The club's beginning was in the summer of 1990, at the Seattle kennel club show. A group of attending Chesapeake Bay Retriever enthusiasts began wondering aloud why there were not any local clubs supporting the breed. Talk soon turned into action and the first meeting of what would become the Evergreen Chesapeake Bay Retriever Club was held that very day in front of the International Peace Fountain on the Seattle Center grounds.
Although founded by chessie fanciers at a dog show, the club should in no way be considered as strictly a show-oriented club. Unlike some sporting breeds, the Chesapeake does not have a strict separation between show and field lines. The breed standard was written with working dogs in mind, and many show champions are also hunting companions of their owners.
Club members are evenly divided between those active in the show ring, obedience ring, tracking and akc/nahra hunting tests. Many other members just want a superb hunting dog or companion. One need not own a chessie to be a member, just a love of the breed.
The club holds monthly meetings and sponsors fun events. We have attained our recognition by the AKC and can now hold a Regional Specialty.
Among some of our club activities:
We will be doing a 5-Series Hunting
Test in the near future: open
to all retrieving breeds, this is a
test of marking and retrieving
ability. All entrants are guaranteed
3 birds, and the qualifying dogs go
on to the 4th and 5th series. Awards
are given to all finishers and for
the dog with highest totaled points.
We also offer an award for the
highest scoring Chesapeake, and
veteran. (over 8 years of age) dog.
We run a puppy sweepstakes, in three age divisions, 3 to 6 months, 6 to 9 months and 9 to 12 months. All finishers receive a ribbon and the winner of each age group receives a rosette.
Dog shows: we support the Rainier Sporting Dog Association and the Olympic Kennel Club shows.
Fun days: events have included fun matches, obedience and conformation clinics, hunting test clinics and even a yearly Halloween costume party for the dogs.