Blackhawk’s Augustus McCray
106 Prz I – UT 198 Prz II
Blackhawk’s Augustus McCray (Jack) is a dog who has left behind a legacy far beyond most dogs in pudelpointer history. Jack was a product of Tom Deckert’s first litter for his Blackhawk Kennel. The litter paired Tom’s Versatile Champion female, VC Cedarwoods Orphan Annie, with Cedarwoods Quick Release. The rest of Jack’s pedigree was just as stellar with thirteen of the fourteen dogs listed on the pedigree achieving either a Utility title or the European equivalent. Blessed with superior genetics, and residing in Iowa, it would only be fitting that Jack would grow up to be a legendary wild pheasant and quail dog.
Jack’s NAVHDA testing career was brief however it was quite impressive. Jack scored 106 points and a Prize I in his Natural Ability test. While still of Natural Ability age, Jack ran his Utility Test and scored an impressive 198 points and a Prize II. At such a young age, Jack had not yet been force fetched and it was in the retrieve of shot bird that Jack received his only deductions. This would later seem ironic as Tom reports Jack was the most reliable retriever he has ever seen, and had completed a streak of several hundred wild pheasants without a loss before Father Time eventually caught up to him. Hearing Tom describe the first time he witnessed a wild pheasant evade Jack brings back memories of waking up in 1990 and hearing that Douglas had somehow defeated Tyson.
When we asked for his best story about Jack, Tom casually mentioned that would probably be the “Lassie Story”. When Jack was a young pup, Tom was scheduled at the firehouse for a 24 hour shift. At that time a biting Iowa blizzard rolled into Davenport. Shortly after the kids came home from school they noticed that both Jack and Annie were missing from the house. It was quickly deduced that the two prized dogs had ran off into the blizzard, with blowing snow and freezing temperatures obscuring all evidence of their path! As Tom was stuck at the firehouse a neighbor was called to assist. After frantic searching, in the teeth of the blizzard, a barking dog could be heard in the distance, which led the search party to him. It was Jack! A well worn path was made in the snow and led over a hill. Jack refused to listen to the pleas to come and instead ran over the hill barking. Upon following Jack over the hill the search party found VC Cedarwoods Orphan Annie, Jack’s mother, stuck in a coyote snare! Wire cutters were procured and both Annie and Jack were returned safe and sound! It would seem that Jack was blessed with two qualities which so many of the really great dogs share; loyalty and intelligence!
As a sire, Jack had a huge impact on the breed today. Jack was utilized by seven different kennels, with eight different females, for a total of thirteen litters. Jack’s puppies ran in 54 NAVHDA Natural Ability Tests with the average of those tests being 105.8. What is truly remarkable is that 46% of those tests resulted in maximum 112 scores! That may be a percentage which is unmatched in our breed. Those puppies would go on to pass thirteen separate NAVHDA Utility Tests. The most impactful of these pups is likely Hidden Acres Atlas, a maximum 204 NAVHDA Utility performer and top sire in his own right. Hidden Acres Atlas was renowned for his cooperation and his steadiness, traits which he no doubt inherited from his father, for you see, Jack was not just a typical bird dog. He stood steady, for years while hunting with falcons! As is always the case, a dog such as Jack, is the product of the genetics found within their pedigree, coupled with proper training. If you wish to learn more about the breeders who continue to work with these genetics, please visit the North American Pudelpointer Alliance website at https://pudelpointer-alliance.com/breeders.