Not a lot of folks know out of my circle, however my first "best boy" Remy passed away this summer. Fast forward, and a relative offered to paint a picture in honor of his memory. I wrote a little ditty to go along with it. Believe she's turning it into a 4-part series? Anyway, here's Part 1:
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[FONT="]Well, it was 2010. Erin and I were not quite a year married and had just purchased our first home in Fargo. We'd discussed getting a dog, but hadn't thought too seriously about it.
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[FONT="]I'd been keen on getting a hunting breed of some sort. When you spent years afield with two uncles who had great hunting dogs, it sets a high standard of hunts to follow. The only caveat is it had to be hypoallergenic. Since my wife Erin is allergic, breeds such as Labs, spaniels, or setters were out of the question. A bit of Googling quickly pointed to German wirehaired pointers, or GWPs.
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[FONT="]My uncle, Paul, warned me a bit about them. He'd gone through a couple when he was younger, and they tended to be stubborn and aggressive. I did a lot of research, and found that if you were careful about picking a breeder who was vigilant, aggression had been greatly diminished in the breed.
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[FONT="]Fast forward to June, and I'd talked on the phone with Jeff Jalbert of Top Shelf Kennels in Horace. He encouraged me to come out and bring Erin to see the remaining five male puppies from a 13-pup litter. Both the sire and dam were there, so we could get an idea on what they'd be like full grown, as well as their temperament.
PART 2 TOMORROW!
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[FONT="]
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[FONT="]Well, it was 2010. Erin and I were not quite a year married and had just purchased our first home in Fargo. We'd discussed getting a dog, but hadn't thought too seriously about it.
[/FONT]
[FONT="]I'd been keen on getting a hunting breed of some sort. When you spent years afield with two uncles who had great hunting dogs, it sets a high standard of hunts to follow. The only caveat is it had to be hypoallergenic. Since my wife Erin is allergic, breeds such as Labs, spaniels, or setters were out of the question. A bit of Googling quickly pointed to German wirehaired pointers, or GWPs.
[/FONT]
[FONT="]My uncle, Paul, warned me a bit about them. He'd gone through a couple when he was younger, and they tended to be stubborn and aggressive. I did a lot of research, and found that if you were careful about picking a breeder who was vigilant, aggression had been greatly diminished in the breed.
[/FONT]
[FONT="]Fast forward to June, and I'd talked on the phone with Jeff Jalbert of Top Shelf Kennels in Horace. He encouraged me to come out and bring Erin to see the remaining five male puppies from a 13-pup litter. Both the sire and dam were there, so we could get an idea on what they'd be like full grown, as well as their temperament.
PART 2 TOMORROW!
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