09/07/2026
**********SPOTLIGHT DOG********************
KILLBUCK’S II PRIVATE RESERVE of Little Egypt — “WINSTON”
NA Prize1 / UT Prize 1
Every once in a while, a dog comes along whose influence extends far beyond his own accomplishments. Killbucks Private Reserve of Little Egypt, better known as Winston, is one of those dogs. But Winston’s story is also a story about breeders working together and, in particular, the contribution of Bill Athens of Killbuck Kennels.
Bob Farris, of Cedarwoods Kennel, and Bill first met around 1990 at a Pudelpointer test in New Mexico. That meeting developed into a friendship that has lasted the ensuing 4 decades. The two eventually traveled together to the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria looking at dogs and evaluating potential imports. It was during those travels that Bob came to appreciate just how gifted Bill was at evaluating hunting dogs. Years later, Bill called Bob about a litter he had orchestrated in Ohio. He believed there was a male pup in that litter that could be extremely valuable to the Cedarwood breeding program.
When someone whose judgment you have trusted for more than 25 years tells you that strongly about a puppy, you listen. The puppy that Bill was so excited about came to beknown as Killbuck’s II Private Reserve of Little Egypt ( Winston). Bob has said that he purchased Winston entirely on Bill's recommendation and has thanked him many times since for making it.
Bob’s friend and training partner, Frank Schmidt traveled from Idaho to Ohio, to retrieve Winston from the litter and brought him back to Idaho. Frank would house Winston and with Bob’s assistance, trained him together through Utility. Winston’s test record validated Bill’s belief in the little puppy. Winston breezed through his Natural Ability Test, and achieved his 201 point Utility Prize 1 while still just sixteen months old!
For a stud dog, however, there is another question that ultimately matters more: Can he reproduce it? Winston has answered that question emphatically YES.
To date, Winston has produced 74 offspring that have tested in NAVHDA Natural Ability, averaging 106.8 points out of 112. Twenty-one of his offspring have gone on to the Utility Test, where they average 188.8 points out of 204. Thirteen of those offspring have qualified for the NAVHDA Invitational with a Utility Prize 1. Four of his offspring have participated in the NAVHDA Invitational, with three passing to attain the title of Versatile Champions.
Those are remarkable production numbers.
And Winston has contributed more than performance. His offspring have generally matured into short- to medium-coated dogs, with Bob noting that he could not recall seeing a long, shaggy-coated dog sired by Winston. That made Winston particularly useful in the Cedarwood program when paired with longer-coated females in an effort to produce a more moderate coat.
There is a lesson in Winston's story that goes beyond one exceptional Pudelpointer. Great breeding programs aren't built in isolation. They are built over decades through friendships, honest evaluation, shared experience and breeders willing to tell another breeder, “There is something in this litter you need to look at.” Bill Athens saw something special in a puppy in Ohio and called his friend Bob Farris. Bob trusted Bill's judgment. Frank Schmidt played an instrumental role in developing him. And Winston went on to become not only an exceptional hunting and testing dog, but a sire whose influence can now be measured through hundreds of NAVHDA performances by his offspring. That is what cooperation between breeders can accomplish. Good breeders produce good dogs however great breeders also help other breeders produce better ones. And sometimes the legacy of that cooperation is a dog like Killbucks Private Reserve — Winston.
To learn more about Winston and the breeders who continue to focus upon his genetics, please visit http://www.pudelpointer-alliance.com
