About WSK
40 years is a long time …….
Full of fond memories, wonderful people and great dogs.
Doug got drawn into dog training due to his love of waterfowl hunting and the need to have a well trained dog. He gained experience from a well known person in the business, Mary Knapp, and because of the success he had with his own dog, friends were soon asking him to train THEIR hunting dogs, and Waterdog Specialties began in 1981.
In 1990 Doug and Patti got married and she became part of the business. In addition to the In House training that was offered, the business began to offer training classes where people learned to train and handle their own hunting dogs. Their breeding business expanded as well, and many people throughout Wisconsin and beyond, own a “Kennedy dog”.
Doug and Patti competed in both AKC and UKC hunt tests, titling many dogs in all 3 levels; Junior, Senior and Master. Doug became a Master qualified judge as well.
The Kennedy Family includes sons Sean and Ryan and while they both love, own and hunt Labradors, their interests don’t provide them with enough time to take over the business.
We are full of happy memories, but ready to give up the 24/7 commitment a kennel brings and with that being said, we are turning the leash over to Jake Felkner, a young, energetic and talented trainer. He will be taking over Waterdog Specialties and making it his own- including breeding and training pointers along with retrievers. Jake's love of dog training began when he was 15 years old. Being too young to drive, his parents would drop him and his dog off at our retriever training classes and he enjoyed the whole experience.
A big thank you is extended to anyone who bought a puppy or trained with us through out the years- you have enhanced our lives greatly.
Take care and happy hunting!