My History with Dogs

I was born in Pittsburgh, PA. My Dad was a native Pittsburgher, and my Mom was a coal miner/farmer's daughter from the small town of Tera Alta, in Preston County, West Virginia. My parents got married and bought a Night Club in Pittsburgh. It was great for my Brother and I growing up because they would always take us places during the day. Most of the time we went fishing, shooting with our Red Riders, and playing with bows and arrows. My first "true" dog was a German Shepherd mix; her name was "Jo". I was a seven year-old-boy when I received her as a pup, and she stayed with me until I was a young man of twenty-two. Over the years with "Jo" I learned a lot about life, love, and dogs. I contribute a lot of this to her. Even though I had been hunting since I was a boy, I'd become more enthralled with hunting at this time, especially Upland Game Birds. Jo was too old to keep running back and forth through the brush for my brother and I, so we would walk the Grouse woods and Pheasant fields jumping on brush without a dog. I clearly remember one day when we were hunting in a marshy cattail flat for pheasant and we could hear them almost taunting us with their cackles. I needed a dog to find those birds. I contacted my father's old friend JR Williams, who was well known for his German Shorthaired Pointers. I went to visit him at a local Hunting Club outside of Pittsburgh - The Alpine Hunting and Fishing Club. He took me to his kennels and let me pick one of several dogs. I really didn't know what to look for; they all looked "the same" to me. JR encouraged me to pick a particular female he called "Suzie". She was a great dog and I thought that I would like to have a puppy from her. I asked JR for help and he bred her to one of his "Ol' Champs" - "Spuds".

Suzie had seven puppies and I ended up keeping two females: Butter and Cara. My passion for hunting grew even stronger with Butter and Cara present in my life. Now time spent in the field meant more action and coming home with dinner. I would hunt with my friends when they were motivated enough to get up and go, but I learned that being a "Dog Man" meant a lot of time in the truck and in the field with just my dogs. But that was OK with me, they were never hung over, rarely sick, and they never had an excuse to not train or hunt! Belonging to the Alpine Club was great. I always had access to hunting and training grounds nearly year round and I got to meet trainers and handlers with much more experience than myself. I also got to watch other breeds hunt and train. I never thought that I would switch to another breed from the GSP. I thought that I would perhaps buy a Labrador Retriever, but two dogs were already a lot for me.

When Butter and Cara were just about to turn eight years old my family learned that Cara had developed cancer. My parents spent thousands of dollars to save her, but in the end she had to be put to rest. Butter was from then on my only dog. We developed a tremendous bond and I began to appreciate having only one dog. Unfortunately, Butter was becoming an older dog herself. Even though she began slowing down in the woods, she was a better Grouse Hunter than ever. At this time my love for Water fowling had also become very passionate and I wanted to share the experience with my dog for several reasons - especially because I needed her to find the downed birds. I decided to buy her a 5mm neoprene vest so she could come Waterfowl hunting with me, but even in the early season, with the neoprene and my wool shirt wrapped around her, she was unable to stay warm. Again I started to think about getting another dog. I thought to myself, "Maybe I should buy a Lab, they can hunt pheasants and grouse too," but I didn't want to give up the "Point" - I loved watching my dog point game. I then heard of Pointing Labradors. I looked into them and learned that they were more of a "Flash Pointer," and you really needed to work with these dogs to get them to "lock up". After some research I stopped looking and continued to enjoy my time hunting with Butter and hoping I would be able to paddle out to retrieve my own ducks during the season.

It wasn't until a few years later when Butter tore the ACL in her knee that I began to accept the fact that my 11 year old GSP was coming close to retirement. I saw an NRA calender with photos of different hunting dogs in it, and the month of November held a picture of a German Wirehair Pointer holding a Wood Duck in his mouth. I was intrigued and inspired by the dog's appearance and I began calling breeders to find out more. I had found a dog that would be great in the water and in the field. During my research I found that there where both German Wirehaire Pointers and Verin Deutsch Drahthaars. I spoke with some very good and honest people who had bred both the Wirehair and Drahthaar Breeds, who also provided me with references to the owners of their puppies. Some even provided me with information to the owners of the parents’ litter mates. After many conversations, I began to realize that I was going to have a better chance of getting the right genetic package if I bought a Verin Deutsch Drahthaar over an AKC dog. It only made sense to go with a pup that had come from such proven genetics over the past 100 years. I wanted to make sure that my money as well as my emotional investment over the next decade or so was sound. I wanted a hunting dog for Waterfowl and Upland Game. But I got more than that - I got a Deutsch Drahthaar, a dog that will not only point and retrieve on land and water, but will also track fur, blood and do much more. A dog that was bred to hunt for any game, in any conditions, under any circumstance.

I didn't think at the time that I was going to become involved with the VDD-GNA and go through "dog tests", but I was wrong. I joined the VDD-GNA, and I met handlers, trainers, breeders, and Judges who were just as enthusiastic about hunting and dog training as I was. Even better, they were more experienced than I was as well. By joining the VDD-GNA, I have become a much better dog trainer and handler and have made new hunting friends from around the world. I have also learned much more than I bargained for, and I am still learning that the Deutsch Drahthaar's potential is astonishing.