Her name is Berretta of the Autumnfire, but we call her Greta. Let me introduce you to perhaps the sweetest dog in the entire world!  She is a solid liver colored (brown, in pointer lingo) German shorthaired pointer (GSP). More importantly, she is our GSP and we love her dearly. First, a little dog history.

Jeanette and I have always had a dog. Often two. For us, well more exactly, for me, it began before Jeanette and I got married. It began the night we first met.  Jeanette had a dog. A dog named Penny. A golden retriever.  Now don’t get me wrong, I was smitten when Jeanette and I first met, however Penny really sealed the deal. You have just got to love a woman who is loved by a golden retriever!

Then there was our first puppy, Belle. She was a beautiful, copper-colored golden retriever that terrorized Penny and loved our kids. Penny would hide her toys and grudgingly shared her house with her.  When Penny passed away we added a new puppy Suzy, also a golden retriever. She was loving but a bit on the neurotic side. Balloons, large boxes, cement garden statues, and especially toddlers (yes Aubrey, I’m talking about you), all were something to be feared….at least by her. I’m convinced she could tell time, always asking for her dinner a few minutes earlier every day. We always thought Suzy had a plan that eventually she would be able to get an extra meal if she kept at it long enough.

Our last dog, Bessie, rescued by friends of ours from a local park, was a black and white, medium-sized, mixed breed dog that joined our family after we lost Belle to a neurologic/psychiatric illness. Bessie was a loving  friend that went most everywhere with us. After Suzie died, Bessie was an “only” dog for a several years. Bessie died on Valentine’s Day 2013. We took it hard. So hard that we couldn’t even think about another dog.

Fast forward nearly five years. 2017 was the year of our 25th wedding anniversary. We’d owned the farm for a few years now and I was starting to think about a dog again. It seemed like a companion to roam the land with us might be a good idea. This time however we wanted a trained companion. Neither of us wanted to deal with a puppy. For our anniversary, I got Jeanette some earings, she agreed to let me get a dog. The search was on!

We wanted the perfect dog. Medium sized. Minimal shedding. Versatile hunting dog. Raised with a family. Housebroken. Good with kids. Crate trained. Good bird hunter. We wanted it all.

Like most things these days, I started my search on the internet. After considering many breeds, we narrowed our focus to the pointer/retriever breeds, and based on recommendations from friends, more specifically on German Shorthair Pointers. Believe it or not, you can actually buy a dog on-line. I wanted to shop local but was not happy with the local availability and definitely did not want a puppy. As I was searching, I stumbled upon a trainer/breeder in Pennsylvania who had previously listed dogs for sale that he had raised with his family. RJ’s Shorthairs and Weimaraners was the name of the business, and Rob Marlatt was the owner. I liked the online descriptions. I liked the online reviews. Unfortunately there were no dogs currently listed for sale. I sent Rob an email and asked if he would let me know of any available dogs that might meet our criteria. After a few emails back and forth, he said he actually had a dog that wasn’t really for sale but that he would consider selling to the right people. Give him a call. I did.

Berretta (sp) was her name. She was 2 1/2 years old, solid liver in color, and was raised with his family. He had her for breeding but she “cycled” irregularly and so he was willing to let her go to the right people. After multiple conversations with him , exchange of pictures, and discussions between Jeanette and me, we pulled the trigger so to speak. We were the right people!

January 28, 2018 was the day. Ironically, where she was living was only about 45 minutes from my mother’s house so we arranged to pick up Berretta after a visit with mom. It was love at first sight and it was mutual. When she wags her tail, she wags her whole body. Jeanette and I had decided we wanted to call her Greta. That name seemed cuter to us and more of a family oriented name. She responded to the name change without a hitch. We put on her new lime green color with the brass nameplate “Greta Gallaher”, loaded her into her lime green Ruff-tough kennel, and embarked on our 10 hour car trip to her new home in North Carolina. She was a great traveler. She tolerated a brief stop at Bass Pro shops to pick up some supplies and slept most of the way home.Jeanette and I couldn’t be more pleased with how well Greta has fit into our home and our lives. She is very attached to us and wants nothing more than to be at our side. She is not a jumper, she doesn’t lick, and she stays off furniture. Greta has a very soft mouth and is not a chewer. What she is however is a hugger! Greta will lean on you, touching you with as much of her body as she can. She loves to put her head on your lap to get her ears rubbed. 

Greta loves the farm. She wears a collar with a bell on it and she knows that means she can run, and run she does. While never getting too far away, we hear her tinkling bell moving continuously. She makes me tired watching her. Greta is an athlete.

While she loves her family, hunting is her passion. Greta loves to hunt. It is in her breeding and her skills have been honed by her excellent training. I had the opportunity to take her hunting several times before the season ended for the year. While her experiences had been with chukars and pheasant, she took to bobwhite quail without a problem. My good friend Chuck joined us on her first NC hunt. I am looking forward to many more years in the field with Greta.

Well, that’s it for my introduction to our sweet girl Greta who has only been with us for 5 months, but has already added so much joy to our lives. Jeanette and I are looking forward to adding many more chapters to her story with us.

Stay tuned!