The Whoa Post A Publication of the BSEBGDC & the PPDC Newsletter Date J u l y 2 0 1 8 Inside this issue: July Issue July Issue 1 The Epagneul Breton or French Brittany is both the smallest and most attrac- A Warning About Tulare- 2 mia and Dogs tive of the versatile breeds. I believe it with all my being. This breed is well suited to hunt both on land and in the water. With this in mind, take some Bird Dogs Need to Be 3 time to read the article on page four about Bodo Wunterhelt. Bodo not only Taxed described the versatile hunting dogs but introduced the concept to North Sigbot (Bodo) 4 American hunters. Winterhelt (1926-2018) It seems my life is spent training dogs. That is, when my husband, Pete and Photo Gallery 12 I are not taking care of family obligations or working. Last week, Pete was Thank you 15 training the “Duck Search” section of the NAVHDA Utility test with Blue. Field Trial Update 15 Thorn had come along just for fun. Blue was doing a bang up job searching Kennels & Stud Dogs 16 for ducks on the far shore of a local creek. It is fairly deep in the center with Upcoming Events 17 an undercut bank and sufficient cattails to hide a few ducks. Thorn was at Marketplace 17 the bank and slid into the water effortlessly. Only about five feet from shore Membership 18 she backed up as though she had been stung. Pete looked down and discov- ered a large gash in her front leg. After wrestling with towels and duck tape in an effort to stop the bleeding, he drove back to town in search of an after hours vet. She lost a lot of blood and was weak when he pulled into the vet MONTANA clinic. Many stitches later, Thorn will be fine in another 10 days. She is on injured reserve, cone and all. The next afternoon, Pete and I drove back to the scene of the injury looking for water hazards. There were none. After much discussion, we have concluded that she was bit by a snapping turtle. There are hazards everywhere, even when you don’t expect them. We will continue to train dogs, hunt them and generally enjoy them in the outdoors. Realizing that sometimes there are hazards, but being prepared if an inci- dent occurs. The only thing worse than having your dog injured in the field is not doing anything with them at all . Sherry Niesar Whoa Post Editor Pa ge 2 A Warning about Tularemia and Dogs by Ken Bruwelheide Recently our Montana state veterinarian issued a warning about the increased incidence of tulare- mia (Rabbit Fever) in dogs in our state and the region. This sometimes fatal disease is spread to dogs most often through any type of contact with rabbits. It can also spread to humans. Evidently the incidence of this illness is increasing particularly in the plains and western states. Disease: Tularemia (Rabbit Fever) Organism: Bacterium Francisella Tularemia Most common route of infection: ticks, dear flies, direct contact of any sort with rabbits and rodents. Human Infection: Insect bites and direct exposure to infected animals. A quick Google search yielded some informative sites using “tularemia in dogs” • https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tularemia/symptoms-causes/syc-20 • https://www.cdc.gov/tularemia/ • https://www.medicinenet.com/tularemia/article.htm • http://www.aldf.com/tularemia/ • https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/tularemia-in-dogs • https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/infectious-parasitic/c_dg_tularemia • https://www.merckvetmanual.com/dog-owners/disorders-affecting-multiple-body-systems-of- dogs/tularemia-rabbit-fever-in-dogs Pa ge 3 Birddogs Need to be Taxed By Peter Wax All state wildlife agencies are funded in large part by two federal excise taxes. For wildlife the tax is known as the Federal Aid in Wildlife Res- toration Act of 1937 or the “Pittman-Robertson Act” and for Fisheries the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act or “Dingell-Johnson Act.” Both these acts levy a 10 to 11% excise (users) tax on hunting and fish- ing items. To qualify for the money, states cannot spend any income generated from hunting and fishing licenses by anyone other than the state's fish and game department. It is a great marriage of 75% federal to 25% state. Acceptable ways to spend the dowry include re- search, surveys, management of wildlife and/or habitat, and acquisition or lease of land. In the 70’s it was mandated that half of the money be used for education, hunter safety classes and shooting ranges. The economics of the act cannot be over stated. It provides monies for more and better hunting and fishing opportunities for people through habitat management and education, initiating more taxable items to be purchased, which would then provide more funding for management and improvement. In 2016 the acts provide 1.1 billion to state wildlife management agencies. Because of this money state game management agencies put significant effort into making sure there are places to access land, lakes, rivers and streams. I propose helping these two wonderful acts by supporting legislation that would add excise tax- es to birddogs and birddog equipment same as hunting and fishing supplies. Examples of items to be taxed would be training collars, dog boxes, dog trailers, neoprene vests, booties, whistles, check-cords, and the sale of birddog puppies. While it would add a cost to birddogging, from the other side of the coin it looks like it is about time we shouldered our fair share. Ask any non- bird-dogger and (true or not) it looks to them like we have been riding on the coattails of the hunters and fisherman. A little side note; in 2000 when evidence surfaced that the Pittman-Robertson Act sportsman`s conservation trust funds were being mismanaged, National Rifleman Association board member and sportsman, U.S. Representative Don Young (R-Alaska) introduced the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs Improvement Act. The act passed the House 423–2 and became law on Nov. 1, 2000 and defines in what manner the money can be spent. Contrary to the National News, the National Rifle Association is a great organization that supports all of us that love out- door activities involving firearms and they prove many times over with their actions. Pa ge 4 Sigbot (Bodo) Winterhelt (1926-2018) By Joe Schmutz, Saskatoon On Wednesday May 30, Bodo Winterhelt moved living quarters for one last time, from the care home/hospital by the sea in Bandon, Oregon, to Paradise. He’d been struggling with several ail- ments, starting with a stroke several years ago from which he recovered miraculously, then breath- ing problems and now cancer. The previous time when Bodo moved, was this past February, from his home to the care home. Bodo had lived in a cozy house with an even larger kennel set up nestled against the first rise of the Coast Mountains near Bandon, Oregon. His training area, out his picture window, was downslope and in the flood plain of the Coquille River. In the accompany- ing picture, Bodo is walking out with his grandkids to his dog on point in the distance, Winterhelle’s White Lie. The picture shows him bent forward and walking tenuously, a man who’d been trim and fit all his life. This flood plain training area alone must have seen many hundreds of dogs he’d been training for his friends and clients. Bodo’s Roots Bodo was born in Mainz, Germany, on 21 May 1926. His family was well established and well known over generations for their stone quarry, construction and architectural services. Members of the extended family were passionate hunters and dog people; Bodo’s uncle was the first Chair- person of a regional Deutsch Drahthaar chapter. Bodo’s father, however, had no interest for hunt- ing or dogs citing a waste of time and unnecessary expense. This was a serious stumbling block for Bodo’s youthful passion. He apparently wrote a letter to Hitler once, asking for a reduction in the existing dog tax so that his father might be convinced to allow Bodo a dog – the letter remained unanswered. The Winterhelt family doctor together with Bodo’s mom managed to convince Bodo’s father to let a Jagdterrier come into the home. Dr. Paul Kleemann was a leading figure in the Verein Deutsch Kurzhaar, as Johann vorm Walde was for Große Münsterländer. They were both honored with an annual invitational test in their name that is held by the respective clubs still today. The Jagdterri- er put Bodo in contact with the hunting dog testing community and Bodo became the youngest judge in Germany. Unfortunately, the Jagdterrier chewed a priceless chair of Bodo’s father, a chair that Napoleon was meant to have sat in. This spelled the end of a dog in the Winterhelt house- hold. Continued on page 5 Pa ge 5 Sigbot (Bodo) Winterhelt-Continued from page 4 The dearh of a dog in the Winterhelt home meant that Bodo got on the train from time to time to visit Edmund Löns, a key figure in the development of Kleine Münsterländer in Germany. Bodo began to train a KLM of his own. Bodo also spent much time with Löns’ daughter whom he later married. Bodo Chooses Pudelpointers As a solider, Bodo was injured in the war. His family home was destroyed along with his father’s priceless collection of artefacts. This added to a family struggle that began when Bodo’s father re- fused to support the Nazi regime and lost business and influence.