Big Rivers Chapter Update

January 18, 2010
Greetings BRC Members and Happy New Year!

We are still in our hunting seasons down south so I do hope you and your DD are having a successful year with lots of positive payoff from the training done in 2009.  One issue we face is that even though we are still hunting we need to quickly get ready for the 2010 Testing Season.  Please check the GNA Official Testing Calendar and sign up quickly.  Tests will fill up fast. We are already setting up Training days in each state so be sure to check out the GNA and BRC websites for updates.  VJPs are scheduled and we anticipate testing many young dogs in our chapter so new handlers get to a Training Day in your area.  Please contact your local State Chairman, your Breeder or a BRC officer if you need any help or that you have grounds available for a Training Day. 

Updates:
BRC Director of Communications
Zane Brown-TX has agreed to be an assistant to the BRC Board by being our Director of BRC Communications.  He will be responsible for the website and other special projects for your BRC Board.  He is updating the BRC website now so he needs you to forward pictures of you and your DD and forward ideas as to what you would like to see on the website.  We want the website to be an educational resource to each member and a better way to stay up on current happenings and people within BRC.  The BRC web address is www.vddgnabrc.org.  Check it out and get Zane some suggestions. 

BRC 2010 Chapter Meeting
Our 2010 BRC Annual Meeting will be held at the La Quinta Inn of Decatur, TX on March 27th.  The hotel has a special group rate for us so we can get extra meeting room savings if our folks contact the hotel directly to make reservations.  The La Quinta's number is 940-627-9603 and tell them you are part of the VDD-GNA BRC block of rooms.  Remember that all La Quinta's are dog friendly and there is no additional pet fee. 

We have a full night planned for you on the 27th.  We will have a Texas BB-Q supper beginning at 5:30 PM.  I need a head count for dinner so please send me your name and how many you want for dinner.  The final cost and menu is not yet completed but it will be around $10-$15 per person.  The 2010 BRC Annual Meeting will follow roughly at 6:30 PM.  We will have several members from the GNA Executive Board with us judging at the VJP and Breed Show so I hope to include some time for comments from them on the program agenda.  Each BRC Board member will be reporting and if there are any motions for new business we will vote on those motions as well.  Please send me in writing or by emailing your New Business motion before March 1, 2010 so we can send them out to the membership for preview.  We will not take any motions for New Business from the floor on the night of the meeting.  We will close our evening out with the highly anticipated and always exciting BRC Auction.  Remember that this is our only fundraiser of the year.  Those who have attended these in the past will tell you how much fun they have had and what great items are available for bid.  We have some hunts and hunting items already donated but now it's you turn to pitch in. 

Do you have a hunt or hunting related item you wish to donate?  Chad Crissup-OK our Vice-Chairman is heading up the Auction.  Please contact him quickly with your donation so that we can get our Auction program together so that everyone has a wonderful ending to our annual get together. 

Our chapter is continuing to grow because of time spent by our Board, our State Chairman and volunteers at our Training Days, our Breeders, our Testing Officials, our puppies and YOU.  Join with local members to train, test and hunt.  This is what we are all about as a Breed organization.  Your participation in BRC after you test your DD is vital for BRC to grow.  With your participation, you bring a depth of knowledge and camaraderie that will insure we all have great DDs for generations to come.  Please let a BRC Board member know your needs or how we can do this better. 

Have a wonderful 2010 and I look forward to seeing you in Decatur, Texas on the weekend of March 27th and 28th. 

Waidmannsheil
Brandt Hardy
Big Rivers Chapter Chairman

January 14, 2010
Howdy Friends: 

      I hope all is well as hunting season is winding down and coming to an end within the next month or so.  Here in TX we have till the end of February to continue chasing gentleman Bob and our duck season will end in about a week.  Both have been fairly spotty but for the most part pretty decent and our dogs have truly enjoyed each and every day we spend in the field with them.  I hope you have enjoyed this hunting season as much as we have and look forward to the year to come in testing and training.  Whether you have a dog to be tested or not we would love to see you at a training day near you.  There is always something to be gained whether it is visiting at the trucks or time in the field. 

      Within the Big Rivers Chapter we are trying to increase our communication within the membership and want to start posting pictures to this website that include you with your dogs and family.  We also want to hear about any hunting or non hunting stories you may have about your dog.  We want to make an effort to stay in touch with you and hear about your great adventures with your DD and your progress in testing.  We want to begin making this website a place for all of us to stay in touch and up to date with the happenings of our chapter.  It often seems that one area of our chapter may not be aware of other events due to our large geography and hopefully with this website we can stay linked together.  In addition if anyone has any articles that think would be beneficial for us to post to our website we would be glad to include it for our members to enjoy.  We want to make this a place for you to become acquainted with your fellow DD owners.  

      By the way we have a fairly new puppy owner, Bryan Corrigan from Dallas, TX Cell: (214)356-6689 bryan@corrigan3b.com, feel free to call and welcome him to our group.  His pup will be testing this year and he will be present at our Annual meeting, I have visited with him briefly and he is open to any and all information regarding testing and training.  Please send any pictures, updates, and test scores to st_zbrown@yahoo.com and check into to this site often. 

Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you,

Zane Brown
st_zbrown@yahoo.com
903-243-4607

July 7, 2009
Greetings BRC Members,
     Most of you know BRC suffered the loss of our dear friend and Chapter Breed Warden Hank Lippert.  His passing is difficult personally since I've considered Hank a friend for the last 20 years.  Those who met Hank even briefly have a personal "Hank Story."  It really helped during those tough days to get your email and phone call condolences.  We will miss him, his contributions and his passion for our beloved DD's.
     We can not replace Hank but we have to find someone to fulfull his unexpired term as BRC Breed Warden.  If you or know someone who is interested in serving in this position for the next two and a half years please send me an email nomination.  We have to assemble the list of potential candidates befor we can proceede. 
     The protocol for this position requires the Chapter Breed Warden candidates to be pre-approved by Lynn Whiteley BDD-GNA Breed Warden.  Then the BRC board will discuss the aproved candidates credentials and select the person to fill the remainder of Hank's term.  This is a voting BRC Board position with important responsibiities to serve the breeders within BRC.
     I will close nominations for this position August 1, 2009.  We will work swiftly to get the person in place before the fall breeding session goes into full swing.  We will update the website and send an email and of course have a report in the next newsletter. 
     We are closing in on a record number of dogs that will be prevaluated for the 2009 Armbruster, BRC supports our handlers participating in these special International HZPs.  We appreciate Jim Wion for his time to do these evaluation and Chad Crissup and the State Chairman for organizing their handlers.  Please watch the website for the schedule event.
     This is a reminder to work hard getting your dogs ready for the fall HZP and VGP.  We want to test failures this Fall and our goal is for ten new Judge Apprntice candidates who pass their VGP.  Work hard and train with others around you.  Check the website for training and testing updates.  BRC Director of Testing Leonard Baker is already planning for the 2010 BJP, HZP and VGP test schedule.  If you have grounds that could hold a test please contact Leonard.
     Well, we are setting records for high temperatures across our chapter this summer.  It makes it very hard on both dog and handler.  Be safe yet get ready because hunting and testing season is just around the corner.

Waidmannsheil
Brandt Hardy
Big Rivers Chapter Chairman

                                                                                                               Rembering Hank

     Our dear longtime VDD-GNA member Hank Lippert died in a single car accident just a few miles from his home near Malden, Missouri on the evening of May 6, 2009.  Hank was survived by his mother Betty Clark, who has since passed away.  He  is survived by his sister Linda Knupp and her husbank Ron and daughter Alyssa Anderson, her husband Ian and their children.  hank also left behind his four beloved DD's Lonnie, Fyl, Evi, and Dana.  They have all been placed in loving hunting homes with friends that Hank had known for years. 
     Hank was a longtime JGHV VR judging all over the country over the years.  He was an active Big Rivers Chapter member and Chapter Breed Warden for many years.  He was also a breeder with vom Riddle Hugel Kennel.  Hank was active in asisting young handlers with training their new pups.  He also was involved organizing tests in recent years most often close to home in Missouri.  Many people didn't realize that Hank also had a unique ability to trap game and he routinely supplied foxed for training and testing DD's for the BTR and VGP.
     Another "passion" Hank had was his enjoyment of Karaoke.  It didn't take much to get Hank up to start belting out an old worn out Charlie Daniels ballad or some other country tune.  One of the stories I was sent by email was about Hank at the 1st Armbruster in South Dakota entertaining the room for the evening.  Having personally witnessed hank with the mic, I can tell you he got lost in the joy of those moments.  It was pretty good fun for the rest of us also.
     Hank had several significant challenges in his personal life but none more courageous than his winning battle to survive cancer.  In recent years, he was busy taking cae of his very ill mother so he was less able to travel but he stayed as active and involved with his friends within VDD-GNA as he could.  
     What a sudden, shocking, and sad loss for us within the DD community this has been.  The news spread quickly with literally dozens of spontaneous emails and even more phone calls to me froom Hank's "family" within VDD-GNA.  People had questions but more importantly everyone had a "Hank story" to share.  Hank left behind his dear family and many many dear friends and countless wonderful memories.
     I fortunately have many personal "Hank stories" that will be treasured forever but when I reflect on him many tender impressions come to mind including his love for the Missouri Tigers and his St. Louis Cardinals.  Hank will be best remembered as a passionate man who left his mark on all those he came into contact with and he was always quick to add you as his friend.  I sure am blessed to have had himinclude me in that "pack".  I can only hope you were also.  
     Peace and rest to you dear friend.  You will be missed.
Brandt Hardy
Big Rivers Chapter Chairman 

Welcome Big Rivers Chapter of VDD-Group North America
March 09 Update
     Welcome to the launch of the Big Rivers Chapter website.  It is our intent to give different information that does not repeat things you can find elsewhere such as on the GNA homepage.  We will focus the information here to include those important items that keep us most informed, educated and aware of what is happening within BRC.  We will attempt to be current and update frequently.  Plan to look here often for test results and other "Breaking News" with BRC or GNA that will effect you.
     The chapter has sturggled greatly over the Fall and Winter trying to find VJP test sites that can support the large number of puppies we have to support.  This has placed a great hardship on our members to travel great distances to test.  I apologize to you for this.  The motto "Have DDs will travel" is not OK anymore and we need to secure better training and testing grounds for our members.  We are commmitted to that end and have made our needs clearly known to VDD-GNA.  These issues are being addressed nationally and in Germany so that our dogs are evaluated and that there is no compromise of the integrity of our Testing System.  I will keep you informed as I have updates.
     BRC has hosted another successful VDD-GNA Annual meeting.  I think all who attended will attest that it was very beneficial to have Frank Wagner speak to the group about the Development of the Hunting Partnership with You and Your Dog.  Frank shared his training method to develop you and your DD into Hunting Partnership that brings years of injoyment.  Thank You Frank for your time and effort to come from Germany to educate us with your proven methods.  Torrey Harris is in the final editing stages of the seminars so those unable to attend will have a chance to say they had "Been There".  Look for an announcement regarding the seminars on DVD in the upcoming weeks.
     We held BRC Elections.  The officers elected were as follows:
Brandt Hardy      Louisiana       Chairman
Chad Crissup      Oklahoma      Vice-Chairman
Tom Morgan      Missouri         Business Manager
Hank Lippert      Missouri         Breed Warden
Leonard Baker   Oklahoma      Director of Testing
     Congratulations to all and now Get Busy!!!  Seriously, contact any of these men to assist you if you have a need.  If they don't know how to assist you specifically they will be able to send you in the right direction.  They are here to serve you and bring many years of knowledge and experience with GNA and DD to their offices.
     We are hunters that own a wonderful dog (Deutsch-Drahthaar) registered with a foreign breed organization (VDD) that you joined through the US affiliated group (VDD-GNA) that tests our beloved puppies under the rules of a foreign judging organization (JGHV).  This tells me you are committed and could have quite a few questions.  We want to answer your questions through this avenue because if you have the question so do others.  These questions can be anything such as a training question or an organizational one or something different.  We will have an Ask The Expert section to respond to your questions and also to have up for future reference.  We will get the answer for you.
     This is just the beginning of the development of using this tool, so any ideas or suggestions are appreciated.  Please forward any pictures that you have of your DD or from the Annual Meeting.  We will put those up on the site so you can put faces with names.
     Train and Test your DD through the VGP is our current goal for 2009.  Attend training days or better yet host one in your area.  To set that up contact Chad Crissup to get the details.
     Working together with you for enjoyable hunting experiences with great friends and our wonderful DDs.

Waidmannsheil
Brandt Hardy
Big Rivers Chapter Chairman
VDD-GNA