Robby Griffin of Louisburg, North Carolina has been appointed to the Master National Retriever Club Board of Directors as Director for Region 1. Keith fills the vacancy left by Director Laurice Williams as he becomes Vice President and Keith Maready serves as President of the Master National Retriever Club.
Here’s a bio from Robby as we introduce him to our membership. Congratulations and Good Luck Robby.
Born and raised in Raleigh, NC, my wife Linda and I moved to neighboring Franklin County in 1986 and raised two sons. Both boys are now married, no grandchildren yet. We’ve been married 44 years and are currently enjoying retirement and spending time with our two Labs, two Chesapeakes, a Standard Poodle and a cat.
Growing up we had dogs my whole life, deer hounds, bird dogs and Beagles. I followed my Dad, Grandpa and two uncles behind these dogs for years before I was old enough to participate. Back then we only duck hunted once a year, typically in a snake infested swamp near Belhaven, NC, and always from a boat. On this hunt after our limit of birds we would always fill the boat with Mistletoe to sell with Christmas trees at our country store. This is where my passion for duck hunting began.
My first experience with retrievers was in 1976 with Honey, a Golden Retriever given to me by Linda while we were attending ECU. We both fell in love with her loyalty and ability. Honey and I dove and duck hunted continuously until she passed. We lost Honey shortly after college to illness at five years old. We owned several Labs and Goldens after her who didn’t turn out to be dependable hunting companions, but were great pets. After hunting several Labs
I only had mixed results. My youngest son and I decided to get a cold water dog, hence our first Chesapeake, Hoyt. I decided to seek professional guidance from a pro trainer. After gun dog training, we decided to try a Hunt Test. Hoyt was outstanding in Junior and Senior, but then lost interest, while remaining an excellent hunting dog today. During this period I asked the trainer where I could get training birds. He suggested I join the club he was active in. I did, worked a test, got birds, and have been active ever since.
Then came Chase, a Chessie bred to sustain as a competition dog. He was a Master Hunter at two years. Hip problems were discovered during breeding requests, putting an end to his career. During the process with Chase and attending and working multiple tests, I decided to move back to Labs. I am currently active with Beau, a male yellow lab purchased in 2015, and Maggie, a black female purchased in 2018.
My first exposure to the Master National Retriever Club was in 2015. Our club was one of three host clubs, and I volunteered to help during setup week. Since then I’ve been involved in three additional events in various roles. I’m honored to be selected MNRC Director in Region 1 and look forward to serving.
Robby Griffin
