Julia Heidbrink Of Buggytown Bird Dogs
My first GSP was Rose. I bought her because she was beautiful and a friend talked me into driving to SC to get her pup and get one for myself! Not a very "hunter-like" start was it? I worked for a veterinarian as a tech, and always enjoyed seeing the talented dogs that came through the clinic. Sure, lots of pets of all sorts, but I tended to be drawn to those special ones...
A nice wire coated dog came in for blood work. He was a good sized dog, a mottled brown and white color and I paid little attention to him other than proper care.... that is, until he got into the treatment room. We had a caged pigeon (one wing, so he just lived right there in his big cage) just inside the door. When this brown dog saw that bird he came to attention and froze in place, staring at the bird! The doctor pulled blood and did his exam, and the dog never moved! Little did I know that I had just seen my first Field Champion on point! His owner chuckled a bit when I told him what I had just seen. As you can see.... I had no idea!
The dog was Cowboy, a German Wirehaired Pointer. Rose was just a pup.... could she do that? I had to find out so with our doctor's permission I called the owner of Cowboy and asked him if my pup could learn to do what his dog did. Knowing this man much better now, I can just imagine the wry grin as he told me to bring her over sometime and let's see.... Rose was only 6 months old but we took him up on the invitation! Then Rose became an AKC Junior Hunter!
Because I wanted a litter of pups, Rose and I took off to RoyaleRun Kennel. Their male was DC Doublerun Cole Bier. He was wonderful! I knew performance was as important as pedigree and he was a beautiful animal who moved effortlessly as he ran and played around while we talked. Yes, he was the dog for Rose. So the deal was made and Rose was bred. Such nice people and they actually went to summer camp out west and competed in Field Trials. Cole Bier, I learned was going to run in a GSPCA National Championship that year, so shortly after the litter was born I found that the dog who was the sire of the litter became NGDC-DC Doublerun Cole Bier! Annie was chosen as the pup to keep! She was sharp and pointing as a baby, and we decided that she ought to have a chance to excel. So, we sent her with David and Sara King to summer camp out west. After that she won her AKC Derby points!
After the Derby win, we waited for her to be ready for her Field Trials in Open Gun Dog and Open Limited Gun Dog. Annie hit her stride as an adult, looked great, and placed Second in 3 successive Trials. Then a major win…. And right after that another win! Annie was on a roll!! Her Field Championship secured as a 3 year old, she is on to the 2012 AKC National Championship!! Will she place there? We don’t know, but she must have the chance!!
This story could not have been written without the capable David and Sara King of RoyaleRun Kennel. We might have just been one more who hoped something good might come from what we did with our dogs. David and Sara dealt with us and our dogs with incredible care and attention. They have worked with us and our dogs and they are the reason we are now looking at FC Ana von Heidbrink instead of just Annie the cute pup from that Junior Hunter Rose. And now it is Sam’s turn. He is the next chapter in our story!