Who We are...
Meet John Yates
John Yates of Oil City, PA, is the founder of the American Sporting Dog Alliance, and will serve as its managing director and secretary/treasurer.
Mr. Yates has been involved with sporting dogs since childhood. He grew up in a hunting family that raised beagles and springer spaniels. He developed an interest in the pointing breeds, and worked as an assistant to a professional trainer to put himself through college; he graduated from Clarion University of Pennsylvania in 1971 with a degree in English and psychology. He also has done post-graduate work.
He has been a professional trainer of pointing dogs for the past 40 years, and also breeds English setters. During this period, he worked for 15 years as a newspaper reporter and editor, and was the managing editor of daily newspapers in Montana and Pennsylvania, before pursuing a kennel business full-time. He also has done significant lobbying work for firearms rights and dog owners' groups, was the co-founder of the Pennsylvania Gun Owners' Association, and has done public relations work for political figures and organizations.
A lifelong hunter, Mr. Yates has guided professionally in Montana, North Dakota, Alaska, Oklahoma, Texas and Canada. Over the years, he has trained every breed of pointing dog, handled dogs professionally in competition, developed several champions, and also has owned beagles, coonhounds, Chesapeake Bay retrievers, Labrador retrievers and springer spaniels.
Mr. Yates is semi-retired, but continues to train for the public on a limited basis, and breeds a couple of litters of puppies every year.
He feels strongly about the goals of this organization, and wants to devote himself full-time to working to protect the interests of sporting dog owners and professionals.
Our Leadership
Our leadership consists of a central advisory board, state committees, a legal committee and a team of veterinarians. We currently have 26 commitments to our leadership core, representing 19 states, and another two dozen highly qualified people have informally committed. We are in the process of making actual assignments, and will update this list frequently. We believe our leadership team will be second to none. The 24 people who have made firm commitments thus far are listed below in alphabetical order:
Brian Bevelari, Massachusetts, professional bird dog trainer and hunter.
Harry Blaine, Virginia, retired, active hunter and field trialer with English cocker spaniels, pointers, setters and Labs
G. Thomas Blankenship, Indiana, attorney for the Tennessee walking horse breeders' and trainers' associations, avid Texas hunter.
Neil Boos, Wisconsin, hunter and field trialer of pointing dogs, Chippewa Valley Grouse Trial Club
Dale Bush, Texas, director of Purina Top Shooting Dog Award Committee and Amateur Field Trial Clubs of America
Bruce Cooper, New York, federal veterinary medicine regulator, English setter breeder, hunter, field trialer.
Pete DelCollo, Pennsylvania and Virginia, attorney, lifelong hunter and field trialer.
Craig Doherty, New Hampshire, Publisher of Field Trial Magazine, avid hunter in New England and Texas, active in grouse trials.
Al Fazenbaker, Ohio, breeder, hunter and field trialer of red setters
Martha Greenlee, Virginia, avid hunter, field trialer and Brittany bree.der.
Tom Griffin, California, attorney, avid hunter and sporting dog owner throughout the West.
Jim Harris, Michigan, information technology, hunter and field trialer, hunting terriers, and English, Gordon and red setters, NAVHDA
Heather Hauser, Ohio, photographer, web designer, Mid-Ohio NAVHDA
Bill Holtan, North Dakota, professional trainer, field trial handler, founder of Cover Dog home page and message board.
Dr. Charles Hjerpe, California, veterinarian, active hunter and field trialer.
Dr. Lori Hunt, Ohio, veterinarian, Italian Spinonis, hunt tests and NAVHDA
Mike Jacobson, Wisconsin and Minnesota, attorney, avid hunter, field trialer.
Jimmy Johnson, Ohio, hunter and field trialer, coonhounds, beagles, pointing dogs
Todd Kalter, Vermont, attorney, avid hunter
Salvatore Massaro, New Jersey, avid hunter and amateur field trialer, English setter breeder
Lloyd Murray, New Hampshire, entrepreneur, English setter breeder, hunter, grouse trialer.
Dean Reinke, West Virginia, Purina Pro Plan Field Rep, breeder, hunter and trialer of springer spaniels.
Mary Simmering, Texas and Alaska, wildlife ecologist, Brittany and Lab fancier.
Mike Spies, California, hunter and field trialer, English setters and Labs, U.S. Complete Shooting Dog Association
Scott Syphrit, Pennsylvania, hunter, field trialer, founder of the Foster Award site.
Jim Tracy, Virginia and Tennessee, avid hunter, hunting terriers, retrievers, field trial pointers
Paul Tutro, Michigan, lifelong hunter, field trialer.
Jan Zarebicki, Delaware, hunter, field trialer, bird dog breeder.