Micki and Ammo

The first time I met Micki Petrovish was the summer of 2008 in Twin Bridges, MT. She was a bundle of energy and excitement and very friendly, as I was in a strange town far out of my regular range of Mississippi. Micki wore a Montana cowboy hat and a constant smile. We talked about our young dogs who were running in the PRTA field trial. Micki had a young chocolate female entered in the derby at 8 months old……OH BOY, I thought, you’re in for a surprise. Well, I was at least partially right! Yes, Micki and husband, Bill, and a little chocolate female named Ammo were in for quite a ride!

Micki and Bill, now living in Townsend, MT, on Moose to Goose Ranch, both had field trial dogs years before and were ready to jump back into it. They decided to buy a chocolate female and looked far and wide for a nice litter. Deb Wehner of Santa Fe Labs in Rogersville, MO, had a chocolate litter, but most of the pups were spoken for already when Micki called. Wing Magic’s Louisiana Roux MH QAA was the sire and Deb’s Tyra, GMPR Santa Fe’s Contender Tyra MH, the dam, so Micki told Deb that she would be interested if one pup would become available. Fortunately for them…..it did!

From the very first day Ammo arrived on Moose to Goose ranch she showed her amazing talent for retrieving. By the time she was 4 months old, she was keeping up with the big dogs by doing 400+ yard marks and doing them very well. Micki entered Ammo in her first derbies at six months old and  jammed two of them. Ammo had her first derby win just two months later at 8 months of age! She hit the derby list at 11 months and finished 2008 at a little over a year old with 13 derby points, and a whole year left to compete!

Bill and Ammo after their win in Memphis surpassing the All-Time High Point Chocolate record

I kept running into Bill and Micki and saw what competitors and true sportsman/woman they were. At each trial after running Ammo in the derby they would stay and help out at the other stakes. In April of 2009 they came to the Memphis trial where Ammo again won the derby and became the All-Time High Point Chocolate derby dog then with 36 points.

Ammo at Midwest Illinois

When they weren’t sticking around to help out, Bill and Micki would drive overnight to run two derbies in one weekend. The next time I ran into them was in May at the Midwest Field trial at Charlie Hines’ farm, and again Ammo placed high with a second and now 50 total derby points. The points built fast and furious over the next several months, and by September 2009 Ammo had surpassed all of the high point derby dogs of the past. By winning the derby at the Michiana Retriever Club trial the weekend of September 25th, Ammo became the All-Time High Point Derby dog with 119 total derby points! The previous record high point derby dog was in 1997 with 115 derby points earned by FC AFC Chena River Ripple owned by Leonard Ferucci MD and runner up with 108 points, NFC AFC Candlewoods Tanks A Lot.

Not ones to slow down, Bill, Micki, and Ammo continued their travels and winning ways with a total of 18 wins and 144 All Time Derby Points! One INCREDIBLE year, one INCREDIBLE couple and ONE INCREDIBLE DOG!

UPON THE WINGS OF AN ANSWERED PRAYER – All Time High Point Derby Dog and CHOCOLATE!!

Please click this link to watch a photo slideshow of AMMO!