January February 98

Bird Dog & Retriever News

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MEET THE BREEDER

A Talk with Jackie Mertens of TopBrass Kennels:

Queen of the Goldens

BY DENNIS GULDAN

I have been doing my "Meet the Breeder" column for five years. In those five years I have tried to sit down with some of the top breeders throughout the country. In the Golden Retriever lines one name bubbles to the top. That kennel is Jackie Merten's Top Brass Retrievers of Elgin Illinois. Jackie's Top Brass Cotton was the only Golden Retriever ever to win the National Amateur Retriever Championship. Topbrass Cotton won the nationals in 1985 when he was seven years old. Cotton lived to be over sixteen years of age and sired forty litters, so his blood runs deep in Golden lines.

Ellen, Ron and I went down to see Jackie last July. We sat with her and talked dogs for an hour or so. Jackie and I have also corresponded many times by e-mail (she has a great web site). She and her husband have a nice place just outside of Elgin, though the city is looming in on her. But they only spend the summers in Elgin. In the winter they move and train in Madison, Florida.

Jackie has been working with Golden Retrievers since 1968. She got involved with Goldens when she became interested in obedience. Goldens have been known to dominate the obedience ring and Jackie started with the dog of choice. A few years after she was working in the obedience ring she attended a field trial and has been hooked ever since.

Jackie has come a long way since 1968. She is one of the elite of the Retriever Field Trial people that tour the country. A few of her titles include: American Amateur Retriever Club-past-President, National Open Field Trial Club-current Board member and Chairman of the 1998 National Retriever Championship, Golden Retriever Club of America - past Board member, Golden Retriever Club of Illinois - past Board member, Midwest Field Trial Club-past Officer. She is currently active in various Retriever Clubs in northern Illinois and Florida.

Jackie is also good friends with Mary Howley of Candlewoods Kennels of Madison, Wisconsin. Jackie calls Mary her younger friend. Mary is one month younger than Jackie. Many of you may remember I did an article on Mary Howley a few years ago. Both ladies regularly compete against each other at the local and national level. In fact Jackie has missed only one national amateur retriever trial since 1983 when one of her dogs was having pups.

Jackie raises field goldens. That is extremely important when you are looking for a hunting companion. If you're looking for something that will look nice next to a fire and needs a brush put through it every few hours Jackies dogs are not for you. But if on the other hand you are looking for a Golden that will do that 1000 foot retrieve and start looking for the second bird you dropped. A dog who's coat and brain is designed for the field; Topbrass is your source.

With Jackie's dogs you get the benefit of thirty years of professional time and effort. She breeds: hunting, hunt test and field trial dogs. She breeds for trainability, desire, marking and intelligence coupled with a stable temperament.

All of her dogs are OFA'd and CERF'd so you know they should be physically sound dogs. All of her pups are raised in a home environment. They have the genes to be champions yet are raised to be family and gun dogs.

Jackie puts her pups through motivational playtraining and retrieving exercises, so by the time you pick up the pup it will be well on it's way to being trained. Jackie also exposes the pups to loud noises to find out if there will be any problems with gunshyness.

Before buyers pick up their pups they will each be examined by a vet. The dew claws will be removed, the pups will be wormed and their first shots given. Each pup will come with a health guarantee and will of course be AKC registered.

So are we talking strictly field trial dogs here? Far from it. Jackie sells many more dogs to the average hunter than the trial circuit. She has had various service dogs come from her litters including seeing eye dogs, which calls for a calm controllable, trainable dog. She also has had dogs working search and rescue. You'll even find her dogs in the agility ring. So if you're looking for a great all around Golden look no further than Topbrass Retrievers.

So how much do these wonder dogs cost. Not as much as you would think. The male or female pups run $750 to $1000

Give Jackie and Joe Mertens a call. They summer in Elgin, Illinois and winter in Madison, Florida. Winter: Route 3 Box 193, Madison, FL 32340 PH # (850) 929-7502 / Fax # (850) 929-7504

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Copyrights Bird Dog & Retriever News March 1998
Do not reproduce or retransmit in any form
Maintained by Dennis Guldan publisher@Bird-Dog-News.Com
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