NBOB GFC AFC GRCH GRCHF Atos WRT TAN, Producer Remi Nicoli

CH Gatsby du Mas D’Eyraud X Lara Del Cecchetto

Atos won National Best of Breed at the 25th anniversary National Conclave in 2022. The word “atos” is of Portuguese origin and means “action” or “movement” in English. His name fits him well. Atos has grace and power in the field. Atos has an exceptionally friendly disposition and is “an angel in the house and absolutely a devil in the field” with a wonderful nose, great prey drive and stamina. He runs with a high head and is beautiful on point. I got Atos from the legendary Francis Maudet of France who sired him out of the Great Gatsby and a wonderful Italian bitch named Lara from Remo Nicoli. When I got Atos from France he was 6 months old and for the next 6 months he earned his UKC Gun title here in the U.S. and has also returned to France where I ran him in spring trials all before his first birthday. During this time Atos won Gun Braces and the cup for the first annual “Léon Le Louët Memorial Bécasse Trial” in Louisiana. It was a satisfying moment for him to have his first win trialing on wild Woodcock similar to situations of his native countries. Atos has hunted many species including sharptail grouse, ruffed grouse, ptarmigan, pheasant, huns, prairie chickens, sage grouse woodcock and bobwhite quail etc in Georgia, Alaska, Canada, Louisiana, Kansas, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Texas, and Montana. His father Gatsby is one of the best the breed has ever seen in the field and his son takes after him for sure. Here are a few photos and an article on Gatsby in the March 2016 issue of the French Club de l’Epagneul Breton magazine.  Atos has now earned his “grand champion of the field” title with CAC champion wins in Iowa (brace wild), Minnesota (brace liberated), Georgia (liberated solo), Texas (solo wild) and Illinois (liberated solo). He also won CACT with his only barrage run with a win in Texas. Atos since that time started running in some AKC Field trial running American Field and AKC walking and horseback trials. He place in 5 national championships with a runner up placement in 2021 in the National Amateur Gun Dog championship. Atos won the Southern Open Brittany Shooting Dog Championship at Showtime Plantation in Broonwood GA and also won the 2023 New England Brittany Wild Bird Championship on Woodcock in Rhode Island. He has proven himself to be able to pursue game in different habitat across the globe. With his win New England the chairman of the event told me after our win that it was amazing what Atos did to run those grounds like he was born there even though it was the only time he ran there. He said that he had been a part of that championship since 1987 and Atos could have won everyone of them with his run. I included a link above with the Nov 2023 American Brittany Club magazine with Atos’ run explained by judge Sarah Conyham. I get pumped anytime I read her article quoting the movie, “My Cousin Vinny,” where she references the final courtroom scene with Marisa, as Mona Lisa Vito testifying excitedly about the similar cars and how she ties that excitement to the same animation of Atos’ run in Rhode Island. Atos has had so many great runs in his career. I will cherish them all. The run at the 2021 Nationals that I mentioned previously was a masterpiece of a run, but what made it so remarkable was that Atos had suffered a stroke after being under anesthesia. All hope was lost except through some amazing rehab work from several veterinarians he produced that run. I left after that run because I had to be home to help my wife so I roaded Atos back to camp to leave and thought about the run he had just produced. I was in tears as I looked down from my horse watching him trotting back at the end of my roading harness. I knew Atos had run an unbelievable run but the joy I experienced on that ride back alone with a horse and a great dog I can’t put into words. Just a few months earlier Atos could not walk around the block due to the stroke and my wife would tell me that I might need to come to grips that he may never run again. There was a young veterinarian who told me to bring him to her and she would rehab him. I will be honest with you she was the only one who gave me any hope. She was in Wisconsin, and I was in Georgia. She said bring him up. I jumped in my car 20 hours latter and handed him to her. She did it. Some 8 weeks later she had him going.

Honors for Atos’ father CH Gatsby du mas D’Eyraud: 43 CACT, 28 CACIT, 8 RCACIT. Autumn champion; Spring Champion; International Working Champion; 4 times winner of Open de France; Winner European Cup 2015 Continental; Winner Championship of 2015 AICEB propelling France to the champion country; Winner of the 2015 Mediterranean Cup; 2015 World Champion! Atos has participated in NAVHDA hunt test earning Utility test II. Atos has run in several FCI trials in France and Spain also earning several excellent ratings in spring trials. Atos has further participated in both walking and horseback AKC trials earning his FC and AFC titles. He earned 3rd walking Nationals Gun Dog Championship in 2019 and runner-up in horseback National Amateur Gun Dog Championship in 2021.

Here is a quote about Atos’ Italian mother: “Lara del Cecchetto at the European competition Feb 2015. The Italian team: We climbed on the podium! Thanks to Lara’s Cecchetto of sig. Nicoli that getting the CAC-CACIT crowned  Italy with an important overall placement in the European Cup – 3rd.” In October 2018 Remo Nicoli returned with Lara to the AICEB World EB championships and earned 1st female. Lara proved once again she still has it after not competing in the AICEB since 2015. Atos’ father was one of the greatest there have ever been in the field but his mother was right there with him.

Newton de la Source d’Hannahatchee, Producer Dave Flynn

Loki du Ten Bar Ranch X Hollee De Plum Creek

Newton is a very strong, smart and biddable bird dog. He was one of the easiest dogs I’ve ever broken and he loves to please his handler. He is a very enjoyable dog to hunt under with a lot of heart and drive. GRCHF CH Newton de la Source d’Hannahatchee got his Grand Champion of the Field titles from UKC. He won the 2022 wild Pheasant championship in Webb, IA and Grinnell,IA with 4 wins under honorable Butch Nelson, Reynald LeFebvre, and Matt Van Mannen. Newton also won liberated solo under honorary Don Clements and liberated braces with honorable Caleb Miller. Newt won CAC (1st place) at CEB-US Nationals 2020 with his run in open Solo at H.Cooper Black in SC under the honorable Ange Franchi. Newt also won first place at nationals in the gun class on wild birds in the previous year in 2019. He has his show champion title and is a well built dog indeed.

CH TR Jet Di Val Grossa, Producer Andrea Preto

CH TR Gyl Del La Marat X Erka des Source Claires

Hannahatchee Kennels welcomes Jet Di Val Grossa of Spain from Barbadun Garcia (3rd place in French National Elevage). Ruben has presented him and added wins and titles including TR, CH Internacional, CH Europeo, CH Mundo, CH Espana, CH Gibraltar, Spanish monograph winner, and monographic France RCAC. Jet was produced by Andrea Preto of Val Grossa who won 1st place this year at the French National Elevage.

Jet has fit into the house hold wonderfully. He is a very intelligent fellow with exceptional disposition and additionally exceptional prey drive. We are excited to use him in our program as he has produce some very nice prodigy. I believe he will help strengthen our lines here in the US. Jet was produced from Gyl Del La Marat and Erka des Source Claires. His lineage includes some great dogs from the Grossa, St Lubin, Claires, Viviers, Pigenettes… lines. We are very excited to see what the future holds with his input.

We have gotten him into a groove with our summer bird work and exercise program including some swimming with the gang.

GRCHF CH Gallant Thor Sur Le Delavan, Clint LaFary

GRCHF GRCH Vernon De L’Escarbot TAN X 2XGRCHF CH De La Ferme Sur Le Delavan TAN

Thor is a wonderful hard running hunting dog with a friendly energetic temperament. He is social with man and dog alike. He is very friendly and is great with children, and puppies that Thor throws also have shown to have similar friendly dispositions. Thor was born a natural retriever and retrieves to hand without fail. He has hunted many species of upland game bird across the country including bobwhite quail, sharptail grouse, prarie chicken, sage grouse, ruff grouse, blue grouse, woodcock, pheasant and Hungarian partridge. He has been a pleasure to add to our kennel and was produced from two Grand Champion of the Field dogs and Grand Champion of Show and Champion of Show. His dam Lucy was also sired by a national best of breed. Thor became a UKC Grand Champion of the Field in December 2014. He has a solo wild bird win in Quincy, FL under judge Mark bird with handler Lori Hutwagner. He had a brace wild bird win in Quincy, FL under judge Larry Ellison, a brace wild bird win in Bloomfield, IA under judge Ken Teppel, a solo liberated win in Petersburg, IL under judge Bud Shipp, a brace liberated win in Petersburg, IL under judge Randy Meester and a liberated brace win at the 2013 CEB-US Nationals under judge Butch Nelson all run with handler Jackie Hutwagner. Just recently in an open breed UKC trial in North Dakota May 2015 Thor received another win and a reserve on liberated quail. Thor has the stamina and enthusiasm to hunt all day. He is a smooth hard running dog who selflessly and naturally works as a team with other dogs in the field.

Ringo de la Source d’Hannahatchee, Producer Jackie Hutwagner

One of the kennel’s new additions. Ringo shows great promise and has an incredible hunting sense. We expect great things from this young dog!

Sampson de la Source d’Hannahatchee
Producer Jackie Hutwagner

One of the kennel’s new additions. Sampson, much like Ringo, shows great promise and has an incredible hunting sense. We expect great things from this young dog!