Dog-Gone Memories ~ Richfield Silver Belle aka Sydney (2003-2017)
I ask that you indulge me because what’s written here isn’t about our prairie trials, instead it’s about an indomitable passion for this sport and all that it in turn brings to those lucky enough to claim it as their own. Thank you.
One of the things I promised my late husband Bill was that I’d put pen to paper and share just how special our very first Pointer had been to us. And not just because she had 73 Amateur & Open placements in her nine-year Shooting Dog career and was a 7x Champion / 5x Runner Up and 2x cancer survivor but because of how she had touched and changed our lives.
Rewind circa 2004: We owned a Golden Retriever and two French Brittanies who we started in walking trials and joyfully won countless Gun Dog stakes. A dear friend, Don Jones, who was an outdoor enthusiast, avid hunter/fisherman, and Pointer-lover convinced Bill we needed to step up our game and buy a Pointer. I was not in agreement at the time… “they’re too skinny, have no fur, and if we’re adding another dog in the house, he/she needs to be cuddly & loveable” I countered. I lost that argument as was often the case, but there was one caveat… her name was my choosing. The only suitable name as far as I was concerned was after the heroine in the action-packed TV series, Alias. Sydney (Jennifer Garner) was a CIA agent who ran around on a weekly basis kicking some serious ass — she was strong, had integrity & honor, and was one hell of a fighter!!! And so Richfield Silver Belle aka Sydney came home to Waccabuc, NY and I fell hard.
This sport, game, social club, community that we all refer to as “field trialing” changed our lives and Sydney was our official entry ticket. From the time she was a puppy, there was no doubt that a very special animal had entered our lives — a born athlete, an affectionate house pet, and always an unconditional companion. Some folks were curious as to why I chose to retire Syd from the pro-circuit when I did when she certainly had more winning to do and the simple answer was I missed her at home after Bill was gone and she deserved to be ridiculously spoiled. Many friends probably didn’t know that Syd was battling cancer at the same time Bill was. Unknowingly, she was our beacon of hope…coming back stronger than ever and went on to win multiple times after her surgeries and treatment — consistently in the game…every.single.time.she.ran.
Bill & I had an unspoken understanding that she owed us nothing. And in reality we owed her everything — for sharing her passion and companionship — for introducing us to horseback field trialing which was something we both loved, and worked & played hard at together. And no it wasn’t marital bliss out there running and scouting dogs for one another lol, but Sydney and our other nine bird dogs at the time made us contenders to be reckoned with!
There’s really no way to describe to someone who hasn’t experienced it — that feeling of connection with a canine-comrade in the field whether it be on foot or horseback. Handling your dog across that country, watching them pin their game, sharing the pride when you flush them into flight, then running your charge on an edge and watching them glide effortlessly to a strong finish — you are intimately part of their grace and freedom, if only just for a moment.
It’s hard to describe how I missed Bill those first years after he passed in 2013, but being in the field with our dogs & horses & friends who had become like family…made me feel and believe, and still does, that he continues to be part of our lives. So thank you Richfield Silver Belle for sharing your passion and the gift of living for only what you believe in — we should all be so blessed.
— Claudia McNamee
Claudia is currently spearheading support for the 2025 Southwestern All-Age Championship…the one remaining prairie open all-age trial. Please check the Facebook page for this important effort. Your financial support would be greatly appreciated.
