Keith Kiesow – VP
Region II Representative
1850 Bridgeview Dr. Neenah, WI 54956
I have been an avid bird hunter since high school.
I finally got tired of being the retriever and decided to invest in a real one. My first dog was less that what I wanted, but never knew what their real capabilities were. In 1996 I purchased a yellow lab from my supervisor where I worked. He was a member of a retriever club and I became a member and became involved in the hunt test sport. I ran my first hunt test in 1997 with a Junior Title in 1998. I have been involved in the hunt test sport ever since.
Through many trials and tribulations, “Max” entered into the Master National Hall of Fame in 2001. Currently I have two yellow labs, Chief and Dash that are a pleasure to have in my family. I was fortunate to have both pass the 2017 Master National. I am currently the president of Islandview Retriever Club, a position I have held since 2002. I am also a member of the Manitowoc County Kennel Club.
I am married to my wonderful wife of 38 years Luann. She has been very patient and supporting as I spend time with the dogs, compete in some hunt tests and judging others. I have two grown children and seven grandchildren. I will be retiring on June 1st of this year as Fire Chief of the Fox Crossing Fire Department to spend more time with the dogs, hunting and working on the honey do list. I thoroughly enjoy judging and have learned so much from many great dog handlers, pro and amateur, which has helped me be a better handler myself. I feel it is important to give back to this sport to make it better. I know first-hand, the challenges that volunteer organizations have in finding people to donate their time and talents to make the organizations survive and meet their obligations.
I was fortunate to have judged the Master National in 2010 when we had the first three flight split, wow the changes that have occurred in the past eight years. Hunt tests are a team sport. The dogs and handlers need to work as a team to be successful. I enjoy setting up tests that are challenging to bring out the best in the team. The tests need to be fair, that includes good bird placement and challenging blinds, no tricks needed.
Keith Kiesow
