BFTHF General Information and Election Process 

The BFTHF election process is modeled after the one used by the American Field and differs from the one used by the ABC. The part that may be new to you is the nomination process.  The nomination process collects the name of Brittany dogs/people that the Brittany community recognizes as being worthy of induction into the BFTHF, i.e., have made a significant contribution to the sport of field trialing. If you have a worthy candidate, send the name to me. But remember this is only one nomination. When this process is complete, the top people and dogs, in terms of number of nominations (50+ minimum), are sent to the election committee. People/dogs with insufficient nominations (irrespective of their worthiness) will not proceed to the election process. If you believe in a particular candidate then you need to see that many people also nominate the same dog/person. 

The BFTHF election process consists of the following:

1.         Nomination: The nomination process is open to all Brittany enthusiasts! The names of people/dogs that you believe should be nominated should be sent by e-mail, phone, US mail, to me. The nominations identify those Outstanding Brittanys and Distinguished Brittany people that the Brittany community believes are worthy of induction into the BFTHF! A Brittanys’ field trial record (heats 1 hour or longer) help to identify Outstanding Brittanys. We know Distinguished people, they have rendered exemplary service to the sport of field trialing both locally and nationally for a long period of time. This service typically includes such activities as a judge, club official, owner, breeder, handler, patron, and any combination of these factors. .If you know of a worthy candidate, send the name to me and then ask friends and other enthusiasts to also nominate your candidate.

Everybody needs to drum up nominations! A petition, see the reverse of this page, carried to local Field Trials is a viable tool for getting the most people involved.  The dogs and people who receive the largest number of nominations (minimum 50) will participate in the election step. The election step depends on your efforts and believe me, everyone’s participation is needed!

2         Election: The following excerpt is from the October 12, 2008 Election Committee correspondence.

The purpose of the Election Committee is to elect to the BFTHF Outstanding Brittanys and Distinguished Brittany people that have been nominated by the Nominating Committee (i.e., the voting public).  This committee is charged with electing Brittanys and Brittany people that the electors believe are worthy i.e., those who have made an outstanding contribution to the sport of field trialing and those whose stature is comparable to the previously elected dogs and people.

The election committee is charged with a difficult task and consequently only the  best and the most knowledgeable field trial Ch'ship people are asked to participate in its activities.  It is only natural that these people be drawn from the ranks of people actively engaged in Ch'ship field trials!

 To be elected a Brittany and/or Brittany person must receive 60% of the votes from the Election Committee.  In other words if there are 45 people on the Election Committee and all of them vote, 27 positive votes for each dog or person are required for election.  However, if 38 vote, the 7 who did not vote essentially represent a NO vote and again 27 of the 45 must vote for a dog or person, to elect that dog or person to the BFTHF.  The current plan is to have an Election Committee consisting of 40 to 45 persons.

The next step is the INDUCTION into the BFTHF the candidates the Election Committee elects.  This ceremony will take place in early February in Grand Junction TN in the Hall of Fame building.  If you have an opportunity, you should plan to attend this ceremony.

3         Review: The BFTHF board of directors reviews all candidates certified by he election committee and has the final approval.

4         Induction: The induction ceremony takes place at the Bird Dog Foundation at Grand Junction. TN and is in conjunction with the induction ceremonies of the other breed candidates, i.e. Pointer/Setters, Retrievers, and Springer Spaniels. It is an elaborate ceremony performed before your BFTHF peers and 300-400 guests. Suitable scrolls are presented to each inductee.  A BFTHF label pin is presented to the inductee. A picture is needed and it will be hung in the Hall of Fame. The recommended sizes are 18 x 22 for people and 22 x 24 for a Brittany. 

Some of you are familiar with the structure and/or place of the BFTHF in the Bird Dog Foundation. The Bird Dog Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, It is independent of all other organizations, and it is a tax-exempt entity. The BDF is composed of the National Bird Dog Museum, the Field Trial Hall of Fame, and the Wildlife Heritage Center. The Field Trial Hall of Fame is the umbrella for all Breed Field Trial Halls of Fame and the BFTHF is one of these Halls of Fame.  

 Bill Cartmell  

Your best reward is the knowledge that your effort helped with the recognition of a dog or person and you gave a good effort to get him elected to the BFTHF.  

Send your nominations to the BFTHF secretary.:
Rheta Cartmell
By mail :    Box 612 Booneville, AR 72927
By  E-Mail: Rhtabrit@aol.com
By phone    479-969-8890 

         JUST DO IT!!