American Chesapeake Club

The American Chesapeake Club would like to announce the recipient of the 2009American Kennel Club’s Outstanding Sportsmanship Medallion to Jane Peabody of Bremen, Maine. The award was presented at the Mid Coast Kennel Club of Maine supported entry show, that Jane sponsors, due to the fact that Jane and her husband Ron couldn’t make it to the National in Ohio this past year. In the past 20years Jane has been instrumental in giving a second chance to over 1400 misplaced Chesapeake’s from across the country. Jane with the help of her husband Ron, who are both in their mid-seventies, own and run Chesapeake Safe Harbor, a nonprofit Chesapeake Bay Retriever rescue. Jane’s facility has twenty-six heated indoor/outdoor kennel runs to house the dogs and a staff that vary in number along with numerous volunteers who show up to help take care of these big brown dogs in their time of need. Jane has owned Chesapeake’s for over 20 years. She has been active in the ACC in numerous capacities. She was instrumental in starting the ACC rescue program, ran the “rescue hotline” for the whole nation for 3 years, was the rescue coordinator for the eastern half of the country and has sponsored and put on at least 5 supported entries.

Jane has been a breeder of at least 5 very carefully well-planned litters, as well as showing her dogs in conformation. She’s also sent her dogs “to school” to earn numerous AKC hunt test titles. Jane has always been very friendly to new Chesapeake owners and has helped them adjust to their dogs any way she could. If you’ve ever attended the Maine supported entry you know about the awesome lobster bake that Jane and her family put on. Not only are past adopters invited but also all of the people who attend the show. If you have been to the past several Nationals (except for 2009) you’ve seen Jane and Ron handing out her famous lobster sandwiches while working at the Chessie rescue booth. This past year they supplied lobster and/or crab sandwiches at the ACC Field Trial Specialty in Maine. There are hundreds of people out there that have been touched by Jane’s generous unselfish spirit of giving to others. The amount of hours that Jane has given of her time to help each and every Chesapeake lover cannot be measured and each one of those hours has always been with a smile on her face and love in her heart for our breed. The American Chesapeake Club is honored to have Jane as a longtime member and for all the work that goes into rescuing and finding new homes for all of those wonderful Chesapeake’s that have gone through Chesapeake Safe Harbor.