We adopted Lager when he was 3 1/4 years old, so we don’t have any puppy pics of him.
This is Lager at 3 years, 3 months – and his first week at home with us:
Due to Lager’s extensive training and his Military service, he has traveled to many states and even a few countries!
Western Europe:
Lager was born on May 13, 2012 in The Netherlands.
The Middle East:
Lager’s Military service brought him to Jordan, and also to Iraq, where he served as an Explosives Detection Canine for 18 months.
The United States of America:
Lager has been in several sates with his extensive training for his Military service.
Brogan’s American Lager
From Hero To High Flyer…
Brian and I had been talking about getting a third dog for quite some time, but found ourselves getting cold feet in the process. We had inquired about a couple of dogs, waiting for “that feeling” to emerge to indicate that we found just the right fur-child to add to our family. Brian and I had been talking about this one particular mixed-breed we both saw online in a rescue, but kept having mixed emotions, so we held off on advancing any further. On Friday August 21, 2015, as I sat on our porch waiting for Brian to get home from work, I thought I would tell him to go ahead and call about the dog we had been talking about so much to find out more information that may help us make a definite decision one way or another. Not even 30 minutes after that thought, I received a phone call from our friend, Gwen, the President of Tidewater DockDogs, one of the affiliated clubs of the DockDogs organization that we belong to, explaining that SOC had a 3 year old male GSP, who is a retired Explosives Detection Canine, in need of a home. With the dog’s best interest and love of water in mind, John, the man in charge of the dog, contacted Gwen of Tidewater DockDogs to inquire if she knew of anyone involved in the sport that is familiar with the breed, would have access to water at home, and would get the dog involved in dock diving. (There are other affiliated clubs closer to John’s location – However, Gwen was the only person listed with a phone number in reasonable proximity!!) Gwen called me immediately. During this conversation with Gwen – without even having seen a picture of the dog – there it was – – “that feeling” kicked in.
Gwen forwarded an email from John, the man who had the GSP at his company’s facility. The email included some information about the dog, 4 pictures, and a video of the dog training to detect explosives. In the email, John explained that the dog’s name was Nayt (pronounced Night), and included that he was born in the Netherlands. John also listed Nayt’s birthday, weight, and training (Single purpose Explosives Detection Canine, certified under the ATF National Odor Recognition Test standards for 33 explosives). John stated that he would have adopted the dog himself, if it weren’t for the fact that both his condo in Virginia, and his primary home in Florida do not have the space for Nayt to play. John stressed that his company’s desire is to have someone adopt Nayt that will provide the opportunity for him to play, exercise and enjoy himself – with access to water, which he loves. John stated, “If Nayt sees water, he’s in it – and it usually takes 45 minutes to get him OUT of it!!”
Here are the pictures included in John’s email:
We love the German Shorthaired Pointer breed, and are fascinated with how different each GSP’s markings are, as they can be solid black, black and white, black roan, solid liver, liver roan, or liver and white. If the GSP is not a solid color, the American Kennel Club refers to their markings as patched, patched and ticked, or ticked. Although we think every GSP we see is unique and stunning, we are very partial the solid liver and liver roan coloring – and even chose our dock diving team name to be The Liver Killers (a “play” on the coloring of Cello and Hooch (liver) with the human liver, and their alcoholic-beverage-themed names. When I viewed the pictures of Nayt, I saw that he was liver roan, and was in love for sure!
Also included in John’s email, a video of Nayt training to detect a specific explosive:
Shortly after I received the email, Brian came home. I relayed my conversation with Gwen to him, and showed him the pictures and video. I could tell immediately “that feeling” had set in for Brian as well. Brian almost immediately called John. Brian felt very comfortable with the conversation he and John had, and John felt we were a good fit for the dog.
On Sunday, August 23, 2015, the entire Beadling pack (minus our cat, Loki) set out on a road trip to Martinsburg, WV to meet Nayt and John.
When we arrived at the facility in Martinsburg, John met us outside. He led us all inside, where we were able to secure Cello and Hooch in separate crates so that Brian and I could meet Nayt before introducing him to Cello and Hooch. We were greeted by a friendly and very energetic GSP with a toy drive like no other! After meeting Nayt, and speaking with John and one of Nayt’s trainers, we introduced the three dogs on-lead, walked them all together outside, then into a fence-in yard to see how they interacted. All went well outside in the yard with the three dogs socializing appropriately. Nayt quickly won our hearts over with his vibrant personality, and handsome build – -and the decision was made to adopt him into our family. He came home with us that very day.
Nayt had his own soft Captain America blanket to lay on for his ride home.
Unsure of how the three pups would ride together for our 3.5 hour ride home, I sat in the back seat with the two boys…
…And Cello got to ride Shotgun on her Queen Elsa blanket, using Olaf as a pillow … (what a Diva!)
More about Nayt…
Nayt is 3 years old, and served the United States of America for one year as an Explosives Detection Canine in Iraq. He decided that his GSP instincts and love for water were more fun that searching for explosives, and was discharged from his duties. He can identify over 30 explosives, and his journeys have led him to quite a few states here in America, and even to a couple of countries overseas. This world traveler has been to The Netherlands, Iraq, Jordan, North America, Minnesota, Indiana, New York , Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and now, New Jersey. Check out maps of his travels by clicking HERE.
Nayt is now known as Brogan’s American Lager – “Lager” for short.
Brian’s grandmother, Fran Brogan, who loved Cello and Hooch, had just recently passed. Lager’s name incorporates Brian’s grandmother’s last name (Brogan), our country’s name (America), for whom he served, and a continuation of our “Liver Killer’s” alcoholic-beverage-themed names – with a “play” on our log cabin (logger) and a type of beer (Lager). The word lager is also of German origin, linking his name to his breed. 🙂
Lager had some themed toys waiting for him at his new home… Captain America, a stick of dynamite, and his very own Chuckit training bumper for the lake! 🙂
So far, Lager is doing well, and our family is adjusting nicely. Lager has not yet met our cat, Loki. We plan on slowly introducing them in the near future, as to not overwhelm Lager or Loki. Lager is enjoying playtime with Cello and Hooch in our side yard, goofing off in the baby pool, and has already displayed his love of water and diving off our dock! We plan to enter him into a dock diving competition before the 2015 season is over, to see if he would be comfortable jumping into a clear-water pool.
Lager doing Big Air off our dock:
Lager doing Extreme Vertical off our dock!
Welcome home, Lager!
Limoncello and Hooch made the top story on the front page of South Jersey’s newspaper!
The Courier Post sent a reporter and photographer to our home to do a story on The Liver Killers. We had such a great time, and the story and video came out great!
Here’s the video:
And here’s the story:
MEDFORD LAKES – Limoncello — Cello for short — greeted this reporter with a kiss and then turned her laser focus to the turf runway her owners, Brian and Jenny Beadling, built for her and her canine sibling, Hooch.
Cello had a job to do, and she was serious about it.
She had to get that ball.
And she was just waiting for Brian to toss it from the Beadlings’ dock and into Aetna Lake.
The 4-year-old German shorthaired pointer watched, waited, and then, while the bright orange ball with the blue stripe was in the air, ran and flung herself to retrieve it, landing with a splash and a big doggie smile, the ball in her mouth as she paddled ashore.
Cello and Hooch are among the top dock diving dogs not only in the nation, but in the world, as ranked by Dock Dogs, the national group overseeing the sport. The Beadlings’ dogs compete all over the East Coast, traveling year-round to competitions measuring lengths of their jumps and how high they go.
The pointers, bred to be hunting dogs, are a high-energy breed, Brian Beadling said. “They’re in the same line as vizslas and weimeraners.”
That means their owners have to be high-energy, too. “Their vet told us, ‘They have no “off” button,’ ” he said.
Indeed, the Beadlings’ lakefront log cabin they dubbed “Windy Spot” looks as much like a retreat for the dogs as for the couple. There’s the runway which extends a few feet further into the lake, as well as a metal arm that swings out over the water for the dogs to jump and grab toys on their way down.
After buying the 1920s cabin in 2009, the couple worked to restore it and Brian Beadling, who works in the mortgage business, researched the home’s history. He found the home’s original owner had a German shorthaired pointer named Windy Spot, and that was the first the couple had heard about the breed.
Windy Spot — the dog — had won several field awards with a local dog club and so the couple, after more research, decided on the breed. They got Limoncello in 2011 from a Chatsworth farm and named her for Jenny’s grandfather’s special homemade Italian liquor.
Hooch — Beadling calls him the “goofy little brother” — is a year old and was initially reluctant to go into the water. But at 15 weeks, he decided Cello shouldn’t have all the fun and, as Jenny Beadling says, “We haven’t been able to keep him out of the water since.”
Kathy Parkin helps the dogs keep fit by working with them at Pinelands Dog Training Center in Medford. She’s been working with Cello and Hooch for about 10 months, she said.
“The dogs love it,” said Parkin, who’s been a trainer for 12 years. “We work with them to build their core and leg muscles, work on agility exercises, stretching, stability.”
The Beadlings travel two to four times each month with the dogs, loading them into their brand-new GMC Denali (which already has logged 20,000 miles since November). They choose campgrounds and dog-friendly restaurants when they travel, treating Cello and Hooch as full members of the family.
“If they can’t go, we don’t go,” Jenny Beadling said. “But they’re great dogs, very well-behaved.”
The competitions pay $100 for first-place finishes; $50 for second, but Cello is sponsored by Turbo Pup, a meal supplement for dogs.
All cash prizes, she said, go to the dogs: GSP Rescue of New Jersey, a nonprofit dedicated to the breed. Contents of their prize bags, like food, treats and toys, are all donated to the Animal Orphanage in Voorhees.
“They’re great people, too,” Parkin said of the Beadlings.
Phaedra Trethan: (856) 486-2417; ptrethan@gannettnj.com
Here’s the link to the online story and video:
Cello and Hooch are coo-coo for coconut, so I decided to try a new recipe that includes both coconut oil and coconut flour. These treats are organic and grain-free.
Original recipe from Primally Inspired
We love Cabela’s events where you can camp right in the parking lot, and crate the dogs right from your home on wheels!! This event was hosted by Keystone DockDogs, and held at Cabela’s in Hamburg, PA.
We set up “camp” with other dock diving friends who also have campers – and had a BLAST! (We are the camper with the American Flag canopy).
We also love this event since it is close enough for friends and family to venture out to watch the pups dive. One of Brian’s coworkers, and Brian’s mom, brother, & god-daughter all came out to watch the Liver Killers get some big air! The only pictures I took this weekend are the ones you see above (bad dog mom!).
Luckily two of our friends and fellow competitors took some pictures of Hooch, which I am sharing below (thank you, Kevin and Gary!!)
There were some computer issues at the event, so I don’t have all the recorded jump information just yet, but I will share the scores that I do have.
This was a particularly good event for Hooch!
Hooch jumped big all weekend, soaring over 23 feet in all five of his Big Air waves, acquiring (3) First Place medals, (1) Second Place medal, and (1) Third Place medal – all in the Elite Division. Hooch also took First Place in the Elite Division Big Air Finals! His biggest jump of the weekend was 24’1″, just an inch under his personal best.
Here is Hooch in action during a Big Air jump:
Hooch secured a new Personal Best in Extreme Vertical, with a grab of 6’2″ !! This also earned him a First Place ribbon for the Top Gun Division!
Cello jumped consistently all weekend, but score just below her current division most of the weekend. Cello did make the Elite Big Air finals (this was the first time Cello and Hooch made the same division finals and went head-to-head!) Cello placed 5th in the Elite Division Big Air Finals with a jump of 21’6″.
Cello did Extreme Vertical as well – however her biggest nemesis (golf cart) made an appearance while she was up on the dock, and she lost her focus, knocking her out of the competition earlier than she should have been.
Overall, we had a really fun weekend with friends and family, won some really cool ribbons, medals and Cabela’s goodies, and even got to meet some new friends who follow Cello and Hooch’s adventures on their Instagram account!
Cello and Hooch’s feature in The Bark Magazine!
About The Bark:
“The Bark is the magazine of modern dog culture—it speaks to the serious dog enthusiast. The Bark is the indispensable guide to life with dogs, showing readers how to live smartly and rewardingly with their canine companions. Founded in 1997, as a newsletter to advocate for off-leash dog parks in Berkeley, California, the magazine quickly grew into a glossy, award-winning publication acclaimed for its timely commentary and rich literary offerings. Today, The Bark has a nationwide readership of over 250,000. It is published four times a year, available by subscription and sold at Barnes & Noble, Whole Foods and PetsMart stores.
Claudia Kawczynska and Cameron Woo founded The Bark in their garage, shortly after adopting their first dog, Nellie, and discovering it was illegal to allow their dog to romp untethered at their local park. The couple tapped into Kawczynska’s experience in public policy and Woo’s skills as a graphic designer to craft a publication that addressed the burgeoning issues faced by a new generation of dog owners.
Taking the magazine’s slogan to heart—Dog Is My Co-Pilot—The Bark became the first magazine to tap into the exploding phenomena of dog culture and lifestyle, focusing on the growing bond between individuals and their pet companions. Over the past twenty years, The Bark has chronicled the America’s love affair with dogs, the evolving status of canine pets and their role in society, as well as the incredible rise in services and products. The Bark has become the recognized expert on the social/cultural world of dogs in America, and what they mean to us.
The Bark’s impeccable pedigree includes publishing many of today’s most acclaimed authors including Ann Patchett, Augusten Burroughs, Rick Bass, Amy Hempel, and Pulitzer Prize winning poet Mary Oliver. The magazine features the writing of noted experts in science, animal behavior and health—Dr. Nicholas Dodman, Donald McCaig, Mark Derr, and includes animal behaviorist Patricia McConnell and nutritionist Marion Nestle as regular columnists.
The Bark has been twice honored with an Alternative Press Award for Best Magazine (lifestyle category) recognized for outstanding achievement in independent publishing. The Bark has also been honored with an Award of Merit from The Society of Publication Designers and a Folio Silver Award for Best Enthusiast Magazine. In September, 2003, Crown (Random House) published Dog Is My Co-Pilot: Great Writers on the World’s Oldest Friendship, an anthology from the editors of The Bark. The Bark’s second collection, entitled Howl: A Collection of the Best Contemporary Dog Wit was published in October 2007. DogJoy, a photo book featuring the magazine’s popular “Smiling Dogs” submissions was published in November 2009 by Rodale.”
~from The Bark’s Website
It’s official! Hooch’s Extreme Vertical Invitation came via email today!
He earned this by coming in first place in the Cadet Division Extreme Vertical discipline at the Bark in the Park Wild Card event!
After all of our winery visits on the Shawangunk Wine Trail, how could we resist stopping here for a bite to eat!?!
Limoncello at the Orange Inn was opened by brothers Luigi and Victor Kapiti in August of 2006. These brothers renovated what was once a rundown restaurant and inn. The Orange Inn was a Goshen Landmark, dating back to 1790. Many historical figures were guests at the inn, especially from the Revolutionary War era. The inn’s well-known guests ranged from George Washington to James Cagney.
During the Civil War, the Orange Inn was used as a haven for escaped slaves. The building itself is built on the foundation of an old prison!
Located across the street from the World’s oldest harness racetrack – Goshen’s historic race track – many people would come to the inn (especially to the bar within the inn!) after the races.
We enjoyed a snack of fried calamari served with Thai chili sauce – which I highly recommend if you ever find yourself visiting Limoncello at the Orange Inn!
Bon appetit!
Our last stop on the Shawangunk Wine Trail – – Brimstone Hill Vineyard, located in Pine Bush, NY.
Brimstone Hill has been in operation for 30 years, and has a great list of wines to choose from. We did a wine tasting here.
The vineyard is 13 acres, and the small winery building houses a cozy dog-friendly 2nd-floor tasting room overlooking the vines.
Overall, we had wonderful experiences at each of the wineries we visited on the Shawangunk Wine Trail!
Our next-to-last visit at White Cliff Vineyard on the Shawangunk Wine Trail was yet another great experience.
Whitecliff is an artisanal, family run winery fashioned by the current owners and founders from the ground up, in what was an empty field thirty years ago.
The view of the White Cliffs from the tasting room patio was magnificent!
Arriving at the winery, there was a driveway lined with artistically painted doors – really cool! This driveway leads you right through the heart of the vineyard.
They had a great list of wines to choose from here! The dogs were allowed in the tasting room – but with this view, who wants to sit INside?!
Check out the storm drain!
Currently, White Cliff Vineyard is one of the largest vineyards in the Hudson Valley, with over 20 varieties of grapes planted in their vineyard.
We enjoyed the wine, the dog-friendly atmosphere, and the view at this vineyard!
The wineries along the Shawangunk Wine Trail just keep getting cooler!
Adair Vineyards, located in New Paltz, New York, is housed in a 200+ year old barn, once occupied by cows and horses.
The winery has a stream running by with the Shawangunk Mountains in the background.
The winery also supports several animal related charities including:
The tasting room and gift shop are located in the loft of the barn and the wine making area is below – and dogs are allowed inside!
We decided to do a wine tasting here, as this winery had many interesting wines to choose from!
The loft of the barn – the tasting room – was really neat!
This winery was truly a unique experience!
Continuing along the Shawangunk Wine Trail, we came across Stoutridge Vineyard. This winery is located in Marlboro, New York, which is about 70 miles north of Manhattan, and located in the Hudson Valley.
Stoutridge Vineyards is built on the historical foundations of vineyards planted in the late 1700’s. The old winery’s foundation wall is all that remains of the historic structure. You can see it in the above picture, as it is now the beautiful front wall for the Stoutridge tasting room patio.
This is a very unique winery!
Many of the wines and spirits at Stoutridge are locally grown, and all are from New York State sourced fruits and grains. The winery is built into a hillside, and the wine cellars are underground. This establishment uses entirely solar generated electricity, and utilizes the heat off of their stills to heat the building in the winter through a radiant system built into the floor. How cool is that?!
Stoutridge is also what’s known as a “gravity winery,” meaning the never use pumps or filters in their wine making. In addition, they do minimal chemical processing to their wines. Stoutridge does not not “fine” their wines with gelatins, tannins or clays, doesn’t add water or sugar, or chemically adjust the acidity of their wines. They also do not add sulfites or sorbates to the wines after they are made. All of this means that the wines are pretty much unprocessed, and in a very natural state. All Stoutridge wines are sold exclusively at the winery, so that they can make their wines using less processing, and retain higher levels of naturally occurring antioxidants in the wines.
We enjoyed a glass of wine on the great tasting room patio with the pups, although the dogs were allowed inside the tasting room at Stoutridge.
Our first non-dock diving camping trip of the year all by ourselves! This was our annual Anniversary Camping Trip. This year, we decided to camp at Black Bear Campground, located in the Village of Florida, New York.
We stayed on site 55:
Black Bear Campground is located in Orange County, about one hour Northwest of New York City.
Amenities here include:
This Campground is also close to many attractions – lots to do in the surrounding area! Here are just some of the things to do/see (click on the attraction to read more):
After our awesome beer sampling at Rushing Duck Brewery, we continued along the Shawangunk Wine Trail to Benmarl Winery in Marlboro, NY.
The setting is a 37 acre estate that overlooks the historic Hudson River Valley. The grounds were stunning!
This winery had delicious wines, also was very dog friendly. The allowed Cello and Hooch to come inside to the tasting room – this was Hooch’s very first time INside of a winery’s tasting room!
The inside of the winery was really unique as well!
This winery was SO neat! So far, we are very much enjoying the Shawangunk Wine Trail!
We found a dog friendly brewery along our travels on the Shawangunk Wine Trail! We almost missed the building – until we noticed the “RD” on the door 🙂
Rushing Duck Brewery, located in Chester, NY, not only has great beer – they are super dog-friendly, and the dogs are allowed inside!
Just 2 guys hanging at the brewery:
Cello decided to volunteer as the brewery bouncer during our visit:
When Cello wasn’t checking out new patrons, she was enjoying her time with her Pop!
This brewery has some really great beer selections! I highly recommend the Zingerbier!
Continuing along the Shawangunk Wine Trail during our anniversary camping trip, we were sure to stop at Brotherhood.
Established in 1839, this winery is located in the village of Washingtonville, in Orange County, New York. This winery really has some great history behind it!
We visited some great wineries on our Anniversary Camping Trip. The first winery we stopped at was Palaia Vineyards.
This winery is located along the Shawangunk Wine Trail in Highlandland Mills, NY. The setting is a 200 year old former dairy farm.
The winery and tasting room are located inside the 200 year old barn, which is really cool!
We enjoyed a tasting of their Traminette during our visit.
This winery offers a menu of light bites and live music every weekend. Definitely worth the stop if you are ever in the Hudson Valley area!
Our first stop during our Anniversary Camping Trip was Orange County Choppers.
Orange County Choppers (better known as “OCC”) is a world-famous custom motorcycle manufacturer located in Newburgh, NY, that has been the center of the hit TV reality series “American Chopper” aired on the Discovery Channel. Founder, Paul Teutul Sr., and his team custom-design and manufacture choppers. OCC bikes are customized, and often built around a theme. Check out some of their cool bikes by clicking HERE.