RAC Meeting

2025 Retriever Advisory Committee Meeting

Friday, November 7, 2025

John Russell, President RAC, called the meeting to order at 2:03 pm

#1 Sport is at 42% compliance on taking the Darkness to Light training - we have to start figuring out how to make this work. It will be addressed at the General Meeting also.

#2 Question: Looking at the Scratch Policy. Mandatory is what it is and the balance is up to the club. Current rules are 90 years old. No one is monitoring it now. The AKC has contracted clubs. AKC only gets a fee on starters.

#3 The rules state that a dog should be able to see in air. Change would say "shall" instead of should. We have excuses for illusionary stuff. It is an issue.

#4 Complaint about distance retiring guns move. Common sense does not seem to prevail, so the suggestion is made that a distance should be put in the rule book. "Intentionally deceive the dog" is a concern and they will address it.

#5 Stronger field trial committees need to be addressed. Better command of the rules and confidence in their decisions. As a contestant - you can write a note and the FT Secretary can submit it with their report.

#6 Increase in past few years - gunners retiring while the birds are still going down. Common sense is not showing up at Field Trials.

John has affirmed that we (we as contestants) should write to him about what a rule change should look like.

Meeting closed at 2:42 pm.

Retriever Advisory Committee - Bill Goldstein, Larry Morgan, John Russell, Missy Bell and Rus Reavis (AKC Field Rep Director)

Jim Rickoff and Randy Spangler

Front: Joel Harris, Sammie Thompson and Mitch Patterson

L to R: Bente Kongsore, Randi Johannis, Delma Hazzard and Phil Heye

L to R: Michael and Paula Wallace, Kathy and Johnny Armstrong