CH Ard Righ Justina
2002 – 2011

I am deeply saddened to announce that CH Ard Righ Justina (Tina) was run over and killed during the running of the Mississippi Championship at Whippoorwill Farms.

Tina was a true all age prairie type dog with most of her winning done on the Canadian prairies. Tina finished 3rd in the Property Plains open all age in the fall of 05, then followed up with a win of the Manitoba Championship in the Fall of 05. To quote the write up in the American Field:

"In the history of the Manitoba Championship four female pointers have won the title: Mary Montrose (1919), Becky Broomhill (1921 and 1924), Mary Blue (1929), and Ard Righ Justina (2005).

Tina is a true prairie, all-age dog. She has the speed, stamina, and heart to handle the enormous landscape and oftentimes brutal heat and wind of the Canadian prairies. In the 2006 Dominion Championship Tina received honorable mention for two finds and running a huge race directly into the teeth of a 50 mph wind, when many dogs chose to go lateral."

Tina won the Broomhill Open All Age in Fall of 06 qualifying her to run in the National Championship in 2007. Tina resumed her career in 2008 when she placed 3rd at the Prairie Amateur FTC and then she garnered another 3rd in the Benton County open all age in the fall of 2010. That win qualified Tina to run in the 2011 National Championship. Dave Breslin gave Tina to me and she instantly became a member of the family. She ran loose in the back yard and slept in the house. She was loved and will be missed.

Tina was never a runoff but that girl sure loved to run!

A note from Dave Breslin:

Late in the summer of 2006 Colvin Davis called, and from the moment he said “Mr. Breslin!” I knew something really good had happened. Everyone knows that Colvin loves a big running dog, and boy was he excited. Colvin told me that the race Tina just put down along with two finds in the Dominion Championship was really a sight to see, true all-age, into the teeth of a brutal wind that had most dogs bailing out. Tina didn’t win that day, but for those that knew what they were seeing her determination and drive placed her above all the rest.

I acquired Tina early in the summer of 2005 from Mike and Nicki McGinnis of Baker City, Oregon on the recommendation of Colvin and Mazie. Tina was raised on the McGinnis’ cattle ranch, and for the first few years of her life, she pretty much had free-rein to run over thousands of acres. The love of running big-country was always in her soul right to the end.

Later in the summer of 2005, Tina became only the fourth female to win the Manitoba Championship along with the legendary Mary Montrose, Becky Broom Hill, and Mary Blue. In the 2007 National Championship, it quickly became apparent that Tina had not familiarized herself with the Amesian Standard. She blew the front of the course right off, but she did it with speed and style. Afterwards, John Rex Gates told Colvin that Tina reminded him of his great dog Susan Peters. They both had so much drive that you really needed to run them hard for at least a week before Grand Junction.

In 2009 my good friend Blake Kukar and I entered into a joint ownership of Tina, and we put her in the hands of Randy Downs. Randy and Tina seemed to have a special relationship. Late in the spring of 2009, I visited Randy at his place in Rienzi, MS. While Randy and I sat on his patio and talked, Tina just sat next to Randy with her head on his lap looking up at him. The following day when Randy worked Tina it seemed as though he could have put her through the eye of a needle, and with no collar on to boot.

Both Randy and Blake ran Tina in open and all-age championships and qualified her again for the 2011 National Championship. Yesterday, Blake called and told me what none of us ever want to hear. Tina was killed on Rt. 72 while running in the Mississippi Championship at Doctor Huffman’s place. She was buried the next day at Blake’s in Somerville, TN.

What I wouldn’t give someday, somewhere to see Tina braced again with another free-spirited, big running dog like Miller’s Southern Pride on a course that had no horizon, and just enough birds to let the gallery catch up to witness a true prairie all-age performance.

Champion Ard Righ Justina ever loving, earnest-looking. So fine. Ave atque vale, old girl.

Dave Breslin
Ard Righ Kennels
Medfield, MA

January 19, 2011