In the spring of l993 Marcia and I decided we would like another puppy. I had been hearing and reading about the great FC AFC Wilderness Harley To Go and decided we’d get a pup out of him. Our friend, Mary Tatum, located a nice litter in Tennessee sired by Harley. Mary, Martin McCollough, and Marcia and I each purchased pups from that litter. We received the pup in early July and named him Dogwood’s Dountoothers. His call name was Kicker. A week later we loaded Kicker on the dog truck and headed for Utah. We were running three trials up there. Kicker was never a problem during the entire trip.

Over the next few months Kicker ‘s training progressed nicely, but he showed no great retrieving desire. After the force fetch and the introduction to birds he became a retrieving machine. At eight months we recognized that his vision and marking abilities were unique. At nine months Kicker ran his first Derby, going three series. At eleven months he won his first Derby at Huntsville. I’ll never forget the last series. It was a water double on Danny Farmer’s technical ponds. There were three water re-entries on the memory bird and Kicker was the only dog to do it correctly.

Kicker’s Derby career was a great one. He had 10 wins, 2 seconds, 2 thirds, 2 fourths and 4 JAMS in 24 starts, a total of 62 Derby points. This record puts him in a group of some of the greatest yellow derby dogs ever. Kicker ran two Qualifyings and became QAA in his second.

His next years took him to the hunt tests. He became a Master Hunter , passing six out of seven tests. During these years Kicker became one of our greatest training tools. I have no idea how many people got to run Kicker. People fell in love with Kicker. He brought many people into the field trial and hunt test games.

Kicker was 12 on May 10, 2005. In June he developed a very aggressive form of cancer. On the morning of July 31, Kicker told us it was time. His heart, mind and eyes were still strong. His body was worn out. Marcia and I spent the morning telling him we loved him and how much joy and love he had given to us, and many others. At 9:30 , I shot Kicker his last flier. He went to sleep holding his last flier.

Marcia and I would like to thank all our friends for their prayers and support. Also a special thanks to Mike Connolly and his wife, Jan, for all their help with Kicker in his last days.

I have truly been blessed to put my hand down on some outstanding dogs. Kicker was the most focused, natural marker I’ve ever run.