After completing the AKC Star Puppy program on April 20, 2022, Danny began puppy obedience classes. 2024 was a big year for him as he earned his Canine Good Citizen certificate and his Rally Novice title in April, and his Rally Intermediate title in November. He took a little break to play, swim, hike, and pay attention and he earned his Trick Dog Novice title. Then, on November 2, 2025, he earned his Rally Advanced title at the Star City Rally Trial in Roanoke VA.

On November 2 at Rover’s Content in Cheltenham, Maryland, Victory’s M earned yet another Working Certificate Excellent (WCX) pass at the FCRSA-hosted test – Emma’s fifth WCX pass overall.
Under FCRSA rules, a dog may earn the WCX title only once, but may continue to run the test and receive qualifying rosettes for each additional pass. Emma has now chosen to come back and pass this test five times. She doesn’t do it for the title – she already has that. She does it because she loves the work, loves supporting her home club, and shows up with the same steady effort every single time.
This fifth pass reflects everything people know about Emma: her consistency, her maturity, her absolute reliability, and her lifelong commitment to doing her job the right way. She also enjoys supporting CRFCRC events, and she’s especially proud when her dog mom and breeder, Mom Judy Gladson, is there to watch. Having Mom Judy on the grounds for this one made it even more meaningful.
Emma continues to set a high bar, and we couldn’t be more proud of her.

On November 1 at the Rappahannock River Hunting Retriever Club 2025 HRC Quad Upland Hunt, Victory’s M passed all four upland tests – completing the requirements for her HRCH Upland Hunter Championship (UHCH) title with 100 points.
For those unfamiliar with HRC upland rules, earning the Upland Hunter title isn’t a casual accomplishment. A dog must demonstrate quartering, locating and flushing upland birds, remaining steady to wing and shot, delivering to hand, working in a brace while honoring the other dog, and maintaining composure test after test. In HRC, any bird that gets off the ground – even just a few feet – counts as a flush, and the dog must be steady. There are no second chances on slow hoppers or chukar birds like we sometimes see in AKC spaniel tests.
Emma doesn’t need second chances. In the last 12 months, she has run 12 HRC upland tests and passed all 12 – a perfect year. That quiet discipline is exactly who she is. Emma approaches every upland field with purpose, focus, and a seriousness about her work that sets her apart. Many CRFCRC friends know her for her AKC record: she currently holds more AKC Master Upland passes than any retriever in the country. It’s simply who she is – a thoughtful, precise worker who hates making mistakes and rarely does.
Adding her HRC Upland Championship to her long list of achievements feels like the perfect next chapter for this remarkable girl. Betsy and I are incredibly proud of her.

Victory’s Staff Sergeant had a huge day at the Rappahannock River Hunting Retriever Club 2025 HRC Quad Upland Hunt on November 1 – passing all four upland tests and earning her HRC Upland Hunter Championship HRCH pre-fix title.
To earn this title under HRC rules, a dog must show strong quartering, steady flushing, reliability on shot, and consistency across multiple tests. Unlike AKC spaniel tests, where a dog can chase a slow “hopper” or “sucker bird” to get it airborne for the gun, HRC has a very different standard: even if a bird only jumps a foot or two, it’s considered a flush – and the dog must be steady.
We both learned that rule the hard way. Sarge ran 12 HRC upland tests this year, passing 10. The two NQs came from her trademark move: the trap. Sarge is incredibly fast, and if a chukar is slow on the rise, she’ll catch it cleanly and trot back in with a proud look like she just saved the gunners a shotgun shell. In those two tests, she trapped eight chukar in a single day – the judges were probably wondering if they’d ever finish the series with her.
It’s who she is – energetic, mischievous, and always trying to help in her own way. But when it counted on November 1, she gave me four beautiful, fully steady runs and earned her Upland Championship right alongside Emma.
Sarge may be known as “the Trapper,” but she’s also a talented, high-drive young retriever who thinks bumpers are boring and lives for birds. She figured out the HRC game, settled in, and finished strong. She know wants to be known as HRCH Victory’s Sergeant. We’re proud of her speed, her heart, her grit, and yes – her giant sense of humor.

We’re thrilled that Stella earned her WCX certificate with lovely field work at the Garden State Golden Retriever Club/Mid-Atlantic Flat-Coated Retriever WC/WCX tests. Pheasants, including a live flyer, did not deter her land triple where she pinned her marks! Looking forward to more happy days in the field with this wonderful girl! CH Timberblacs North Star RN JH WCX CGC

Athercroft is very proud of our youngsters at the First Independent Specialty!
Athercroft Viner Things in Life “Peggy” was Winners Bitch for a 5 point major! She then went WB again on Sat at the CRFCRC supported to finish her Championship!

Athercroft VinedersKeepers “Tebo” was Best Opposite in Sweepstakes on Friday.

Athercroft Lettuce Prey “Harlow” was Select Bitch at the Second Specialty show on Friday.