Meet Annette T. Pacheco the newest addition to the Master National Board of Directors. Annette will serve as Region 4 Director, replacing Patty Polish who now becomes the Region IV Vice President. Former Vice President Mike Collson is the new 2022 Master National President. Take a minute to learn more about Annette from her Bio.
Annettee T. Pacheco
Hello. My name is Annette Pacheco and I am honored to serve as the Region IV Director for the Master National Retriever Club Board. I am married to my husband of 28 years, Bob, and together we raised his two children and our perpetual fur-legged family. We currently live in Oregon; however, I am a native Californian. During my childhood I lived in several states coast-to-coast before returning to California in 1982 for my career.
During that 28-year career of public service I met many fine people. In the later years of my career, a co-worker showed me a large picture of his “new hunt-test dog Jake” and went on to explain the importance of selecting a healthy dog with good breeding. I didn’t think much of that conversation at the time, nor its significance. Yet that brief momentary exchange of information would end up being life changing for me after retirement.
Post retirement, I became involved in salmon fishing, continued motorcycling when able, and traveled with friends and family. In 2011 we lost our beloved pet yellow Labrador to a post-surgical blood infection. It broke my heart. That unexpected tragedy opened my door to the sporting dog hobby of hunt-tests and dog trials in 2012 with my ‘new’ yellow Labrador Maverick. With the encouragement of a fellow dog lover and Maverick’s gundog trainer, I watched my first AKC Hunt Test Event in Glide, Oregon. The aha moment of ‘hunt-test dog Jake’ now had significance. I took up pheasant hunting and quickly learned how shooting a moving bird was much more difficult than a silhouette target. (Gunners, you have my utmost respect)! It was obvious Maverick knew more about his responsibilities than did I. I had a lot to learn. In the Spring of 2013, to better my shooting skills, I joined the local gun club. To better my dog hunting/training/handling skills, I became a member of the Umpqua Valley Retriever Club (UVRC) that same year. A few years later I also became a member of the Rogue Valley Retriever Club.
Since 2013 I have been actively engaged in this volunteer dependent, sometimes all consuming, sporting hobby-turned-lifestyle. I began judging AKC hunt tests in 2015. I have been a Board Member of UVRC since 2017. My home club hosted the Master National event in 2018 and I agreed to serve and accept the responsibilities of Chairperson. In 2019-2020 I served on the Master Amateur Retriever Club Long Range Planning Committee for eighteen months.
The experience of and observations made while serving as Chairperson really exemplified the axiom, “it takes a village…” because it does and it did! It truly is “All about the dogs.” I am fortunate to have qualified our dogs at both Master Amateur and Master National events. I could not have accomplished any of these tasks without the guidance, support, and assistance of so many who love this sport and continue to volunteer their time towards its future. Both Maverick and Wyatt can attest to that! (Puppy Garrett is just starting out). I firmly believe it is the love we have for our dogs and their love for us that keeps us going and gives us purpose. I am not certain what the future has in store for any of us in the sporting dog event world, but I sure appreciate the opportunity to be a part of the village! See you at the line!
