The History of Northstar Retrievers
    In September of 1980, after going over my waders too often during duck season, I realized I needed a retriever. So I went out and bought a chocolate lab that I named Hampshires Hershey Lee Wulf (Hershey). The next duck season was much more enjoyable, believe me. My heart goes out to those who duck hunt without retrievers. He was not the perfect dog, by all means, but I didn`t know any better because he was my first retriever. Hershey passed away in 1983 struck by a car..
   It was time to go looking for a new retriever. I took into account all the things that I overlooked in buying Hershey, and started looking for a dog in the hunting lines. In doing so, I joined the Lake Champlain Retriever Club with my new retriever Boomerang Samantha (Sammie),. in Mai 1983. Sammie was by far a better dog than Hershey, but that was because of 2 things. I  had a little more experience, and I bought the dog suited for the  job. Sammie and I shared a long career in the Hunt test world and in the end, she earned the titles of WR from NAHRA and had her Master, Senior and Junior certificates from LCRC.She was the first WR NAHRA titled dog in Canada. Sammie was entered in both LCRC`s first NAHRA and AKC Licensed Hunt Tests. She turned into quite a show girl at Club tests in the last years of her career as she was being handled by my daughter Erica. Sammie would find any shortcut to a bird, bank run or whatever it took. She was getting smart with age. Sammie passed away in 1998.
   In traveling around the countries ( US & Canada), I was meeting good trainers and seeing good dogs and in turn knew what kind of dog I needed next. On July 4, 1989, I purchased Applejack`s Northern Starlite (Star). I knew I needed another dog as Sammie was showing her age and I didn`t want to put her through the cold water of our Canadian hunting season. Star`s parents had both AKC & NAHRA Master titles and had Field trial lineage in their pedigrees. I started training Star that Fall and by the time the following trial season came around she was ready for action. We traveled to our first test of the season and qualified quite easily. I was a happy trainer. We kept entering and kept qualifying. That Summer Star earned both her Started and WR titles in the same season She also got her Club certificate that season for both Started and Intermediate. The following year, Star was entered in the Master stakes and also excelled. She earned her MH NAHRA title that summer. Having nothing else to run, we decided to enter in some AKC trials. She qualified in 3 Senior tests that year, and the following year finished.up the last 2 required for the SH AKC title. That Winter, Star was bred with FC AFC Abelina`s Wild Deuce. Star had a litter of 8 healthy pups and returned to the NAHRA circuit that Summer. She kept qualifying and had 5 more qualifications toward her GMHR NAHRA title. The Next Spring Star was bred to MH Silver Nightsong Jax. This breeding was done twice in 2 years and produced some beautiful pups. Star earned her LCRC GMHR title in 1997. Star`s first litter impressed me so much that I kept a puppy from her second litter. I called her Northstar`s Twilight Zone           ( Zoe). By then I had 2 dogs running in tests and I was a busy trainer. The Fall of 1998 Star died  on the operating table, while having a tumor removed from her spleen. She was 3 qualifications short of her GMHR NAHRA title.
   Zoe was my pride and joy. She started her career going straight to the Senior AKC and Intermediate NAHRA stakes, as did her mother, with 100% success in both. Zoe earned her SH AKC title, her WR NAHRA title and her LCRC Intermediate-Senior certificates in the same year. She was also LCRC`s Senior Dog of the Year in 1998. 1999 turned out to be quite a year for Zoe, as she earned her MHR NAHRA title and, her LCRC Master certificate. She was again LCRC`s Dog of the Year in the MASTER stake. That year she was also bred to FC AFC  Cearnac`s Keeper. At this time I was down to one dog and decided to keep a pup from this breeding. I called her Northstar`s Black Diamond (Diamond). Zoe contracted a disease called Blastomycosis, and died in June 2000 at the age of 5.  . .
     Diamond`s history is still ongoing. In the Summer  of 2000,I entered her in the Senior-Intermediate stakes as we did with her mother and grandmother. She earned her WR NAHRA title and needed 2 more quals for her SH AKC title. The following Summer, Diamond finished her AKC SH title and also earned her NAHRA MHR title. In the Summer of 2002 Diamond got 3 legs of her AKC MH title, and also got more legs in the NAHRA program and was looking to earn her Grand Master Hunting Retriever title. She earned the GMHR title in 2003.Being down to one dog again, I bred Diamond to MHR Old Bay Ratio MH ( Pie). Pie had quite an impressive pedigree and was a well mannered retriever that did lots of hunting. From this breeding I kept a go getting female that I called Northstar's Deja Vue II (Deejay)  In 2004 Diamond earned her HRCH Title in the UKC program  and finished up her MH in the AKC program, and already having her GMHR title makes her the only triple titled dog in New England. I`m VERY proud of this! Diamond was bred to Charlie Jurney`s Scoop in the Winter of 2004 and had an impressive litter. I planned on repeating this litter in 2006 and keeping a puppy, but the breeding didn`t take. Scoop had the NAHRA GMHR, and the HRC GHRCH-UH titles and was a great dog.  In 2006 Diamond was bred to Scoop`s son GRHRCH Ima Rock Star "Rebel" and had a litter of 10 pups. I keept one and her name is Northstar`s Rawk This Way (Tyler).
   Deejay was running in the Seasoned HRC stake in 2004 and earned her HR title She also earned her SH title in the AKC program. In 2006 she was running in the Finished stake for her HRCH title. Deejay's career can also be followed on her page. Deejay is my hunting partner.
  Tyler I have BIG plans for. My goal is to attens and pass the HRC Grand with her and earn her GHRCH title.
  For the past 5 years I have taken on client dogs for training. I only take 2 dogs a season as I train in the evenings and only have time for 2 plus my own dogs. I have trained Labrador Retrievers, Weimareiners and did some obedience training on other breeds.
    I`ve also been the LCRC`s NAHRA & HRC Chairperson and have been a Club member since 1983. The Club is a great thing for someone to join and learn from as it has many knowledgeable people.
    That is my story on how I got started in the world of Retrievers. I do this as a hobby and it`s taken me to many places that I probably would have never seen. In the Summer months I will travel from North Carolina to Buffalo to Fredericton NB to Lac St-Jean PQ. I also  attended the 2006 Fall HRC Grand Hunt in Stillmore GA. I have had the honor to be a Judge at the 2007 Spring Grand in Maud Texas, and the 2008 Spring Grand in Madisson Georgia.I`ve also met some really nice people along the way. This game has been good to me and I recommend it as a hobby to anyone.
   I would like to thank everyone who helped me along the way, and specially my family for all their support.

    Paul Stuart .