Runner-Up Champion / AKC Field Champion Pine Straw Katydid has been bred to 2 X National Champion Shadow Oak Bo

This past field trial season has shown us even more about what our Katie can produce. CH Pine Straw Black Hawk had a really good year on Jeanette Tracy's string. Hawk earned his first American Field title, winning the Northeastern Open Shooting Dog Championship. Jeanette also had a good year with our shooting dog derby, Pine Straw Sweet Tea who placed in 5 open derby stakes and one amateur stake. We also were very pleased with what we saw from Pine Straw Country Sunshine who ran in all age derby stakes. She didn't get any placements, but we were very happy with her development for Lee Phillips and to be flat out honest, she earned at least 2 placements that were not given to her. Another positive of Katie's get is in the production department. A son of Pine Straw Smudge (littermate to Hawk), Rufus Del Fuego, won the Minnesota-Wisconsin Purina Cover Dog Amateur Derby of the year.

There has been some debate on different bird dog forums of late about what defines a "proven" female. With Katie, she has won a title, on wild birds in taking Runner-Up at the 2010 National Amateur Grouse Championship in a field of 69 entries. She has won on pen raised birds, in both walking and horseback stakes. And now we have seen that Katie has produced both winners and producers. She has also, throughout her life, been a trusted hunting dog.

So we began our search for a male to whom we would breed her. It may seem that breeding to the only Setter to win the National Championship in recent history would be the most obvious choice, but we try to breed not just to great performers, but also to dogs that we think match to what our goals are and to what strengthens any shortcoming we think exist in our line. We also look to match a specific dog to the specific female we are breeding. We believe that some males are definitely deserving of breeding to, but maybe for a female that is not yet ready to be bred.

In looking at Shadow Oak Bo, one thing that we have been told by almost everyone that describes him is: He finds birds. Since I am a bird hunter at heart, that is a huge plus for me. Also, Bo is known for biddability and the ability to learn. Finally, knowing that he had the bottom to not just go for three hours, but to do it in a way that put him in the winner's circle twice, is a huge plus for us as well.

So it is with great excitement that we anticipate the arrival of our next litter: Shadow Oak Bo X Pine Straw Katydid