Elmer (Northwoods Grits x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2014).
If Jerry and I could sum up the summer of 2014 in one word, it would be “puppies.” With the exception of the Northwoods Blue Ox x Northwoods Chablis puppy in early spring, never have our litters occurred so closely together and so late in the year.
As it turns out, though, summer is a wonderful season to raise a puppy. Besides the general relaxing of rules and moods, kids are out of school and have time on their hands. Parents take holidays from work and vacations are planned—many to cabins and other rustic venues where dogs are welcome.
It’s been fun for us to spend time with the new puppy owners, some of whom are old friends. We’re thankful for owners who spare no expense when a puppy flies off to its new home and we’re thankful, too, for families who drive hours—and from as far away as Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Texas—to pick up their puppy.
Most of all, we’re grateful to all the families for their warmth and loyalty and for the good life they’ll give their new puppies.
I can’t believe I got one of your dogs. ~ Jeff, owner of Bates (Northwoods Grits x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2014)
We recently returned from a week-long vacation at a lake cabin, and Timber enjoyed all that the new environment had to offer. At one point there were a total of 7 dogs running around, and he wanted to play with every one of them! He learned to enjoy playing in the water with the other dogs…..he has shown a lot of enthusiasm for jumping into the water to retrieve sticks and his retrieving dummy. ~ Keith, owner of Timber (CH Elhew G Force x Northwoods Prancer, 2014)
The puppy is doing great. He handled the 2-day trip home like a veteran. He gets along well with the other dogs…..he and our other male are great pals. ~ Mike, owner of Charlie (Blue Riptide x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2014)
So in love with our little Belle. She is the sweetest puppy we have ever met. Belle is so well behaved and a Miss Social butterfly. Thank you so much again for this darling puppy. ~ Robby, owner of Belle (Blue Riptide x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2014)
We are very impressed with her natural abilities so far. We have thrown pretty much 2 dozen balls each day and she retrieves them to hand. When the older dog goes on point she naturally stops as well with a high tail. We are very pleased with our new hunting companion and look forward to many years of memories that we will share with you. ~ Rick, owner of Frisco (Blue Riptide x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2014)
Elmer is doing very well. From the very beginning, he has been sleeping well in his crate and he never cries. We’re working on some basic commands and he learned to come right away. We walk our daughter to school every morning and Elmer has been enjoying that along with all of the activity at the school. All in all, he is absolutely fantastic and we all love our new family member. ~ Kjellrun, owner of Elmer (Northwoods Grits x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2014), pictured with Northwoods Roy Roy (Northwoods Blue Ox x Northwoods Chablis, 2012)
Wanted to let you know that Hartley, Lacey and I are still having loads of fun together! I loved watching him try to climb steps for the first time as he was a little unsure of it. I helped him once or twice but each time I walked up the steps myself, and without encouragement, I let him figure out how to follow me. A half day later and he was going up and down no problem. He’s a fantastic dog and we can’t commend you both enough on your dogs and breeding program. ~ Nick, owner of Hartley (Northwoods Grits x Houston’s Belle Choice, 2014)
The ride home went really well….spent the afternoon playing in the yard and getting used to the kennel / house. She is already running in and out of her doggie door in the outside kennel (very cool and unexpected). We brought her in the house for the night about 90 minutes ago… we put her in the (inside) kennel and she started to cry a little…..it was a solid 30 minutes of puppy screaming, but she wore herself out and now she’s sound asleep…..we are head-over-heels in love / happy. ~ Joe, owner of Roxy (Northwoods Grits x Houston’s Belle Choice, 2014)
Our little puppy is getting big! 24 weeks and as of 2 days ago – 38 lbs. Everything is going very well! Right now focusing on WHOA command, birds, scent points instead of sight points, and continuing to slowly intro the gun. I have 40 young pheasants and 10 bobwhites that I’m working him through the rest of summer before we head to NE MT to chase sharptails. Then back in MN woods to hopefully rustle up some real grouse. Looking forward to having fun with him in the field and woods…and watching him develop this fall. ~ Todd, owner of Finn (Northwoods Blue Ox x Northwoods Chardonnay, 2014)
On the North Dakota prairie, Frank LaNasa flushes for brace mates True Confidence, on left, and Northwoods Grits on a divided find.
Any sportsman will tell you that two dogs find more birds than one dog. ~ Er M. Shelley, Bird Dog Training Today and Tomorrow, 1921
It seems that hunters and field trialers have commonly had two dogs on the ground at the same time for a long, long time. And for good reasons. Not only is the whole thing more productive but it truly is the epitome in working pointing dogs. Finding a bird dog on point while another backs is a beautiful sight.
Even though the noun “brace” has many meanings—from clamp and support beam, to things medical, mathematical, musical and nautical—for us, the key definition is “a pair of like things.” Hunting two or more bird dogs together is a brace.
Whether handled by the same or a different person, there are several considerations when bracing dogs. Chief among them is that not just any two dogs will make a good brace.
In the thick grouse woods, it’s memorable to come upon a fine piece of bird work by brace mates Northwoods Blue Ox on point, backed by Northwoods Carly Simon.
Good brace mates.
• The dogs should hunt independently yet be cognizant of what the other is doing so both can get in on any bird work.
• It’s perfect if one dog ranges wider and one is closer so more ground is covered more thoroughly.
• Easy handling dogs are best. At a minimum, one should be an experienced, almost automatic dog.
• The dogs must back their brace mates on point.
Bad brace mates.
• Competitive dogs are difficult in a brace. Some dogs are even more competitive to a specific dog.
• Two young males braced together can become quite a kerfuffle.
• Some dogs pay more attention to the other dog than to their task.
• When the same dogs are hunted together frequently, one might depend on the other to find birds and is content to back.
Another consideration.
Two dogs will not only cover more ground but they’ll usually do it at a faster pace than if run singly. They might tire more quickly—which then might require more dogs to hunt the same amount of time.
Finally…
How to know what dogs brace well together? Try them!
CH Ridge Creek Cody (CH Can’t Go Wrong x CH Houston’s Belle, 2008)
Jerry and I received horrific, heart-breaking news from North Dakota. During the morning of Saturday, August 9, Ridge Creek Cody and several other dogs drowned while on a conditioning run from a four-wheeler. Cody was owned by Larry Brutger of St. Cloud, Minnesota, and trained and handled by Shawn Kinkelaar on the horseback shooting dog circuit.
Nine other dogs perished including 6X CH/7X RU-CH Hot Topic, 2X CH Royal Rocks Mr. Thumper and Handsome Harry Hardcash.
Ridge Creek Cody was whelped in 2008 out of two grouse champions, Can’t Go Wrong x Houston’s Belle. Paul Hauge, Belle’s owner, and Jerry were the brains behind the breeding. Jerry had competed against Can’t Go Wrong on the grouse trial circuit and was extremely impressed with his fluid gait and extraordinary ability to find and point ruffed grouse. Too, Jerry campaigned Belle to all of her championships and knew her strengths.
We both remember the day Larry picked up Cody as an eight-week-old puppy. As little Cody romped around the kennel office, Larry talked of his plans for training and competition. That first year, Jerry took Cody to our camp in North Dakota and worked him on the vast prairies. Matt Eder further developed Cody but it was Shawn Kinkelaar who took on Cody and fully realized the dog’s potential.
Cody was a 3X champion and one-time runner-up champion.
2014: Midwest Open Shooting Dog Championship
2012: National Amateur Pheasant Shooting Dog Championship
2011: Idaho Open Shooting Dog Championship
2011: All American Open Shooting Dog Championship (Runner-up)
In addition, Cody was the Bill Conlin Setter Shooting Dog Derby Award Winner (2009-2010) and placed third in the United States Quail Shooting Dog Futurity, a rare accomplishment for a setter.
Among trainers, handlers, judges and fellow competitors, all agreed that Cody had supreme athleticism—a skill level on par with Michael Jordan or LeBron James.
Cody had become an extremely popular sire and his progeny were just starting to be recognized. Jerry and I bred Northwoods Chardonnay (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2009) to Cody in 2013. We’ve stayed in contact with most of the puppy buyers and trained five, even though the clients are near and far. It was a stellar litter.
• Piper: owned by Larry’s friend Chuck Brandes, St. Cloud
• Willow: Gregg Knapp, Wisconsin
• Charlie: Bill Owen, California
• Zada: Tom Condon, Montana
• Stoeger : Drew Milles, Minnesota
• Mazie: Scott Harness, Minnesota
• Rae: David Larson, Minnesota
That Cody was a rare champion with desire and ability is obvious but when he stayed with Larry, he was a cool, calm house dog.
What a tragic loss—not only to the Brutger’s and not only to the field trial world where a valiant competitor is respected but to the English setter world at large.
The Washington Post recently published an interesting story, “What our cats and dogs say about our politics,” by Aaron Blake. Together with The Post’s Graphics Editor Christopher Ingraham and data from the American Veterinary Medical Association, Blake discovered a remarkable similarity between dog vs. cat states and conservative vs. liberal states.
In other words, the dog vs. cat map of the country looks much like the red vs. blue map of the 2012 election.
In a related piece on Wonkblog, Roberto A. Ferdman and Ingraham (who also previously worked at the Brookings Institution and the Pew Research Center) extrapolate further:
“We all know there are only two types of people in the world: cat people and dog people. But data from market research firm Euromonitor suggest that these differences extend beyond individual preferences and to the realm of geopolitics: it turns out there are cat countries and dog countries, too.”
I don’t know the political leanings of many of our clients but, obviously, I do know that all are dog people. Further, a large percentage live with multiple numbers of dogs. While the initial intent was upland bird hunting, these dogs of our clients live, for the most of the year, as beloved pets.
Many thanks to my friend Jan Streiff for telling me about this story. She is a cat person but has grown quite fond of our dogs.
Houston’s Blue Diamond (Houston x Forest Ridge Jewel, 2006)
The standings for the national English setter awards for all field trial venues were recently announced in The American Field. It was nice to see every dog honored but especially gratifying for Jerry and me was the inclusion of dogs that we bred. In addition, one dog Paul Hauge bred out of his Houston and one dog of Sean Derrig’s were honored.
2X CH Houston’s Blue Diamond, owned and handled by Ross Leonard, won the John S. O’Neall, Jr., English Setter Amateur Shooting Dog Award. Placing fifth in the standings was CH/RU-CH Houston’s Blackjack. He is owned by Frank LaNasa and Leroy Peterson, both of Minnesota, and handled by Frank.
Houston’s Blackjack (CH Can’t Go Wrong x CH Houston’s Belle, 2008)
For the fourth year in a row, Shadow Oak Bo won the John S. O’Neall, Sr., award in the open all-age category. Bo is the setter that famously won the National Championship in 2013 and 2014. Bo is owned by N.G. Houston and Dr. John Dorminy and campaigned by Robin Gates. Blackjack was high in that category also, listed seventh in point totals.
3X CH/RU-CH Ridge Creek Cody was the sixth highest point earner for the Elwin G Smith award. Cody is owned by Larry Brutger of St. Cloud, Minnesota, and handled on the circuit by pro Shawn Kinkelaar. Cody and Blackjack were littermates.
Ridge Creek Cody (CH Can’t Go Wrong x CH Houston’s Belle, 2008)
In addition, Sean Derrig had bred his dam Erin’s Skydancer to Ridge Creek Cody in 2012. A male he kept, Erin’s Hidden Shamrock, earned points in two derby categories.
Congratulations to dogs, owners and handlers. Perhaps, most especially, congratulations to Paul, who started it all with Houston more than 30 years ago.
John S. O’Neall, Jr., English Setter Amateur Shooting Dog Award
1st Houston’s Blue Diamond
5th Houston’s Blackjack
John S. O’Neall, Sr., English Setter All-Age Award
1st Shadow Oak Bo
7th Houston’s Blackjack
Elwin G. Smith English Setter Open Shooting Dog Award
6th Ridge Creek Cody
Herman Smith English Setter Open All-age Derby Award
7th Erin’s Hidden Shamrock
Bill Conlin English Setter Open Shooting Dog Derby Award
9th Erin’s Hidden Shamrock
Erin’s Hidden Shamrock (CH Ridge Creek Cody x Erin’s Skydancer, 2012)
Dog food gets delivered to us by the pallet. When the kennel is humming, we go through about one bag every two days. We feed Pro Plan Sport All Life Stages Performance 30/20 to almost all dogs–whether young, old, dogs in for training, puppies or nursing dams.
It’s always disheartening when dogs come in for training and they’re overweight. Among other issues, they lack stamina and concentration and we immediately begin feeding them the proper amount to get them in shape. Just like people, dogs are what they eat and nutrition is key.
Betsy and I recently came across excellent information on the Purina Pro Club website about feeding and keeping dogs at a good weight and we want to share it.
Question answered by Purina Research Scientist Dottie Laflamme.
Question: How important is it to feed dogs on an individual basis versus simply feeding the amount of food suggested on the back of the package?
Answer: The feeding guidelines on a bag or can of food are suggested amounts to feed based on the average energy requirements of dogs. However, many dogs may need more or less than the amount suggested. If your dog is not very active, you might start with less food. If your dog is highly active, you could start with more food.
If you are starting a food for the first time and your dog seems “average,” you should use the guidelines to help you know how much to feed. Of course, if you are feeding other foods as well, such as treats, you should feed less. You should monitor your dog’s weight, then increase or decrease the amount of food offered to attain and maintain a lean body mass in your dog. If you do not have access to a scale, you can monitor changes by using a measuring tape to measure and record the circumference of your dog’s waist (just behind the ribs) and chest (just behind the elbows). These measures reflect body fat and will increase or decrease over time with weight changes.
We feed at about the same time every day. And we always measure!
Keeping Canine Athletes at a Healthy Weight
To perform their best, hardworking dogs must maintain an ideal body condition. Training activities, your dog’s metabolism and nutrition contribute to his body condition. It can be a challenge to keep weight on some canine athletes because regular exercise not only increases the calories an active dog burns, it also increases overall metabolism. Just like people, some dogs naturally have a higher metabolism.
“A dog that is losing weight, particularly muscle mass, is in a catabolic state and may be more susceptible to injury, illness or slower recovery,” says Purina Nutrition Scientist Brian Zanghi, Ph.D.
Intense training coupled with suboptimal nutrition, especially insufficient intake of protein, can cause a catabolic state. Since protein nourishes muscles, underweight canine athletes that do not receive adequate dietary protein may suffer from fatigue and inadequate recovery, which ultimately may impact their performance.
“If a dog is underweight, feeding a nutrient-dense food may help him in achieving a stable body weight and an ideal body condition,” Zanghi says. “If a dog seems fulfilled with his normal daily feeding portion, but still is underweight, feeding a food that is more nutrient-dense may help the dog ingest more calories with a smaller portion size.” This will help the dog get the calories needed before feeling full.
Dog food formulas that contain higher proportions of fat are more nutrient and calorie dense. Performance formulas with 28 to 30 percent protein and 18 to 20 percent fat will deliver more concentrated nutrition compared to maintenance formulas with 22 to 26 percent protein and 12 to 16 percent fat. For example, Purina® Pro Plan® SPORT Performance 30/20 Formula contains 30-percent protein and 20-percent fat to help fuel a dog’s metabolic needs and maintain lean muscle. It has omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil for healthy skin and coat and glucosamine to help support joint health and mobility.
“More important than enriched calorie content, the higher proportion of dietary fat in a performance formula helps ‘prime’ your dog’s muscles to better adapt to exercise and endurance,” says Zanghi.
Sometimes dogs that are underweight are not motivated by food, so it can be harder to get them to eat. Adding water or Purina Veterinary Diets® FortiFlora® as a palate enhancer to the dog’s food can stimulate a greater desire to eat, particularly when traveling or boarded in a kennel.
If a dog is routinely eating twice a day, it may be helpful to switch to once a day, such as after the dog is done exercising or training for the day. His post-workout appetite may improve his ingestion volume. You also should consider whether the dominant behavior of other dogs in the home or kennel may prevent access to food and thus contribute to a dog’s underweight condition. Feeding dogs in separate locations may correct the problem.
Evaluating Your Dog
When it comes to assessing your dog’s body condition, you need to know more than just a number on a scale.
“A dog’s scale body weight tells us nothing about the amount of body fat relative to muscle mass,” Zanghi explains.
By noting some simple features of your dog’s body, you can make a general assessment of his body condition and monitor his body fat. Dogs that are overweight are more susceptible to joint-related health concerns as added weight places extra stress on the joints of an active dog.
Purina veterinary nutritionists developed the nine-point Purina Body Condition System.
Typically, dogs with an ideal body condition of 4 or 5 score should have:
• An obvious waist behind the ribs when viewed from above
• A tuck in the belly when viewed from the side
• Ribs that are easily felt but not seen
To determine your dog’s body condition score, examine his physique by putting your hands on the dog and feeling his ribs. Place both thumbs on the dog’s backbone and spread your hands across the rib cage. You should be able to easily feel the ribs. You also should be able to view the dog’s waist behind the ribs, and an abdominal tuck should be apparent from the side. This is a convenient way to monitor your dog throughout the seasons to know if you should be adjusting your dog’s daily food portion to meet his caloric needs.
Monitoring your dog’s body condition and feeding a high-quality, nutrient-dense food will help ensure your canine athlete is performing at his best.
Breeding animals, regardless of the breeder’s effort and knowledge, still involves randomness and luck. There is a very good reason that breeding is called an art and not a science. A good breeder can do many things to reduce the “luck” part. And understanding basic genetic principles, possibilities and probabilities is the place to start.
Genetics of the Dog by Malcom B. Willis is a classic text on canine heredity. Most genetic aspects are included—color, reproductive, conformation, eyes, behavior and skin. Special chapters on hip dysplasia and other defects are included. The chapters on polygenetic inheritance and selection methods, inbreeding and other breeding systems contain excellent, detailed information for breeders.
Willis writes that a person can’t predict the breeding worth of a given dog by just looking at it or seeing it in the field. What the dog displays physically is only an indication of what it may produce and the only way to find out is to breed it and evaluate its offspring.
Still, good breeding involves a lot of common sense and hard-earned knowledge. Willis gives us some of each in this book.
If all you know about a pedigree is the names within it then that pedigree is effectively useless as a guide to breeding worth.
…one needs to breed from those dogs which are outstanding even if they may have some particular obvious failing. Dogs which have very little wrong with them, but also very little outstanding either, are not the ones to choose.
All sires will produce inferior stock and it is the overall average that matters together with the proportion of progeny in the upper areas.
….success (in dog breeding) is not about producing a few winners – even a few champions – but rather it is about producing a generally high standard of stock.
Finally, Willis sums it up:
Clearly chance plays a part but, a breeder can, by careful selection of breeding stock and subsequent planning of their mating, increase his prospects of obtaining what he seeks. The better he is at selecting, the better his knowledge of specific genetic factors, then the greater his chances of success.
Finn (Northwoods Blue Ox x Northwoods Chablis, 2014) is 14 weeks old tomorrow and is doing great! He is an exceptionally smart and confident puppy. (Rhonda says sometimes too smart for his britches.) He loves going for car and truck rides and we’ve been taking him along just about everywhere we go. He’s been a lap dog from the first day home. ~ Todd
Jerry and I think puppies and dogs that we breed and sell are among the luckiest anywhere. Not only are they owned by perhaps the most avid bird hunters in the country, but for times when they can’t be in the woods and fields, they are treasured, close companions. The dogs spend those months in vehicles, boats, trout streams and warm homes and on soft beds and laps.
Wanted to send you a picture of Northwoods Creek (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2013). We are extremely happy with him and wanted to thank you again for the opportunity to own such a talented young dog. ~ Randy & Vallana
Just to let you know that Sadie (Houston’s Blackjack x Northwoods Chablis, 2013) is making the transition from your kennel to house remarkably well. She catches on to things quickly, walks on a leash well, sleeps on the bed and is slowly getting us trained! Here Martha is explaining the nature and complexities of pontooning! ~ Bob
Today Beemer (Houston’s Blackjack x Northwoods Chablis, 2013) is one year old. We feel he has adjusted well since we brought him home. He and Tony (CH Can’t Go Wrong x CH Houston’s Belle, 2008) get along very well and he enjoys running in the back yard, watching the birds fly by or stop by the bird feeders. Thank you for another handsome and wonderful dog. ~ Butch
Roy is becoming quite the trout dog… Loves to be on the river and explore the bottoms when not watching for fish. ~ Chris
May is a month when Jerry and Dan focus on gun dog training. Dogs are taught steadiness on point, i.e., dogs are trained to stay on point until the handler flushes the bird, to stop-to-flush and to back another dog on point. This training is done in a controlled area with extensive use of pigeons to ensure the dog gets a sound understanding of what is expected. Occasionally, dogs were worked along a woodland edge where bobwhite quail were released from a johnny house.
No trees had leafed out in early May but by the end of training, aspens and alders and dogwoods bore chartreuse foliage and even dandelions bloomed in the pasture.
Smooch, pointer female (CH Elhew G Force x Northwoods Vixen, 2013).
Willow, setter female (CH Ridge Creek Cody x Northwoods Chardonnay, 2013).
Aspen, 18-month-old male Brittany.
Ginger, pointer female (CH Elhew G Force x Northwoods Vixen, 2013).
Molly (RU-CH Northwoods Atlas x Houston’s Nelly Bly, 2023) backs Charlie (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Carbon, 2017) ~ Ken and Caroline Taylor, Jim and Flo DePolo, respectively, Pennsylvania
Filly (May’s Pond Hank x Northwoods Stardust, 2024) ~ Tom and Lauren Strand Family, Minnesota
Rae (CH Ridge Creek Cody x Northwoods Chardonnay, 2013) ~ David Larson, Minnesota
Junie (HOF CH True Confidence x Northwoods Comet, 2021) ~ Joey Paxman and Amanda Allpress, Montana
Normanie (RU-CH Northwoods Nirvana x Northwoods Carbon, 2017) and her pal ~ Walter Manley, Florida
Archie (CH Miller’s Upgraded Version x Northwoods Comet, 2024) ~ Blake and Solveig Nelson, Minnesota
Molly (RU-CH Northwoods Atlas x Houston’s Nelly Bly, 2023) ~ Ken and Caroline Taylor, Pennsylvania
Caddie (CH Southern Confidence x Northwoods Comet, 2023) ~ Brian Smith, Pennsylvania
Frisco (Blue Riptide x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2014), on left, and Zion (CH Snyder’s Pioneer Scout x Northwoods Cedar, 2022) ~ Rick and Jodi Buchholz, North Dakota
Rip (CH Woodville’s Yukon Cornelius x Northwoods Redbreast, 2024) ~ Greg and Michelle Johnson, Wisconsin
Miles (RU-CH Northwoods Atlas x Northwoods Madrid, 2024) ~ Lars Totton, New Jersey
Rip (Northwoods Louis Vuitton x Houston’s Dancing Queen, 2022) ~ Mark Fitchett, Kansas
Vida (RU-CH Erin’s Prometheus x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2019) ~ Tom Condon, Montana
Suki (May’s Pond Hank x Northwoods Stardust, 2024) ~ Eric Beauregard, Massachusetts
Winnie (CH Miller’s Upgraded Version x Northwoods Comet, 2024) ~ Joe and Jess Nelson Family, Minnesota
Tally (May’s Pond Hank x Northwoods Stardust, 2024), on left, and Georgia (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2015) ~ Joe and Deb Wech, Minnesota
Cosmos (RU-CH Erin’s Prometheus x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2019), on right, and his pal ~ The Collins Family, Georgia
Stanley (May's Pond Hank x Northwoods Stardust, 2024) ~ Johansson Family, Minnesota
Tyler (CH Miller’s Upgraded Version x Northwoods Comet, 2024) ~ Josh and Des Matel, Minnesota
Filly (May’s Pond Hank x Northwoods Stardust, 2024) ~ Tom and Lauren Strand Family, Minnesota
Sage (CH Miller’s Upgraded Version x Northwoods Comet, 2024), top, and Louis (CH Erin's Hidden Shamrock x Northwoods Nickel, 2018) ~ Joey Paxman and Amanda Allpress, Montana
Racer (CH Miller’s Upgraded Version x Northwoods Comet, 2024), right, and his very special pal JTH Cooper (HOF CH Rock Acre Blackhawk x Northwoods Vixen, 2015) ~ Doug and Nicole Miller, Oregon
Russell (CH Woodville’s Yukon Cornelius x Northwoods Redbreast, 2024) ~ Gregg Pike and Family, Montana
Abby (CH Woodville’s Yukon Cornelius x Northwoods Redbreast, 2024), on top of her new pal ~ Ben and Penelope Pierce, Montana
Annie (RU-CH Northwoods Nirvana x Northwoods Carbon, 2017) on her 7th birthday ~ Lynn and Kathy Olson, Iowa
Maisy (RU-CH Northwoods Atlas x Houston’s Nelly Bly, 2023) ~ Zenas and Susanne Hutcheson, Minnesota
Molly (RU-CH Northwoods Atlas x Houston’s Nelly Bly, 2023) ~ Ken and Caroline Taylor, Pennsylvania
Jordy (CH Elhew G Force x Northwoods Prancer, 2014). Look closely! ~ Mark and Janie Fouts, Wisconsin
Speck (RU-CH Erin’s Prometheus x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2018) ~ Mike Watson, Pennsylvania
RU-CH Northwoods Atlas (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Nickel, 2017) ~ Greg and Michelle Johnson, Wisconsin
Zion (CH Snyder’s Pioneer Scout x Northwoods Cedar, 2022) ~ Rick and Jodi Buchholz, North Dakota
Harper (CH Snyder’s Pioneer Scout x Northwoods Cedar, 2022) ~ Tom Dosen-Windorski, Minnesota
Attie (Southern Confidence x Northwoods Comet, 2023) ~ Jeff and Carol Hintz, Arizona
Chester (RU-CH Northwoods Atlas x Northwoods Stardust, 2023)
~ The Milles Family, Minnesota
Millie (RU-CH Northwoods Nirvana x Northwoods Carbon, 2017) ~ Mercer Clark, Georgia
Belle (CH Southern Confidence x Northwoods Comet, 2023) ~ Kevin Sipple, Wisconsin
Piper (CH Northwoods Sir Gordon x Houston’s Nelly Bly, 2021) ~ Tom and Ashton McPherson, Pennsylvania
