MISSOULA, MT — You can hardly count the ways to characterize the ending of the Super Retriever Series.

	Hometown favorites Eric Fangsrud and Ritz took control of the Super Retriever Series.

You can chalk up the win as one for the hometown favorite, or to the sentimental favorite, the emotional favorite or to simply the best dog.

No matter your criteria they all lead to one dog — Ritz, handled by Eric Fangsrud of Ronan, MT.

The black Labrador took control of a test that was billed as a way to force retriever/handler teams to lose control. The test worked for every dog but Ritz.

"In these big runs, control isn't really an issue with Ritz," Fangsrud said. "Where I have trouble with Ritz is on the short stuff."

As a matter of fact, Ritz scored a total of 30-points during the final; almost all of them deducted at the line. The deductions ranged from whining at the line, to refusing to heel on the way to the line.

"That's always been Ritz's worst enemy," Fangsrud said. "He's just wound up and ready to go. It's just raw desire."

Evidently. Once past the line, Ritz ran almost flawlessly through a course that melted many of the dogs that had survived the four days of competition. Those that dropped fast included — Ninja handled by Armand Fangsrud and Boon handled by Alan Catey — who were disqualified for not finishing the course.

The six finalists were required to complete what was termed as a " pure control test," similar to the one ran in the semi-finals only bigger.

	Daisy June leaves the dock in the Big Air competition. The black Lab won the event by tying the Super Retriever Series record jump of 23 feet, 4 inches.

The test included three marks that combined covered more than 800 yards and a blind retrieve of 250 yards with several distractions, including an unintended distraction of live ducks. In each one of the marks, the retriever/handler teams were judged on their ability to travel in straight lines that took them in and out of water twice and over mounds of land in the rugged country.

The blind retrieve, though, proved to be the toughest part. It was on that retrieve that two of the teams were disqualified, and where Elvis the leader going into the finals eventually faltered.

The 250-yard retrieve took place over about 100 yards of land and ended across 150 yards of water. Once the handlers got their dogs to water, the distractions included a smattering of small islands that pulled the dogs toward them, or floating logs that looked like downed birds and even live birds themselves. The live ducks were not intended to be part of the test; they arrived after the event started.

"This was a tough course," Fangsrud said. "But it's right up Ritz's alley. This is what he excels at."

The retriever marked every fall, going through them with very few deductions. And on the blind, picked up the fall with less than three whistles.

Ritz's command of the field gave him an automatic invitation to the 2003 ESPN Great Outdoor Games, and added to a list of growing accomplishments.

Ritz has a host of titles such as Field Champion, Amateur Field Champion, Canadian Field Champion, and Amateur Canadian Field Champion. He was the Purina high point amateur dog of the year in 2001. He won the Amateur Field Trial in California in February 2002, and another in Spokane, WA a few months later.

But adding points to Ritz's resume wasn't the driving force behind the titles. In most of those trials, Don Berard handled Ritz.

Berard, a beloved retriever trainer in Missoula, passed away about six months ago from lung cancer.

"This is just special to me because of Don," Fangsrud said. "It's just been an emotional weekend."

Also Sunday, Wil Gutman and his Labrador retriever Daisy June topped the 60-dog field in the Big Air competition with a Super Retriever Series record-tying jump of 23 feet, 4 inches. Gutman and Daisy June join a nationwide field of dogs vying for bids to the 2003 ESPN Great Outdoor Games.