Hello all, my name is Joe Godek.  I grew up around hunting dogs, some Retrievers others Versatile.  I am currently a Spinone Italiano person.  My wife and I are currently working with our baby Vinny, an Orange Roan Spinone.  I got into training almost seven years ago thanks to Treasure Valley NAVHDA and the Masar family.  I have assisted in the successful training of multiple dogs and my pride and joy is my five year old male Spinone that prized on his first attempt at UT.  

      I have spent 20 years in the National Guard, retiring in 2017.  While I enjoyed my time with the Armed Forces, I have also doubled down working in the Law Enforcement community for 19 years.  These have instilled a sense of pride and determination, I will do my best for this club and its membership.  I try to train year round with the obvious down time for hunting.  The love for the Fowl Life and working my pups is a priority, not life consuming but in the fore front of what takes place in our house.  I am always on the look out for new ideas and feel that growth should not stop.  I am looking forward to working with and for you all and making this a great two years of training and testing with the club.

I’m Jacquine (pronounced “Jack-quinn,” but most people call me Jack or Jake). I grew up around hunting and trapping, but didn’t discover upland bird hunting until I met my husband in 2011. He also introduced me to Brittanys and I immediately fell in love with the breed. After having other people train our dogs, I decided I wanted to learn how to train them myself, which led me to discover NAVHDA in 2019. I’ve been active in our chapter ever since.

We currently have 3 American Brittanys that have all prized in Natural Ability, and one of those went on to prize in the Utility Prepatory Test.

My husband, Marion, and I have been together since 2011 and married since 2016. I’m mother to a teenage daughter, Amaya. I’m a colored pencil artist mostly doing commissions of hunting dogs, and I work as a Special Education Paraprofessional at a local elementary school. I enjoy teaching other people about NAVHDA and the bird dog world and I’m looking forward to continuing to do so in the role as Chapter Secretary!

I have been active in NAVHDA since we ran our first dog in 2000.  We were newbies and after running in the snow and rain we were hooked.  We have bred, raised and trained Spinoni since 1999.  They are truly the versatile hunting dog and have brought me a lot of challenges and fun working with them! 

In my real life, my husband and I owned a small hardware store for 10 years and then I worked in the dental field for 30 years.  I am now retired and like to keep busy so working with TV NAVHDA is something I really enjoy.

I took over as test secretary about 15 years ago and have enjoyed working with all the dog owners since then.  I love spending time with all the handlers at the tests, as you can learn something from each and every one of them.  You also hear a lot of happy and sad stories.  One thing I have learned over the years is that every owner has the very best dog!!

(Penny is pictured with her husband, Joe, who has also been a longstanding member that has held many board positions with our chapter over the years.)