German Wirehaired Pointer

At first glance you might think that I here I have this mutt but I'm claiming it's a retriever. Wrong! Gus is a German Wirehaired Pointer and is an excellent bird dog. The down side is I'm not an excellent hunter - in fact, I don't hunt at all. I just love the outdoors and I like to go along when my buddies go hunting.

That's when Gus gets to retrieve. I always have a bunch of requests to loan out Gus because he is so good. I know he needs the exercise and the regular practice to keep his skills sharp so I am more than eager to loan him out for a day. That's how I get to go hunting with the guys. The price they pay for Gus is having me along, non-hunter that I am.

I am actually in awe when watching Gus work. He knows his stuff, that's for sure. I've learned a few things myself. I made the mistake the first time I went along of saying "Okay" to Gus which 'released' him to go. The guys quickly scolded me, and I learned that my command had given Gus the o.k. to flush out the birds before my friend was ready. I now know to keep quiet and stay behind the hunters and just watch.

But when Gus and I are alone it's a whole different matter. Not out in the field, I know which commands to give my wonderful dog. Gus just loves to please. With a lot of praise, I can get him to do just about anything, including a few tricks. I know some people -- mostly hunters, I'm sure - will probably say that I shouldn't have such a valuable dog as simply a companion pet, but why not? We love the outdoors, communicate well, enjoy each others' company and occasionally, we both get to go hunting with a terrific bunch of our friends. Nothing wrong with that.