Info
About the Club
The Sandhills Pointing Breeds Club offers an excellent set of training facilities for all types of pointing breeds. The grounds offer plenty of space for your dog to run and learn to use the wind and cover to locate birds. The club maintains a pigeon loft to provide club members with the opportunity to use pigeons to start their young dogs and a “Quail Condo” where members can maintain a personal supply of quail for the more advanced dogs. Periodically the club sponsors training classes for members.
Club Resources
Click on the links to learn more.
SPBC Board of Directors
Ed Jesson
President
Ed Jesson, President
Ed got his first pointer (Jeff) back in 2014, a rescue who turned out to be terribly gun shy. After training Jeff through the gun shy process, getting a Junior Hunter title on him, and getting him to the point that Ed could shoot wild birds over Jeff, Ed well and truly had the bird dog bug. Ed now has several more pointers and competes in American Field horseback field trials with his dogs (both Shooting Dog and All Age) and likes to get out and hunt with his dogs whenever the opportunity arises.
Steve Welch
Vice President
Steve Welch, Vice President
Steve is the the Vice President and Hunt Test Chair. He is a lifelong hunter, shooter, and fly fisherman as well as a retired Tool Die Maker. He has been involved with the club for 4 + years now. It’s a great bunch of people and Steve enjoys working and training with them. His breed of choice is English Setters. He is looking forward to meeting new members and making the club better.
Rollie Barrett
Secretary
Rollie Barrett, Secretary
Although he was introduced to bird dogs while hunting quail over English Setters, Rollie decided to go with a versatile breed when choosing his first dog in 2004, a German Shorthaired Pointer named Jazz. Together they got involved in NAVHDA activities and tests, as well as upland bird hunting on preserves and in the wild. When the time came for a second dog, it was back to Setters and a dog with strong field trial heritage including Tekoa Mountain Sunrise, named Rebel. The third addition to the crew was another Setter named Mac, sired by arguably the greatest Setter to every run in field trials, Shadow Oak Bo. Mac ran field trials for three years with a number of placements and wins, but often seemed inclined to head for the thick cover as well as run the edges. Rollie decided he wanted to spend more time with Mac than field trials allowed, and Mac seemed more than happy to trade the open fields for the grouse and woodcock coverts. Mac was able to change his game well enough to get both his AKC Senior and Master titles.
The final addition to the team in 2018 was Bodhi, a big running German Shorthair who exemplifies what Charles Fergus said best in his book, The Upland Equation: “Pointing dogs keep coming unglued. Every so often, they forget what they’ve learned and start bumping bird after bird. The training is never over.” Rollie has had the opportunity to apprentice with Sonny Piekarz at Hay Creek Kennels in Gilman, WI, as well as Jordan Wells at J. Wells Kennels in Woodstock Valley, CT. Having retired from full-time medical practice a few years ago, Rollie has more time now to guide preserve quail hunts at River Ranch Sporting Club in Advance, NC, as well as hit the road to hunt the Great Plains and Northwoods in the Fall.
Scott Smith
Treasurer
Scott Smith, Treasurer
It ‘s been nearly 15 years since Scott and his family got their first pointing breed, a Weimaraner named Margot. Having had golden retrievers, they wanted something a bit more active. They had no idea what they were getting into and how much fun it would be!
Since that winter day, they have owned 3 GSP’s, bred a litter of puppies (of which 3 were CH titled), been to countless conformation shows (from Ohio to Florida), received a Grand Champion Bronze title, multiple CH titles, multiple JH titles, brought a puppy in from Canada, etc.They now own Demi, and her son, Dabo. Scott’s wife Michelle recently purchased her first horse, a Tennessee Walker (Major), and intends to get into field trials in the future.
Scott joined SPBC more than 10 years ago, and became a board member approximately four years ago. Although he has since moved to Charlottesville, VA, Scott remains a member and is committed to staying with the club through the purchase of the grounds from Three Rivers Land Trust in order to secure the future of the club.
John Patrick
At-Large Board Member
John Patrick, At-Large Board Member
John has had hunting dogs for over 50 years and pointing dogs for 17 years. He joined SPBC after attending a steadiness seminar at the club. He now has Deutsch Drahthaars, is the North Carolina State rep for the Southeast Hunter Chapter of VDD-GNA (the parent club for Drahthaars), and is a JGHV Judge. He hunts a variety of game and travels a lot to do that.
Cindi Saylor
At-Large Board Member & Hunt Test Secretary
Cindi Saylor, At-Large Board Member & Hunt Test Secretary
In the winter of 2021, encouraged by their breeder, Cindi watched as her husband John handled their young, very exuberant, versatile Vizsla, Scandal, at a SPBC hunt test. Thinking it was simply an instinct test and with no hunting experience or hunt training, let’s just say Scandal had a blast running the field. At the suggestion of a member, John and Scandal went home with a quail and the next day Scandal did not disappoint. She passed with lovely scores and later that spring earned her JH. Not unlike many other members’ journeys, after watching Scandal’s joy and natural ability in the field they decided to see how far the little red spitfire would take them. Needing access to a trainer and training grounds, they joined SPBC that April. During a 2023 spring snowfall in Virginia, Cindi handled Scandal to her Master Hunter title.
In 2022, long-time (21 years) Hunt Test Secretary Susan Jackson passed the Secretary’s torch to Cindi.
Other SPBC Leadership
Charles Tuttle
Membership Chair
Charles Tuttle, Membership Chair
In February 2009, my first Griff puppy, Oscar, arrived. He eventually became a 70 bs, high drive, smart, hunting machine. Oscar was willing to do what I asked to a point, but only after he repeatedly tested me. I was desperate to find somewhere he could run and tire himself. I joined SPBC in the spring of 2010. For someone with my proclivities, the club was a paradise; a place to train the dog and a place with an infinite supply of projects.
The clubhouse was my first project. The Eastside windows were covered with plywood and the Southside panes are broken. I rebuilt the windows and we begun using the house.
I because Treasurer in 2011, President in 2017 and Membership Chair in 2020.
Oscar was exciting to hunt with. If there was bird out there, he would find it. If the bird went down in some nastiness, he would retrieve it to hand. He never got beyond Senior Hunter because honoring was not productive, therefore beneath a man of his stature. He died in 2021.
Richard “Ozzie” Osborne
New Member Orientation
Ozzie Osborne, New Member Orientation
Ozzie joined SPBC in 2008 after retiring in 2007. Shortly after retirement, he purchased his first bird dog, a Brittany named Bailey, and it was her who taught him all about training an AKC Master Hunting dog. Since Bailey he has had the good fortune to be involved with training just under a dozen Master Hunters of various breeds, including his English setter Chloe.
His most current training challenge is with his GSP, Thor. After receiving an AKC Master Hunter title, he led me into the NAVHDA arena. After many attempts, they received a Utility Prize 1 title, and in September 2024 they will go to Iowa to participate in the NAVHDA Invitational where they hope to achieve the Versatile Champion title.
Ozzie only lives 20 minutes from the club, and his wife will tell you it is a little too close. Since joining, he is at the club almost daily training one of his dogs, helping others with training, and let’s not forget project work.
Right after joining SPBC, he was nominated to serve as Land Chair, a position that he held for over 14 years. He has also served as Vice President and President. As Land Chair he headed up the clearing and transforming of over 30 acres from woodland to native warm season grasses, which has provided larger areas for the training and testing of bird dogs. He led the building of the pole barn, pigeon coop, and transformed the tobacco barn into a storage area for quail.
He believes the future of the club is bright, not to say that there are not challenges that lie ahead such as purchasing the 100 acres and continual land maintenance. Getting younger members involved should be one of the club’s objectives going forward.
