HOWARD, Kan. (AP) About 700 of North America’s best retrieving dogs are in southeast Kansas for a prestigious hunting dog competition.
The 2013 Master National hunt test is being held through Sept. 29 at Flint Oak, a 5,500-acre sporting facility in Elk County.
The Kansas City Star reports the test fields replicate hunting situations, including ponds, ditches and thick prairie grasses. The dogs in the competition have to respond to whistles and hand signals while they search for a bird.
Larry Kimble, Master National director, said every dog at the event had to pass at least four master hunter tests within the past year in order to qualify for the competition.
Kimble estimates half the dogs or fewer will pass the event.
