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Julie Cole received the ACC Lifetime Achievement Award at the Field Trial Specialty and it was well deserved.
Although she hunted with her game warden father before, when she married Mike Cole she married into a family that hunted with Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. And as they say, the rest is history!!
She joined the ACC and immediately became very active in the breed. She has shown her dogs in conformation and obedience, often with daughters Jennifer and April in tow, and helped develop early hunt tests before competing in field trials. And Julie has done all this with dogs that her family hunts over.
She became an ACC Regional Director and assisted in putting on training days, WD’s, and picnic trials, frequently hosting members and their families overnight.
She worked for and chaired both the All-Breed and West Coast Field Trial Specialties on numerous occasions. She has also worked for many of the NorCal field trial clubs.
Linda Harger noted that Julie is the only person in ACC history that has won both a BISS (Best in Breed) at the ACC Show Specialty in 2001 with CH Crackshot Side By Side JH and at the ACC Field Trial Specialty has won both an Open (2016) and an Amateur (2014) with AFC Yakitys Crackshot Ruddy Duck. She and Ruddy Duck also earned a trip to the National Amateur in 2013. Nice!!
She has supported the ACC in many ways -as an RD and has served on many of the committees. She is currently on both the Field Trial and Health committees and has served on the Show committee in the past. But her love of the sport goes beyond Chessies. Julie has judged all breed field trials across the United States, including a National Retriever Championship.
She is currently a board member and was a founding member of the California Retriever Trainers Association and is President of the National Retriever Club.
Julie is always upbeat, has a quick wit and has a big winning smile. She is always willing to mentor anyone who has an interest in in our Breed. She was exceptionally proud to see her grandson Mario Matteoli run Crackshot’s Twist And Shout as a junior Handler. What more can we say than YIP YIP!!!