Contributor

Diana Kubitz

2 published articles

I was born to a hunter and sportsman. I had my father all to myself for 7 years until my brother was born. I stumbled through corn rows following our Beagle and Springer, shared bologna sandwiches and hot chocolate with my Dad and my dogs and loved every minute of it! When I was 15 my father bought his first little, roan Brittany, Ginger. From the first moment I met Ginger, Brittanys were in my heart. My father taught me about bird dogs, but Ginger taught me about Brittanys. I married a hunter and sportsman, Gary Kubitz and we celebrated our 45th anniversary in June 2013. My love of all things Brittany may have started at my father’s side, but Gary and I took it a little further. We have been breeding, hunting, field trialing and showing Brittanys for 40 years. I went to my first Battle Creek Kennel Club meeting on Tuesday, my first conformation class on Wednesday, my first Western Michigan Brittany Club meeting on Thursday and my first puppy match in South Bend on Saturday with a new puppy bitch. What a week! (I ended up holding many offices in both clubs over the years and I’m still currently the secretary, show chair and field trial secretary of WMBC.) I was yearbook chairman of the American Brittany club for 13 years, 2nd VP for 8, hospitality chairman for 20 years and currently serving as JEC, Membership Committee Chairman, Standard’s Committee member, & 2013 National Show Committee member. I was asked to be the secretary for the national specialty in Ardmore, Oklahoma in 1979 and my husband and I made the 22 hour drive to the national specialty and national field trial. We climbed on the dog wagon and watched Way Kan Feelin Free finish her field championship by winning the national championship! I was hooked. I’ve been attending our nationals since 1979 and haven’t missed a year. I continued to show, but a new dog came into my life. I got Renegade’s Kansas Kid from the same handler that ran Way Kan Feelin Free at my first nationals. Lyle Johnson made sure I got pick of the litter, because he knew I had the bug and wanted a dual champion. I finished Kid’s show title two weeks after Lyle finished his field title and suddenly I had a DUAL CHAMPION! A new trainer Bob Burchett brought new opportunities for me to hone my skills as a handler. In the fall of 1992 I attended a field trial at Rend Lake in Illinois and qualified Kid for the national amateur championship. I had a dream before I left for the nationals that Kid won. I chalked it up to one of those weird experiences people have and gave it no more thought, until I blew the whistle at the 1992 National Amateur Championship in Booneville, Arkansas. My bracemate got picked up early for an infraction and Kid and I pretty much had the undivided attention of every person there. Kid ran a spectacular race, but we hadn’t had a bird yet. We’d been down 56 minutes, which meant we had 4 minutes to find a bird. I was deep in prayer asking God to let this little dog find a bird, because he had done everything I had ever asked of him and he deserved it. I looked up and saw him slam on point. I couldn’t believe my eyes, God had answered my prayers. I flushed a covey of about 40 birds and kissed my dog right on the lips! The judges told me I had 4 minutes left and I’ d better not lose that dog. It seemed like an eternity until they were about to announce the winners two days later. First they announced the “ABC Woman Handler of 1992”—Diana Kubitz! (An honor I’ve won twice.) Then they announced the winners, 4th place, 3rd place, 2nd place, 1st place Renegade’s Kansas Kid! I was the first woman in 25 years and the 4th in the history of our breed to win the national amateur championship. To say that Kid changed my life would be a tremendous understatement. He changed our breeding program, our goals and our expectations. After his death he was voted into the American Brittany Club Hall of Fame, NACH DC AFC Renegade’s Kansas Kid. When Jodi Engel knew that she would soon need a replacement as ABC’s JEC, she asked President Ron Zook to give me the job. She said because I’ d finished numerous show champions, showed several field champions to their dual and also won field trials and field titles, she thought I had a unique insight that could help judge’s education and the breed. I hope I always live up to Jodi’s expectations.