2005GunDogClubGeorgiaTAN.html

DOCUMENTS ARCHIVE

2006 ANNUAL MEETING

French Brittany Gun Dog Association of America, Inc.

2006 Annual National Membership Meeting and Conclave

“A Celebration of the Epagneul Breton Breed in North America”

Meeting Dates -- March 1-4, 2006

Schedule of Events

Wednesday, March 1, 2006
National Level Field Trial (Open and Novice Gun Dog Stakes)
Event:	2006 Epagneul Breton (Type W) National Specialty Championship Field Trial
Designated Game:	Wild Bobwhite Quail (blank ammunition–no game shot)
Venue:	Kolomoki Plantation, Buffton (near Blakely, Georgia)
Date/Time:	This Field Trial will commence at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 1, 2006, and run to conclusion on March 2, 2006 (if needed)
Judge:	Honorable Henri Xavier Guelou, France, Head Judge, Officiating
Nearby Lodging:	Days Inn - Cuthbert (229) 732-5566 Days Inn - Blakely (229) 723-5858
Veterinarian:	Dr. Todd Tabb, Cuthbert Critter Care U. S. Highway 27, Cuthbert, Georgia (229) 732-2215
3:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m.	Registration for National Meeting and Conclave Lobby of Veterans Memorial State Park
8:00 pm	Bring your badge and join the Early Birds in the Park Lounge
Please note that the Wild Bird Trial to be held at Kolomoki Plantation is approximately 1 hour, 45 minutes from the convention facility in Cordele, Georgia where the remainder of events is to be held.

Thursday, March 2, 2006
9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.	Registration for the National Meeting and Conclave in the lobby of Veterans Memorial State Park
Morning	Conclusion of Type (W) Field Trial at Kolomoki Plantation (if needed)Morning at Veterans Memorial State Park, Cordele, Georgia - free time, on your own. You might want to try some potential activities such as fishing/skeet, etc. during this time
1:00 p.m.	FBGDA Board of Directors Meeting Location TBA (Veterans Memorial State Park)
2:30 p.m.	T.A.N. Number One - Natural Ability Test Field Trial Grounds, Veterans Memorial State Park, Cordele, GA
5:00 p.m.	Try one of the local establishments for dinner with a friend or the FBGDA Group.
8:00 p.m.	Gather for a time to brag about your favorite subject, your French Brittany, etc. in the Park Lounge

Friday, March 3, 2006
National Level Field Trial (Open and Novice Gun Dog Stakes)
Event:	2006 Epagneul Breton (Type L) National Specialty Championship Field Trial
Designated Game:	Liberated Bobwhite Quail – (game shot by designated gunners)
Venue:	Field Trial Grounds, Georgia Veterans Memorial State Park
Date/Time:	This Field Trial will commence at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, March 3, 2006, and run through to conclusion on the morning of Saturday, March 4, 2006 (if second day is needed)
Judge:	Honorable Henri Xavier Guelou, France, Head Judge, Officiating
Lodging:	Lake Blackshear Resort and Golf Club, Cordele, Georgia (phone 1-800-459-1230 please tell them you are with the French Brittany Gun Dog Association Meeting beginning March 1, 2006 for group rate on block of rooms for $99.00 (single or double occupancy in Villas)
Event Designate Veterinarian:	Dr. Cindy Greene Phone: (229) 273-8787 Cordele Animal Hospital 1101 South Greer Street Cordele, Georgia 31015
7:00 p.m.	Welcoming Dinner and 2006 National Membership Annual Meeting and Member Forum Lake Blackshear Resort and Golf Club Specific Location -- TBA

Saturday, March 4, 2006
7:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m.	Free Handler Clinics Veterans Memorial State Park Group Shelter II
9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.	UKC Field Trial Judges Educational Seminar (free to meeting participants) Location - TBA
12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.	Barbecue Lunch Veterans Memorial State Park Group Shelter II
1:30 p.m.	2006 FBGDA Epagneul Breton National Specialty Championship Conformation Show Veterans Memorial State Park Group Shelter II Honorable Rowdy Yates, Macon, GA, UKC Conformation Judge, Officiating
4:30 p.m.	2006 FBGDA T.A.N. Too (Two) (Natural Ability Test)* Veterans Memorial State Park Field Trial Grounds Honorable Henri Xavier Guelou, France, Officiating *For all T.A.N. entrants not previously completed
7:00 p.m.	FBGDA Closing Banquet and Awards Ceremony Lake Blackshear Resort and Golf Club

Sunday March 5, 2005
7:00 a.m.	Group Breakfast (Dutch treat) Cordelia’s Restaurant, Lake Blackshear Resort and Golf Club

HAVE A SAFE TRIP HOME

Lodging Accommodations:
Cottages and Villas at Lake Blackshear Resort and Golf Club

To make reservations for the Conclave please call Lake Blackshear Resort and Golf Club at 1-800-459-1230. They have lakefront cottages and villas which have a nice view. Villa’s have a group rate of $99.00 each, single or double occupancy while block or rooms last. Please tell them you are with the FBGDA meeting commencing on March 1, 2006, for the best rate and so that the club will receive credit for the required number of visitors under our convention agreement with the facility.

Campers and RV.’s:
FBGDA has rented the Pioneer Campgrounds where the field trial will be held. However, those campsites are primitive, and have no R.V./camper hookups or other facilities.

You may rent a campsite with R.V./camper hookups by calling the park reservation number at 1-800-864-7275. It is recommended that you call early to reserve a campsite, as the campsites go quickly during the spring, due to fishing in the area.

Important Note about Lodging: It is strongly recommended that meeting participants stay at Lake Blackshear Resort and Golf Club, which is located on the premises of Georgia Veterans Memorial State Park, where all events, with the exception of the type (L) wild bird trial at Kolomoki Plantation on Wednesday March 1, 2005, are going to be held.

There are additional hotel accommodations in Cordele, Georgia but those accommodations are several miles away from the meeting facilities.

Meals:
Registration Fee includes meals on Friday night, Saturday lunch and Saturday Evening Banquet. (An effort will be made to provide a modest field lunch of sandwiches during the field trials.) There are several nice eating facilities nearby the entrance to the park/resort facility: Daphne Lodge featuring seafood, The Olde Inn featuring Continental Quisine and Cordelia’s Restaurant, a nice dining facility on the premises of the resort.

Other Contact Information:
Lake Blackshear Resort and Golf Club - www.lakeblackshearretreat.org
Resort Phone (800) 459-1230

Georgia Veterans Memorial State Park - www.gastateparks.org
Park Phone (229) 276- 2371

Welcome to the newly updated official web site for the French Brittany Gun Dog Association of America, Inc., the official parent breed club for the Epagneul Breton in America! We invite you to consider owning a French Brittany and becoming a member of FBGDA in order to support our collective efforts in protecting and advancing the Epagneul Breton breed. FBGDA offers you the opportunity to develop friendships with like minded people who simply love and enjoy these wonderful canine companions and hunting partners. We also provide great opportunities for you to have fun with your dogs, ---not only in the field, but at various events around the country. Through our web page and our semi-annual Magazine, you can also keep up with important news and developments about the breed in America and abroad

Since FBGDA’s humble beginning where a dozen true believers first met to organize in a barn in Missouri in 1997, the central mission of FBGDA has been to protect and preserve this wonderful breed of pointing dog in America and elsewhere. This mission has been accomplished by aggressively advocating that the Epagneul Breton breed’s unique characteristics in conformation and field work should be kept consistent as they have been in France, the country of the breed’s origin. Through meticulous breeding and selection over the course of a century, breeders of the Epagneul Breton in France and Europe have developed the tremendous foundation for our breed which has lead to its success and popularity.

The true Epagneul Breton presently exists as an outstanding personal gun dog for the foot hunter. These dogs consistently exhibit high natural aptitude in the field to locate upland game, to point staunchly and retrieve shot game to hand, which makes them easy to train. Bretons are also highly intelligent, sociable and most pleasing to the eye. Consequently, the French Brittany is not only quite easy to train in the field compared to other pointing breeds, but their friendly dispositions make them easy to love and enjoy as perfect companions for the whole family. Thus, the central mission of FBGDA is to keep the breed EXACTLY that way and to make every effort to avoid the pitfalls experienced by other breeds which have been modified in one way or another over time, after reaching America’s shores.

The leadership of this Association is devoted to insuring that the fine traditions of the breed are continued and maintained. This work is of utmost importance, because the breed has tremendous emerging popularity in America and around the world. A few years ago, FBGDA partnered with the United Kennel Club Inc. to provide the official registry for our distinct breed, in the United States. An important component of this partnership was that the U.K.C. wanted to promote and develop a system of field events and conformation shows in America based on the European model for working pointing dogs. These UKC sanctioned events sponsored by various affiliated clubs are designed to be fun for all and to help identify the fine representatives of the breed. Most importantly, field trials and conformation shows are the method by which we objectively evaluate representatives of our breed, so that we may keep them consistently looking like and performing in the field, just like Bretons have done in France and Europe for a century.

The present leadership appreciates the energy, dedication and service of all the people in America and around the world who have supported FBGDA in the past. We acknowledge and express appreciation for the vision and follow-through of the past leadership of FBGDA, which helped our Association from humble beginnings in the 1990’s to achieve its present level of outstanding success in North America. The ongoing mission of protecting and maintaining the Epagneul Breton breed will continue to be the central objective and goal of the FBGDA leadership in the future. All members on the FBGDA leadership team, including the new officers and board members bring tremendous vision, energy and experience to help achieve the future goals of our Association. Nevertheless, our leadership remains mindful of the important traditions adhered to in France and Europe for a century--- which traditions have been emulated by devoted American fanciers of the true Epagneul Breton in recent years. Adherence to these fine traditions have contributed mightily to maintaining the “smallest, but the best of the pointing breeds”—the Epagneul Breton--- around the world. The FBGDA leadership is looking forward with excitement to a bright and fun filled future for our members. All of us hope that you will join with us in enjoying, maintaining and promoting our beloved companions and hunting partners—the Epagneul Breton (French Brittany)!