Bob West, a Purina retiree and the architect of Purina’s Sporting Dog Group, recently was inducted into the Bird Dog Foundation Hall of Fame in ceremonies held at the Bird Dog Museum in Grand Junction, Tennessee. Bob was honored for his more than 50 years of steadfast service and support to field trial clubs, field trials, and his contributions as competitor, judge and ambassador for all breeds of sporting dogs.
“I never thought about the Hall of Fame,” Bob says.
“I like the dogs, the people and the competition. It’s always been great fun. That’s why I did it.”
The mission of the Bird Dog Foundation – where Bob has served as a Board Member for more than 20 years – is to preserve and promote the tradition of bird dogs, field trials, hunting and shooting sports. The Bird Dog Hall of Fame has been in existence since 1955. Dogs and people are elected and inducted annually representing Pointers and Setters, Retrievers, English Spring Spaniels, English Cocker Spaniels, Red Setters, Brittany’s, German Shorthaired Pointers, and Weimaraner’s. Bob became the first inductee in the Bird Dog Foundation Hall of Fame.
Bob’s journey with sporting dogs started with Labrador Retrievers in the late 1960s after returning home from the US Navy. He participated in American Kennel Club Derby and club picnic trials before switching to bird dogs and achieved his first horseback shooting dog placement in 1975 with an English Setter named Brush Cricket Gypsy (“Gypsy”).
Ironically, Bob competed in some horseback trials without a horse.
“I had a really good German Shorthaired Pointer named Coco Von Napsinekee (“Coco”) and back then I could pretty well keep up with the horses,” Bob says. “It was the Eastern Iowa Shooting Dog trial, an American Field event. I was on foot and the rest of the field on horses. Coco won.”
Bob became active as a competitor and judge in National Shoot To Retrieve Field Trial Association, American Field, and AKC Pointing Breed championships. He’s been a columnist for Gun Dog Magazine since 1985. He joined the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA) while the organization was in its infancy, and helped build it into a nationally recognized organization. Along the way, Bob chaired several NAVHDA International Championships and earned more than 60 NAVHDA titles, including three Versatile Champions.
Bob’s break with Purina came in the mid-1980s as a consultant and spokesperson.
“I asked the Marketing folks for a few coupons that I could take to a field trial and give to the winners,” Bob says. “From there, we proved to Marketing and management that we could get a return on investment for everything we did. It went from me handing out a few coupons to the development of a team dedicated to sporting dogs across all segments.”
Bob went on to become Director of Sporting Dog Programs for Nestlé Purina before retiring in 2015. “We sold a lot of Purina Pro Plan along the way and today that Sporting Dog team continues to make a difference and grow the business.”
The Purina team, led by Karl Gunzer, Director of the Sporting Dog Group, was at Grand Junction and attended Bob West’s induction.
“It’s a great honor for Bob and well-deserved,” Karl says. “He’s been a champion for field trials and competition across all formats and breeds. And, of course, he’s still a huge advocate and ambassador for all things Purina and our Pro Plan brand.”
Now 80, Bob’s journey with sporting dogs has come full circle. He’s once again training and running Labrador Retrievers in AKC Field Trials and serves as President of National Derby Club. Bob became one of the few to have bird dog Field Trial Champions as well as an AKC Retriever Amateur Field Champion when he titled AFC Brushy Creek’s Miss Judy and qualified for the 2019 and 2021 National Amateur Championships. He still loves the competition and trains every day he can.
“After all these years, I’m still trying to figure out if it’s the dogs or the people,” Bob says. “I think both. I’ve made great friends along the way and seen some great dogs. And, of course, I’ve had the support of my wife and family. What more can you ask for?”
