Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

This is a hard post to write and to be honest I'd rather not be writing it. But in reality you can't have a blog that follows your adventures for 4 years and not explain to your loyal followers why everything moving forward will be different. Jim and I after 7 plus years are breaking up.

We've had a tough last 8 weeks since we've officially decided to put an end to us. We are very aware and on the same page that dissolving our relationship has had to come from a place of kindness and not from a place of anger or venom. We also have a very high understanding that this decision affects not only us but our families, Jim's daughter, our close mutual friends and our fur kids. Heartbreakingly this means that we will be splitting up the pointer pack. (Insert sobbing while typing).

Cleo and Luna will remain with Jim. They have always been "our" babies but Jim has made the financial investment into their training. I have been and currently am struggling incredibly with this. They have been my babies their entire lives and it hurts my heart on an astronomical level that I won't be waking up to their kisses and hugs, there will be no more afternoon grappling matches and dog walks, no more hours of fetch off the deck or wrestling moles from Luna's mouth. It breaks my heart that at least for awhile I know they will wait for me to come home but I won't be there.

But Jim is a good dog dad and he loves them every single bit as much as I do. He will take great care of them. I'm sure for the next few months I will be sending him text messages to remind him to check Luna's left ear (she sometimes gets a yeast infection in that ear), or reminding him to check Cleo's belly after hunting (since having babies her belly gets a bit more scratched up). I'm sure I'll ask if he's had their nails trimmed lately and checked them for ticks. I'm going to worry and I'm going to cry myself asleep at night for a very long time. But eventually...I know I won't. And eventually we all will be OK because that's what happens. At least that's what I'm telling myself.

Guinea Pig size Sage's first selfie! 

5 month old Sage and I with dear friend Raf and Phoenix

From the moment Sage was born she was mine or rather in reality I was hers. She stuck a claim to me early and will remain with me forever.

My best friend Jenny of 26 years who lives in Bozeman

In addition, my situation will be changing drastically as Sage and I will be moving out of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Next weekend we set out on a 2,200 mile journey across the United States to settle in Bozeman, Montana. I have always wanted to move out west and I will have a great support system in Bozeman. Sage will have access to amazing hunting opportunities and I will get to focus on some fly fishing. We have already joined the NAVHDA Sharptail chapter and Sage will test with them this August.

My heart hurts that Sage won't have her Momma Cleo and Aunt Luna. It hurts my heart that I will not either. Next year when Jimmy breeds Luna we have agreed that I will take a female pup so both Sage and I will still get to have a part of her beloved Auntie. And Jim has promised to send lots of texts and video so I can keep you guys up to date with the Pointer Sisters. I have a feeling I will wait with bated breath for those pics. (Insert sobbing while typing).

I know change can freak a lot of people out. Sometimes change comes out of the blue or it happens without notice. This is why they say to write your life plans in pencil.  I know how attached you've all grown to Cleo and Luna (imagine how I feel). But we will push on. This blog will still be about hunting and non-hunting adventures. It will still include witty and nonsensical posts. It will evolve and become something new. Kind of like me through this experience. I hope you stick around for the ride. I hope your still here laughing with me, drinking wine or bourbon slushies at inappropriate times and occasionally at times like this crying with me. There is a magical adventure afoot for Sage and I hope your here to experience it with us.

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I once caught a GSP this big!

 Hook, Line and Sinker

At the end of last week Jim took Cleo and Luna to a local pond to work them on duck searches. A duck search is a key part of the NAVHDA (North American Versatile Hunting Dog Associations) Utility Test. Each year we run the girls in UT as it gives us something to works towards with them during the off season of hunting. While out on her search Cleo got snagged by an abandoned fishing lure. Both ends of the lure were adorned with triple hooks. One triple hook embedded itself deep in her chest and the other triple hook found a home in her front leg. She was stuck and unable to move. Each step she took dug the barbs deeper in her little spotted body.  So she basically hung out and waited for Jimmy to see that something was wrong and come collect her.

This is kinda of what the lure looked like. All medieval on two ends

The barbs in her leg came out relatively easy but the other triple hook really embedded itself in her chest. By design you can't pull the hook out backwards due to the barb. They each had to be pulled forward exposing the barb and we could cut it off. To make matters worse the barbs were dull so they weren't breaking back through her skin. Sounds pretty awful huh?

The vet ended up giving her a local so we could be more aggressive in getting it out. She was trooper the entire time even though she was in considerable pain.

The only reason I was present to get dogarazzi pics shown above was because I was also at the vets office that morning. Why you might ask? Well I was there to get Sage's leg stapled back together. Yea...you read that right. **Sigh** Mommy Daughter Day at the vet is AWESOME....said no one ever.

The Cone of Shame

Jim had Sage out running in a field the morning before Cleo did her best impersonation of a fish and she somehow managed to get caught up in some barbed wire. (I assuming you all realized that both of these scenarios occurred on Jimbo's watch so I don't have to point it out. See what I did right there?) Anyway, her front right leg got a nasty gash so Jim rushed her to the vet and they glued it back together. Within a few hours Captain Dangerous managed to rip it back open so I was there to get it stapled back together.

Crazy eyes and a bootlegged sock

Sage hates the cone. Like a lot. She uses it like a battering ram in what I am assuming is an attempt to break it off or just constantly remind me how much she hates it. Either way I have been getting the message loud and clear. But no matter how much of a hindrance it may seem it hasn't even slowed her down. In fact she may have even picked up steam.
 

Contemplating how to use the cone as a weapon of mass destruction

Stealing patio furniture cushions and running clear across the yard with them

And mission accomplished

Look how pleased she is with herself in that last photo. We are now on cone two. I'm praying it makes it to Friday but it's survival is a total crap shoot. It would be fun to take bets on its survival but in reality its probably more fun to take odds on how much I drink between now and when the cone comes off. Anyhow stayed tuned for updates and follow our shenanigans on facebook at: Adventures of a German Shorthaired Pointer.

Sage the Savage: 4 month update

It's hard for me to believe that my little Sage monkey is 4 1/2 months old. I feel the last few months have flown by at lightening speed. When both Cleo and Luna were pups I found myself just waiting for the stress of the puppy months to be a distant memory (the teething, the potty training, and unruliness). With Sage I'm hanging on to every nano second that she is still a puppy. Third time around you undoubtedly appreciate how short lived those fanciful puppy months are.  They have a lifetime to be the dogs they quickly become but only a short time to be rambunctious pups.

It's clear though that her puppyhood is coming to an end. Sage is getting huge. Last Saturday at the vet she tipped the scales a 35lbs! That's 5lbs more than Luna weighed at this age and more than half of Cleo's current weight. Sage is going to be a big girl! A trait she clearly inherited from her daddy VC Sharp Shooters Doc Holliday.

Keeping her gigantic pup paws off the counter has been a constant battle. She is hands down the most food motivated puppy I have ever seen. Every time we open the fridge door, a cabinet or the pantry she materializes out of thin air and puts on her best begging show. She also doesn't discriminate.  I'm pretty sure she would eat anything we offered her. One of her favorite foods hands down are fresh green beans (just like her Momma). Luna is not a fan of veggies but will take one begrudgingly just so she's not left out. Luna wishes bacon grew on trees.

 No one be alarmed! It's Jim shoe so its OK. ;)

Sage is a wild woman. Not quite to Luna "hell puppy" status but then again not many dogs can get to that level. Luna has left a legacy and some very big shoes to fill....or eat. With that said Sage is doing her best to leave her imprint. She gets into plenty of things she shouldn't and is never even remotely apologetic about it. Which certainly is par for the course.

Running down the big dogs!

Oh how the tables have turned little dog

In the last few weeks she has earned the nickname "Savage". Sage has a touch of alpha in her and her most favorite thing in the world is some good old fashioned wrestling. Last week in the yard I watched her take down Luna and later in a moment of complete insanity she drug her mom Queen Cleo to the ground. That is by no means an easy feat and the result was as an entertaining ass kicking from Momma. I guess she never learned the lesson don't try to dance with the old man (or your mom) unless your absolutely ready. And just like her mother she talks, snarls and growls the entire time she plays making her sound like Cujo. Cleo is vocal dog and this is just how they play but to others I'm sure they think Sage is well....Savage.

                    If synchronized sleeping was an Olympic sport they would take gold

Momma Baby Snugs

Although she can be barbaric during playtime Sage has to be the sweetest most endearing pup. Whens she's ready for downtime she will come and paw at Jim or I to let us know she's ready to snuggle. I'll go sit on the couch and she will jump up, nest in my lap, lay her head on my neck and promptly fall asleep. She loves to be touched, cuddled and held. If she can't occupy our laps she snugs in as tight as Cleo and Luna will allow. She is a lover to the core. When we nap together she lays her head across my neck and chest or if she's cold she rests on my hip under the covers. I love holding her and can't get enough of her love. I think Aunt Luna feels the same way and has opted to give up her mornings sleeping in with me to chew faces and play with Sage Monkey.

Her field training has been coming along superbly. She runs great, uses her nose and is pointing. I couldn't possibly be more happy. She is responding to my whistle and shows me little glimpses of the future and the amazing hunter she is destined to be. Handling her myself has been a blast and the thought of getting to watch her develop over this summer in preparation for our trip to North Dakota this fall has me pumped! Although I'm not so sure Cleo and Luna love the extra time I get out and spend with her in the field.

We've also been training with a good portion of the pups from Cleo's litter. I'll do a blog post later this month showing some of their progress in the field as well. In the meantime follow us on facebook at Adventures of a German Shorthaired Pointer.

Bird Hunter Problems

What exactly are bird hunter problems? Well BHP's typically afflict those that prefer to spend their free time chasing elusive birds such as but not limited to grouse, pheasants, ducks, geese, quail, woodcock ect. This same group has been known to have a propensity towards bourbon, fine fire arms and in most situations would prefer to be in the sanctity of the outdoors than anywhere else. They are inherently good folks  who after purchasing hunting dogs found themselves buying trucks, truck caps, custom kennels, kayaks, pigeon lofts, racing pigeons, expensive shotguns, remote bird traps, engraved whistles.....and as such through no fault of their own they leave themselves vulnerable to ridiculous situations the rest of the population never seem to find themselves in. At some point in the vortex of my life I went from "I may have problems" to crap....."I have Bird Hunter Problems". The following scenario is prime example of the situations that can only occur in our lives.

This meme has nothing to do with the ensuing story but it makes 

me laugh. I salute whoever made this. 

Allow me to the set the stage. I'm leaving the gym on my lunch break from work this past Friday and Jim calls.

Ring Ring! (That's my best-worst impersonation of my cell phone ringing which isn't a good impersonation at all because its always on vibrate. BUT lets all play along. It's more fun that way).

Ring Ring!

Me: Hey Jimbo!
Jim: Hi Baby! (This is a good time for me to note that Jim normally replies "Hey Rob!". And his use of "Baby" is an immediate indication he's been involved in or orchestrated some amount of tomfoolery).
Me: Uh huh.....What's happening?
Jim: We kinda have a problem. (Shocking Jimbo, Shocking)
Me: Like what kind of problem?
Jim: Some of the pigeons got out of their pen.

See we HAD a pigeon coop in the backyard. But Cleo and Luna couldn't handle one being on the property. They would obsess and bark and do everything they could to get to the coop. It got to the point that we have been forced to move the pigeons (when we occasionally have them) into the hidden safety of our garage. Yea....not ideal but its probably way better for them in the long run. Cool in the summer. Warm in the winter. No mouthy shorthairs barking obscenities at them. It's a regular old flying rat resort here. Now back to our conversation.

Me: Seriously? How did that happen?
Jimbo: The latch must not have been put on tight. (Ummmm no one opened the latch but you Jimbo....but I digress)
Me: So like how many pigeons are we talking?
Jimbo: Um....15 maybe?

See our ranch styled home was built in the early 1970's so at the time a full firewall (meaning one that goes from the floor to the interior roof line) between the garage and the house was not required. Since purchasing the house four years ago it's always been on the list to put one in. But we opted to gut the interior and spend ample time bringing the outside up to date. So in an essence there is no barrier at an attic level between our garage and our attic. Wonder where the pigeons flew off too!?!?!?!!

Me: So...where are the pigeons now. (Legit passive aggressive rhetorical question).
Jimbo: Well you know......
**Awkward Silence**
Jimbo: I'll need your help tonight
**Awkward Silence**
Me: (Smashing my face into my steering wheel) Ok honey. Can't wait.

 This is Jim catching loose pigeons in the attic (by crawling around with a fishing net and a flashlight) and then handing them down to me to put back in their pen. He's laughing because I'm determined to document this since no one will ever believe me otherwise. (And yes...sadly were sober). #birdhunterproblems

Want some more bird hunter problems? Feel free to check this ridiculous post out: The Unseen Dangers of Duck Work.

And be sure to follow our shenanigans on facebook by liking us at Adventures of a German Shorthaired Pointer.

Sage's First Chukar at 12 weeks!

We've had such an AWFUL winter this year in the northeast. It's been a constant barrage of snow and ice storms. As a native Pennsylvanian, people here are ready to tar and feather that jerk groundhog Punxsutawney Phil because this is clearly all his fault. For those of you not accustomed to weird Pennsylvanian traditions which you should all be because Harold Ramis (may he rest in peace) made a hilarious movie called Groundhog Day staring Bill Murray in 1993. In that movie Bill Murray is forced to live Groundhog day over and over and over which is what this winter feels like. It's never frigging ending. But anyway for all of you who may live under rocks if our boy Phil sees his shadow, which he did this year, were doomed to 6 more weeks of winter. Because basing weather predictions on a stinky land beaver isn't weird at all. But anyway you cut it it's still snowing and the ice is still not melting and were still not working birds or hunting as much as we should be. Which is sad. And disappointing. I hate you extra worst than normal winter.

So this past weekend we escaped the PA snow and traveled to the Mills in NJ to join Bob Gelder and a group of his puppies to work them on some chukars. Bob owns Shore Shot GSP's in Ocean County, NJ and had a litter out of his VC female Bonnie 2 1/2 weeks before Cleo whelped her litter. Bob also owns Cleo and Luna's sire Max so all the puppies that were there were half siblings to our big girls which made it even more exciting to see them in action. I think Bob invited us because he knew I'd go crazy if we didn't get Sage out on some birds. Bob is a good friend.

It's like Ghostbusters....don't cross the streams (or leads in this case)

When we got there is was PUPPY OVERLOAD!! There were 6 or 7 puppies from Bonnie and Max's litter! Sage had a blast rolling in the dirt and sand with those pups. It was fantastic from a socialization standpoint and I swear it was the first time Sage has touched anything other than ice or snow in 5 weeks. She was loving every second of it.

I see you Chukar!!!

YEHAW!!!!

WHAT!?! Where are you going?

When it was time to get her out we threw out a chukar and just let her chase it trying to develop some drive in her. When she finally chased it down and got close enough it would hide and you could see her using her nose to locate it. She would flash point it a bit before eventually pouncing. She would pick it up and carry it for a bit. Another throw of the chukar would send her tearing off through the woods. She did an AWESOME job at 12 weeks of age. I think we will do this with her one more time and then transition into not allowing her to have the bird and start popping some pigeons.

Feathers are the new milk mustache

When Sage Monkey was done with her chukar Jimbo took the big girls out and ran them in a nearby field. After they were out about 5 minutes I took Sage up to the edge of the field to see if she wanted to run a bit. When we arrived Momma Cleo who was half a field away stopped dead in her tracks and looked hard in our direction. She took off towards us shifting through her gears and when she arrived she greeted Sage with tail wagging enthusiasm. She leaned in and touched her nose to Sage's nose and I could almost hear her say, come on kid lets go! And off they went with Sage running as fast her rabbit hoppy back legs could go. Momma Cleo and Auntie Luna ran her far across the field and Jim and I stood there together in awe with a feeling of real contentment. This is going to be the best summer ever.

Check back and follow our shenanigans on facebook at Adventures of a German Shorthaired Pointer.

Pupdate: And Then There Was One and She was Wild

GSP Sandwich

Five weeks ago 7 of Cleo's 8 puppies headed home to begin their lives with their new families. That weekend was met with mixed emotions from Jim and I. The last two nights the entire pack was together Jim and I got uncharacteristically sentimental. We knew every second we had with them we had to make them count. Hugs were extra long, puppy kisses were even more cherished and when they transitioned into wild little devil dogs we laughed a little harder. When the weekend was over I took some extra solace in a glass of wine or two (in reality, if were being honest that's probably a gross under estimate.....don't throw stones people). We loved each and every one of those pups SO MUCH. But they have all been placed with the most amazing hunting families and we couldn't possibly be more pleased. And when it was all said and done and the dust finally settled there was one pup left and she is ours....and she is a flippin wild woman.

Sage Monkey

Sage is a free spirited trouble maker. She's not nearly to hell puppy level....yet. But in her defense we've had nothing but snow for weeks so she really hasn't had the opportunity to live up to Luna's hell puppy  Legend. I have no doubts that she will spawn some tall tales on this blog. 

She has moments when she is mellow and then moments when she is an absolute friggin handful. All sharp pointy puppy teeth and her mothers back talking Sass. She runs hard for hours at a time and then crumbles into a lap to snuggle and sleep. We are more relaxed with her than we ever were with Cleo or Luna. The third time down this path were not even remotely phased by anything she can throw at us. In fact we are incredibly entertained and loving every single minute of it. There is this line from the movie Parenthood that came out in 1989 with Steve Martin and Keanu Reeves when Mary Steenburgen's character says, "It's because he was our first. I mean, I think we were very tense when Kevin was little. If he got a scratch, we were hysterical. By the third kid, you know, you let them juggle knives." Or in our case toilet paper rolls. 

She's incredibly aware and smart for her age. We hope its a sign of good things to come especially in the field. If we would get rid of this never ending snow we'd be spending way more time outside with her. But good things come to those who wait (that is such horseshit btw....I WANT THE SNOW GONE....it's making me mental).

Cleo had enough of Sage's crap. She dug a hole with Aunt Lulu's 

help and they stuffed her in there. 

She LOVES battling her mother and testing her patience every single second she can, which feels incredibly vindicating for the years of torture Cleo has put me through. Now she has a savage little clone to push her buttons. Muhahahahaha! On the other hand Luna is her beloved snuggle buddy and they are constantly sharing dog cave snugs. Sage is also consistently trying to "share" (AKA Steal) her bones which has gone over like a lead balloon with Aunt Lu. Sage is the most food motivated puppy I have ever seen. She comes running the second she hears the refrigerator doors open, or when we open the cabinet that holds their doggie treats. She watches intently when I cook dinner and some how managed to steal an oven mitt the other night. Go figure how she pulled that off. 

Doesn't make you just want to climb in there with them!?

Puppy sleepy time

She's a gem of a puppy and we are completely smitten with her. And were excited to take you all along for the ride as she grows with us and our pack. Check back and follow our shenanigans on Facebook at Adventures of a German Shorthaired Pointer!