Have you ever received an unexpected gift …and realized later – that unbeknownst to the sender – the arrival of the present was actually perfectly timed? On Friday, September 23, I leashed-up Lager for his walk. When I opened the gate, a beautiful bouquet of red-white-and-blue flowers greeted us! A very special person sent this amazing bouquet along with a note that read “Sending pawsitive thoughts and prayers. Stay strong. You got this!” When I reached out to thank her, she said, “Something kept tugging at my heart to get those sent.”
With the help of Brian, I have been checking Lager’s surgical area since he had his mass removed. When we returned from our walk, I asked Brian for assistance to check Lager’s mouth. To our dismay, it looked to us like the mass has already begun to grow back. I contacted Lager’s primary veterinarian, Dr. Helen Campbell, who agreed that it appeared to be regrowth from the photos I sent her. Panic and distress overwhelmed me. We knew achieving clean margins during Lager’s initial surgery was not going to be possible. However, I was taken aback at how rapidly the mass had returned…and at the size that it had grown already. It was then that I realized that the beautiful patriotic bouquet arrived just in time …that the something (or someone?!) tugging at my friend’s heart made sure of that…to remind me to be honest with myself about the current situation, but to also have hope – and look forward to positive outcomes.
“Take a walk outside – it will serve you far more than pacing around in your mind.” ~Rasheed Ogunlaru
Once you hear the word “cancer,” it’s easy to let your mind wander in a million different directions. I’m definitely guilty of letting my mind march itself right down it’s own panic-stricken path. I have found that walking with Lager helps lead my “pacing” mind to find a refreshed, positive course. I talk to Lager, I pray, I plan, and I enjoy. I let Lager set the pace and allow him to create our adventure, stopping and exploring anything he wishes along the way. Although I use an app on my phone to track our walks, I do so more to celebrate our time together, rather than race to get done.
9/20/20229/21/20229/23/2022
Lager’s medical team is aware of the new re-growth of the mass. Thankfully, I was able to move up Lager’s oncology appointment to a sooner date. Brian and I will continue to check the mass, and I will be in contact with Lager’s primary veterinarian as well as his oncologist to keep them informed of our observations and any changes we note.
Brian and I are extremely grateful for all of the private messages, prayers, kind gestures, encouragement, and support. These are all reminders that we are not alone on this journey, and we appreciate that beyond what words can express.
Exactly 9 years ago today, this amazing boy was born in the Netherlands. Although he held one of the most serious jobs while serving the United States by protecting the embassy in Baghdad, he is the bounciest, goofiest, most fun-loving boy you will ever encounter. If you’ve ever met this real-life Tigger, you know first-hand that his enthusiasm and excitement for life is extremely contagious! Lager, we can’t thank you enough for teaching us to appreciate the little things, and for making us smile & laugh each and every day…we love you, buddy! Happy 9th birthday!!!
Breakfast: eggs in a (bone-shaped) basket, blueberries, raspberries, breakfast sausage, bacon
🎂Happy 8th Birthday to the bounciest, happiest, most vibrant and insane-in-the-membrane dog we know! At 8 years old, he’s still tons of fun and keeps us laughing each and every day! We love you buddy! 🎈
8 Years Old
Lager was born in The Netherlands, so Brian made him traditional meals from that region:
Breakfast: Pannenkoek (a style of pancake with origins in the Netherlands. They are usually larger and much thinner than their American or Scotch pancake counterparts, but not as thin as crêpes. They may incorporate slices of bacon, apples, cheese, or raisins).
Pannenkoek
Dinner: Slavinken (a meat dish consisting of ground meat, wrapped in bacon)… with a side of green beans and potatoes
Slavinken
Dessert: Dutch Apple Cake
Dutch Apple Cake
Lager’s birthday was the first birthday celebration during our quarantine at home due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Location: Gettysburg, PA Sculptor: E. A. Kretschman Dedicated: 12/13/1901
“Sallie,” a brindle Staffordshire Bull Terrier, was the regimental mascot for the 11th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. Given to 1st Lt William R. Terry as a four-week old puppy, Sallie grew up among the men of the regiment. Sallie followed the men on marches and to the battlefield. At the Battle of Gettysburg, the dog got separated from the unit. Unable to find her way, Sallie returned to the Union battle line at Oak Ridge, where she stood guard over the dead and wounded. The dog continued her faithful service through February, 1865, when she was struck by a bullet to her head in the battle of Hatcher’s Run, Virginia. She was buried on the field of battle. For her devotion to the men, Sallie is memorialized at the 11th Pennsylvania monument erected at Gettysburg.”
*All information obtained from the Vietnam Dog Handler Association ( http://www.vdha.us/content15795.html )
While we were in Knoxville for the DockDogs World Championship, we were fortunate enough to have enough time to take Lager to visit this wonderful War Dog Memorial.
This noble Doberman Pinscher represents hundreds of heroic war dogs that served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II.
This Memorial is an exact replica of the official memorial in Guam, was donated to the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine by Dr. Maurice Acree July 17, 1998.
It honors not only the war dogs, but symbolizes the special connection people share with dogs.
We will continue to get Lager to every War Dog Memorial we can throughout his retirement years with us. Click below to see the other Memorials Lager has already visited.
The students at The Calais School have created a “Wall of Stars,” honoring Veterans and current Military members. One of the students made a star very special to our hearts… Lager (War Zone name, Nayt).
A fellow GSP Rescue of NJ volunteer and friend, and GSP Rescue of NJ alumni, Sage the GSP, told one of the school’s students about Lager. Thank you to this student who chose to honor Lager, and created this star so perfectly!
We are grateful to have Lager be a part of the Wall of Stars at The Calais School, and we will forever cherish this!
VIRGINIA BEACH — Care-A-Lot Pet Supply will host the 9th Annual Pet Lovers’ Extravaganza featuring the popular DockDogs competition from April 29-May 1 outside of their headquarters at 1617 Diamond Springs Road in Virginia Beach. Admission is free to enjoy three days of high-flying dogs, contests and giveaways plus significant savings at all three Care-A-Lot retail locations.
“From live dock jumping and diving events to pet ice cream eating contests and even a chance to win $10,000, there’s something for everyone,” Care-A-Lot owner Bobby Clarke said. “More than 12,500 people from around the country came to watch the action last year, and this time we expect an even larger crowd.”
One fearless flyer running off the dock will be Lager, a veteran explosives detection canine who served 18 months in Iraq. The German Shorthaired Pointer is a natural in the water, ranking fifth overall in the World Championships in his division during his first year competing.
“We adopted Lager knowing he had an intense love for the water; and from the second he jumped off the dock, we knew he was a natural,” Lager’s owner Jenny Beadling said. “After being discharged from his military duties, DockDogs’ competitions have been a great way for Lager to use his skills and endless energy.”
As part of Care-A-Lot’s partnership with the Norfolk SPCA, every dog adopted at the event will receive a starter package of more than $200 worth of food, supplies and store coupons.
K9’s in Flight, the “homeless to high-flying” world champion Frisbee-catching dogs, will also return to perform throughout the weekend. All the dogs were rescued or adopted from shelters around the country.
Vendors from more than 40 pet supply manufacturers will be at the Extravaganza to provide training tips, product information and sampling. They include: Blue Buffalo, Nutro, Nature’s Variety, Canidae, Wellness, Merrick, KONG, Greenies, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Purina and more.
DockDogs® is the international governing body that oversees events which test a dog’s ability to jump as far as possible into a pool, retrieve items from the pool in a timed event and jump as high as possible. Contestants are grouped based on experience and past results. For more information, visit DockDogs online at www.dockdogs.com.
Dogs fly through the air at Dockdogs competitions in Virginia Beach
VIRGINIA BEACH
Whether detecting explosives in Iraq for the military or jumping into a pool to fetch a toy, Lager takes his job seriously.
The German Shorthaired Pointer, who lives in New Jersey with his owners, came to Virginia Beach on Friday to show off his skills in the annual DockDogs competition, part of the Pet Lovers’ Extravaganza outside the Care-A-Lot headquarters near Shore Drive.
Outfitted in a patriotic swimsuit, of course, Lager jumped twice in the qualifying round and will compete in the Big Air competition today and the Extreme Vertical competition today and Sunday with a few hundred other dogs from around the country.
Jenny Beadling, Lager’s owner, said they often bring him to events in Virginia. He practices his dock dives at home off the family’s 40-foot pier and also does agility drills, running exercises and strength training.
“I think that he takes everything like it’s his job,” Beadling said.
Lager was retired from the military because he would get distracted by water, so when he came back to the states, the contractor who worked with him wanted him to be in that kind of environment.
He earned an invitation to the DockDogs world championships last November in Iowa and placed fifth in the senior division. His leaps average about 19 feet, 9 inches, Beadling said.
The Beadlings call their dogs “The Liver Killers” because of their names: Lager, Limoncello, Hooch and their newest one, Margarita.
Another competitor Friday was Leia, who lives in Virginia Beach. She competed in the Iron Dog Warrior Competition in Iowa, another DockDogs contest, last November, coming in second in the world.
Her owner, Karen Cummings, named her dogs after “Star Wars” characters – Leia, Chewey and Vader. Leia, a Lab, was in the qualifying round for Big Air on Friday.
Cummings said Leia also competes in the speed retrieve and extreme vertical events. She trains locally by doing a lot of jumping, muscle training and agility competitions.
Along with the competitions, the event includes dozens of pet-supply vendors, and Care-A-Lot is having its biggest sale of the year.
The speed, height and distance events continue throughout the weekend. Other contests, for less athletically inclined canines, include best kisser, best dressed and best at, well, eating treats.
March 13 is K9 Veterans’ Day. Today, on National K9 Veterans’ Day , we remember and honor all military and working dogs, both past and present. We would like to thank all the courageous K9 soldiers for their service, and the sacrifices they have made for our nation. We are honored to have a K9 veteran as a family member, and thank SOC for blessing us with Lager (war zone name, Nayt) as a family member. Lager served 18 months in Iraq as an Explosives Detection Canine. In honor of Lager’s service, and all K9 veteran heroes, we took him to visit and pay our respects to the War Dog Memorial, located in Holmdel, NJ, guarding the gateway of the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans Memorial . If you know a K9 veteran, be sure to shake their paw and thank them today!
Nope…we are talking about THIS kind of bear’s claws:
When friends moved and gave us their bear skin rug, I made my Mommy’s day off quite an adventure. My curiosity of the second floor of our cabin lead me to stumble upon the bear skin rug hanging over the balcony railing.
Why have I not noticed this big toy before? Did they hang it there just for me!? They must have! When I took a closer look, I discovered that the bear’s claws looked tasty – and boy, was I right! They were very yummy snacks!! I ingested 2 before my mom caught me, and boy was she upset. The claws are as long as her finger!!
Mommy was in a panic and called my doctor. We had to drive through the snow storm to the vet so they could X-ray me in case I swallowed the claws whole.
Dr. Campbell and her nice staff fed me hotdogs and cheese (more yummy nibbles!) while they did my X-rays. They couldn’t really see any bear claws in my belly on the X-ray, so I got to eat even more yummy treats of high-fiber bread while Mommy got to watch me really closely the rest of the night…and each time I did potty, my dad got to search through it. They didn’t look excited about this …so I told them not to worry, because I searched a lot of things when I was in Iraq, and it’s really fun and exciting… And if you find what you were told to look for you get rewarded! Boy, I hope my mom and dad got a good reward after their searches out in our yard!
Dad was the best searcher, and found one of the bear claws. We never found the other, so I’m assuming the humans “overlooked” it.
My humans made me promise not to eat bear claws ever again. (They’re no fun).
We thought it may be a good idea to continue to give Lager’s nose a work out. We signed him up for K9 Nose Work Class at Wonder Dogs, which is where we had taken both Cello and Hooch for their puppy training. Lager LOVED it, and although he was being taught to identify a completely new scent, he picked right up on this game, and is having a blast!
Since Lager has joined our family, we have tried to keep his nose busy so that he can still feel like he is doing his job. Here is Lager finding Hydrogen Peroxide in our home. Hydrogen Peroxide is just one of the 30-plus explosives ingredients Lager is trained to identify.
THE LIVER KILLERS 2015 DOCK DIVING SEASON IN REVIEW!
The dock diving season technically ends in mid-October, with the World Championships being held in November. We have officially completed our season, and what a season we had!
Cello had and absolutely incredible season, earning an invite to the World Championships in every discipline possible!
We thought Hooch would never jump – not only did he jump – he entertained everyone with the “Hoochie Hop” – -but only for a short time as he soared to over 24 feet in just 6 months of diving at a mere 1 year old! Hooch also ranked #1 German Shorthaired Pointer for Big Air in the United States, and 2nd GSP in the WORLD – by less than an inch!
Lager came in to our lives unexpectedly, and without any training, and jumped like a boss, earning an invitation to the World Championships after participating in just 2 national events!
Limoncello was offered a sponsorship from TurboPUP.
Cello and Hooch made the front page of the top local newspapers
News teams came to our house to do features on Cello, Hooch, and Lager – and they all made the top TV news channels with their stories.
Cello and Hooch had a story published in a world-wide published magazine.
Lager had a story published in a local magazine.
TOMMY D’s LIMONCELLO
Brian’s main goal this season was to earn an invitation to the World Championship with Cello in Warrior Division Iron Dog (a combined averaged score of Big Air, Extreme Vertical, and Speed Retrieve). Not only did Brian and Cello achieve this goal, they did so very early in the season at the Wild Card event at Cabela’s in West Virginia during the month of May!
Little did we know that was just the beginning of Cello’s road to Worlds! Brian and Cello went on to earn an invite in Speed Retrieve (also earned at the Wild Card event at Cabela’s in West Virginia)
But that’s not where Cello’s invites ended! She earned an invite for Dueling Dogs, after participating in that discipline for the first time ever at the Mid Atlantic Regionals, held at Shipps Corner Pet Spa in Virginia Beach.
At the end of the season, we found out her rankings from sanctioned facility events also earned her an invite in Extreme Vertical, as well as Big Air!
OVERALL WORLD RANKINGS:
BIG AIR:
5th ranked German Shorthaired Pointer
Master Titled
23′ 3″ average
SPEED RETRIEVE:
2nd ranked German Shorthaired Pointer
Express Titled
7.964 average
EXTREME VERTICAL:
4th ranked German Shorthaired Pointer
Cadet Titled
5′ 2″ average
IRON DOG:
2nd ranked German Shorthaired Pointer
Warrior Titled
2754.67 average
UNITED STATES OVERALL RANKINGS:
BIG AIR:
4th ranked German Shorthaired Pointer
Master Titled
22’3″ average
SPEED RETRIEVE:
2nd ranked German Shorthaired Pointer
Express Titled
7.964 average
EXTREME VERTICAL:
4th ranked German Shorthaired Pointer
Cadet Titled
5’2″ average
IRON DOG:
#1 ranked German Shorthaired Pointer
Warrior Titled
2754.67 average
Cello ended the season with an injury. While competing at the indoor event at the Pittsburgh Pet Expo in Pittsburgh, PA, Cello slipped on the wet floor, and strained muscles in her neck and front leg. Unfortunately this meant pain meds and lots of rest during the 2 weeks leading up to Worlds. We are hopeful that she will be be back to 100% for the World Championship competition.
Windy Spot’s Homemade Hooch
As a puppy, Hooch wanted NOTHING to do with water of any sort. He slowly began to realize water wasn’t so bad, and cautiously went into our lake and into a baby pool. The weather quickly became what was to be the coldest, snowiest winter we’ve ever had, and access to water became difficult. We took Hooch to some indoor pools, were he felt comfortable jumping in at the water’s edge. However, when he found himself up on a regulation dock, which sits 2 feet above the water, Hooch gave dock diving a second thought. Hooch kicked off his dock diving career in January being very hesitant on the dock. He would run down the dock, get to the edge and “teeter” for a long while – sometimes not jumping and timing-out, and other times projecting himself off the edge of the dock as if he had springs in his back legs, only landing a few feet into the water! He quickly became a crowd favorite with his “Hoochie Hop,” as the crowd waited in anticipation to see if he would POP off the dock…or not! By about April, he was “hopping” out to about 7-8 feet, still hesitating, and still choosing not to jump at times. By May we discovered that with Jenny running down the dock with him, Hooch would hesitate less. This technique got Hooch leaping up to 17 – 18 feet by the beginning of June. By mid June we had switched to the “Place and Send” method, bringing Hooch to the very back of the dock (Thank you Frank Moraff for forcing me to do this!!) With that change came great results. Hooch jumped 21 feet in mid-June, and by the end of June soared 23’8″ and earned his invitation to Worlds at 13 months old ! By July, Hooch jumped his current personal best, 24’2″, and also earned a second invitation to the World Championship for Cadet Division Extreme Vertical. In September, Hooch was nominated for “Most Improved” for the Golden Paw Awards, held at the Gala during The World Championship celebration, and was voted to be one of the finalists for the award.
Here is my absolute favorite video from this season: It captures Hooch’s progression from being fearful of water, to his 23+ ft jump that earned him his Big Air Invite to the World Championship!
OVERALL WORLD RANKINGS:
BIG AIR:
2nd ranked German Shorthaired Pointer
Elite Titled
23′ 7.4 ” average
EXTREME VERTICAL:
2nd ranked German Shorthaired Pointer
Cadet Titled
5′ 10.7″ average
UNITED STATES OVERALL RANKINGS:
BIG AIR:
#1 ranked German Shorthaired Pointer
Elite Titled
23′ 7.4 ” average
EXTREME VERTICAL:
4th ranked German Shorthaired Pointer
Cadet Titled
5’2″ average
Brogan’s American Lager
Lager came home with us on August 23, apparently born to be a dock diver, not an Explosives Detection Canine! When the training company who had Lager (known then as Nayt) saw how much he loved the water, they contacted DockDogs in hopes to find a family who were familiar with the breed, had access to water for him to swim, and would promise to get him dock diving. Read the full story on how Lager became a part of our pack by clicking HERE! The first day Lager came home, he was exposed to water, and had no fear of the lake, or jumping off the dock. He had a perfect sit-stay, and seemed like he came to us with the Big Air discipline of dock diving mastered! In less than a week’s time, Lager also picked up on Extreme Vertical, easily grabbing the bumper on our home rig. Lager competed in just 2 national level events, and earned himself an invitation to the World Championships in Big Air!
OVERALL WORLD RANKINGS:
BIG AIR:
9th ranked German Shorthaired Pointer
Senior Titled
19′ 10.4″ average
UNITED STATES OVERALL RANKINGS:
BIG AIR:
7th ranked German Shorthaired Pointer
Senior Titled
19′ 10.4″ average
GIVING BACK:
The Liver Killers are also happy to report that through their 2015 winnings, an abundance of food, toys, and supplies were donated to the Animal Orphanage of Voorhees, NJ, and over $1,100 was donated to the GSP Rescue of NJ!
When Custom Ink found out that The Liver Killers donate all their cash prizes to the GSP Rescue of NJ, they made a donation to the rescue in honor of Cello’s Corner and The Liver Killers! How cool is that?!
And of course, “pawtograph” cards – made by our friend, Mandy!
After the season our team has had, it won’t matter to us what happens at Worlds – we are beyond proud of all three of our pups- and overjoyed that we have the opportunity to share this experience as a family!
As we begin to pack for our big adventure, we continue to reflect back on the amazing season these pups had. We will cherish every memory – the highs and lows – the laughter and the tears – the (very) early mornings – the late nights watching EV under the lights – and the comradery shared with friends at events. We are truly blessed to be part of such a great community (humans and animals alike). Never have we met such a large group of the nicest people who not only strive to improve within their own team, but will at the same time stop and help other fellow competitors to enhance their game, and applaud fellow opponents just as enthusiastically as they cheer on their own dog. The patience, advice, support, and guidance we have received from friends, family, fellow competitors, and social media followers is overwhelming, and greatly appreciated. Thank you all for being part of this thrilling escapade with us. We look forward to writing the next chapter of this adventure together!
Three months after returning from Iraq, two months after joining our family, and after competing in only 2 National events, Lager earned his invitation to the DockDogs World Championship for Senior Division Big Air! Words cannot express how proud we are of this boy!
The Ocean County Decoy and Gunning Show is one of our favorite competitions to attend. This event was the first DockDogs event in which Brian and Cello competed in 2013, when we met Annie, Matt, and Bailey from The Little GSP! Not only is it very close to our home, but the GSP Rescue of NJ also sets up a table here – and they are one of just many REALLY cool vendors at this large festival. We especially love that we can compete, and still volunteer the pups as donation dogs in between their jumps! This was also an especially thrilling event, because Lager won First Place in Senior Division Big Air finals! Another exciting part of this event, is that a friend and fellow GSP Rescue of NJ volunteer, Jen C. , as well as Jenny’s sister Dana, both jumped Cello… AND got medals!
Lager and Jenny with Lager’s 1st Place winnings
GSP Rescue Volunteer, Jen
Jenny’s sister, Dana and Cello with their 2nd Place medal
LIMONCELLO:
Big Air:
21’9″ 22’3″
Finals: 22’5 22’2″ 4th Place Elite
Jen C and Cello
Dana and Cello
Extreme Vertical:
5’2″ 3rd Place Cadet
Speed Retrieve:
7.972 seconds 5th Place Turbo
**FIRST PLACE WARRIOR IRON DOG!
HOOCH:
Big Air:
23’3″ 20’11” 2nd Place Elite
22’0″ 21’9″
22’2″ 22’5″
Finals: 22′ 7″ 23’4″ Third Place Elite
LAGER:
Big Air:
16′ 19’0″ 2nd Place Senior
18’6″ 18’11” 2nd Place Senior
18’2″ 18’6″ 1st Place Senior
Finals: 19’8″ 19’5″ 1st Place Senior
Extreme Vertical:
5’10” 1st Place Cadet
We were extremely proud of all 3 of our pups! They earned several awesome ribbons and medals!
The Liver Killers were pretty exhausted after performing so well, and slept in a Pointer Pile the whole way home!
With the hopes of getting Lager an invitation to the 2015 DockDogs World Championship held in November, we took a short day trip to Elkton, Maryland with Lager only, since Limoncello and Hooch had already earned invitations for multiple disciplines.
In less than 2 weeks after Lager joined our pack, we were entering him in his very first official DockDogs competition! Three Rivers DockDogs hosted an event at Cabela’s in Triadelphia, West Virginia.
LIMONCELLO:
Big Air:
21’5″ 21’2″
21’3″ 22’2″
20’4″ 20’7″
19’10” 20’9″
Extreme Vertical:
5’0″
Speed Retrieve:
8.489 Second Place Express
HOOCH:
Hooch was up on the dock when a gust of wind blew a banner off of the side of the pool, freaking him out completely . It was a tough weekend, as Hooch had a difficult time gaining enough confidence on the dock to run and jump at his full speed.
Big Air:
22’7″ 15’9″
21’2″ 22’11”
13’0″ 14’11”
23’0″ 22’3″ Third Place Elite
22’5″ 23’6″ First Place Elite
Extreme Vertical:
5’10’ Second Place Cadet
LAGER:
Big Air:
13′ 4″ and 13′ 11″ First Place Junior (with Brian)
15’7″ and 16’2″ (with Jenny)
16’9″ and 18’2″ Second Place Senior (with Jenny)
17’0″ and 17’5″ (with Jenny)
Extreme Vertical:
This was Lager’s first attempt at EV. Lager missed both times, but was very determined – we had no doubt that he will excel at this in the future!
None of the pups made the finals at this event – first time all season!! There were some HUGE jumping dogs here! We had a great weekend camping with friends, and enjoyed watching Lager have a blast on the dock at his first official event!
Bill Rohrer from Fox News did a story on Lager! It was nice to meet Bill – he was so nice, and made us feel very comfortable while filming the story at our home. Brian and I had great fun doing this story, as Lager is a very special pup!
Click HERE for the link to the story, and the video of the news feature that was aired:
Nora Muchanic visited us at our home to do a story on the Liver Killers!
See the full story, plus a video of the news segment – click HERE!
Tuesday, September 01, 2015
MEDFORD LAKES, N.J. (WPVI) —
Most people just walk their dogs. But Jenny and Brian Beadling’s dogs go for a flying leap.
The German Short Haired Pointers (GSPs for short) are two of the top dock diving dogs in the country and also rated internationally.
Brian says, “They are fun, happy, energetic dogs who really love competing and playing. And they think of all of this as play, which is really exciting for us.”
And Jenny tells us, “They need extreme exercise and what you would think of as your exhaustion point is just their starting point.”
The dock at the Beadling’s Medford Lakes cabin has become a launching pad as these two pooches practice each day. In competition they are judged on how high, long and fast they can jump.
A room inside the Beadling’s house is filled with ribbons and medals.
Hooch is the number one ranked GSP in the country for “big air”; Cello is ranked number one for “iron dogs”, the canine equivalent of a triathlon.
Jenny says, “They can run for hours and hours and hours on end. And they will keep going, they’re working dogs. They will keep going until you shut them down.”
The newest member of the family is Lager, a former bomb sniffing dog for the U.S. government who served in Iraq.
Now Lager regular leaps into the lake with his new companions.
He is clearly adjusting to his new digs.
They are highly trained and these dogs may be world class dock divers, but if you ask me they look like they’re just having fun.
Brian explains, “The humans involved take the competition seriously. The dogs just enjoy being out with the owners, jumping in the water. To see them just have fun and love life it’s really fun for us as well.”
Jenny a special education teacher and Brian a mortgage banker, travel with the dogs to competitions several times a month. The cash prizes Hooch and Limoncello win are turned over to a GSP rescue group.
Jenny says, “The amount of work that goes into it and the enjoyment you see in the dog is the best.”
Minnesota: Certified as an EDC (Explosives Detection Canine), passing the National Odor Recognition Test Validation at Dogs For Defense International, LLC
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.
