The Master National Retriever Club Welcomes You 

to the City of Demopolis, Alabama!

The Retriever News Team has made it down the site of the 21st Master National. This is going to be the largest Performance Dog Event ever held by the American Kennel Club. Over nine hundred dogs qualified for this event over the course of the last year, completing at least six Master Hunter passes at numerous events. Over seven hundred dogs have entered the event and the National  begins on Saturday the 20th at 8 am.

Needless to say, a great deal of preparation has gone on for several years leading up to today. We did a little exploring of the area this afternoon and found a buzz of activity going on all around us. We passed several dog trucks both driving and training. With over 30 choices in training areas surrounding the event, people can really spread out and not interfere with other training groups. 

We went to the Forever Wild grounds. The workers were just coming in for quite a spread of seasoned catfish with all the trimmings provided by Ca-Johns in Faunsdale. There were also meetings going on between committee members and the eight judges were convening, too. People have traveled from all around the country (and even the world) to be here. For some, this is their first time opportunity. For others, they are renewing old acquaintances and seeing familiar faces.

Through the course of this blog, we hope to give you both a fresh perspective on the event through the eyes of some of these newcomers and also a seasoned comparison to events past. The area is vast and the six tests lined up for the competitors are sure to test amateurs and pros alike.

The Opening Ceremonies begin tonight at five o’clock. We are assured they will excite and delight! The Social Reception, Dinner and Auction will follow. We are attending and will take lots of pictures to share with you as the evening goes on. More later…