The 2007 Bracco Italiano gathering Has been scheduled
It will be held in San Diego CA Sept. 7-9 th
2005 Bracco Italiano Gathering was a great success!
On September 17 and 18, 2005, the second Bracco Italiano Gathering was held here, in Dry Creek Basin. We were so happy, given the recent problems with Hurricane Katrina, to have 13 Bracco Italiano and between 25-30 owners and wanna-be's attending. It was such fun to have that many Bracchi all playing together - all of us saying "My dog does that! Look at how much they look alike!" Carol Koon, Radigan Koon, Viola and Wilma did a super job keeping us all fed and happy, with Carol's signature western-style cooking.
Flavio Fusetti (the international liason for SABI, the "Society for Lovers of the Bracco Italiano" and GianPaolo Poggio, Italian Bracco breeder, and the owner of Rivana, both came from Italy, along with Flavio's daughter, Viola, and Paolo's translator, Wilma, and were able to visit with us for a full week prior to the gathering. United States breeders, Erika Dennis and Ralph Minnette were also able to attend, as well as several single-Bracco owners. On Saturday, Flavio, Paolo, Dr. Don and Mrs. Barbara Schwartz (AKC German Shorthair Pointer judges interested in the Bracco) judged 13 Bracchi for conformation and action. This experience was particularly good for spectators, owners and Dr. and Mrs. Schwartz as Mr. Fusetti and Mr. Poggio were able to take a great deal of time in explaining the Bracco standard as it related to each individual Bracco. Best orange/white male was Valo, owned by Richard and Bonnie Cresse, of Salt Lake City, Utah. Best orange/white female was Marina Spadaforo di Ala D'Oro, owned and shown by Justis Koon, of Dry Creek Basin. Best brown/white male was Mimmo Paladino di Ala D'Oro, owned and shown by Lane Conrad. Best brown/white female was Sadie, owned and shown by Ralph Minnette, of Gerlach, Nevada. Best in Show was Bonnie Cresse's lovely male, Valo.
In the afternoon, we were privileged to see a presentation about hip dysplasia, OFA and PennHip screening procedures, given by Dr. Mark Asmus, of All-Pets Clinic in Grand Junction, Colorado. Dr. Asmus is making it his personal mission to educate as many dog breeding enthusiasts as possible about the problems in hip dysplasia and screening. Since we don't have many problems with dysplasia in Bracchi in the US, this was a great opportunity for us all to learn how to keep it that way!
After dinner, Ralph Minnette gave a presentation about starting your Bracco in hunting. Spirited discussions ensued about the various ways of doing so - and the group moved out to the fields, where several Bracchi were introduced to hunting pigeons. What was really great was to see Bracchi who had never been hunting immediately, instinctively, understand what what the game was all about, and start hunting right away. The next morning, hunting continued, with explanations and help given by Ralph Minnette, Flavio Fusetti, GianPaolo Poggio and Erika Dennis.
