Mike and I were married in 1980, from that time until 2007 we have had Brittany's as a part of our family. Mike has always been an outdoors person an avid hunter, not only upland birds but Elk, Mule Deer, Whitetail, Antelope, Caribou, Moose and you can throw in Salmon and Steel Head fishing as well. As for me, I have trained and showed horses most of my life, I had dogs German Shepard's and I have always had a great love of the outdoors and it's beauty.

We have 2 children and own our own small business, with our children's sports, the business and still trying to squeeze in our own hobbies it seemed we were always off in 2 different directions. In 2000 Mike and I knew that with the kids almost on their own, WE needed something to do together, since both of us liked the dogs and the outdoors (at that time I didn't hunt) we decided we would concentrate on Upland Bird Hunting. 

We knew our Brittany's hunting days were limited, although we had about 2 years or so left with them, we need to start searching for another dog. We were introduced to the Braque du Bourbonnais, after talking to Lonn Kuck owner of Elk Run Kennels in Star, Idaho, and finding out about the temperament and hunting ability of his dogs, we decided to send him a deposit on a puppy. Once we brought her home, well needless to say we were bit by these hard working versatile hunting and family dogs. We have had a total of 4 Braque du Bourbonnais from Elk Run Kennels, our 2 Brittany's are no longer with us but the memories they gave us are.

We joined both our local chapter of NAVHDA (North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association) and the National Club. It provided a place to meet and train with people and has provided us with training grounds as well as tests. We have become active members and I am the current Secretary to the South East Michigan Chapter. Our dogs have passed their "Natural Ability" test and are currently being trained to enter their "Utility" Test. NAVHDA is a great way to see how your dogs are doing against the other versatile dog breeds.

Since the Braque du Bourbonnais are not "AKC" (American Kennel Club) registered you cannot run  in  AKC  "Hunt Tests". We wanted another activity to go along with NAVHDA, we went and watched a "NSTRA" (North American Shoot To Retrieve Association) Trial and have competed in a couple of those.

Both NAVHDA and NSTRA are a wonderful way to train in the "off" season. By joining either one or both of these clubs they give you the opportunity to develop a partnership with your buddy prior to hunting season. For more information on NAHVDA and NSTRA  please see our "Favorite Link" page.