Congratulations!!!

The Northern Michigan Chapter is proud to have had Judy Balog and her dog Gunner earn their Versatile Champion title at the 1998 NAVHDA Invitational. Gunner was the first Weimaraner in the history of NAVHDA to receive a VC. Great Job Judy and Gunnar!!!

Northern Michigan Chapter
North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association

Newsletter Archives - February 1999

You probably have already noticed that the newsletter is in a much different format than earlier ones. The reason is that our Secretary, Harry Hill has been under-the-weather and has not had an opportunity to prepare one. We hope that Harry will be his normal self soon (or do we?) and that we will have a "normal" Paws Print News, with the Colonel's Comments, in the next few months. For this newsletter, we will outline the general information and discuss some of the plan for our chapter in 1999.

Membership Dues

A membership application has been included with this letter. Please complete the form and include a $20.00 check, payable to NAVHDA and mail to our President, Lance Vernam. In 1998, we had 44 members. We hope to increase this to over 50 members in 1999!

1998 September Test Results

Congratulations to the following chapter members who passed the 1998 September test:

Member	Dog	Breed	Test and Result
Paul Fischer	Griff's INT Murry	WPG	NA - Prize I
Erin Hamrick	JC's Silver Phoenix	WEI	NA - Prize I
Craig Holmes	Stoney Pointe Mustache	WPG	NA - Prize I
John McDougall	Springset Natural Image	GRS	NA - Prize III
Ron Boehme	South Paw Hasko	GWP	UPT - Prize III
Butch Grover	Regal Vom Riverwoods	GSP	UT - Prize I
Larry Kravat	Josh Vom Riverwoods	GSP	UT - Prize II
Lance Vernam	Bold Return Belle	EGS	UT - Prize III

Upcoming Events

Please click here for a listing of our current calendar of events and detailed event descriptions. Currently, we are discussing the possibility of a pre-season pheasant shoot. If you would be interested in having an event like this, please contact Lance Vernam at 616.938.1324. Additionally if there are other events that you would like to see outside of what is listed on our calendar of events, we would encourage you to voice your opinions.

We have been informed by our test secretary that our Spring Test is now full. There is always a chance that someone will drop out close to the test date, so if anyone is interested, contact Judy Balog, 616.938.4426, to be placed on a waiting list.

The Fall Test is beginning to fill already! For our chapter members, we have included an application for this test. If you are interested in testing your dog in August, please complete the application form and return it with your application fee to our test secretary, Judy Balog, 4329 Hampshire Drive, Williamsburg, MI 49690, as quickly as possible. .

Volunteers!

Remember that the tests which our chapter hosts takes dedicated volunteers to successfully run. If you are interested in helping with any test, please contact Lance Vernam at 616.938.1324. It's a great opportunity to learn more about NAVHDA and to give a little back to the chapter.

Training with Birds

Your Northern Michigan NAVHDA chapter will have pigeons available for dog training starting this spring. It is acceptable to use live birds for dog training. However, it is your responsibility to use them in a humane manner. Pups should never be allowed to chew or maul a live bird. Have your dog under complete control when training, so that your dog does not actually touch the bird. Live pigeons should not be thrown into water in order to get your dog to swim or fetch. Always use dead birds to teach or practice swimming or the fetch command.

Chapter birds are not for shooting. You may use these birds for practice in locating and pointing and you may shoot for noise only.

You are welcome to bring your own birds for training days. If you want to purchase birds for shooting, contact David Norquist at 517.356.4160. He has a supplier for pigeons and is selling them for $3.50 each. Orders for birds must be made at least seven (7) days prior to a training day. David's supplier requires payment upon order; therefore, you must pay for any birds ordered.