Zuchtschau were again, Margitta Albertsen and Hermann-Josef Schomakers. Our NADKC President, Rob Engelking, graciously stood near the gallery further explaining the judges' critique. It was a nice addition to the event as many of attendees are very new at this.

Following the Zuchtschau we held a general membership meeting conducted by the NADKC’s board of directors. It was very enlightening to those in attendance, especially the new members as to the professionalism and dedication of this board. Christine Hammerer, Margitta Albertsen and Hermann-Josef Schomakers each added insight and the direction of the DKV in Germany. The NADKC is still a very young club, but after seeing the enthusiasm, knowledge and dedication by the membership in attendance, our future is bright, exciting and full of promise.

Annual Meeting Banquet and Auction/Raffle

The events of the final evening began with another fabulous meal by Chef Jimbo Gallant. A mixture of seafood, prime rib and fresh vegetables kept the buffet lines busy. Now that everyone had a full tummy and a drink in their hand, we started the auction and raffles. Our auctioneer for the evening was a familiar face for those of you that attended the 2005 meeting in Maine, Matt Lorello. Matt added a lot of local "flare" to the evening as auctioneer.

So let's have a toast to the NADKC for a wonderful weekend of fun, laughter, friendships, education and our beloved Deustch Kurzhaars.

From the members of the Northeast region, thank you all for attending and hope to see you again soon. And FYI, the bartender at the end of the weekend said we were the nicest and "funniest" group she’d ever waited on...Jury is still out on what she “really” meant. We did have some fun.

See you all again soon,

Patti Carter
Zwinger von der Merrymeeting