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New Jersey Beanfield
Earthdogs Club History and some of its Activities |
In 1993 I decided to call a few people who were interested in hunting with terriers and dachshunds to arrange dates to get together to hunt. Everyone was interested in the idea of a group to share the hunt and to visit new locations. We ended up meeting in central New Jersey, near my farm, most of the time. The next year, using the name New Jersey Beanfield Earthdogs, I prepared a "meet card," listing dates and places of "meets" and one thing led to another. The group grew and we wanted to offer den trials to help people get to know their dogs and to see them do what their instincts dictated. An AWTA trial followed in 1994, and then we voted to become a formal club so we could host AKC Earthdog Tests. Our members hunt woodchucks in the summer and rats and fox in winter. We represent many breeds, including Australian, Bedlington, Border, Norfolk Terriers and Dachshunds, all doing what they love best.....WORKING JoAnn Frier-Murza
In 1999 the NJBE held a Working Earthdog Week, which included a schooling day and a working earthdog seminar. Our featured speaker was Mr. Palle Thomsen from Denmark . He breeds Border Terriers, uses them for hunting Fox and is a recognized earthdog test judge there.During the course of the week he judged AKC Senior Earthdog and Master Earthdog Tests.
Our first year was such a success we followed it up with an even more ambitious probram in 2000 when we hosted Margareths Grafstrom as the featured speaker. Mrs. Grafstrom is a long time Border Terrier breeder in Sweden where she hunts with her Borders and judges in their earthdog tests. The AKC seminar was geared to educating prospective judges. A schooling day and two AKC earthdog tests were held later in the week.
Another year we welcomed Mr. Klaus Bangert, a working Dachshund expert and judge from Germany, as the featured speaker at our working earthdog seminar. Mr. Thomsen from Denmark was also present and gave a talk on earthdog tests in Denmark. At the end of the day both speakers were able to go over some of the dogs present. This has become a tradition and the experts comments about the dogs are much appreciated by both the owners and other observing. Our AKC earthdog test was a grand success, with both gentlemen judging and there were many qualifiers.
NJBEC continues to support working earthdogs by hosting seminars, AKC Earthdog Tests, an annual AWTA Den Trial. The annual Earthdog Festival late May-early June features a schooling day, fun day with games for earthdogs, two AKC Earthdog Tests and often some sort of educational seminar so that earthdog owners can learn more about their dogs and their heritage or the sport of earthdog tests. The North American Teckel Club hosts an AWTA Den Trial during the week at the same venue, too, usually
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