2023 — The Beginning

In 2023, Paige approached me about finding her first sporting dog and learning more about retriever training. Over the following weeks, we had several conversations, and I was able to allocate her a lovely red male from the Lady/Red litter, whose arrival had just been confirmed.

Although Paige had little to no retrieving experience, it quickly became clear that she had a rare natural gift with dogs. At the time, she was working for a dog boarding and behaviour business before later branching out on her own. Her instinctive understanding of animals was remarkable, particularly for someone so young.

2024 — Fletcher Arrives

In 2024, Paige collected the young red male she named Fletcher. I introduced her to experienced retriever friends and trainers. Together with myself, they took Paige under their wing, over the next two years guided and mentored her in the finer points of retriever trialling.

Paige proved to be an exceptionally fast learner: intelligent, confident and naturally dog-savvy. Once shown what to do, she understood it immediately. Fletcher showed the same promise, beginning his career by progressing swiftly through the Junior stakes.

2025 — Rising Through the Ranks

In 2025, Paige and Fletcher began competing in earnest. They advanced rapidly through the Novice and Restricted competitions, establishing themselves as an exciting partnership to watch.

2026 — All Age Success

After working over the summer with renowned New South Wales trainers, Paige and Fletcher were ready to step into the All-Age arena. They secured two All Age wins from the first 3 trials of the season, qualifying Fletcher as RTCH—an outstanding achievement in itself—and followed this by a total of seven All Age wins during the season.

State Championship Victory

Later that year, Paige found the courage to enter their first State Championship. Competing in strong company, she and Fletcher delivered an exceptional performance and claimed a decisive victory.

Australian National Retrieving Champions

Just one month later, Paige and Fletcher travelled to the sport’s premier event—the Australian National Retrieving Championship—to compete against the best of the best. The three-day championship was judged by two judges and featured 24 items of game. Every run was a triple, presenting a wide range of hunting scenarios and requiring the retrieval of both feather and fur.

In a result that would have seemed unimaginable only three years earlier, Paige and Fletcher finished in first place and became this year’s Australian National Retrieving Champions.

In addition to all the above the following is of special note and mention;

· Paige is the first Lady handler to have won a National in Australia.

· Paige is only 29 this is her first Retriever .

· Possibly the youngest handler to have won the National.

· Fletcher, we believe also is the youngest dog to have won a National at just 34 months of age.

Congratulations to Paige and Fletcher—an extraordinary partnership, and a truly remarkable achievement.