RUSSELL MACLENNAN

Russell MacLennan is a respected bird dog breeder, trainer and upland hunting guide. He began his amateur training career in 1989 with a black lab named Buddy. Since then he has trained all breeds of sporting dogs and their owners for performance in the field and basic obedience in the home.

Russell is no stranger to competition, at age 14 he competed in the Colorado Pheasant Hunting Championships, hosted by Pheasants Forever. Along with the help of Sir Hershey of Surrey and Delery Guillory they won top honors. Since, Russell has trained for, and competed in a variety of competitions including:

• National Bird Dog Challenge Association
• A.K.C. hunt tests and horseback trials
• A.P.L.A. qualifiers and many local hunting trials
• Russell and his dog “Boo” own the record for the fastest time set in the Colorado Open Pheasant Hunting Championships. In 1997, Russell and “Boo” completed a six pheasant run in less than 5 minutes, posting one of the highest scores ever.

MEL REVELES

I started learning about training bird dogs well over a dozen years ago. When I saw my first Vizsla, Remus, point for the first time it changed my world. Literally. I became obsessed with understanding bird dogs and training them. I sought out mentors and learned from those with experience. Now, I train bird dogs (and sometimes their humans) professionally.

Though I’ve titled/pointed dogs in the show ring (conformation)and in the field (hunting tests and field trials), my true passion is hunting and training. Watching a bird dog learn is like putting a puzzle together — one piece at a time. Sometimes we have to look a little harder for the correct piece (just like we sometimes have to look a little harder for the way a particular dog can learn/understand) but it’s critical to keep searching if we want the complete the puzzle.

Bruce Smith DVM

Dr. Smith received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Wildlife Biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. His area of interest was animal behavior in wild canids. He also studied cultural anthropology, focusing on small indigenous groups across the globe. Dr. Smith graduated with distinction as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Following graduation he moved to Fort Collins, Colorado to pursue his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Colorado State University.

Dr. Smith started his career working in mixed animal practices in Hawaii and then in Parker, Colorado for about 10 years. In 1995, he started the VCA Animal Clinic of Parker with the help of two employees and has continued to watch it grow into a four-veterinarian practice with sixteen employees. His goal has always been to maintain a high quality practice by attracting the best employees and veterinarians. He maintains thirty-minute appointments versus the typical fifteen to twenty minute appointments of most practices. This, he feels, helps to promote better communication and relationships with clients and their animals.

Dr. Smith spends his free time with his wife Deb, their daughter Camille, and their two dogs. He enjoys many sports and activities such as skiing on snow and water, surfing, windsurfing, and competitive clay pigeon shooting. He also exercises a couple of days a week chasing around a small black ball around a squash court.