The Home of The Champions: Charlie Meszaros, Reeboch K-9, and Aceofnike van het Bleekhof

WUSV 2008 - Florence Kentucky

NEW!!    Charlie and Nike  - WUSV 2008 - Courage Test  (Broadband)

NEW!!   Charlie and Nike -  WUSV 2008 - Obedience - Dumbell work & Send Away (Broadband)

Photo Album: Click Here to view Charlie's photo album from WUSV 2008. More pictures coming soon!

Charlie Meszaros and Aceofnike van het Bleekhof bring home the Vice-Sieger title as well as the High Tracking championship at the 2008 WUSV World Schutzhund Championship. The event in Northern Kentucy-Cincinatti was a huge success. The level of competition was excellent as the world's finest dogs and handlers vied for the World Championship title.

Thursday afternoon, Charlie and Nike took the field for protection and scored 93-SG points. It became apparent the judging was all that one could expect from a World Class event. It was fair and showed no mercy for any of the competitors. Michaela Knoche and her dog Javir, this year’s Bundesieger, scored the highest protection score of the day which was 94-SG. At the end of the day Charlie told friends, "A High "V" in tracking tomorrow will get us back in the game, that's how it has to be...got to be."

Friday afternoon around 2pm, several Americans including Charlie took the field for tracking. The conditions were very sunny, windy, and extremely dry. The fields were medium length grass and the terrain was fairly sloping and uneven in places. There were an amazing amount of spectators who were shuttled to the tracking fields to watch the events unfold. The fields and surrounding countryside were beautiful as the fall colors were beginning to show on the edges of the rolling Kentucky hills. The dogs were pushed to work hard, and it became obvious that the conditions would make or break the day for the competitors.  Charlie and Nike rose to the occasion and performed in world-class fashion- scoring 99 points, and earning them the High Tracking World Championship. At the end of the day on Saturday, Charlie, Gutierrez, and Knoche were in a contest for the lead.  Saturday brought a day off for Charlie and Nike, who spent the morning in preparation for the final phase on the competition to take place first thing on Sunday morning. Charlie spent the afternoon at the stadium relaxing with friends and enjoying the events.

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Nike: "See....I did good!:    Click the images for a larger view.

At the end of the day on Saturday, Michaela Knoche had received her final score of 285, as the winner of this year's Bundesieger was the "lady to beat". She had delivered a beautiful obedience routine to finish her competition (95-SG). It was apparent that the closest competition was between Knoche, Charlie, and Gutierrez of Spain. It was a competitive drama that would last until the final moments of the event. It was world class competition as it should be: too close to call.

Saturday night brought the WUSV banquet at the Drawbridge Inn. The room was full and the food was excellent (...). The guests at the banquet showed amazing courtesy and respect for one another as they were called table by table in an orderly fashion to enjoy the meal (...). In truth, the camaraderie and celebration of the sport of Schutzhund was the highlight of the evening.

Sunday morning, the parking lot was nearly full at 7:00 am as spectators filed in to watch the drama unfold for the WUSV title. Charlie and Nike were among the first competitors to take the field before the sun had fully risen. As Charlie took the field for his final phase of competition, the crowd watched in near silence. Charlie would need a 93 to take the lead from Knoche. This performance would set the bar for Gutierrez who would take the field later that day. Charlie and Nike again rose to the occasion and delivered a beautiful performance. Nike's dumbbell work and jumps were flawless and truly a sight to behold. It was obvious that years of world class competition experience were brought to bear that morning. As the routine came to a close, a crowd of spectators and members of Team USA gathered in the stands in front of the Judges to hear the critique and scoring. As the judge delivered the critique and announced the score of 95, the crowd erupted in thunderous cheers and excitement. It was most definitely a proud moment for Charlie, Nike, and his supporters.

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Later in the day, Gutierrez and his dog Blitz took the field and delivered an excellent protection routine to take the lead as well as the competition by one point. At this level of competition, everything rides on a knife's edge; the slightest gesture or false move, or misstep from the dog will make all of the difference.  The skill level of the handlers and the level or training of the dogs shown at the event was an inspiration to all participants and supporters of the sport of Schutzhund across the globe.

The American team as whole delivered an excellent performance, with T. Floyd also bringing home the 6th place trophy with 282 points. The American team took second place overall with 837 points to the German team who earned a score of 840 points. Team Finland earned the 3rd place team trophy with 830 points followed by the Netherlands with 818 points.

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At the closing ceremony, the crowd watched with admiration as the teams marched across the field, each team following the flag of his or her country. The well earned awards were presented to each of the competitors and it was one of the proudest moments of Charlie and Nike's career to stand on the podium at the World Championship.