WING & FLY BIRD DOG PROFILES

Doing some wingshooting with us?  Thought you might like to meet the real guides.

 

The dogs shown below are trained and handled by Drew Phipps of Virginia.
Penny

These dogs are trained and handled by Brandon L. Price.

Aster is a 7 year old female hybrid retriever (German shorthair pointer x chocolate labrador).  She was rescued from a local shelter and quickly became an outstanding gun dog for many disciplines.  Before her first birthday, she had already pointed 3 species of wild birds in 4 states.  Though she will flush on command, she is typically worked as a quartering pointer.  Despite her willingness as a hunter, she is an entitled "princess" around the house with an affinity for down comforters. She had surgery on both cruciate tendons in 2016 and is back to active bird duty currently.

Tommy: 6yo Male English Pointer x Setter (Dropper). He's one of those 2-sided dogs that will surprise you.  While he's kind of awkward and goofy around the house and truck, his personality transforms in the field into an absolutely driven hunter with picturesque points.  Abundantly cautious, he rarely makes mistakes on grouse. He came to me (along with Lulu) from a plantation guide in SC who passed away suddenly.  I'm beginning to feel that it may be a while before I am blessed to have another superb field dog such as Tommy.
Lulu is a 7yo dropper (English pointer x English setter) who came in as a rescue, her owner being a plantation guide who suddenly passed.  She is somewhat shy and timid around strangers, but her attitude is completely different when it's time to find birds.  She's as sleek and swift as a cruise missle working the thickets and never afraid to scramble down embankments or slide through the brambles.  Her biggest flaw is that she continually wants to show our native snakes who is boss and venom seems to be a poor teacher.

Waylon was my first real gun dog.  He lived to be a lovable 11 year old who never lost his desire for hunting.  While it was never determined whether he was more labrador than mutt, there was never a question of ability.  He simply showed up as stray puppy about the time the country legend namesake sang his last song.  With a little training, he quickly became a dependable pheasant dog and actually pointed a few quail.  No telling how many roosters were recovered thanks to his determination.  His nose wasn't super, so when he was on a bird, you knew it was close!  He spent his last year valiantly fighting cancer on my parent's farm, but we finally allowed him to chase birds in the clouds in 2015.  His affinity for kids and unquestioned loyalty to me will never be forgotten.