A dog that Cope's
Cope became part of The Wallace Dogs in January of 2007 as a 7 week old ball of fur. I had thought about getting a lab as I had had the privilege to run behind some of the other flushing dogs on the circuits and it was defiantly something that interested me. Cope showed tremendous bird drive from an early age. He was retrieving birds that we would throw for him at 8 weeks of age, and we started shooting birds over him at 10 weeks of age. His introduction to gun fire pretty much consisted of putting a bird out for him and letting him flush it and retrieve it. From the time we got him he went everywhere with us, making his first trip to the NBDCA Nationals with Paula and I in the spring of 2007 at 3 months of age. On the first night there we tried to smuggle him into the hotel room with us as Paula thought he would be to cold in the dog box but he would have nothing of it. He whined and barked wanting to get back outside with the big dogs. It was at this time I pretty much knew we had something special.
Cope was sent to K&L Kennels in Higginsville , MO in July of 2007 just like all of The Wallace Dogs before him. He did well in his training, so well in fact that Mike his trainer asked me if I have ever thought about running him in some hunt tests with the AKC and HRC as well as the APLA. We decided to give it a shot in the spring of 2008. In the meantime I ran Cope in events for both the BDC and UFTA. He did very well winning a couple of events at 9 months old against some dogs that were legendary in the BDC, as well as Mercedes, owned by Chris Smith who would go on to win the UFTA Flushing division at the 2007 Nationals. Cope would go as well and compete in the BDC Nationals as well as the UFTA Nationals in the spring of 2008. I let Chris Smith run him as I was tied up with the pointing side of things and he held his own in the Open division against some very good dogs.
After both set of the Nationals were over it was time for him to go back to K&L for his formal training for the hunt tests. Cope took to this well and has marking skills that are as good as any dog out there. He passed his first ever APLA test and received his Certified Pointing Retriever title that spring. He also passed the first 3 AKC Junior tests he was entered in as well as 2 HRC Seasoned tests, Mike had decided to skip the Started and see how he would do in Seasoned. Apparently this was a good choice. In the fall of 2008 Cope went on to achieve his APLA Advanced Pointing Retriever Title as well as his AKC Junior title and his HRC Seasoned title. Cope has since moved on to capture his AKC Senior title and is now working toward his Master title in both the AKC and APLA as well as his Finished title in HRC.
Cope is 64 pounds of muscle and desire. He loves to retrieve and will do it endlessly. Cope is OFA excellent as well as EIC and CNM clear he also carries one black gene and one yellow gene so he will throw both black and yellow puppies. He is duel registered with both the AKC and UKC and a joy to be around both in the field as well as in the house and is just about as well rounded dog as you will ever find. Once he finishes up his AKC and HRC title he will be back in the upland fields traveling with the rest of us. To see more of Cope please go to the stud dog’s page of this website.
Dog to the line and gunners up!
