Pointer Named 'Joe' Wins 2020 National Championship For Bird Dogs

A classy, powerful 4 ½-year-old white-and-orange ticked male Pointer named “Joe” fast-forwarded to the front of the competition to win the 2020 National Championship for Bird Dogs in February at Ames Plantation in Grand Junction, Tennessee.

Handled by owner Gary Lester of Gracey, Kentucky, Miller’s Speed Dial had six quail finds in the three-hour horseback stake, delivering a riveting performance with stylish ground-covering momentum. 

“Joe is extremely fast and absolutely pretty on point,” says Lester, now the winner of five National Championships, including winning in 2015 with Joe’s sire, Miller’s Dialing In. “Wet conditions with standing water and deep mud complicated the running, but Joe held up.” 

Scouting for Lester at the 121st running of the National Championship was Mark Haynes of Brownsville, Tennessee, and riding to the front and assisting was Nick Thompson of Hickory Flat, Mississippi. Lester started working with Joe when he was 18 months old, after he was started by Ferrell Miller of Murray, Kentucky, and Scott Mason of Mayfield, Kentucky, and developed on birds by Chris Peek of Albany, Georgia. Joe is fed Purina Pro Plan SPORT Performance 30/20 Chicken & Rice Formula dog food.