Kennel owner and trainer Pam Kadlec with dog HRCH JustaTankardofCarolinaAle, the 2018 National Intermediate Champion.

By Pam Kadlec

Pam Kadlec has been in our county for over a quarter of a century!  That is how old her Kennel is for breeding the state dog, Boykin Spaniels. A Virginian by birth, her early adult years were spent in Florida. She has won many awards for her work, and she really has more than one identity other than her Kennel (Just Ducky Kennel) and the training of the dogs that she does with that work.  She is a woman of many talents: an artist, with pottery as her medium; she is a hunter of birds, ducks (led to her interest in Spaniels and other retriever dogs); taxidermist, as a member of the Florida State Taxidermy association for 15 years (and served as state president for several years).  She says she came to taxidermy as she was a stay-at-home mother for a few years and wanted something interesting for work while mothering. And she has grandchildren who call her “Granny,” and with her move to Edgefield and the creation of Just Ducky, she became, for her grandchildren when they were younger, “Granny in the woods.” Here, below, she offers a brief history of her work in this county.  Ed. Note

Thirty years ago I got my first Boykin spaniel puppy. I lived in Starke, Florida, where I was a taxidermist. I traded a mounted South Carolina whitetail deer for one of South Carolina’s State Dogs. She became the foundation dog for Just Ducky Kennel. Her name was Curlee Gurlee, and she went on to win three Boykin Spaniel National Open Field Trial Championships as well as Hunting Retriever Champion with United Kennel Club. 

I was having so much fun with Curlee and later, her pups, that I wanted to move to South Carolina to be closer to competitions exclusive to Boykins. Millie Latimer, of Rock’n Creek Kennel in St. Matthews, SC,invited me up to live on her property with her and her husband, Jim. They were Foundation members of the Boykin Spaniel Society. I stayed at Rock’n Creek Kennel for 2 years, until it was time for me to find my own place so I could expand my own kennel and build clientele.  

I was looking for ten acres with a pond, suitable to train Boykin spaniels as well as other gun dogs. A Realtor friend found the perfect place, back off the main road, with a single wide mobile home, 2 storage sheds and a one-acrea pond in the front yard. With a lot of help from Florida friends, Rufus K. Strickland was instrumental in the down payment purchasing the property, financing building kennels and putting up fences. I moved in January of 2000. In 2009 I built my house where the mobile home stood. 

Over the years, my primary help has come from local teenagers, starting before they could drive, most staying for 2-3 years before graduating and moving on. The ones who stayed and were interested in training and hunting their dogs were given a pup of their own to train and keep. Some competed and earned trophies at the Boykin Spaniel National Field trials. Thanks needs to go to the parents of these youngsters who taxied them here until they could drive, and some who stayed to help when I was out of town at events. Danny Bange lived in Ward so one of his parents would bring him and I ferried him home until he could drive. Christie Morgan’s two sons, Justin and Cameron, each gave me a few years and Christie helped out when she could. Laureen White’s son, Wayne Burnett, was my first assistant 25 years ago and now Laureen helps here and takes care of the kennel when I am out of town. Jakob Kemp was another success story. He still helps me out trapping beavers and hunts with one of my dogs. My newest assistant is Caden Bell, he lives in North Augusta with his parents who taxi him back and forth and his dad, Waymon, has been incredibly helpful as a handyman and all around, fixes anything broken. Caden has a Boykin pup from here that his grandfather bought for him and he has been competing in hunt tests and field trials with his girl, Mia. 

It took several years to build up a kennel full of client dogs, Boykin spaniels mostly with Labrador retrievers, Irish water spaniels, American water spaniels, Clumber spaniels and several other gun dog breeds. I train for duck and dove, as well as upland game, field trials and hunt tests. 

I continue to produce litters of Boykin spaniels for field, home and trials. Some of those pups stay here for training or come back for formal training. 

This year will be my 30^th consecutive Boykin Spaniel National Field Trial. Over the past 29 trials, thirty National Champions have come from Just Ducky Kennel, in all classes from Puppy, Novice, Intermediate and Open, Retriever and Upland events. 

In 2009 I started night classes at the Professional Pottery program offered by Piedmont Tech in Edgefield. This was a great program that unfortunately ended, but thankfully after I built my studio and a gas kiln while taking a class on Kiln building. Gary Clontzis an amazing teacher and mentor who led the Pottery program from its inception in 2006 to 2011 and was instrumental in helping me build a car kiln in my new studio, the bricks, frame and burners coming from his kiln in North Carolina, disassembled and rebuilt here. PKPottery is celebrating a 15^th anniversary this year. 

The Edgefield Area Clay Guild (EACG) was organized in 2011. Together with Greenwood Area Studio Potters (GASP), the first Heritage Trail Pottery Tour and Sale was held in both counties. The two groups split a few years later with EACG continuing the tour in Edgefield County alone. This year will be the 14^th Annual Heritage Trail Pottery Tour and Sale, to be held April 26-27, with PKPottery as one of the four studios and the Groundhog kiln opening on Saturday morning. 

This article first ran in the print edition (Feb. 12, 2025) of The Edgefield Advertiser and was updated February 15, 2025.