Huntsville Times article - March 8, 2007
Akin's Fever produces Super Retriever crown - by Alan Clemons
Chris Akin of Arkansas and his Labrador retriever, Fever, claimed top honors in the Super Retriever Series qualifying event held last weekend here at Jones Farm.
More than 90 dogs were entered into the fourth of five qualifiers in the SRS season. The final event will be in North Carolina in spring, with the championship in early summer in Hot Springs, Ark.
The dogs competed for two days on retrieves, with the first day's pair including a short blind and 385-yard blind. The second day was a series of retrieves under hunting simulations, with the field pared to the top 12 semifinalists.
From there, the top five moved to the championship round. Akin had two Labs in it, Fever and Slide, which was third. Bobby Wills of Tennessee and Jazz were second, with J. Paul Jackson of Tennessee and Chief finishing third. Lyle Steinman of Missouri and Rabi were fifth.
Fever scored 20 on the championship cast, with Jazz scoring 25. In the SRS, the lowest score is desirable. The other three dogs scored 60 or worse.
If you made it out to the retriever trials, or the dog pool-jumping events at Valley Bend Shopping Center, let the Huntsville Sports Commission folks know you enjoyed it and would like to have other outdoors events here. The only way they'll know is if they get feedback, which includes positive comments and constructive criticism.
