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Virginia Bartnicki:
Living in Florida, I got my first Chessie from a fellow in a gated community who couldn’t keep him. He was a year old and off to obedience class we went. When the instructor saw him, he said that must be one of Millie B’s dogs! I had no idea who she was. He talked about how she bred Chessies, her involvement in obedience, tracking, etc., and how she helped anyone she could. He suggested I meet her and gave me her phone number. I called her that night. She was coming to my area to help another Chessie owner and invited me to meet her there with my dog. My family was visiting from Michigan, and I told them I was going to show this lady my dog and would be gone about two hours. It was Christmas Eve. We met, she liked my dog and proceeded to talk Chessie and give me pointers. I was mesmerized! I couldn’t get enough of her knowledge, encouragement, and devotion to the breed that was so apparent. My family was more than a little upset when I returned seven hours later!
That was the start of my life in Chessies. Anything I have done I owe to her mentoring, knowledge, and desire for the betterment of the breed. She got me involved in conformation, obedience, tracking, WD, and breeding. She was there for me all the way with advice and anything that I needed. I met so many people that Millie had helped to understand the breed. Born on the eastern shore of MD, she had Chessies all her life. Her devotion to the betterment of the breed, her desire to see the breed flourish, and her willingness to help anyone who needed her advice makes her so deserving of the Lifetime Achievement Award!
Brian and Angie Cox:
Millie devoted her life to the preservation of the Chesapeake Bay Retriever. She has demonstrated this through her many accomplishments with her dogs, and in judging conformation, obedience, and tracking. But most of all, Millie shares her knowledge and experience with so many Chesapeake owners, breeders, judges and fanciers. She wrote and shared numerous articles, gave lectures and judged in the U.S. and abroad, and taught countless classes. All this is in addition to her being a successful breeder, exhibitor, and judge. Her experience with our breed began in her childhood on the eastern shore of Maryland where her father raised Chesapeakes.
We met Millie at the first ACC Supported show we attended. It was in south Florida, and Millie was judging. We were delighted that she showed sincere interest in us as newcomers with our first Chesapeake at our first supported entry. That day she encouraged and helped us, even though our puppy, nor Brian and Angie knew the first thing about showing! We began learning from Millie at the tailgate party afterward, where we met the network of Florida Chesapeake breeders and exhibitors. We realized that Millie’s knowledge was sought after and respected by everyone there. She was the common denominator. She loved to get people together to converse ”Chessie”. Later we attended so many “evening hotel parking lot conventions” arranged by Millie at national specialties we can’t count them all. She taught us all to be competitive in dog sports, but also to have fun doing it and to support each other. Of the many lessons we learned, one was that “it’s not always about you! – keep it light! – if you are nervous or stressed, your dog will be too! – nobody’s Chesapeake deserves that!” Millie could see the good in every dog and every person. Millie became our mentor dear friend. She trusted us to take in a young male that she had rescued, and CH Chester Brown, IV CD became our foundation dog. Millie guided and helped us with our breeding program, encouraged us through the tough times, and shared our joy in the good times. Without Millie we could never have been as successful with our lines, or enjoyed our Chesapeakes, the Chesapeake community, or the dog world so much.
Doreen and Gary Palmer:
I am writing this letter with regard to Millie Buchholz’ nomination for the Lifetime Achievement Award to be presented at the 2000 ACC Specialty. My husband and I can’t think of a person who is more deserving of the award. Millie has dedicated her life to Chesapeake Bay Retrievers and the sport of dogs. She has been a positive force in the breed. When we think of Chesapeakes we think of Millie. She has willingly given of her time and expertise whenever we had a question concerning the breed, in general and with questions we had about our own dogs. Without Millie we would never had been introduced to the breed
through Gator, a dog of her breeding, that made us Chesapeake people forever. From Gator came our first Chesapeake, Lobo, a dog we thought would never be equaled. Then along came Taku, who’s great great grandsire was Gator’s sire. He is a dog beyond compare. We will always have a Chesachobee Chesapeake in our lives. They are the best of the best in our minds, even tempered, good to look at, sound and versatile. Millie has given the world of Chesapeakes an exceptional line of dogs to be proud of.
While I’m sure we would have found our way to Chesapeakes our lives wouldn’t have been nearly as rich
without her being a part of it. I’m sure we aren’t the only ones who feel this way. Millie has touched many
lives and made them better because of her part in them. We know that many would like to thank her for
all she’s done for the breed, which is why we think she would be an excellent choice for the Lifetime
Achievement Award for the year 2000.
Betsy H. Humer:
“Big Millie” (her CB handle!): Millie Buchholz goes way way back in my memories……I remember when we lived on Staten Island in the early 1950’s she would call and talk ” Chesapeake” with my mother. She bought a puppy and then puppies began to go back and forth as she established her own kennel known as Chesachobee. The entire family made a trip to Florida for the January show circuit and we visited with her there and met all her dogs and her family. Millie was raised on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, so I guess that’s really where her love of the “brown dog” began. As time went on, she would travel north on a regular basis for the ACC National Specialty Show and we would always renew our friendship, continuing through the years when she would meet my own children and develop a rapport with them…..
**She was my personal inspiration in setting the goal of having a multi-titled dog with a UD. In 1961 she offered a challenge trophy through the ACC called the Ch Eastern Waters’Nugget, UDT Annual Obedience Trophy….it was won and so she donated another one called the Ch Jodri-Nugget-Blaze, UDT Memorial Trophy. The name of the trophy was to honor the first four Chesapeake Bay Retrievers who were Breed Champions and had also earned Utility and Tracking Dog titles. Her own bitch was Ch Eastern Waters’ Nugget,UDT and she worked with Wyn Gordon, who owned Ch Eastern Waters’ Blazing Star, UDT (Blaze).
Along the way, she became an obedience and a tracking judge, and was also a breed judge of Chesapeake Bay Retrievers and Labradors (judging both here and overseas). She now has Emeritus status. During her active years of dog training she acted as a mentor to many who went on to success with their dogs in the show ring, obedience ring, and on the tracking field.
Most of the Florida Chesapeake owners were given words of advice from Millie, and helpful and constructive words they always were. I had never been given any help in person from Millie other than encouragement via letters due to the distance involved until the National Specialty in 1993 at the Tracking Test which preceded the regular show. It was a small group of competitors: just four of us with our dogs, and a handful of spectators. This was Julie’s second attempt at a TD and we had worked through the hot summer getting ready for this test. Even in Massachusetts, it got warmer and warmer on that August day. I remember how frustrating it was that the test didn’t start on time. There was no coffee or refreshments for the judges and track layers so they left and went to get some. We did not draw one of the early numbers and by the time our track was ready to run, it was well after 11:00 a.m. on a hot August day. We tried our best, but the lure of the Woodchuck Condominiums kept drawing Julie away from her job. We knew everyone was rooting for us, but we just couldn’t get to the glove. When we finally came off the track, Millie gave me some of the most positive advice that she could, and those words stayed with me at the next test that I ran Julie in, and successfully earned her TD.
When Millie resigned from judging obedience and tracking she gave me some of her equipment at the 1996 ACC Specialty held in Reading, PA. I still have her special tracking clipboard, and some of the other items, but most important, a Gaines Medal which is a 4″ brass medallion awarded to her by her obedience club in Florida. The Gaines Medal is no longer given, (it was discontinued about three years ago) but I know how meaningful it is…….and on it, it says “FOR GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP” To Honor Millie Buchholz B.C.D.T.C. 5-10-1980. It is in my obedience judging bag and makes a wonderful paperweight at outdoor obedience trials!
It would only be fitting that the American Chesapeake Club bestow a similar award to a person who has given freely of her knowledge to others, who cares for the breed passionately, and although she no longer has a kennel full of Chesapeakes, will Never be without One.
