2012 AKC POINTING BREED GUN DOG CHAMPIONSHIP TO RUN AT
HISTORIC AMES PLANTATION IN TENNESSEE
– Area Rich in Bird Dog History –
New York, NY — The American Kennel Club® is pleased to announce the 2012 AKC
Pointing Breed Gun Dog Championship will take place at the Ames Plantation near
Grand Junction, TN, beginning Monday, February 27, 2012. The area has been long
associated with bird dogs: the first organized field trial in the U.S. was held near
Memphis, TN in 1874 and the American Field National Championship has been held on
the Ames Plantation since 1915. Grand Junction is also home of the Bird Dog Museum,
which preserves the history of the sport.
“We are very pleased to be running at Ames and feel this event provides a unique
opportunity to appreciate the sport’s rich history,” said Doug Ljungren, AKC’s AVP of
Performance Events. “Pointing breed enthusiasts will be able to watch great bird dogs
and also visit both the Ames Plantation and the Bird Dog Museum to learn more about
the history of their sport.”
The Pointing Breed Gun Dog Championship is the largest National Championship open
to all pointing breeds. The traditional format of the event will be modified in 2012 to fit
the historic courses at Ames, with only one Championship stake run. The one hour,
non-retrieving, two series event will run for a total of 12 days, on birds native to the
Plantation. The entry will be capped at 132 dogs.
Qualifiers for the 2012 event will include dogs that have earned their AKC Field
Championship or Amateur Field Championship title or dogs that have placed in large
stakes in 2011. In order to ensure representation of all breeds, dogs that win their
breed’s 2011 AKC National Gun Dog Championship stake (Open or Amateur) will have
a spot automatically reserved. The winners of the 2011 AKC Pointing Breed Gun Dog
Championship held in Idaho will also have a spot reserved.
Event Chairman Ken Blackman, a resident of western Tennessee, has already been
impressed with the local support shown for the trial. “The community has been
extremely welcoming. Due to the region’s long involvement with bird dogs, sporting dog
events are appreciated, and this area understands and is grateful for the business these
events bring to the community,” he said. “The local Chambers of Commerce, community
groups and businesses are pitching in to ensure the success of the Gun Dog
Championship. Our thanks also go to Dr. Rick Carlisle and his staff at the Ames
Plantation for their assistance!”
Major sponsors of the 2012 AKC Pointing Breed Gun Dog Championship include Purina
(the official dog food sponsor of the AKC Gun Dog Championship), Tri-Tronics, Eukanuba Pet
Food, Garmin International, SportDOG, Hardeman and Fayette County Chambers of
Commerce, Bank of Fayette County and the Hobart Ames Foundation.
Our very own Louie (NAFC/DC/AFC Ariels Justa Gotta Go Now) ran in this historic and prestigious event. In his first hour, he did a tremendous job and he was honored to be one of the 12 dog called back for the second series.
Unfortunately he didn't come home with a ribbon this year, but to be one of the top 12 out of 126 dogs entered is a high honor! Louie was named top GWP in the event.
To read more about the 2012 Gun Dog Championship, go to www.akc.org
