Orrin Eldred

This watercolor of Orrin and Deo was a gift from the artist, Jean Barett.

Orrin is one of those rare people who really only need one name. Most everyone in the sport of tracking has heard of or met Orrin. He was active on several tracking lists. He is a tracking judge and as such has traveled over much of the country meeting tracking folks wherever he goes. He has been a judge since 1994. Before becoming a judge, he traveled to many places just to help lay tracks. He has laid 75 TDX tracks in tests. Orrin is a great problem solver and loves to help people when they have a challenge in tracking. He and his bride Susan of over 44 years put on seminars across the country before they decided to use the seminar notes to write Fascinating Scent. The book was written in 2004 and revised, lengthened and photos added in 2008.

In spring and fall, Orrin worked for a friend who owns Interlochen Boat Shop. Orrin drove boats and delivered them to customers and picked them up to take them out of the lakes. Then he helped to winterize motors in the fall and get them running well in the spring. In the summr, he is the boat driver for Susan and many others so all can ski or tube in safety.

Orrin is the chief custodian of Lab Land. He mows grass, trims trees, picks up downed limbs and burns things in the fire pit. He also likes to watch the dogs track during tracking camp and chat with the campers.

Orrin loves to fly radio controlled airplanes, read about them, and communicate with others on the web. He is a current member of the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA). Susan comes along sometimes when he flies to take photos of the planes.

In the winter, Orrin runs the snow blowers so we can keep the yard mostly clear of snow and have a place to walk the dogs. Some years this is a really big job. We hope it will be less time consuming this year.

Orrin was awarded the Gaines Medal for good sportsmanship by the Queen City Dog Training Club in 1994 for all his service to the club. He was active in obedience training, tracking, building maintenance, teaching and teacher recruitment, and stewarded at shows and Show N Go’s for QCDTC and many other local clubs. In addition to QCDTC, Orrin is a past member of Buckeye Tracking Club, Miami Valley Labrador Retriever Club and Grand Traverse Kennel Club.