Avery® Announces "Team Waterdog"™ By Bill Cooksey, Avery ® Media Relations Director August 23, 2005

Every waterfowl hunter loves retrievers. They have personalities that will turn a slow day in the blind into a lasting memory, and a well trained dog has the ability to transform a good day into a story you will tell your grandchildren. The guys at Avery® are no exception in loving our retrievers. More pups have probably been socialized in the Avery® office than in many professional kennels, and while we have always made great products for sporting dogs we realized we were missing something.

Enter Team Waterdog™. The concept that was brought to light by David Carrington and shared and sharpened with Justin Tackett is now going public. As Manager of the Avery Sporting Dog Division, David worked with Justin Tackett of ESPN, World Retriever Championship and "Water Dog" fame to put together a team consisting of the top names in the retriever games. Besides being well known to the public, exceptional trainers and top-flight competitors each of the men selected for "Team Waterdog"™ possess the unusual ability to pass their knowledge along to the average hunter/trainer.

Alphabetically, the team begins with Chris Akin of Webfooted Kennels followed by Keith Allison of War Eagle Retrievers, Rody Best of Triple Crown Retrievers, Danny Heard (the only amateur in the group) of Downtown Retrievers, Mike Osteen of E-Z Retrievers and Derek Randle of War Eagle Retrievers. Each of them brings a wealth of experience, as well as their own unique style training retrievers to the group. Beginning in August of 2005 they will attend various public events across the country to demonstrate retriever training and handling and to offer personal assistance to those in attendance.

To see Team Waterdog™ in action, click on the attached video link. There you will meet each team member and their dogs doing what they do best.

Team Waterdog™ Video

Stay tuned to the Avery website for information about future Team Waterdog™ appearances.