A Story about Dick Lane and Art Perle
By Mike Leonetti
It was the Green Valley trial of 2005. It was probably their last trial there. Dick Lane was there
with his dog Dancer. Dancer was a high powered dog but sometimes had bad hearing. Art Pearle was
also entered with his dog Punky. Punky was just the opposite of Dancer. If he quartered more than three
yards, he was out of control. He also ran at a pace somewhere between a snail and a turtle.
Since Dick and Art were both on the older side of the entrants, the field trial committee decided
that they should be up first. They started together, but after several minutes, Dick was five flags ahead.
Art hadn't reached the first flag yet. His dog was thoroughly covering the middle six yards of his course.
As anyone knows who has run at Green Valley, the scenting is usually quite good. Well after the fifth
flag, Dancer smelled something on the opposite course and went that way. Dick couldn't stop him/her
and he/she poached. Dick was out and was not happy about it. Finally, the judge asked Art to pick up
his dog. He was not too happy either.
They both came off the field and began yelling at each other. Dick said that he was out because
Art's dog couldn't find any birds and so his dog poached. Art said that he was out because Dick's dog
was poaching all of his birds. Before they come to blows (not really), Art thought he was going to have a
heart attack and so we sat him on the sidelines until he felt better. The trial continued and they both finally
calmed down.
A LIFE WELL LIVED (From the 2/4/2006 English Springer Spaniel Club of Southern California Field Trial Catalog)
The community of ESS field trailers lost two of our long time members last month. Dick Lane and Art
Perle passed away within just days of each other. Both had shared a love of the English Springer Spaniel
and both were instrumental in mentoring new people in our sport. In fact, some of the participants in this
trial were brought into the sport by one or both of these men. Both men held lifetime memberships in the
ESS Club of Southern California, an honor that has not been shared by any other members.
Dick Lane, in his early nineties, and Art Perle, close behind him in age both ran the Green Valley English
Springer Spaniel Club trail last spring in Northern California. They lived life well. If heaven has field trials,
there is a hell of a field trial going on there this weekend!