06/15/2026
Not gonna lie....we all were super nervous when UKC All Breed Sports asked us to work the Nosework portion of United Kennel Club Premier. We spent time talking with the previous clubs who had worked, the judges who had been there, and the competitors.
In the end, we put out a shining effort and we think it was a huge success!!
Summer, Kayla, and Holly from UKC could not have been more supportive of us. (Even if Holly and her chancla terrify me!) We never wanted for anything...including food! They fed us well!!
Judges came from Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana to challenge our thoughts and training. Laura Denison, Sandra Carbonell, Kim Dykstra, and Keri Goff gave us all some great searches...in the heat, the wind, and the rain! Hats off to you ladies for traveling to Michigan and supporting so many teams. It was great to see teams rise to the challenge of your searches and be successful (anyone remember the look of horror about the HOF vehicle search time??!! Followed by a huge success in that element!) And we think...even if we cant prove it, that Keri might have been a huge advocate for us. Both in supporting our club and getting great search areas to protect our teams for the weekend.
Every great team consists of some delinquent leader and the working minions. There is no way we would have been this successful without the minions. Janet Stricker Funk with her snackale box of treats, wipes, and friendly chatter for all the competitors (not to mention her mad skillz in capturing precious moments like the photo below). Gina Cameron with her cat like stealth, moving from area to area, silently watching all the activity and filling in spots that no one else could see. Kelly Bayless for years of training in our crazy scoreroom unknowingly preparing for this day. That paperwork was crazy, but it's just another day to her. Ruth Bayless for keeping our ribbon table in order and getting everyone the coveted goods. Jennifer Seul who *always* steps in wherever she is needed. Erika Sajpel with her comic storytelling abilities, organization, and teacher commands (same as Gina!!) keeps us all in line. Kelly Franco who floated everywhere all weekend putting on 10's of thousands of steps-filling in so people could get a break, bringing lunch back, just being a gopher (Although not the gopher in my exterior search!🤬😡)
Nikki Williams and Nancy Bergthold Kwain the organizers of said minions....we wouldn't be here if these two didnt step up and say "we will help you, lets get trials going again". You can thank them for all this chaos💕! These ladies have been much better to me than I deserve. And I'm forever thankful to them for the support in getting back on track.
Now....we have some FANTASTIC news to share!! 🥳 🎉 🎊 🍾 🥂
Hall of Fame had 9 dogs qualify in 3 of the 4 elements this year.
We are bursting with pride to share that our very own Kelly Bayless and Sally Nightshade are the first team to take home the Hall of Fame. What a beautiful accomplishment for an amazing team!
We know so many teams had big wins this week. Even if you didn't earn a title, share your win or favorite part of the weekend here.
Thank you all for being a part of the fun. We hope to see you again next year.
