Swift
Creek Labradors- SCL is registered and licensed by the State of
Missouri. Our dogs/pups have earned over 100 titles and awards in
at least 10 different organizations including AKC, UKC/HRC, APLA,
UFTA, BDC, BHU, PHU, PF, NATHA, and QU. Our dogs can hunt or compete
at the highest levels with or against any dogs in the world. We
also have puppies that have become search and rescue dogs, detection
dogs for the military and law enforcement, service dogs for the
blind, and dogs trained to detect cancer and diabetes. See for yourself
why numerous Labrador breeders have SCL dogs. One chocolate puppy
went to the breeder of the 2011 National Field Trial Champion(NFC
Watermark's Running Back). This is the result of years of breeding
for the total package of Labrador traits/skills rather than breeding
for any single trait. SCL is a small kennel and guide service
located on 80 acres in central Missouri. We also have land in the
Missouri River valley adjacent to 5000+ acres of the Big Muddy Wildlife
Area. We have over 12,000 acres of public land nearby to hunt and
train on including a waterfowl refuge. Our goal is to perpetuate
the original traits that have made the Labrador the most popular
dog in the world. We believe that longstanding great field bred
bloodlines are the key to great dogs. SCL has sought out NFC bloodlines
throughout the United States and the United Kingdom. Our dogs possess
sound temperament and great natural instincts and excel in the home
as well as in the field. We believe in the British philosophy of
breeding. You don't train out bad habits/traits, you breed them
out. We only breed our best dogs that have the complete package.
We only breed dogs that we can train easily without using a professional.
Our dogs are born and bred to hunt. They also have the skills to
compete as well as being excellent family companions. All of our
dogs and puppies have been raised in the house. We use the Early
Neurological Stimulation Program(ENS) on our litters as well. This
helps them to deal better with stress later in life and training.
Your
dog is the most important part of your hunting equipment. SCL only
breeds dogs that have proven themselves in the field and all of
our breeding dogs are OFA certified good or excellent. Their eyes
are CERF 'd(now CAER).They are also clear for CNM and PRA/PRCD.
We also register the DNA of our dogs so that our dogs' and your
puppies' lineage can be proven. Our dogs(and
puppies)are used extensively for upland and waterfowl hunting and
to further prove themselves, they compete throughout the United
States. We test all our dogs for the EIC(Exercise Induced Collapse)
gene. EIC is a genetic neuromuscular disease that has been found
in a large number(as high as 40%)of Labradors primarily from/in
field trial stock. A new DNA test has recently become available
through the University of Minnesota (EIC
info link). All of our dogs are tested and none will be bred
until the results come back. We encourage all buyers to insist on
EIC test results for both the dam and sire of their puppy/dog. This
is a double recessive genetic disease that requires a copy of the
gene from each parent. We have witnessed it in dogs other than our
own and feel that all Lab owners/buyers/breeders must join to eliminate
this disease from the gene pool. It is an insidious disease with
no cure that causes dogs to become temporarily lame after exercise
or excitement and can cause death in extreme cases.
For several years our dogs ran primarily in the BDC/Tournament
Hunter LLC. We are now running AKC/HRC/APLA hunt tests/trials
with continuing
success to prove that our dogs can compete in them as well at the
same high level. l feel that tournament hunting is the most
true
test of what the Labrador Retriever was originally bred for over
200 years ago. It is real upland hunting with live birds
being shot
by the handler, after being produced by your dog. The dog must
produce the bird, mark the fall, and retrieve to hand to
receive full points
for that bird. Points are also awarded for the amount of time it
takes to fill the bag limit. Dogs are scored not subjectively
judged.
No style points or politics! The most proficient dog wins. Championship
points are awarded to dogs placing 1st, 2nd,or 3rd. To earn
a championship
title you must place first multiple times and accumulate a total
of 20 championship points similar to field trials. We also
get to
compete against AKC JH,SH,MH; APLA GMPR's; Field Trial champions;HRCH,
etc. to see what dogs truly are great hunting dogs. We only
breed
exceptional, natural hunters. We do not breed litters that we would/do
not keep a pup out of. SCL dogs have participated in thirteen
national
tournaments since 1997 being awarded eight national champion titles,
second, two thirds, fourth, fifth, eighth, and eleventh
place competing
against the best tournament hunting dogs in the USA and have been
featured on the Outdoor Channel, MAV TV, the Sportsman's
Channel,
and in GunDog and Quail Unlimited magazines. We have had to cut
back on competing recently due to personal mobility issues.
In spite
of this SCL dogs continue to compete at the highest levels. We
expect to return to a more active role in competition in 2014.
In 2010
two dogs we bred placed 5th and 6th in the World Championships
of Tournament Hunting. In March 2011 GMPR HR Swift Creek's Wanna
Dip
SH(Cope) won the 2010 BDC Amateur National Championship title and
the BDC Amateur Flushing Dog of the Year while being handled by
Paula Voorhees. Cope followed that up in October 2011 placing third
in the World championships while handled by John Turnquist. In
Feb..
2012 Cope while handled by Noah Voorhees won the Youth title at
the National Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever Bird Dog Classic.
Another
dog we bred, Ryley at 17 months of age, placed 2nd in the doubles
division at the same 2010 BDC National Championships and was handled
by her co-owner Jerry McCarthy. Ryley just followed that up by
winning the Top Gun Puppy and second in Puppy Doubles at the NATHA
U.S.
Open in April 2011. Ryley has earned the 2011 BDC Puppy Flusher
of the year title. Ryley and co-owner Brenda McCarthy just won
at
the BDC World Championships October 2012 and won the 2012 BDC Flushing
National Champion title. In 2017 they won The NATHA US Open Pheasant
Championships in doubles for their 5th National title. On a sad
note Swift Creek's Lady Guinevere 5X BDC CH passed away Nov. 1,
2011 at the age of 12. Guin was our "once in a lifetime"dog
and was one of the best to ever tournament hunt. She had the best
nose that anyone has ever seen detecting birds at times over 200
yards away and the drive to keep up with it. Guin gave us many,
many, great memories. She was a special member of our family and
will never be forgotten. We were truly blessed to have had her
in
our family. Her bloodline is the foundation of our kennel and her
pups, grand pups, and great grand pups continue to prove her bloodline.
Ironically, our last two litters of 2011 were her grand pups and
great grand pups. 4 generations in the house and kennels at the
same time! 2012 also saw a pup from Sugar Magnolia's 2010 litter
make the Derby List. Just Trigg, a chocolate male owned and handled
by Monte Bochart earned his AKC JH and SH and then ran in a hand
full of Derby's making the Derby List. In 2013/2014 Monte Bochart
with another Sugar Magnolia puppy Angus made the Derby List. A
dog
out of Aella QAA'd in 2013 as well. Angus finished his derby career
when he turned 2 in late March 2014. He was entered in 14 Derby
stakes and placed in 12 of them, an unheard of accomplishment by
a young dog and with an amateur handler/trainer. Angus and Trigg
both earned QAA honors Aug. 29, 2014 when they placed 1 and 2 in
an
AKC
Qualifying event. Congratulations to Monte and Angus/Trigg for
their continued success! In 2015 SCL's Watermark Stella Blue SH
was selected
as the Posterdog for Red Flannel Prime dog food with her picture
on the bags for the next 10 years. SCL's CC Rider SH finished her
AKC Senior Hunter title in 2015 and her AKC Master Hunter(MH) title
in the spring of 2016.
Paul Swift has been hunting and training dogs for over fifty years.
Paul has been an active judge, scoring hundreds of dogs
in numerous
competitions and multiple organizations, as well as ten national
tournaments and the 2009 through 2012 World Championships.
He is
a member of the AKC, UKC, BDC, Ducks Unlimited, and the National
Wild Turkey Federation and has guided hunts for upland birds,
wild
turkey, and waterfowl for over twenty years. He is also a member
of the Garmin/Tri-Tronic's Influential's Club as well as
local retriever
clubs and marshalls and shoots fliers for AKC hunt tests and field
trials.
Our dogs are "possessed" with great hunting skills
and desire!
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