Call it a CinderFella story. The last pick of the litter – a big, lazy puppy named “Otis” who didn’t care much about retrieving – grows up to win the 2024 National Retriever Derby Championship.
“I was going to sell Otis off to a good friend,” says Rick Wilke of Amherst Junction, Wisconsin, the owner, breeder and handler of Drake’s Bay Otis. “My friend told me I should give Otis more time. I’m very glad I did.”
Otis outperformed 58 talented Derby National Qualifiers over 10 challenging land and water series to win the National Derby Championship held October 7-11 in Sedalia, Missouri.
“Otis did a superb job in the 10th and final series,” Rick says. “It was a great competition and that made the difference.”
Whelped October 21, 2022, Otis was the 10th and final pick of a dual-sired litter out of Rick’s talented bitch FC-AFC Drake’s Bay Izzy x FC-AFC Madduxx (“Madduxx”) and FC-AFC Wood Rivers Franchise (“Shaq”). A DNA test of the litter indicated five of Izzy’s pups, including Otis, were sired by “Madduxx” and five were sired by “Shaq.”
Incredibly, eight puppies from that Izzy litter qualified for and competed in the Derby National, and four were Finalists!
Rick Wilke says Otis turned the corner when he was exposed to birds, including hunting wild pheasants. Otis and four of his littermates went to professional trainer Bruce Curtis at six months of age for Basics and Transition training. “All five puppies trained by Bruce went on to qualify and compete at the National Derby.”
Otis qualified for the National by winning the only two Derby trials he ran. With his Derby National Championship win in Sedalia, Rick proudly notes that Otis is “undefeated” with 20 points in three starts. “That comes out to 6-2/3 points per start (5 points for each Derby win and 10 points for the Derby National win). I’m pretty sure no other dog will top that points-per-start average!”
Rick has been field trialing since 1992 and says Otis is an excellent marker with a desire to please that sets him apart. “He’s extremely compliant – he wants to do the work and wants to work with you. If Otis makes a mistake, all you need to do is say ‘No’ and he gets it.”
Once a big, lazy puppy who didn’t show much potential, Otis is now a svelte 75-pound retrieving machine fueled by Purina® Pro Plan® Performance 30/20 Chicken & Rice formula.
“My goal is always to have a very competitive All-Age field trial dog, and I believe Otis can reach that goal,” Rick says.
