Mister goes to Westminster

Written By Jackie Mertens

At the end of 8 th grade, My mom decided to move to CRYSTAL LAKE, Illinois to be closer to FAMILY members & friends; where my brother moved after graduating from Lane Tech High School in Chicago. He loved Carpentry and lived with our Aunt andUncle In Lake In the Hills, Illinois. He started working for a small Construction Company and never switched jobs.

I finally found the NORTHWEST OBEDIENCE CLUB ( still in existance) in Palatine, IL. Of course, I had to rely on my brother again to take me once a week to training. The director of training was (JOE MERTENS) - little did I know at the time, that 16 years later Joe and I would get married. Joe was 20 years my senior.

I also started showing MISTER in Junior showmanship and qualified for the WESTMINSTER Junior Handler championship. A gracious club member with a top winning Weimaraner was traveling there to watch her dog handled by one of the Top Professional handlers at the time.

I made the 1st cut, but a GOLDEN RETRIEVER won it. Many moons later I found out that it was Sandy Kelly handling that golden. Sandy and her husband Jack were well known Golden Retriever Breeders, and I believe that Jack was also on the GRCA board of Directors.

Jackie Mertens

Jackie Mertens is one of the most successful amateur retriever trainers and breeders in North America. She has trained and titled numerous FC/AFC retrievers. She is a six-time finalist at the National Open/National Amateur Retriever Championships. She won the National Amateur championship with her NAFC FC Topbrass Cotton, who is also the all-time high point Golden Retriever in field trial history.

Breeding, training, and campaigning retrievers are a way of life for Mertens. Her Topbrass kennel, established in 1968, consistently produces high-quality performance golden retrievers.

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Then came “Mister”