Zip – My Dog of a Lifetime
Many people have several dogs in a lifetime but usually only one will be their “dog of a lifetime”. Although Zip is the only hunting dog I have ever owned, I can say with absolute confidence that Zip is my “dog of a lifetime”. I got Zip in December 2005 and in a little less than four years he has gone from a puppy to the type of dog I used to dream about owning. There is no doubt that he is my dream dog. Zip is very well behaved, loyal, and smart.
With regards to hunting, Zip has a great nose, retrieves birds to hand, and has outstanding stamina. He is an excellent retriever and skilled at marking downed birds. If the birds are holding, I can let him range & he will find birds, point them & wait for the hunter(s) to arrive. He will then wait for the birds to be flushed/shot so he may retrieve them. If the birds are not holding he will quarter out in front of the hunters at 10 – 15 yards. As the birds wild flush, you can still get shots at game well within shotgun range.
Zip has a wide range of hunting experience. He is trained to make blind retrieves across open water as well as follow a scent track. In addition, he has retrieved ducks, geese, dove, chukars, grouse, prairie chicken, quail and pheasant. He has helped out at two local controlled shooting areas since the fall of 2007. In 2007/2008 he had about 1,200 birds shot over him and in 2008/2009 there were 2,000+ birds shot over him. This year he will be on hunts in Iowa, S. Dakota (twice) and Nebraska.
At home, Zip is wonderful addition to my family. Zip is a joy to have around the house because he is a friendly and well-mannered companion. He is excellent with our grandchildren who like to tug at his coat and pull on his tail. I do not have any concerns about him growling or biting my granddaughters. He has a very passive/submissive disposition at the house but he turns into a really aggressive hunter when in the field. Zip enjoys accompanying me wherever I go. Most of my neighbors know Zip & have commented on what a great dog he is. I couldn’t agree more!
Ken Hamele
Update on our S. Dakota pheasant hunt last week (Nov 2nd – 5th). Zip had an outstanding four days of pheasant hunting. He had several solid points and found more than 12 wounded birds in very thick cover that normally would have been lost. One bird in particular was knocked down & the hunter called me over with Zip to hopefully find the wounded pheasant. Zip found the bird about 200 yards from where it hit the ground. Because of this incredible tracking job there are now four veteran S. Dakota pheasant hunters who have a whole new respect for the Small Munsterlander breed.