(Note: The following was reprinted from Volume XIV, Number 5, July 1978 of the Retriever Field Trial News with permission.)
Nobody wanted the tiny, stringy runt of the litter when breeders Eddie and Kay DeWitt finally sold her to Buck Miller. Even then she bounded around from place to place before Buck could get her down to California. ...Buck gave Kate an excellent start and right from the first Kate's fantastic water work, drive and natural marking ability impressed everyone who saw her. She had 10 derby points when, at two moved into the Peter Lane's home. Pete and Carrol had an idea then that Kate was a dog that "could do it all," and her tractability and eagerness to please quickly made her a prized part of the Lane family.
Kate's excess energy and wild desire had now begun to channel in the right direction. Pete ran a few qualifyings to "get with the dog" but knew this was going to be an Open dog, and that's what he worked for. By the time she was three she had settled down, making her FC and AFC. That year, 1975, she was the youngest bitch at the Open National, completing seven series. Kate and Pete have qualified for every Open and National Amateur since.
In 1976, Kannonball Kate was High Point Open and High Point Amateur dog with 63 points. In 1977 she was High Point Open and High Point Amateur bitch with 83 points, winning two double headers. Kate was the first winner of the Professional Retriever Trainers Association Award and also won the Mahlon B. Wallace Memorial Trophy for 1977. Not including this National Amateur win, Kate has a lifetime total of 200 points. She is very close to (bettering FC-AFC Tigathoe's Mainliner Mariah's record of 254 points and) becoming high point bitch of all time.
Peter likes to train Kate. "Kate is so tractable and easy to train. She really tries to please you. She has a tremendous desire for birds, and is always in the water - even when you let her out to air she would rather be in the water. She likes to work and runs in training just like she runs in trials. It doesn't hurt to let her sit for a couple of weeks, and I usually give a month off in December, but Kate's not happy unless she's working". ...
... Sitting in the Lane's study, across from the plain glass fronted bookcase overflowing with silver, club pins and other trophies, it was hard to imagine the little dog, curled up on the sofa or stretched out beside Peter's chair, as anything more than an affectionate, easy going house dog. Except for the ears and eyes. They were always moving; alert to a hand gesture, her name in the conversation, the sound of a child outside, a bug crawling on the floor. She doesn't miss much. And at the National she never missed a thing.
Kate ended her field trial career with 410.5 All Age points. This total consisted of 173 points from Open places and 237.5 were from her Amateur places. After this article appeared in the Retriever Field Trial News, Kate qualified for 5 more consecutive National Amateurs and was a Finalist in 1981 and 1983. She qualified for three more National Opens in 1979, 1980, and 1982. Kate also shined in the National Open of 1977 where she was one of the Finalists. |
