German Wirehaired Pointers as adoptions?
- Thread starter Big Bad
- Start date
From reading around and talking to an owner or two, what I've learned is that as a group GWPs are similar but not identical to GSPs. Their genetic background is somewhat different and their intended use in Germany is as well. Plus, while the GSP breed has as a group been somewhat 'softened' on this side of the Atlantic (happens to people too), the GWP has not. They are said to have more energy and to be a lot sharper on what are considered nuisance species in Europe. Plus GWPs are more independent thinkers than their cousins.
We'll have to bond for a long while before I'd take the chance. He was out on a failed adoption and now is back at the shelter, looks like I'll be meeting the mutt shortly.
And the semi final outcome of all this is that the shelter had another offer for adoption from way out in Calgary. They'd put him on a pointing dog rescue site and the offer comes from people who've been vetted by the society and have already rescued 4 other GWPs. The shelter would still have preferred that I take him, due to the shipping distance, but my feeling is that he's already been in three failed homes and was best off with the sure thing. The shelter will however contact me if for some reason he comes back from Calgary and I'll take him on then.
Failing that, I've become quite interested in the GWP breed, which has a sort of previously unsuspected crazy appeal all its own, so if anyone spots another adoption possibility, please let me know. I'm pretty chicken about looking at those sites, too soft hearted. Or I could consider a puppy but people who know about rescue all beg me not to do that, so....
Failing that, I've become quite interested in the GWP breed, which has a sort of previously unsuspected crazy appeal all its own, so if anyone spots another adoption possibility, please let me know. I'm pretty chicken about looking at those sites, too soft hearted. Or I could consider a puppy but people who know about rescue all beg me not to do that, so....
Wasn't there a four year old German Short Haired Pointer back east..........Awntari-oh?
Wifie said we should go fer a drive........nay nay, I say.
https://www.facebook.com/PointingDogRescueCanada/posts/906707382728423
Found him..........
Wifie said we should go fer a drive........nay nay, I say.
https://www.facebook.com/PointingDogRescueCanada/posts/906707382728423
Found him..........
While I understand that there is an appeal to adopting a rescue dog, I can not see any reason to turn your nose up to a puppy from a good responsible breeder. If more people would invest some time and effort into contacting breeders and be honest about their needs and abilities there would be less need of rescues. Rescue organizations are naturally biased towards advancing their cause, not a bad thing simply a fact of life, without people looking to adopt dogs they would not be able to operate. There are definite, in my opinion, benefits to getting a puppy if you are looking for a hunting or field trial dog, a puppy does not have any baggage coming with it and no limits to its potential with careful and dedicated training.
I am not saying that a rescue isn't a good idea, I don't know what your goals are for this dog. I'm just saying that choosing to get a dog from a reputable breeder is not a less worthy or noble act than rescuing despite what those who rescue dogs will say.
A puppy is my instinctive go-to option. You get a chance to bond with the dog early, train it from the get-go, and not have to worry about other people's mistakes giving the dog problems. But having learned a lot about the OP dog's life, I see the point of rescue too. Nothing sadder than a purebred dog not being allowed to live out the life it was bred for, especially if it's a dynamo like a GWP.
- Location
- sudbury, ontario
I had a German wired-hair pointer...the best dog ever.... Friendly... Lots of energy!!!!!she was so good that she would manage to catch 1-2 rabbits and partridge live ..... Point and retrieve just out of this world.... So warm and loveable ... I swear on a stack of bibles that when I would tell her what to do and where to go she would do it.....just thinking about her brings a tear to my eye....there would be people in front of me and I would tell her to sit and say hi ... And shake a paw and she would do it .....man I got stories .... Chances are that in a hundred years I'll never ever comes across another dog like my Lilly ..... ..... Just make sure that they have warmth for the winter ..... The cold will kill them .... A heater ...well insulated dog house with a warming blanket....
The internet has many options for you. The breed specific rescue societies are one avenue. There are also sources on municipal dog pounds. Puppies are great and also exhausting too. Depends on your other time commitments as well. A young adult dog gets you past the puppyhood pitfalls and that can be appealing too. Whatever you decide, take your time and get what you want. It will be in your life for 10+ years and a major financial commitment so might as well be happy with your choice. Good luck.
Did you check out Pudelpointers as well?
We have one here 14months male. Nicest disposition if ever seen i a dog and very wiĺling to be obedient.Very birdy in the woods and likes water. Was very easy to train. I've had all sorts of breeds throughout my life and I'm sticking with this one. Shedding is almost nill. We got a smoothcoat. Quite clean without any grooming.
Here's a post I put in the Hunting dog thread...
Hey Guys;
So, folks have been asking about getting a Sporting Dogs subforum here on CGN... I think it's a decent idea, and I'll start off by posting some pics of my hunting dog Nos, a German bred dog called a Drahthaar.
For folks interested in a versatile breed, have a look at "vdd canada", do some reading about the German breeding system & you'll quickly realize that they have all the appropriate controls & testing in place to produce TOP notch hunting dogs.
Here are some pics of my pup Nos doing what he does best... I hope you enjoy! And I posted the story about the blood track at the bottom for your reading pleasure.
Cheers
Jay
Retrieving
First AND successful blood trail.
Geese
Ducks
Grouse
Rabbit
Squirrel
Porcupine.. And yes, this was expensive...
Nos & blood trailing, the story!!!
Yesterday I was invited to hunt with a friend & his son on their farm. The rifle season closes this sunday, so we were now hunting for does to fill tags...
My friend posted his son on the edge of a field & me in the hardwoods. Then he used his hound to push the swamp on their property & his son was lucky enough to catch a button buck rocketing across the field & fired two shots at it. I heard a 'slap' from the first shot hitting home...
Once my friend had come round & collected me, we went back to his son & located some blood. It was bright red, but not frothy. So, we were unsure where the deer was hit, no fat or bone, just that it was leaving a blood trail. We tried for some time to follow up the trail to no avail... So... TIME FOR NOS, who was 'patiently' waiting in the truck for me...
Now, I must say that Nos is developing into ONE HELL OF A HUNTING COMPANION, but, I had never asked him to blood trail. So, the farmer & his son were skeptical that Nos could find the deer, despite them being hound men. They said that most hounds will track & trail deer, but not follow a blood trail...
Anyhow, I put Nos on leash & showed him the first spot of blood & commanded "TRACK". Nos literally put his nose to the ground & began snuffling like a pig trying to find truffles!!!
It was AMAZING to watch the natural abilities of a dog that is so well bred! What was also amazing was to see just what kind of HELL the deer was going to lead me & Nos through! From the edge of the field, it lead us through the small slice of hardwoods that bordered the field, then into the long chest high grass boardering the stream that crosses the property and across the stream & back into the long grass...
All the while, Nos had his nose to the ground & was almost crawling on his tummy. We thought about it afterwards & it was almost like Nos was using his body to collect & funnel scent!!! Back to the track...
Once we were across the stream, & through the long grass, the blood trail lead us into a really tangled mess of regenerating hardwoods. This is where I lost my grunt tube during the trail & had to go back after to find it!
At several points, I was crawling behind the dog being poked & cut by the nasty stuff that grows in these thick 'safe zones' loved by deer... Nos even cut his forehead on something... Another 'war wound'...
And then...
All of a sudden, I could tell Nos 'knew' something was close, he slowed WAY DOWN, dragging himself forward with his chest & belly ON the ground. And he stopped!!! I looked ahead & could see the deer laying about 20 meters ahead of us with the wind blowing gently our way. Nos had found the deer!!!
At this point, I could see the deer still had it's head up & I commanded Nos to sit. I stepped forward so that the blast from my RFB would not be behind or over Nos's head & put the deer down with a shot to the back of the head.
The pride I felt in my dog at that moment is sureal! Nos had successfully blood tracked & found a wounded deer! A task that may have taken us hours without him & potentially ended without recovering the deer, had taken less than 30 minutes with him! Both the farmer & his son were EXTREMELY IMPRESSED with my dog & his ability to track! I must admit that I am humbled by the hunting skill Nos displays, he IS the best hunting dog I have owned so far!
Hey Guys;
So, folks have been asking about getting a Sporting Dogs subforum here on CGN... I think it's a decent idea, and I'll start off by posting some pics of my hunting dog Nos, a German bred dog called a Drahthaar.
For folks interested in a versatile breed, have a look at "vdd canada", do some reading about the German breeding system & you'll quickly realize that they have all the appropriate controls & testing in place to produce TOP notch hunting dogs.
Here are some pics of my pup Nos doing what he does best... I hope you enjoy! And I posted the story about the blood track at the bottom for your reading pleasure.
Cheers
Jay
Retrieving
First AND successful blood trail.
Geese
Ducks
Grouse
Rabbit
Squirrel
Porcupine.. And yes, this was expensive...
Nos & blood trailing, the story!!!
Yesterday I was invited to hunt with a friend & his son on their farm. The rifle season closes this sunday, so we were now hunting for does to fill tags...
My friend posted his son on the edge of a field & me in the hardwoods. Then he used his hound to push the swamp on their property & his son was lucky enough to catch a button buck rocketing across the field & fired two shots at it. I heard a 'slap' from the first shot hitting home...
Once my friend had come round & collected me, we went back to his son & located some blood. It was bright red, but not frothy. So, we were unsure where the deer was hit, no fat or bone, just that it was leaving a blood trail. We tried for some time to follow up the trail to no avail... So... TIME FOR NOS, who was 'patiently' waiting in the truck for me...
Now, I must say that Nos is developing into ONE HELL OF A HUNTING COMPANION, but, I had never asked him to blood trail. So, the farmer & his son were skeptical that Nos could find the deer, despite them being hound men. They said that most hounds will track & trail deer, but not follow a blood trail...
Anyhow, I put Nos on leash & showed him the first spot of blood & commanded "TRACK". Nos literally put his nose to the ground & began snuffling like a pig trying to find truffles!!!
It was AMAZING to watch the natural abilities of a dog that is so well bred! What was also amazing was to see just what kind of HELL the deer was going to lead me & Nos through! From the edge of the field, it lead us through the small slice of hardwoods that bordered the field, then into the long chest high grass boardering the stream that crosses the property and across the stream & back into the long grass...
All the while, Nos had his nose to the ground & was almost crawling on his tummy. We thought about it afterwards & it was almost like Nos was using his body to collect & funnel scent!!! Back to the track...
Once we were across the stream, & through the long grass, the blood trail lead us into a really tangled mess of regenerating hardwoods. This is where I lost my grunt tube during the trail & had to go back after to find it!
At several points, I was crawling behind the dog being poked & cut by the nasty stuff that grows in these thick 'safe zones' loved by deer... Nos even cut his forehead on something... Another 'war wound'...
And then...
All of a sudden, I could tell Nos 'knew' something was close, he slowed WAY DOWN, dragging himself forward with his chest & belly ON the ground. And he stopped!!! I looked ahead & could see the deer laying about 20 meters ahead of us with the wind blowing gently our way. Nos had found the deer!!!
At this point, I could see the deer still had it's head up & I commanded Nos to sit. I stepped forward so that the blast from my RFB would not be behind or over Nos's head & put the deer down with a shot to the back of the head.
The pride I felt in my dog at that moment is sureal! Nos had successfully blood tracked & found a wounded deer! A task that may have taken us hours without him & potentially ended without recovering the deer, had taken less than 30 minutes with him! Both the farmer & his son were EXTREMELY IMPRESSED with my dog & his ability to track! I must admit that I am humbled by the hunting skill Nos displays, he IS the best hunting dog I have owned so far!
Nice looking dog Jay, and for the record I've seen some quills in a dog but that photo is the scariest such sight I ever came across. The porky must have been bald at the end of that.
Hunting dog forum is a good idea. I was surprised to realise there isn't one already.
Hunting dog forum is a good idea. I was surprised to realise there isn't one already.
I grew up with Drathaars - they are great family dogs and great hunters. We hunted upland and waterfowl with our Drathaars. Very hard charging hunting dogs.
SuperCub makes a good point about pudelpointers. They are great family dogs and very good hunters. I hunted over one in my Nebraska days. Very versatile, just like the Drathaars.
Looky's right ..... They need lots of exercise. I have over 20kms walking mine in the last three days. He's a lot more trainable when he's wore down a bit and destructive chewing is nill. No problem leaving him out of his crate when we are out for a few hours. Also helps a dog a lot if someone is with him through the day.
........ and he doesn't know he's a dog.
He ain't gonna grow cramped like the way yuzz gartzs'im.
They need full stretch.................daggggggggggnabb-itt
[URL=http://s614.photobucket.com/user/kamlooky/media/Tucker/DSC07836_zpsb570a054.jpg.html]
[/URL]And pillowzs tew.
[URL=http://s614.photobucket.com/user/kamlooky/media/Tucker/DSC07838_zps32507fc6.jpg.html]
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Thought I posted what happened- the shelter wanted me to take the dog over shipping him to Calgary but I chickened out and he's in Calgary now, with highly experienced owners. My problem was that I overthought it, should have just gone for it- meantime I managed to get partially bonded to ol Freddie and now I'm a little sad about him. I'll try to dig out a link to the adoption site, which shows the outcome.
EDIT:
Here's a post or two which I'll copy-paste because you need facebook.
Frontier Animal Society Shelter shared their photo.
June 12 at 3:22pm ·
Thanks to all who shared and offered support. It looks like Freddy will be on a flight to his new home early next week. A huge thank you to Lynne Dobroski of Pointing Dog Rescue for your support and overall dedication to rescue and to Sue Brown who is accompanying Freddy on his flight. Sue, who is a WestJet employee, will start her travels in Toronto, fly to Montreal where she will join Freddy, fly to Calgary where she will overnight before returning to Toronto the next morning (all for a dog she has never met). Of course we can't forget Freddy's adopters Valerie and Jerry who are opening their home and their hearts to this wonderful dog and who are willing to work through his issues. We are thrilled for Freddy smile emoticon
Earlier post:
Frontier Animal Society Shelter
June 11 at 7:27am ·
His bags are packed, his kennel cleaned up and Freddy is ready to go. One little hitch, his new (and absolutely fabulous) home is in Calgary, Alberta. We are working with Pointing Dog Rescue who are helping make arrangements to fly him out but we figured it couldn't hurt to post for a ride. Summer is starting and people are on the move. If you or anyone you know is driving to western Canada soon and have room for Freddy, please send an email to frontieranimalsociety@gmail.com. We'll help cover costs of travel. Another dog in the car is fine, kids not so much. Freddy is great but kids make him nervous.
Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/FrontierAnimalSociety?fref=ts
At one point there was also a post from the adopters in AB but that was taken down by them I guess. And me, I missed a big chance at a good dog. Well, I did it with at least one woman too so....
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As the old saying goes..............
If it were mean to be .....
Sure hope the new owners work out for the fur.
We got our mixed hound from TRU in 1999.
Pup they figured then was nine months old.
Dang hound wouldn't sit still.
Dumb me made the comment, "crazy hound is going to drive me nuts".
Not the thing to say as we almost lost her to that comment.
She is still with us and an old hound she is.
Been a joy and she hasn't forgotten where she came from.
She loves peanut butter...................and reebs..........too.
My heart is starting to hurt.
[URL=http://s614.photobucket.com/user/kamlooky/media/Molly/DSC01111.jpg.html]
[/URL]
If it were mean to be .....
Sure hope the new owners work out for the fur.
We got our mixed hound from TRU in 1999.
Pup they figured then was nine months old.
Dang hound wouldn't sit still.
Dumb me made the comment, "crazy hound is going to drive me nuts".
Not the thing to say as we almost lost her to that comment.
She is still with us and an old hound she is.
Been a joy and she hasn't forgotten where she came from.
She loves peanut butter...................and reebs..........too.
My heart is starting to hurt.
[URL=http://s614.photobucket.com/user/kamlooky/media/Molly/DSC01111.jpg.html]
[/URL]
