Season 3: UKC ESDS Dog Of The Year & Youth Of The Year Award Winners, sponsored by Bone Clone
April 24, 2020
Source: Todd Kellam
Email: tkellam@ukcdogs.com
Reports are in, results have been verified, and we are ready to announce and congratulate season 3 winners and finalists in the Elite Shed Dog Series Dog Of The Year and Youth Of The Year awards presented by Bone Clone. It was an interesting year to say the least. A format change for season 3 had some handlers implementing strategies to optimize their points opportunities. Other handlers elected to go about it with a business as usual approach. In the end, a situation nobody could have foreseen played a pivotal role in the outcome of the season 3 races.
UKC Elite Shed Dog Series Dog & Youth of the Year: sponsored by Bone Clone
With events around the country being forced to cancel, opportunity to qualify became impossible for several front running contenders. Had nobody been able to qualify, perhaps it would have led to an opportunity to re-evaluate the process. However, with several dogs qualifying within the advertised structure for season 3, a change to the structure at this stage of the game was neither warranted nor fair.
All the winners and finalists below will receive a custom trophy presented by Bone Clone and also an embroidered jacket presented by Bone Clone and United Kennel Club. United Kennel Club and Bone Clone are proud to present to you our Dog Of The Year and Youth Of The Year winners and finalists.
Dog Of The Year Winner
Our congratulations to Tony Hoefer and Tierney Schneider of Garnavillo, Iowa, for the first place finish of ESD3 Hoefers Goin' For Broke. Call name Eva, she is a 2- year-old Labrador Retriever female. Eva earned her points in Michigan, Kansas, Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin. She averaged 11.5 points per event for her qualifying runs. We can skip the math lesson but I can let you know this, Eva, "hit the podium" (as our friend Scott at Bone Clone likes to say) in 7 of her 8 qualifying runs. For those of you who have been in this program any amount of time you know what an accomplishment that is. The Elite Shed Dog Series has a most deserving Dog Of The Year winner and United Kennel Club and Bone Clone could not be happier.
ESD3 Hoefers Goin' For Broke
Dog Of The Year Finalists
The father and daughter team of Jeff and Zoey Rada capture the first two finalists spots with their Labrador Retriever females ESD2 RPM Tyra's Frozen Shot Of Ammo (Tundra) and ESD Black Ice's Indian Princess (Cree). Jeff and Zoey are from New Auburn, Wisconsin, and their dogs Tundra and Cree are 2 and 3 years of age. Jeff and Zoey traveled from South Dakota to Mississippi and around the State of Wisconsin in their effort to qualify. Zoeys effort sets the bar pretty high for those following in her footsteps having now been named a winner or finalist in both the Youth Of The Year and Dog Of The Year awards. One of the Elite Shed Dog Series favorite families we are very happy for the Rada family.
ESD2 RPM Tyra's Frozen Shot Of Ammo (Tundra).
ESD Black Ice's Indian Princess (Cree).
Rounding out our finalists is a 3-year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever male from Kalamazoo, Michigan, by the name of NN UJJ WSD SHR AI MC URO3 EHD PTE CH Blackwoods Special Ops SPOT. Those are not typos in front of "Sniper's" name. Those are all titles this hard working and intelligent Chessie has earned for owner Birdie Hoikka. The UKC programs that Sniper has titled in include; Nosework, Dock Jumping, Rally Obediance, Hunting Retriever Club, and Elite Shed Dog Series. Sniper is owner trained and handled by one of the nicest ladies in our sport and we are thrilled to recognize Birdie for this accomplishment.
NN UJJ WSD SHR AI MC URO3 EHD PTE CH Blackwoods Special Ops SPOT
Youth Of The Year Winner
Laikyn Beyer made it her goal to try to capture Youth Of The Year honors after watching her friend Zoey Rada crowned as last year's winner. It just goes to show you what hard work and dedication can accomplish! Congratulations to Laikyn and her parents John and Brittany for this well-deserved win. Laikyn is 11 years old and in the 6th grade and she tag teamed her families dogs Oakley (GSP) and Ryelee (Black Lab) on her qualifying runs. When she is not training dogs with her family she enjoys all sports but her specialty is softball where she pitches for her towns rec team and a travel team. United Kennel Club and Bone Clone are thrilled to have Laikyn representing the youth in our program and proud of her win in the Youth Of The Year award.
Laikyn Beyer with Oakley (GSP) and Ryelee (Black Lab).
Youth Of The Year Finalist
Our Youth Of The Year finalist is Jayce Clemons, an 8th grader from Monterey, KY. Along with shed hunting, Jayce enjoys playing soccer for the middle and high school teams along with hunting, fishing and the shooting sports. Jayce started participating in the UKC Shed trials last year with lab Dolly. He enjoys learning from everyone and the friendships he has made along the way. Jayce hopes to continue to grow in his dog handling skills and would like to win Youth of the Year and a National Title with his new puppy, Indiana Bones. Congratulations to Jayce and Dolly!
Jayce Clemons
Guided by the belief that dogs make a difference by being the best partner a human can have in the field, on the job, or in a competition event, UKC is a community for people and dogs to pursue excellence together. Founded in 1898, UKC has been dedicated to enhancing the lives of Dogs That Do More, and their owners, by providing essential resources to help owners and breeders make informed decisions. The dog-human bond is celebrated through family-friendly programs highlighting the instincts and heritage of purebred and mixed-breed dogs alike at over 15,000 licensed events annually.