The Southern Minnesota Hunting Retriever Association (SMHRA) was started in late 1997 to help hunters in Southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa train their retrievers.

SMHRA is dedicated to educating hunters in the training and use of purebred hunting retrievers as a tool of conservation and as all around hunting companions.

A trained retriever will not only flush more birds in the field, it will also find more of the birds that the hunter knocks down. The finished retriever can be handled by the hunter to birds it did not see fall as well as trail wounded ones. These birds would be lost without a trained dog. Thus, the hunter's retriever becomes an effective tool in conserving game.

SMHRA believes in the testing of retrievers. That is why SMHRA is affiliated with the American Kennel Club (AKC) and supports the efforts of the North American Hunting Retriever Association (NAHRA) and the Hunting Retriever Club (HRC).

The testing of retrievers maintains a proven genetic pool of hunting retrievers. AKC, NAHRA & HRC Hunt Tests are preserving the working instincts of our retrievers for future generations of hunters.

The Southern Minnesota Hunting Retriever Association provides an informal and relaxed forum for hunters and retriever owners to meet each other. SMHRA does this through club meetings, newsletters, training days and seminars.

SMHRA is also committed to assisting area conservation groups and gun clubs preserve our hunting heritage.

SMHRA's ultimate goal is to obtain property for club training grounds. This property will provide the cornerstone of SMHRA's effort to educate the hunter. A club's training grounds becomes its center of activity and provides the opportunity for each member to have a finished retriever.

SMHRA is a member of the Greater Minnesota Hunting Retriever Association and the Master National Retriever Club.