As a boy, I was deeply immersed in the cattle and western horse industries. I had quite the successful career in the rodeo industry from junior high through my early years of college. It was during this time that the dog bug bit me and took over. My story in dogs officially started at age 17, after acquiring a job at a local commercial kennel. I took the job simply to fund my rodeo career and fulfill my deep love for dogs. I did everything from feeding, cleaning, whelping and rearing puppies, as well as helping them market their litters. This job was not for the faint of heart, but it taught me many valuable lessons about the dog industry.

After some time as a kennel hand, my parents, Gavon and Tammy Hutchison established their kennel, Bar H Farms. They asked me to help market their litters and help in the daily care of dogs. Little did I know this would lead to me managing the kennel, birthing my professional handling career, and breeding my first litters. So many doors opened and continue to open from that one opportunity, that I am so thankful for. 

Growing up in the cattle and horse industries, I realized that the only way for a business in animal production to succeed was to either add value to the product that you’re offering or sell a lot of that product. After being around very large kennels, I knew that I did not want that for myself. While most of those kennels had exemplary facilities and produced great dogs, I personally did not want to keep so many dogs at a time. We would rather keep a smaller number of hounds and place others with trusted coowners to continually grow our genetic pool. We did not want breeding to be a full-time occupation, but rather something we did on the side, for enjoyment. However, no matter the size of the business, it must support itself, even if it is a labor of love. We decided to start showing our dogs. This route would take us on a journey that we never could have imagined. 

As we started to gain information regarding dog shows, we contacted a great family friend, Brenda, who has shown dogs for many years and would become my first mentor. I first contacted her, inquiring about showing a bitch for me and a dog for my parents. After countless hours on the phone, Brenda continued to encourage me to show the hounds myself. She told me of an upcoming show at Purina Farms in June. After much deliberation, I entered and began my journey in dog shows. I only knew Brenda at this show and I was so nervous. I had been on some of rodeo’s biggest stages and had never felt nerves quite like these. Long story short,