September/October 2010

Gun Dog Forum

Is a Rescue Dog for You?

by Larry Brown

here are a lot of dogs from the pointing breeds out there looking for new homes. If youread The Pointing Dog Journal bulletin board (bbs.pointingdogjournal.com), you’ll see occasional references to rescue dogs, dogs that are in shelters awaiting – hopefully – a permanent home. Likewise on other bulletin boards frequented by bird hunters.
I was surprised when I found out just how many bird dogs have been abandoned by their owners. Great Plains Pointer Rescue (www.greatpointers.org), with operations restricted mostly to Nebraska and Iowa and focusing primarily on German shorthairs (as well as some pointers), placed 127 dogs in new homes in 2009. It appears that the 2010 trend is about the same, with 47 dogs having been placed in just the first five months.

And of course, the various rescue organizations (often focusing on a single breed, so you can at least narrow down your search) are only the tip of the iceberg. Many hunting dogs end up in the local animal shelter, where they’re less likely to come to the attention of bird hunters looking for a dog.

I asked Janelle Ford of Great Plains Pointer Rescue why so many bird dogs end up looking for new homes. She suggested that the initial owners may not have educated themselves on the breed in question. There’s not necessarily anything wrong with having a shorthair or a pointer as a pet, but you have to understand the breed. A local vet who does a call-in radio show once a month refers to certain breeds that “need a job.” That would include the pointing dog breeds! You don’t necessarily need to hunt them, but they need plenty of exercise, and they need to be kept busy.

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