2020 Inductee – Traffton & Abby’s Augustus “Augie”
Owner/Handler: Tom Glynn
914 Champion Points
Legendary Status Champion
48x Champion
4 Super Major Championships
5 Major Championships
There are times in a person’s life that mold the rest of their days. They get married, have kids, walk their daughters down the aisle and then become grandparents. Those are all life-changing moments that Tom has been blessed to experience. However, another standout moment for Tom, who was always a Labrador guy, was getting Augie, his first German Shorthair Pointer, who would go on to shape the future for Tom and his family for many years to come.
Tom and Augie began upland competitions in 2008. Residing in Upstate New York, there were not many opportunities for Tom to compete in the area, so he would rack up the miles on his pick-up while Augie rode shotgun and they would travel the country. They attended four events that year and Tom and Augie would earn their first Major win at Liberty Corner Farms in Esmont, Virginia competing against some of the toughest and most versatile dogs in the East.
Tom and Augie were rookies in the game and in many ways, Augie taught the game to Tom. Augie was extremely stubborn and had a mind of his own. He was a one-man dog. Augie wanted to be in the field with Tom and that was it. There was a time that Augie was competing with Matt Coon and after Matt finally hit a bird, Augie retrieved it to Tom in the parking lot! Augie sat down next to Tom and refused to go back in the field. When Shayla first started tournament hunting, she would go out with Augie, he would flashpoint and scoop the bird up almost as if he knew her shooting skills were yet to be developed. If Augie wanted to take out a bird, he was going to take out a bird. If Augie wanted to go left and Tom wanted to go right, they went left. As frustrating as that was for Tom, it is something that is joked about now. Craig Steinbach (Steiny) said, “Augie knew the game, Tom didn’t and that is what made them such a good team, and why Tom is the player he is today”.
It did not take long for Tom and Augie to hone in on their new hobby. One of the greatest moments was in 2011 when Tom and Augie won the BDC National Championship! By combining two phenomenal preliminary runs to get into the finals and then doing it again in the finals, they beat the others by nearly six minutes. To beat the likes of Hall of Famers Dusty, Reggie, Shrek, Madelyn, and Armani, to name a few, is no small feat. That same year, Tom and Augie would win another Major in the Doubles Division at the Trigger Time Tournament. They took home hardware in 2012 winning the Top Gun Championships! Augie proved time and time again that he was consistent. He was not the fastest dog in the field, but he was methodical. Jack Heim often said Augie has one of the best noses in the game! If he left an area, you could be confident that there wasn’t a bird there. In 2013, Tom and Augie would once again show consistency at the Invitational. Their 3-runs combined time would edge out Jerry Brost and Steiny’s Madelyn, by a mere 10 seconds! This win gave the pair their 3rd Super Major win.
Augie had a big heart and an even bigger personality. He knew that he was in charge, something Tom doesn’t like to admit. Augie had his own couch at home that no one else was allowed to sit on, and when Tom would take Augie for a ride, he would grab his bed and head for the truck.
As the family reflects on the great tournament memories that Augie has given them, it is difficult to not think about the ripple effect that has occurred as a direct result of owning Augie. Augie got Tom involved in upland competitions. The New York Bird Dog Series was born. Tom got Shayla involved and she fell in love with the game as well Zac, the person who would become her husband. Shayla and Zac would have a little girl, Darby, Tom’s first granddaughter. The countless people they met would become a second family. Those life-changing moments are all due to this amazing animal. So while Tom got an excellent hunting dog in Augie, he really got a better friend and partner. Augie was Tom’s legacy dog and that legacy lives on in future Hall of Famer, Sawyer.
Today, March 12, 2020, Augie enters the BDC Hall of Fame with 914 Champion Points and 4 Super Major wins. Augie is a 48x Champion with a National Championship and is a Legendary Champion. Augie finished his career as one of the Top 20 Lifetime Pointing Dogs. Sometimes you never know the true value of a moment until it has become a memory. Thankfully, for Tom, his family, and many others, there are so many moments that can forever be treasured.