At the 2011 AKC Eukanuba National Championship Pluis (rhymes with house) Davern was honored as AKC Breeder of the Year.
Davern represents all aspects of the dog world and this prestigious honor is only a tiny part of what she has contributed to the fancy. Her dog background includes being a breeder, exhibitor, professional handler (retired), field trial trainer and judge, conformation judge, obedience trainer, search and rescue trainer, but perhaps most importantly she is a mentor and friend to the dog world.
Raised in Europe and New Zealand, Pluis came to America with her husband in 1964. They purchased a Golden retriever which quickly led her into the world of field work (hunting), obedience, and conformation. After her success with golden retrievers, Vizslas and Labrador retrievers, Pluis downsized to the Sussex spaniel. Her dog, Ch. The Vicar of Lexxfield CD, won the first Best in Show in the breed and placed in the group at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show at Madison Square Garden. His descendant, Ch. Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee (aka Stump) was Best in Show winner there in 2009 at the age of ten.
In addition to the AKC recognition, Davern is a world-renowned expert in search and rescue dog training. In 1967 she founded Sundowners Kennels, a prominent training facility specializing in the preparation of Search Dog Foundation (SDF) canines.
Davern is a Board Member and training director at the Ojai, California based National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF) which was founded in 1996 and is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-governmental organization. Their mission is to strengthen disaster response in America by recruiting rescued dogs and partnering them withfirefighters and other first responders to find people buried alive in the wreckage of disasters.
The 2011 ACE Award recipients, Bill Monahan and his border collie, Hunter, are Davern protégés. Hunter and Captain Billy Monahan have worked together at the Los Angeles County Fire Department Urban Search and Rescue Task Force since 2004. Captain Monahan is amazed at how well Hunter performs his job, doing whatever is asked of him. In 2010, Hunter was awarded the Firefighter of the Year award by the Los Angeles County Fire Department. This was the first time in the history of the award that it did not go to a human recipient.
Marta Rallis, her husband Charles Lagreco, and their Sussex spaniel dog, Nigel, are avid Pluis supporters. Marta had seen the Sussex spaniels at Westminster and knew this was the breed for her. The search for a dog led her to a meeting with Pluis who “puppy-dogged” Marta and Charles with a thirty-day dog trial. Marta says, “Pluis has an innate ability to read people and dogs and she knew Nigel would be going to an active, loving home.” Davern made a great call on this pairing and now both Nigel and Ava (the cocker spaniel) are training with Marta at the West LA Obedience Training Club and successfully competing in Agility.
Pluis shares: “Dogs has given me lifelong friendships from around the world and entry into every imaginable venue (since the love of dog’s is universal) and a career that continues to intrigue, delight and get me out of bed with the greatest anticipation each and every day."
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