Top four winners in the Champion Class: From left, Fourth Place Tony Hoeffer and Eva; Third Place Brian Schlomann and Autumn; First Place Jason Rezin and Scuba; and Second Place Amy Kuchenbecker and Pistol. (Photo by UKC)

By Tom Cross-

This past weekend a new champion of the United Kennel Club (UKC) Elite Shed Dog Championship series, held at McCoy’s Poplar Flats in Adams County, was crowned. It was an event that attracted dog trainers and handlers from across nine states, including states as far away as North Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Wisconsin. The three categories they would compete in, Champion Class, Working Class, and Youth Class, drew 48 entries with 52 dogs competing for the championship series that was held last Saturday and Sunday.
Dogs competing in Youth or Working class are required to retrieve four planted antlers. In the Championship class a dog must retrieve all five planted antlers. The dog with the fastest time over all wins.
Jason Rezin from Tomah, Wisconsin and his lab, “Scuba Steve”, took home first place in the Champion Class. In three trail runs “Scuba” had the best combined time finding all five shed deer antlers.
Second place winners in the Champion Class went to Amy Kuchenbecker from Ohio and her chocolate lab Pistol. Third place went to Brian Schlomann from Wisconsin and his chesapeake bay retriever, Autumn. Fourth place went to Tony Hoeffer from Iowa and his black lab Eva.
In the Working Class Division, where a dog is only required to find four shed antlers, first and second place went to David Larson, from Wisconsin with labs Ike and Maggie. Third place went to Scott Kuchenbecker from Ohio with his dog Luna. Fourth place went to Courtney Nolan from Mississippi and her dog Taz.
In the Youth Class for ages under 15, Zoey Rada from Wisconsin and her lab Cree took home first place. Second place went to Parker Lewis from West Union and his yellow lab Tuff. Third place went to Chloe Myers from Ohio and her dog Lily. Fourth in the youth class went to Levi Lewis from West Union and his yellow lab Link.
Shed Dog of the Year went to Jason Rezin from Wisconsin and his dog Rannie, Amy Kuchenbecker from Ohio and her dog Lola, Erin Lewis from West Union and her yellow lab Tuff, and Brian Schlomann from Wisconsin and his dog Autumn.
Youth handler of the year went to Zoey Rada from Wisconsin, and Parker and Levi Lewis from West Union.
Dogs find shed deer antlers by smell. When a buck sheds his antler the scent of the buck remains on the pedicle of the antler, the point where the antler is attached to the skull. Since all antlers eventually lose their smell in a shed dog trail a product call Bone Clone is applied to the antler to mimic the smell of a natural, just shed antler.
Plans are underway for the UKC to return to Adams County for the 2020 Elite Shed Dog Championship set for the last weekend in April.

Shed dog retrieving and antler. (Photo by Tom Cross)