Copyright © 2005
East Tennessee Retriever Club

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Webmaster:  edwardskc@gmail.com
Copyright © 2005.
All rights reserved.
Revised:
June 26, 2023.



The East Tennessee Retriever Club, Inc, ("ETRC") is a "not for profit corporation" founded in 1985 by a group of dedicated Tennessee sportsmen. ETRC is a licensed member club governed by the American Kennel Club, and is also a member of the Master National and Master Amateur Retriever Clubs. The club is based in the Knoxville, TN, area and draws most of its membership from the East Tennessee region and the surrounding states of Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina. ETRC conducts several AKC Hunt Tests for Retrievers each year, usually in the spring and fall.

Back in 1985, the club was in its infant stage, and things were different. Our name then was "East Tennessee Amateur Retriever Club", and we ran both Field Trials and Hunt Tests in our club events. The Club had to run club trials and fun tests for 2 years before the AKC allowed us to run an official Hunt Test. Of course with such a young club, the club events were Puppy, Junior, and Senior events. Most of the club events were held either at the Charlie Browder farm in Sweetwater, TN, or the Chuck Atchley farm in Sevierville, TN, which is still being used today. All of the early AKC tests were held at the Browder farm. In 1987 we held our first AKC sanctioned "A" Hunt Test, and during that same year we held a joint club trial with the Chattanooga Retriever Club. With these back to back events, our club learned much more about running official events. Our proud day came in November when the ETRC held its first AKC sanctioned Hunt Test. We had a small start, with 61 Junior, 15 Senior, and 9 Master entries, but it was a successful event and we were on our way!

In February of 1989, the East Tennessee Amateur Retriever Club dropped the "Amateur", and became the East Tennessee Retriever Club (ETRC). We also changed our logo to the current logo, which was included on our May 5, 1989, newsletter for the first time. In 1992 the club joined the Master National Retriever Club, which allowed passes earned by dogs at ETRC’s AKC Master Hunter Tests to count towards qualification for the Master National Retriever test held each year by the Master National Retriever Club.

1993 proved to be a tense year for the club because the Charlie Browder dairy farm was being auctioned off and sold into tracts. The farm was auctioned off in April, but with the help of one of our founding members, Jim Holcomb, we were able to use enough of the property to hold our final AKC Hunt Test at the Browder farm in May. The committee assigned to search for new grounds located a new farm for Hunt Tests and training, the Calvin Holt Farm, and the club conducted its first Hunt Test on the new grounds in November of that same year and continued there through 2006.

In March of 2000, we finally became a Member Club of the American Kennel Club, which gave us voting privileges at AKC meetings. A Delegate was elected to represent us at AKC meetings and vote on behalf of the club and report upcoming changes or recommendations to the club.

In 2007, we began a search for new grounds on which to hold our training days and hunt tests. We still needed a place to hold our hunt tests during the search and secured Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in Birchwood, TN. for our spring 2007 AKC Hunt Test. We have continued to hold our spring tests there to the present time, and some of our fall tests as well.

We continued our search for new grounds for training and hunt tests. We looked at several locations and were granted permission from Mr. Richard Kinzalow to use his 450-acre farm.  The farm has large fields and two large ponds. We held our AKC Hunt Tests at the Kinzalow Farm in fall of 2007 and continued to hold the spring tests at Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge. In 2010 we moved all of our AKC Hunt Tests to Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge and continued to use the Kinzalow Farm for Training for several more years.

In 2014 we gained permission from Roane Regional and Industrial Park to use their undeveloped land for training. This property was several hundred acres, and we were also able to use the large pond next door that was owned by one of the businesses in the industrial park. This arrangement continued until fall 2022.

For the last several years, we have been fortunate to use the Lucky 7 Ranch in Sweetwater for our fall tests. This farm is almost 400 acres and has 19 ponds, including two technical ponds. We have also been able to use Brian Caldwell's farm for smaller tests with only one or two test sites -- perfect for midweek Master tests! We continue to have access to the Hiwassee Reserve for one spring test, at least for the present time, and often use the Cory Smith and Lois Luthenauer farms for smaller events.

What began as a group of 22 people sharing an interest in the sport has grown to a club with around 50-60 members. As you can see, the East Tennessee Retriever Club has come a long way since 1985, and we are still striving to give the members of the club opportunities to advance themselves and their dogs in our quest to achieve the Hunt Test standard. With a little "southern hospitality", great weather, really tall tales, and beautiful land to train and compete on, the sky is the limit. IT DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER
THAN THIS!

click photos to enlarge

James (Jim) Holcombe
Founding Member
 

Jim Pearce & Penny

John Guinn & Diesel
2010 Gun Dog of the Year

Brent McCoy & Ella
2010 Puppy of the Year

Shelia Nelson & Trey & Foxx

Carol Stone & Rio