DC AFC GENNY'S YAKITY YAK DON'T TALK BACK

Linda Harger and her Chesapeake Bay Retriever, DC AFC Genny’sYakity Yak Don’t Talk Back, have qualified for their 5th National Championship by winning the Amateur division at Lassen Retriever Club’s 2009 Spring trial last Sunday, Feb. 8. Tom Ivey and Linda Harger, owners of Fireweed Chesapeakes, are the owners and Linda the trainer of Yakity who is the only Dual Champion Chesapeake running in competition today and only the 4th Female Dual Champion Chesapeake in history. Linda says that her and Tom have been “very blessed in their ‘dog lives’. We have had the pleasure of being owned/co-owned by FC Fireweed’s Aleutian Widgeon, Dual AFC Coot’s Gypsy Clipper MH, AFC Clipper’s Genuine Mink, and many more special animals. Yakity has a great heritage and has lived up to it admirably.“

Yakity’s early career was outstanding with a total of 16 derby points including two all-breed wins. She won her second Qualifying stake with a field of 80+ dogs in 2003. That same year at 2 and a half years old she placed third in an Amateur all-breed trial in Kansas.

In 2004 Yakity took time off to raise a litter with DC AFC Sunday’s Rufwater Canvasback MH. Fireweed’s Its Only Money, Cash, the only pup from that litter went on to become all-age qualified at 29 months old. He continues to show great promise with plenty of speed and desire.

2005 was an excellent year for Yakity and Linda winning a Limited Open all-breed  giving her the win she needed to attain both field trial titles and qualifying her for the 2006 National Amateur.  In 2006 she completed 8 series of her first National Am and continued to win and place in all-age stakes adding up points putting her one point from both her FC and AFC titles. Yakity was also being shown in conformation and in one weekend eared 13 points including 4 majors. She completed her bench championship 3 weeks later with another major and BOW. Yakity finished her AFC title in May and the Dual Championship in September.

Yakity went on to qualify for the National Amateur in 2007 and 2008 and the National Open Retriever Championship in 2008 where she went to the 9th series ! This past year she has an ACC Specialty win, over 50 all-age points, 4 majors in 7 shows, and was the OFA Health Champion for January. “Yakity has become a great ambassador for the breed in all aspects. A pleasure both at work and at play”, Linda says, “Yakity is the embodiment of the very human phrases we see and hear everyday: ‘Life is good’ and ‘Love what you do, do what you love’. She does…. and I get to go along for the ride. I pray it’s a long one.”