Sammy and Nida Giddens’ life reflects a journey of loving people and animals well. Living in the moment comes naturally to these two who appreciate the beauty of a classy bird dog, a Tennessee Walking Horse, a well-prepared ( often homegrown) meal, and the fellowship of those who cross their path.
Both eastern North Carolina Natives, Sammy grew up in Newton Grove and Nida in Faison. Their love story started in 1963 when they met in high school. When Sammy and Nida met, Sammy had never seen a bird dog. Nida already appreciated the sport as her uncle and dad both had dogs that they took wild bird hunting. Sammy and Nida began to share this interest and enjoyed time with family pursuing it.
By the early 1990s, wild bird hunting had become difficult as the quail population had practically vanished. Nida’s uncle, Harold Britt, had an English Pointer named Britt’s Bud Lite and decided to take this dog, “Bud,” to a field trial. Bud made a clean sweep at his first trial as a puppy, winning the Derby and Puppy Classes and being named Dog of the Trial.
While running Bud at the trial, Uncle Harold suffered a heart attack that required open heart surgery and put his field trial abilities on hold. While he was in the hospital, Sammy handled Bud. A few months later at a Christmas celebration, Uncle Harold walked over to Nida and handed her an envelope, giving her and Sammy his special dog Bud. After losing their fathers, Uncle Harold was a father figure to the young couple, and they recognized the magnitude of this gift. Bud’s story would soon become central to their own.
Bud’s entry to success only got grander, as he won the U.S. Complete Shooting Dog Championship at a year and a half old, then at two years old won the U.S. Complete National Championship. Britt’s Bud Lite was Open Shooting Dog of the Year 1998-1999 and Sammy won Handler of the Year for the U.S. Complete Open Shooting Dog 1998-1999. With almost two championships by two years old, it seemed there was nowhere to go but up for this young pointer.
His rise to field trial glory was halted that summer when he tore his ACL. Bud was sidelined with a series of surgeries despite the Giddens’ endless efforts to help him heal. This turned into a 7-year healing process. His first trial post-injury was at Sleepy Creek in North Carolina and he reminded folks he hadn’t lost his edge, pointing five coveys and winning the field trial.
Two weeks later, Sammy and Nida noticed something seemed off with Bud, and took him to the vet. They learned he had a tumor. His journey was now coming to an end. The impact of Bud on their lives and their kennel has not been forgotten, and his spirit lives on, as does the proud affirmation on their farm’s sign that Hunter’s Creek Kennels was the home of Britt’s Bud Lite.
By this point, Sammy and Nida knew the bird dogs would continue to be a major part of their life and they always made a prominent place for the dogs regardless of where their jobs took them.
After high school, Sammy went to Durham for barber school, and Nida went to Campbell University. Being a barber was somewhat of a family business, with Sammy’s grandfather and an uncle both being barbers and his sister Jackie being a hair dresser. While he started with a two-chair barber shop for men, his devotion to learning and personal growth led to its expansion into a ten chair salon with eight hairstylists and two receptionists for both men and women. Nida went on to a career involved with the community as well, first as a 6th grade school teacher in Cary, and later as a real estate agent. Even though her days in the classroom were years ago, her thoughtful instruction lives on, and she recently received a message from a former student who searched for her to let her know how much she had meant to her and that she had become a teacher. Now in her classroom, this student often thinks, “What would Mrs. Giddens do?”
Sammy’s reputation also grew, and so did his business. He partnered with another gentleman, and together they ran Sam and Bill’s Hair Design in Raleigh, North Carolina for several decades. The design part of the name was more than just a word. Sammy always had an eye for design and furthered his craft by taking classes in New York City and Atlanta, Georgia, to ensure he brought local men and women the latest understanding and approach to styles and hair care. The salon still exists today.
Even during these years living in Cary, the bird dogs were a big part of their life. While they always had the farm in Faison they currently live on (Nida’s homeplace) to visit on weekends, the weeks were spent in Cary. They had four bird dogs living in the house with them and found ways to bring their passion to life in the suburbs. They laughingly remember planting pigeons in the azalea bushes in their front yard to train dogs.
Always resourceful, they even put their spin on the popular method of conditioning dogs known as roading. Generally done from a four-wheeler or horseback, Sammy and Nida were both strong athletes who decided to power the workout themselves, utilizing the rolling hill topography of Cary with two dogs a piece strapped to big belts around their waist. They did this workout for three miles and repeated it three times a week.
Sammy and Nida also found joy in playing competitive tennis and would travel around the country competing during these years. Thanks to his holistic outlook, Sammy began to see a connection between his coaches’ emphasis on patience and repetition in tennis and the way these practices could be valuable in training dogs. He found focusing on those elements to be instrumental as he continued to develop his training methods and began to explore other realms to further his knowledge, with great insights coming from the world of horse training.
After one trial, Nida remembers Sammy walking through the front door with a big grin and a trophy saddle in hand. He had won it at a trial put on by Mike Hester (with their pointer Bud before his illness). He didn’t have a horse, but he was all set with a new saddle.
After borrowing horses for trials for years from a friend, Pro Pat Casey, they decided it was time to buy horses. This was the year they turned 50 and neither had hardly any experience with horses when they set out for this purchase, but they were determined to learn. Nida felt excitement and fear over learning to ride and when they brought home their first horse Buddy she was hopeful he would be a good babysitter for her introduction to the equestrian world.
He was not. A teddy bear around their farm, when he got to his first trial, he was more like a jumpy racehorse without responsive brakes. During this first trial, Nida started on Buddy and Sammy was on a rented horse that was supposed to be good for beginners. As Buddy raced full speed ahead and Nida’s panic rose, she looked to Sammy for help, only to see his horse bucking across the field like a rodeo bronc. In a testament to their grit, they both got back on and kept riding and Nida never gave up on Buddy.
Their next horse was an eye-catcher they saw while attending a Harold Ray seminar in Florida. This strapping gelding, Smokey, was a 16 hand fox trotter. He was a great horse but sadly passed away from cancer at age 13. When the end was near, Sammy and Nida hauled him to the North Carolina State University School of Veterinary Medicine. Sammy went inside to notify the team of their arrival while Nida stood in the trailer comforting Smokey. Not long after, Nida came rushing in yelling for help with her hand and thumb bleeding from a deep open wound. She needed help but was not crying for help for herself but for their beloved horse. He had passed out and fell on her, but in her mind, he came first.
This love for their animals is also apparent in their dedication to learning different training methods and constantly seeking to better understand their animals. Sammy began studying natural horsemanship teachers such as Buck Brannaman, Ray Hunt, and Chris Cox, and they attended several clinics together led by these men. Pro dog trainers Harold Ray, Luke Eisenhart, and Sean Derring have been great mentors that Sammy has trained with as well.
As their knowledge grew, so did their herd of horses. They added Tomcat, Luke, Babe, Lebow, and Rascal to their family. Since every good horse needs a good dog to follow, they kept the stream of talent in their kennel as well. From dogs off Britt’s Bud Lite to a string of sharp English Setters, there has been no shortage of high heads and straight tails.
Their setter Tony, I’m Southern Style, was beautiful, talented, and smart, and his powerful nose was paired with incredible stamina. This level of bottom combined with his other attributes made him difficult to beat. His puppies have proven to be as special as their dad, with one standout female, Amy, I’m A Southern Natural, currently actively competing. Amy is a big running dog who competes in all-age trials. At just a year and a half old, she won the U.S. Quail Shooting Dog Futurity at Hoffman.
Several setters in Sammy and Nida’s kennel were raised by award-winning setter breeder and competitor Skip Brown of Henderson, NC. Their first dog from Skip is I’m Alley Cat and they also have a young male prospect, Rocky. Both have great noses and style.
Every dog has left them with special memories. Other trialing highlights include when their pointer I’m Simple Pleasure won the Region 3 championship. Between him, their setters, and a pointer named I’m Bud Shadow, off the original Britt’s Bud Lite, they knew they had a good chance of winning at trials they went to. Of course, the moments with Britt’s Bud Lite were extra special, and he always put on a show. When they went to the GaLina trial, a premier trial, I’m Bud’s Shadow made a lasting impression. They continued to go to the trial with other dogs, and Sammy and Nida won it twice with I’m Bud’s Shadow and I’m Grateful Spirit and had placements three other times.
Sammy and Nida enjoy the dogs and the people they have met along the way. Sammy’s training methods have influenced others with horses and dogs.
Sammy’s horse and dog training philosophy puts the animal at the center. As he says, “A dog/horse trainer does not create talent. He can only help release talent. You have the responsibility to shape their lives. The power to succeed or fail is yours alone.”
“Dogs and horses are going to make mistakes while they learn. If things are not going fast enough, slow down. Patience and repetition are the keys to successful training.”
As they gear up for the upcoming field trial season, they have several talented dogs ready to roll and many friends to reconnect with. Sammy and Nida work daily to train and exercise their dogs. They do their part too, exercising 1.5 hours a day to keep themselves in shape as well.
Their kind hearts and unique devotion are a treasure, and their dogs and horses reflect their owner’s good nature and talent. Keep an eye out for them and their dogs at the field trials this season.
