Griffon Rescue
 Gracie's Story
by R.J. "Wolfie" Smith,
Jr.
Gracie was rescued from an Animal Humane Society shelter, here in
the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, by us back in May. She was originally brought to
the shelter as a stray. She came to us after being once already adopted, then returned to the shelter after 3 months. He previous owners
of record were looking for a more "family type" dog, and returned her
because she
"needed too much attention." We guess she is about 2 years old now.
We adopted her, not ever having heard of
Wirehaired Pointing Griffons before. My experience with dogs up until Gracie had included 13+ years with Collies, and
after I had to put the second one down from conditions related to their age, my
return of devotion to those friends was a commitment to offer my next friend the
opportunity to be the best for what s/he would be, as I was unable to offer that to my Collies.
Gracie has been a God-send in that goal. She's attended obedience
and intro to hunting camp, and while she may never be qualified for pure-bred
competition (she has no papers), she has natural talent and spirit
that will not be denied. I have never hunted before this year (I am 43), but it is a
part of my heritage I've always wanted to explore. Through Gracie, I've not
only been able to explore that heritage, but also fulfill the commitment I've made toward my canine friends. I've had the opportunity to
work with her extensively this late summer and fall. I've learned a whole
lot about dog training, and hunting, and she's been both responsive and
forgiving, considering I'm a novice at the whole thing.
She's turned out to be a
super dog! She has so much
intelligence, intuition, and heart......I'm almost embarrassed to be her partner. I've
learned so much from her, and have been offered so much opportunity as a trade for my work with her.......I really don't know what to
say........
For other new Griff owners, I would offer this insight:
Be prepared for a dog who is half dog, half snake, half
alligator, half monkey, and half chicken. For all who would like detail,
they can contact me personally.
Gracie's now had the opportunity to hunt up mice, rabbits,
raccoons, deer, bear, and of course.....birds! She hunts the four-legged critters as a
matter of course, but she shines as a hunter of birds. She's learned to sit
quietly in a duck/goose blind with hunters and dogs of other persuasions. She's run a half a city block in pursuit of a sparrow, which,
with a spirited leap in the air, she snatched in mid-flight. She's trained with, hunted up, flushed under a shooting trainer,
and picked up pigeon, even hunting up a pile of feathers from an excursion
days earlier.
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