The white-and-orange Brittany called "Chug-A-Lug" — or "Chug," for short — burnished his stellar dual champion career last fall, winning the American Brittany Club (ABC) National All-Age Championship and finishing as Runner-Up Champion in the ABC National Amateur All-Age Championship. Then, he became the first Brittany to win the Purina All-Age Dog of the Year Award two straight years. The 8-year-old DC/NFC/AFC Ru-Jem's A Touch of Bourbon isn't done yet. He leads in the point standings again this year en route to a potential third straight Purina Award. Chug's success represents the dedication of owners Jerry and Ruth McGee of Steward, Ill. McGee started and trained the dog and handles him in trials as an amateur. Chug has placed 42 times, which includes 13 Championship and 14 Runner-Up Championship wins. In March, Chug won the International Brittany Open All-Age Championship for the third consecutive year. He won three championships last year — the Dixieland Brittany, Michigan Amateur All-Age (AAA) and International Open All-Age — and the Jim Holman Classic.

He was Runner-Up Champion at the Prairie State Region 5 AAA and Illinois Brittany Open All-Age championships and the Lee Holman Classic. "Chug's personality makes the difference," McGee says. "He runs almost straight to the front. Because 90 percent of the time you know he will be straight ahead, you don't have to go looking for him. He also is very honest on his bird work. If you catch up to him 10 minutes after you lost sight of him over a hill, he'll still be staunch on point." Chug was sired by DC/AFC Bourbon XIII, who McGee handled in hourlong horseback stakes for owner Joe Young of West Frankfort, Ill. FC Monkan Bimbo was Chug's dam, owned by breeder Pam Baird of El Dorado, Ill. McGee bought his first hunting dog, a German Shorthaired Pointer named "Rude," as an adult in 1969. McGee's first efforts in dog training were with Rude. "My wife, Ruth, who I've been married to for 52 years, has been very supportive of me and the dogs ever since," he says. The McGees moved throughout the early part of his 31-year career as a plant manager for W.R. Grace's Construction Product Division, living in Atlanta, New Orleans and Detroit before settling in the suburbs west of Chicago.

"In the late 1970s, I got my first Brittany for hunting," McGee says. "I joined the LaSalle Brittany Club and became active in hunt tests and, eventually, field trialing. Rv For Sale Brainerd MnI retired in 1995 and have dedicated my time to training our dogs since.Srt8 T Shirt "I changed from German Shorthairs to Brittanys because I like their smaller size," says McGee. Subaru Legacy Wagon Seat Covers"Brittanys also have great personalities. They are friendly, loyal, energetic and enthusiastic." Field trialing gives McGee and his dogs something to do year-round when it's not hunting season. "It's not just about running dogs though," he says. "It's the camaraderie of the field trialers. McGee competes in 20 to 25 trials a year, usually within a 500-mile radius of his home, which sits on a six-and-a-half-acre farm.

He spends around eight months of the year on the road, driving as many as 10,000 miles, including to his annual summer training camp in Winner, S.D. Though McGee has had as many as seven dogs in his string, he now focuses on four. Being able to work with a smaller string is one of the keys to his success, McGee says. So is his eagerness to learn. "At every field trial I compete in, I watch every brace," he says. "I also judge trials. Both opportunities are great for learning how to improve my handling skills." He also has been active as an officer and member of the board of directors for the Lasalle Brittany Club and as chairman of the National Open Championship. He has served as stake manager for major trials and been course marshal for many others. The results of McGee's growth in the sport are evident in his handling dogs to 73 placements in horseback stakes in the past 10 years. He has finished several field champions, including FC/AFC Ru-Jem's Fist Full of Dollars ("Dollar"), who is second to Chug in this year's Purina Award point standings.

With the help of conformation handler Theresa Richmond of Hinkley, Ill., two of McGee's dogs besides Chug have earned dual champion titles: DC/AFC Ru-Jem's Emerald McGee ("Emmy") and DC/AFC Ru-Jem's DLD's Shoplifter ("Drifter"). McGee used to show Emmy in the conformation ring, never placing better than third. "I asked Theresa to show her, and they won the first show they entered," McGee says. Richmond has taken the leads of each of McGee's dual champions since, putting the titles on them in minimal time, after he finishes them in the field. "She finished Chug's show championship in five weeks," says McGee. "She has been wonderful evaluating our dogs for conformation and helping me achieve my goal of titling them as duals." Putting dual champion titles on his Brittanys is about proving the breed. "Brittanys are one of the few breeds that are versatile enough to excel in the ring and the field," he says. "I think it's our responsibility to better the breed. It's also important to fulfill their potential."