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Al, Tracey, and Steve Harmeyer



It all started 1981 with a white German Shorthair Pointer that Al got from show breeding stock. Al didn't have much experience at dog training and Steve was only 10 years old. At that time they trained with retriever people and made several "learning" mistakes with their GSP. But overall he became a good hunting dog and the Harmeyers learned more about training a pointer. Al was later introduced to NAVHDA through Bob West and got a female GSP, Ali, who had a lot of fire in her. Through NAVHDA training and testing she ended up getting a Versitile Champion (VC) title, even after blinking ducks midway through her life.

Tracey, Steve's wife, immediately became interested and started training dogs after she joined the Harameyer family 1991. She has trained their breeding dog, K.C., and her own dog, Aime, successfully. Tracy is currently working at Donnybrook Kennels training retrievers.

Steve has trained with his father since he was 12 years old (with a brief abcence when I was in college). He has also trained his own GSP, Jake, and recieved several NAVHDA prize scores as well as gaining 4 of 6 AKC master hunt qualifications.

The KC Kennels currently owns 12 or 13 dogs depending on if they decide to keep all of them. Most are GSP's which is their primary breed choice, but they also own a yellow lab and a small munsterlander. All three of the Harmeyers are NAVHDA judges.

Krystal Creek's Kennels was started up in 1996 with its first litter of puppies from K.C. and have received a NAVHDA breeders award for that litter. They will also recieve a NAVHDA breeders award for their second litter and a NAVHDA utility breeders award from the first litter. KC Kennels requires all of their puppies to be Natural Ability tested in NAVHDA.

The Harmeyers all avidly hunt all types of upland game birds ranging from ruffed grouse and woodcock in Northern Wisconsin, Pheasant and quail in Illinois, Nebraska and Iowa, sharptail grouse in Nebraska and North Dakota to all types of waterfowl including geese in all the previously mentioned states. They are members of Ducks Unlimited and Pheasants Forever and avidly promote these organizations. Tracy and Steve even ran their shorthairs in the DU retriever classic, passing the double marked retrieve hunting event, and impressing every present that they could get their dogs to do that type of work. The Harmeyers have even trained a Hunting English Cocker to do the single mark, duck retireves.



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