Our little (or NOT so little!) Hooch turned 11 months old on April 24!
He weighs 57 pounds now!
Hooch has been absolutely loving the water this Spring! He has been diving off of our dock at home!
Hooch has also been doing very well at his dock diving competitions!
In fact, on his 11 month birthday, Hooch competed in the Family Fun Day dock diving event, and earned 2 First Place medals, and 2 Second Place medals! Way to go, Hooch!
On March 24, Hooch turned 10 months old… how did he get so big so fast?!?!
Hooch is now taller than his sister, Cello, and weighs 50 pounds. He continues to love the water and dock diving, although he still will not jump off our dock at home, and still hesitates to jump at competitions. Hooch has picked up a stronger toy-drive, and enjoys chasing a tennis or soccer ball, and chewing on sticks. He is the happiest, puppy we know, and he makes us laugh every day, as he is such a goof-ball! Happy 10 months, buddy – we love you!
Hooch turned 9 months old on February 24th. He’s getting so big! He is now officially taller than his sister, Cello!
Over the past month, Hooch has earned his first 1st Place ribbon in dock diving, qualified for Finals for the first time – AND came in 2nd Place in the Novice Finals! Way to go, Hooch!
Hooch LOVES playing in the snow! And thank goodness, because we’ve had LOTS of it over the past month!
One of Hooch’s favorite things is playing ball in the snow!
Today Hooch turned 6-months old, which means he is officially old enough to compete in a DockDogs event! We are hopeful that he will want to jump in the 2015 season!
Currently, Hooch continues to visit new places, travel to new states, and camp, (he’s been spent more weekends camping or staying in a hotel room, than he has spent at his house since we brought him home at 7 weeks of age!) Hooch is enrolled in WonderDogs obedience class to learn his basic commands and manners. He continues to be a good-hearted gentle soul, and especially loves squeaky tennis balls, and Frisbees.
Hooch was not a big fan of the water as a young pup, but gradually has ventured into the water in his own way, and in his own time! Here are some photos and videos of Team Homemade Hooch in the making:
As a wee little pup, Hooch thought being a DockDog meant just hanging out on our dock!
We tried coaxing Hooch into Cello’s baby pool…but he was NOT interested.
Then one day, his love of tennis balls tempted him enough to go in the baby pool.
Hooch watched Cello dive off of our dock into the lake every day – but he would not venture in.
One day, he fell in to our lake by accident – and we found out Hooch was not the most graceful of swimmers.
Hooch also started to go into the baby pool on his own for some summertime fun in the water!
One day, Hooch decided it was “his time” to dive into the lake like his big sis… and in he went after his ball!
While we were at Cello’s Dock Diving event in Berlin, MD, we let Hooch check out the DockDogs dock (just at the exit ramp since he was not of age to attempt to jump off the dock), and test out the pool water.
Hooch went in with no hesitation from the exit ramp:
He was very proud of himself for retrieving the bumper!
We received a post from the GSP Rescue of NJ about an owner-surrender situation. Someone had purchased a GSP puppy from Tennesee, not having researched the breed very well. The puppy arrived to NJ at 8 weeks of age, and 8 weeks later, the owner was in over their head. They could not provide this pup with an appropriate amount of exercise to diminish the GSP puppy craziness, so they decided to surrender the puppy to our rescue. As soon as I read 16 week old female puppy, I could not help myself! We agreed to foster this baby until a forever family was found for her.
On October 17th we picked Bella up from her home.
We immediately fell in love with Bella! She was loving, playful, and got along with Cello and Hooch so well! We actually gave thought to adopting her ourselves!
Hooch could’t keep up with the girls!
How can you resist this face?!
Bella had a blast running off lead in our yard!
Bella has one ear that is shorter than the other…our vet said it looks to have been “cut” off.
Just gorgeous!
…having fun and being a happy puppy!
Bella also has a really cute tan area that you can see in this picture:
In just 6 short days, Bella was adopted by a family that lives not too far from us. We hope to get all our pups together for play-dates often!
Bella is now known as Pepper, and is just loving her new life!! She is living with an AMAZING family who just adores her, has a HUGE yard to run all that GSP energy off, and has (2) very beautiful and loving 2-legged sisters, and (1) 4-legged sister named Mocha. Mocha is a Viszla/Weimaraner mix who looks like Cello’s twin!
Mocha and Pepper:
Pepper is a very lucky gal to have found such an awesome home, and we are so thankful for having met her new wonderful forever family! We are SO happy for Pepper!
German Shorthaired Pointers are often discarded, given up, abandoned, and returned due to their high energy level and strong hunting drive. Some are discarded by hunters because they won’t hunt, or they may be “gun-shy.” We have fallen in love with this often misunderstood breed. ..So…Cello, Hooch, Brian, and I have been volunteering for the GSP Rescue of NJ. We have made phone calls to vets for background checks and references, visited GSPs in shelters to evaluate them and offer the help of the GSP rescue, called potential adopters for initial screening and application review, transported GSPs to their foster homes, temporarily fostered, and have done home inspections for potential adopters. Cello and Hooch have even volunteered as donation dogs, wearing a donation vests and “working the crowd” with their cuteness at events such as the Ocean County Gunning and Decoy Show in Tuckerton, NJ.
Want to help dogs in your area but don’t know how? Click HERE to see just some of the ways you can help!
Thinking of a GSP? Think rescue! The National GSP Rescue lists regional GSP rescue groups across the United States and Canada. If you are interested in adoption, volunteering, or would like information on how to surrender your dog to rescue (Please do not surrender GSPs to a shelter or abandon them!!!!), please contact the group that covers your state or region. If there is no contact listed for your state, you can email the National GSP Rescue at rescue@gspca.org .
A GSP rescue will help match you up with the perfect GSP for your family!
On August 24th, Hooch turned 3 months old! He is making great progress with “sit,” “down,” and “come!” He has even ventured into the baby pool, and has gotten over his fear of the hose! (Hoping by 4 months he jumps in the lake all by himself!)
Not the greatest picture, but you can see the water droplets on him from going in the baby pool:
Hooch turned 10 weeks old on August 2, 2014. This week he traveled to a new state (Massachusetts) to watch this sister, Cello compete in a dock diving contest. Hooch also visited his first dog friendly restaurant and bar during his stay in Massachusetts.
This week Hooch regressed in the crate a bit. He’s only making it about 1.5 hours during the day in the crate with no accident, and about 2-3 hours at night. However, he is also very inconsistent with this.
Hooch discovered he had a “voice” this week and has barked a few times! Hear his “voice” here:
This week Hooch has also discovered his love of tennis balls!
Hooch with is new “love,” the the Kong squeaky tennis ball:
...and the the “joy” of digging in the yard 🙁 (Something we will continue to work on correcting).
Hooch proudly laying in his newly dug hole in our yard:
Hooch learned “sit!” this week. He will respond to the verbal command, and will sit any time he sees Cello sit. I will continue working with him the next week to learn the hand signal for sit as well.
Hooch learning “sit:”
Hooch is still not fond of the lake. (AAAHHH!) He will watch Cello jump in after her training bumper, but Hooch will not get in the lake yet!
Here is Hooch watching Cello swim:
Hooch thinks the step is much safer than that scary dark water:
Cello’s Training bumper, however, DID spark an interest in Hooch!
He had a ball trying to “sneak” away with it before he was discovered by Cello:
Although the Lake didn’t go over well again this week, Hooch did finally get in Cello’s baby pool after some serious coaxing with the squeaky tennis ball!
At first, Hooch thought Cello’s pool was just a big water bowl (Cello was disgusted by this!):
Then his love of the tennis ball took over and he got into the pool:
On the first of many-to-come traveling adventures for this little GSP, Hooch crossed back and forth over the Mason-Dixon line while traveling to and from Round Top Campground (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) and Cello’s dock diving practice at Detour Winery (Keymar, MD). Cello already had this “Been There/Done That” post under her belt when she participated in the PuppyPalooza dock diving event earlier this season.
This was the sign in the median to show travelers where the actual Mason-Dixon Line is:
“Mason and Dixon Line, also called Mason-Dixon Line, originally the boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania in the United Sates. In the pre-Civil War period it was regarded, together with the Ohio River, as the dividing line between slave states south of it and free-soil states north of it. Between 1763 and 1767 the 233-mile (375-kilometer) line was surveyed along the parallel 39°43′ by two Englishmen, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, to define the long-disputed boundaries of the overlapping land grants of the Penns, proprietors of Pennsylvania, and the Calverts, proprietors of Maryland. Mason and Dixon also surveyed much of the disputed boundary between Maryland and the territory of Delaware, which had been acquired by William Penn. The term “Mason and Dixon Line” was first used in congressional debates leading to the Missouri Compromise (1820). Today the Mason and Dixon Line still serves figuratively as the political and social dividing line between the North and the South.”
This week I made it 2 hours in my crate with no accidents, and I am starting to look at my mommy and daddy when I go potty, since I know a treat and “party” is held after every time I “go!”
When we found out that Limoncello’s mother had another litter, we could not help but go visit her, and see the puppies.
On May 24, 2014, Cello’s Mom, Shoal Branch Ladybird (“Lady”) gave birth to 10 puppies… we are now the proud parents of one of them!
Cello and Hooch’s mom, “Shoal Branch Ladybird” (Lady)
Hooch’s Dad, “FC Sky High Regardless”
Introducing “Windy Spot’s Homemade Hooch!” (Hooch for short!):
Why “Windy Spot’s Homemade Hooch?” When we bought our log home, Brian was able to search back to the original deed of the home and find the first owner of our cabin, which was built in 1927. Brian google-searched the man’s name for the heck of it, and his search brought up a link for the English Setters Club in Medford, NJ. The first owner of our home owned an award-winning GSP (which is how we ended up wanting a GSP), and Windy Spot was the name of that first dog and award winning GSP that lived in our home. We named our cabin Windy Spot, after that GSP, before we even met Cello. Read about our story here!
Hooch climbed right into Brian’s lap…and the rest is history!
Puppy Kisses:
The name “Windy Spot’s Homemade Hooch” … Incorporates the name of the first dog/GSP that lived here, and also refers to Limoncello being the “Hooch” that we make here at our cabin, Windy Spot… AND connects his name to Cello’s too 🙂