Testimonials Page 1

2001

We were looking for a good breeder. We logged on and found Deanna`s site to be very inviting! We could not pass up Bear Country! The Lamphier family has so much love and care for Springers we felt we couldn`t go wrong. We first adopted Mae, a white and liver female we brought her home and fell inlove with her immediately. She is very smart and learned very quickly. We wanted another one! I found myself checking Deanna`s website daily to see what puppies were adopted and which were still available. After a few weeks we decided to adopt her brother. Hank is a white and black male. He is a lover, he is mellow and loves to cuddle. They are the love of our lives and have made us a family! Thankyou again!

~Andy & Angelique ~ Washington

We have owned English Springer Spaniels for over 15 years and want to let you know how pleased we are with Monty. At 4 months of age he has mastered the basic obediance commands of "sit, stay, down" he understands what no means and comes when called most of the time. As typical with Springers he loves to retrieve and wants to bring us everything he finds! I have been so impressed with how easy he has been to train and what a calm and loving disposition he has. Many thanks goes out to Deanna for the fine job she does with raising her puppies it really shows!

~Sincerely, Theresa & Jerry ~ Montana

2001

First of all we would like to thank Bear Country for this beautiful girl we have named Jewels. She was a birthday present for our son Joey. She has filled our lives with great joy and never ending love for the breed! We respect the tremendous amount of time and care given to their animals! We came out every weekend to visit her since the time she was 3 weeks old. She was raised in the home and doted over night and day. We believe that is why she has such a great personality! Also we respect the fact that Deanna does her very best to find the very best loving homes for each and every puppy!

p.s. our Jewel`s has turned into quite a fine little huntress, she is very intelligent, naturally birdy and stays within good range! This is a picture of her and her first and ONLY litter! That was alot more work than we bargained for!

~Sincerely, Teri & Frank ~ California 2001

Mandy loves to show off! She is such a sweetie. Sweetie is just one of her nick names ~ I usually call her Miss Wigglebutt. Her tail is certainly a "Happy Meter". She loves to sit leaning on one of us or better yet, on the couch draped over our legs. It seems like she naps with one eye on Joe and the other on me and has to follow us to see what we are doing all the time. She loves her baths and getting wet and muddy outside with the hose. She likes to chase after her ball and even brings it back but would rather play keep away, running circles around the yard teasing. We couldnt be happier with the choice we made and compliment Deanna again on the beautiful pups she so affectionatly breeds and raises and appreciate that she finds just the right homes for these loveable creatures!

~Marla & Joe ~ Idaho 2001

As far as personality, Obi is the sweetest dog, he absolutely loves to be with people {still learning "off"}. He is very mischievious, loves to tease us with our slippers and shoes and any of his stuffed animals that he hasn`t disemboweled yet. Obi loves to swim, hates squirrels with a passion, but has never caught one, loves kids and other dogs, is respectful of more agressive sounding dogs in the neighborhood. Doesn`t catch very well, yet, and doesn`t always give things back... would rather chase something you throw, than play keep-away or tug-of-war. Sleeps as late as anyone still in bed. Obi loves to sing with anyone who will start howling, and will keep it up as long as you do, even matching pitch, up and down! Great entertainment for our friiends. All in all, a very bright boy, with great mischievous energy and a warm heart, a real character.... everyone who meets him falls in love. Thanks for helping us find him!

~Take care, Dan Spokane, Wa 2004

Meet Dice & Domino 2 littermates out of Remmington and Hunter their daddy Eric and his lovely wife drove over here to Bear Country from California to get their new babies, these are fun pics they sent back to me of the travel home starting out here in the midst of winter, snow and all . The first picture is of me {Deanna} saying goodbye on a bitter cold Montana winter day, the 2nd picture stopping for a potty break, 3rd picture sniffing the flowers for the first time in their little lives and the 4th picture the duck has caught their attention. Little hunters in the making! Califonia

Remington x Hunter babes................

Jim say`s his name is "Scooter" so it is still close to what you named him. So far he has taken ALL of Hunts toys and put them in a pile... then goes to sleep next to the pile... Hunt then sneaks up and takes one to play with. Scooter is following Hunt everywhere...if Hunt stops Scooter walks right into him...no jelousy of any kind noted...Elliot our cat is ignoring everyone...to do anything else would interfere with his eat, sleep, eat, sleep, etc,,, cycle. more later with pictures.... Carol

Hi Deanna

Scooter is doing very well... Hunt and Elliot are both starting to play with him he uses

the dog door 90% of the time he follows Hunt EVERY WHERE. The one word that

describes him best is FEARLESS... he is even trying to make friends with the

german shepard that lives beyond the back fence...

thanks again for this wonderful addition to our family!

~Carol ~ Califonia 2005

Deanna

Our baby arrived just fine. She was a little frightened by the flight but warmed up to us real fast. She is asleep on my feet as I type this message. Since she arrived home she has kind of been my shadow but is starting to explore as long as I am in the room with her.The kids are absolutely delighted. We have named her Winnie. We had selected the name before we realized we were naming her after her Aunt. I`ll send you further updates. thanks again.Janet.

Deanna~ Just a quick update on Winnie (real quick because she is probably getting into something as I type). We are really enjoying her. She is fun and loving. We are finding training going very well, however, it is like having a two year old in the house. She lovers to go walking along our wildlife trail and thinks your lap is a perfect place to sit all the time. The kids just love her but my son feels like a large chew toy. I think she has figured out that he is the low man on the totem pole. Take care. ~Janet ~ Idaho

Deanna

Whiskey loves to slide for real, he will climb up there as far as he can go and come down or he will beg you to put him up there and he will come down, it`s hillarious and he also loves to swing. Joey and Whiskey are the best things to happen to each other, they have a great bond! These pics were taken a few days ago.

We could not be happier, and Whiskey came to us pretty much potty trained and is going to puppy classes on Sundays.

Sincerely, Jim and Diane ~ Washington

Here are pics of Whiskey the black and white pup and Joey the liver tri-color. They are littermates from 2 seperate litters.

2005

Deanna

I took some pictures this weekend of them playing tug-o-war. We went for a walk in the field Sunday. Gracy found 3 morning doves and Cody found a golf ball. He`s just a baby he`ll figure out he`s a bird dog when he grows up not a golfer. They are doing real good. Cody is adjusting real well. He is such a good boy. Plus, he is sooo smart. He has been sleeping all night in his crate. I give him hugs and kisses and tell him to lay down and go nite nite and he does! He is starting to fetch and knows what sit means. The whole family including Gracie, are having a lot of fun with him.

~Deb 2005

Hi Deanna,

Great to hear from you. I am looking for great shots of our dogs to send you. They are still at hunting school and having a ball. They are very enthusiastic about the birds. They dont like the gun blast`s but are retrieving like crazy. They are on a gorgous ranch near Santa Marie, California. The trainer is an awsome guy. I will send some photos as son as I can decide which are best. We LOVE our dogs!! Winston is such a sweetie and Montana is so smart. They are loving and the best dogs we have ever had. They are both absolutely gorgous with full blankets and adorable faces. Hope you and yours are well!!!

Love Michita ~California

Hi Deanna,

We are doing fine. Charlie seems very happy in his new surroundings and is just a great little guy. He sleeps through the night, knows his name, loves to retrieve and is very friendly. We've met the vet, getting to know the neighborhood, it's all new! The kids love him and he is growing like crazy.

I've put together some pictures to show what he has been up to (lots of hugs) and will try to add to it as time allows.

We are very popular in the neighborhood, everybody wants to meet Charlie and he returns the favor.

Thanks for checking on us,

Pat and Bonnie ~ Washington

Hi Deanna,

We are completely in love with our puppy. He is the best boy in the world. He has been a joy and a fun addition to the family. The boys play with him until he can barely walk. He is exhausted half the time.

He goes everywhere with us, and everyone who meets him, loves him. They can not believe what a well behaved puppy he is. He loves everyone, and especially kids. He is the best!!!! As you know, he is growing so fast. He will be getting his 9 week shots next week. Also, he has caught 2 birds already. I am not sure how, but he brings them back to us and is so proud!!!! I am sure they were injured and he just chased them down, but it was still surprising at such a young age he would be so quick. I will get pictures to you soon. Thank you again for all the wonderful breeding and raising of the pups. We love him and he is a perfect match for us!!!!

Sincerely,

Katy

Yakima, Washington 2005

Lili wants to be everywhere that Steve & I are--especially me---doesn't like being in her kennel in the backyard when we aren't home and has found some ingenious ways to escape--but we always find her waiting for us in the house-since we have a doggie door for her---she can be very stubborn and mischievous at times, but all in all-a very sweet girl- she has been quite a joy---she & I have quite a bond, but she also loves Steve, too..he is teaching her to catch a Frisbee. She went thru puppy obedience classes and we want to bring her to the adult class when it starts.. She absolutely loves people, but can be a little shy around other dogs..she has been really good around our 2 year old grandson--we have a park near us that has a "off leash area" for dogs and we take her there to try to socialize her with other dogs--but so far -she has only been interested in staying near us...otherwise--she is our baby and we absolutely love her-

Karen ~ Washington

Hi Deanna,

We wanted to let you know our puppy Marvel rode like a trooper and did very well on the way home, the boys were in a bit of competition about who got to hold her and perhaps the grownups did too while respecting her need to sometimes just lie by herself and take it easy!~

She is already well on her way to housebreaking, has the recall in good shape and is eager to learn sit. She is soooooo smart and well put together, and has a marvelous disposition. Truly a loving soulful girl eager to bond and to please us. Sooooo good looking too we just swoon and swoon.

When we carried her in public on the stops on the way home a crowd gathered every time to admire her and comment on her markings. I teased our boys about later when they are interested in girl's all they have to do is get one of your puppies and they will be magnets for hot dates...

All your care and attention to the right things show up so clearly in this puppy-thanks for the extraordinary care you put into the breeding and caring for these dogs. She is so comfortable with herself and so affectionate-we know how much she was loved and socialized. I must say, I envy your life surrounded by these dogs even though I know you spend tons of time and money doing all the hard work and the tedious stuff too like emailing to tons of inquiries and the endless questions of excited puppy parents to be.

We will send photos soon,

Take good care,

Pat and family and Marvel aka Rosebud 2005 ~ Oregon

Hi Deanna

Just wanted to let you know that I took Rosco to the vet this past Friday for a checkup & shots. The vet said that he's very healthy and doing very well...he was pretty sore for Fri/Sat/Sun (cried everytime we picked him up), but seems better today. Everyone just thought he was soooo sweet.

He is coming right along on his commands....sits everytime I ask him to, sits at the door to go outside (most of the time haha!...getting better though), goes potty outside when I give his "outside" command, comes in the house and when I say "paw" he waits for me to dry his paws (it's been raining here lately), fetches his toy and brings it to me when I say "bring". At night when my boys get ready for bed, he has to go with them and snuggle down for the night. If they close the bedroom door before he goes in, he sits outside their door and cries until they let him in. He just has to be with us all the time.

I'd better get going. Just wanted to let you know that Rosco is coming along GREAT!! He's such a sweetheart and loves to cuddle!!

Have a great day!!

Ginnie

Hi Deanna,

Fiona is doing great! She's happy and growing like a weed. I've attached some pictures that were taken the day after the surprise at 7 weeks and one that was taken last Thursday on her 8 week birthday.

In one short week, she understands.....outside, her name, inside, come and she's even learned to fetch. Deanna, this dog is brilliant!

We're still working on potty training, no bite and sleeping through the night but all in all she's a champ. She was also an angel at the vet last Friday. No wimpers, no whining.... she took her shots just like a big girl. We were very proud of her.

I hope you are well. I'll forward more pictures as she grows.

take care,

Barbara

Goodmorning!

Rosco has a great personality. He is always smiling...haha Never seems to have a bad day. He is DEFINATELY a people person. Rosco greets all my daycare moms, dads, & kids at the door everyday.....gets a sloppy kiss in when he can!! He has a tremendous nose! Can smell a treat a mile away... loves peanut butter too! He goes nuts when he sees the jar of peanut butter. He's also started spotting birds. It's so much fun to watch him. Rosco has to be by my side all the time....if not with me, then with one of the boys. He can be a little whiner if we're separated!! He's just a "little bit" spoiled. Rosco is also a very quick learner! Was at the top of his puppy class....okay, so he was the only one in his class, but he still did really good!!! haha I've had him giving me "high fives" with each paw since he was 11 weeks old....also crawls on command, heels, "waits" at the stairs to let "us humans" go first until I say "go down the stairs", when it's wet outside he'll stay at the door until I wipe his paws, when it's time for him to eat he will sit there until we go through all of his commands....I've tried to give him his food without going through his commands, but he'll just sit there until I at least give him a high five! haha He likes to play hide and seek too. One of the boys will hide while I keep Rosco in the kitchen...then they'll start saying "Rosco, where's ?their name?" haha He finds them every time Plus a whole lot more tricks & commands we're still working on....

He's a lot of fun and we love him to pieces!!!

Gotta run! Have a great day!!

Ginnie~ 2005 Montana

Hello Deanna,

A little update on Treasure. Daughter of Panda and Saddle. I visited your web site and the new look is really great. It was especially neat to read about Panda and Saddle and see how they are doing. As you can see from the picture, Treasure is doing great!

It figures, that Panda is queen bee of the kennel, as Treasure is definately a chip of that block. She has improved in her manners a bunch, but still needs a reminder that Jean has a higher place on the totem pole than she does. Treasure is a great companion. She goes on runs with me at least once on week when I run at home on weekends. This is at least 6 miles and sometimes longer. She is excellent on a least, but does try to force a little more speed out of me at times. As you can see, she is in great shape. Weighs 58 pounds and no fat. She can be headstrong and still likes to steal clothing articles (mostly mine), which can be difficult to retrieve. Her manners improve greatly when I'm holding a doggy cookie. All in all, I love her, and she's MY dog.

Wayne in Great Falls, Mt 2005

Charlie is possibly going to his first puppy training class today to help with his socialization. So far he loves all people (which he shows with his mouth) and is super friendly with other dogs, even ones that are much bigger than he is! He is growing daily and we are amazed! The bitting/chewing is still a big struggle, but we understand that it's just how they are and are working hard on the training. He also loves his crate so that's wonderful. Attached are a few pics that Justin took a couple of days ago - such a handsome boy, everyone admires him!

Hope all is well, we look forward to hearing from you soon. :)

-Justin and Donna ~ Washington

Dear Deanna,

I'm trying to get pictures of Mattie and her parents for a scrapbook. A few weeks ago, you had some great pictures of Lemonade Mattties dad on the website, but now they're not there. Could you email a couple of them to me?? I sure would appreciate it.

Mattie is enjoying the summer-swimming at the lake, laying in her little pool here, digging in the garden, stealing shoes, bringing in the paper, going for walks etc. She is now taller and longer than our other springer. She is very pretty too. I'll try to send a picture soon.

Sincerely,

Jan Munson ~ Washington

Jan,

Here is Lemonade.....

he has gone to live with my sister and her loving family! But I still plan on using him for stud down the road. He is such a love, great conformation and temperament, he is a lemon and white ESS

a rare and fun A.K.C. registerable color in the ESS.

Hi Deanna,

Tasman howled for the first half hour of the trip home, but otherwise he slept. I've never heard a Springer howl before. When he got going, he sounded like a beagle!!! He was fine getting out every couple of hours and then sleeping when we put him back in his crate. However, he was full of energy when he got home and ready to explore.

He's adjusting nicely to his new home. I think he missed his sister for the first day or so, but everything was so new for him that I think he got very busy exploring his new environment that did not notice her absence for very long. He's probably the most assertive puppy I've ever dealt with. He's very intelligent. It took him very little time to figure out where his food and water are, where we keep biscuits, and where home is when we take him for walks. He also has a nose!! I'm amazed at the things he finds. He's keeping us on our toes since he is so energetic and testing his boundaries. He plays very hard and sleeps hard!!

All is well and we are deliriously happy with Tasman. He's growing like a weed and is so curious!! We took the picture yesterday while he was napping

in the garden.

Take care and thanks for a wonderful adoption experience. We could not be more pleased with Tasman!!

Cheri

Hi Deanna! Glad you liked the surprise. Clifford is absolutely stunning. He is a pistol of a personality...talks back to CLif. SO MUCH FUN! He is smart too. He and Tres are super buddies. We have to separate them to rest. They chew on each other. He loves Charley and Brandy and respects their space when they have had enough romping. He is very spoiled. Does not like to be alone. Quite a voice on him! We are wroking on that behavior....(Chuckle) We will take some current pictures...the only ones I have are the ones I took when we were flying home with him...at spokane airport (a very cool picture if you want to see it) I have nick named him daddy long legs. At this time he is a stout medium body on long legs...legs are growing first! Deanna...he "prances". He is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good looking. I heard Clif tell his buddy yesterday that he is thinking of asking you if you want to breed him once and then we get him fixed. We are not dog show people but he is such a "one-of-a kind" dog that Clif thinks he might need to bred once?(Only through you of course) More later on that. You may not think this is a good idea ....I was very surprised to hear Clif tell his friend that. His coloring and beautiful face/ eyes are like magnets to draw people to him. We are being very careful...we actually worried that someone may try to steal him!!! Clif gets up in the middle of the night when Clifford has to go potty. He happily sleeps in his kennel by our bed and beside Tres' kennel. I am feeling better. Going to Nome next week for my work. Take care Patty P.S. your new puppies are pretty cute. We enjoyed reading more about Rupers. We were so proud of CLifford's picture by Rupers. We love Clifford Deanna. Thank you for letting us buy him. P.S.S. Clif still talks about Buttercup...how she laid on his shoes when we got Clifford. We are hoping that she went ot a special home. Clif asks me to ask you all the time about her.....

Patty in Alaska ~ 2005

Hi Deanna,

I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know that Buttercup...aka..Mazy is doing well. She's such a little goofball. Her full registered name is Princess Buttercup Mazy Girl, but we decided to call her Mazy for short. It's definately easier to use when I'm training her. She's so smart. I've already taught her to sit, lay down, roll over, fetch and we're working on stay. She's such a good girl. She's very lovey and she's spoiled rotten. She's big enough to jump up on the couch by herself now so I'll let her in and that's the first place she goes. I just adore her. She still loves to chew on everything and everyone, but she's slowly getting better. I think I'll be glad when she gets her adult teeth in. I'll send you some pictures when I get a chance. Things have been hectic around here lately.

Take care,

Heather :)

Hi:

Returned from our hunt in S. Dakota. What fun. Trapper really got into it since we kicked up a lot of birds. Being preserve hunting and the first hunters there this year, we must have kicked up a couple of hundred birds. We got our limits both days we were there.

It was tough hunting due to the vegetation being very tall; the grasses were up to our waist and I had a hard time keeping track of the dog, since you couldn't see him very good. But you could tell when he was just kind of sniffing and when he got hot on a trail. Hunted him the first day 4 hours; he was pretty tired so we let him rest and took the owner's dogs.

Was really happy the way Trapper worked the second day when he stayed more between us. So I think he got the idea now. Will try that again next year.

Sigrid.~ Montana & Arizona

Hi I am just e-mailing you to see if you know of any owners of intact males on this side that are not related to Saddle, Tracker or Dreamer. I want to breed Flicka in December when she comes in heat. We tried breeding her again with the frozen semen I had stored from my Ch. tri but she did not catch on either try. We figure the semen had been frozen for too long. I had a beautiful male chosen until I got his pedigree and saw he was Flicka's relation TrackerX Beretta

(IIShea Ruper in Tombstone, Arizona). Rats.

Any hints you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You

Virginia 2005 ~ Oregon

Hi Deanna,

Well the first real quail hunt were great success. Due to the continued rains last year the quail had double and triple clutches - QUAIL EVERYWHERE. Everyone is saying California quail this season are as prevalent as ever. This is great for my first time hunters who busted many quail this past weekend.

I hunted in an area near Paso Robles, CA. This is central CA about 30 miles from the ocean. Lots of oak trees and sand washes - the combination perfect for CA quail. Friday late afternoon, temperature high 80's, we scouted and I let the boys chase a covey of probably 25 birds. The next morning the hunting season opened and we were there are first light. Temperature about 40 at dawn, and high 60's in the afternoon - great weather. The boys were ready with high energy. We walked a deep wash and the boys were up and down the brush, while I walked down the middle in the sand. We jumped pairs, singles, and a group of probably 20 quail over the next two hours.

I bagged 7 birds, and missed several. One downed bird ran all around in tall hay and the

boys we confused and had to really hunt for this cripple - good experience. Retrieving still

needs work, but it was great having the boys cover more ground and help find birds.

I'm headed to the dessert east of San Diego (El Centro, CA) this weekend if the weather

is cool. Dice is a hunter, no question. He's pretty quick and covers a lot of ground, yet I

can keep him as close as I need. Domino is much more reserve and hunts very close.

He is learning to hunt more aggressively, and bumping so many quail this weekend really

helped him get more excited. We saw quail 10 different times in 2.5 days. Everywhere I

stopped to let the boys hunt we found birds. This partly comes from experience of knowing

where to look (sand washes with oak trees), but the quail population is at all time high this

year. Many quail, many places.

We hope to have a great season (oct 15 to end of January). I'll likely hunt again in

Paso Robles around Thanksgiving or the week before. I found a couple here in San Diego who raise chukkar and I expect to hunt planted birds a couple of times before pheasant season (starts Nov 12 in CA).

I'll keep you posted on the boys progress. We need work on retrieving and Domino's enthusiasm, but the boys behave very well, and I can generally control their distance.

Yesterday I drove home 300 miles, hunted two places. Dice and Domino are great travelers. They have the back seat all to themselves, and they sleep most of the time, but when I stop and let them hunt they are full blast ready to go.

I'm working now, with two pups sleeping at my feet.

Hi Deanna,

I didn't get up at 3am and try to find ducks or quail, but today was overcast and only high 50's so I took the boys chukkar shooting. I say shooting vs. hunting because I buy the birds, take them to a hunting spot and plant the birds, and then let Dice and Domino do their thing. I tell you the past two weeks with live birds has brought them to a new level. Domino is much more enthusiastic and Dice's nose is like a laser beam.

The boys worked very well, responded to my voice, hunted where I wanted them to, and they flushed and retrieved all of the seven chukkar. We had a great three hours, with pretty cool weather (for us :-), and there's nothing like live and larger birds to get the boys ready for pheasant season - three week from now.

I won't bother you too much as we get into the season but I'm proud of these ever improving sessions with the boys - who are now sleeping at my feet. I'll keep you posted. 2005

Hi it`s Mindy and my husband and I bought a tri-color male puppy from you back in October 2004 and we are so happy with him! I have attached some of the multitude of pictures that we have taken of him, and if you would like more, I could send them to you. He is such a lovable dog and he has turned into quite the hiker and camper. We would just like to express how happy we are with Cooper, (our puppy) and how much we would love to get another one of your puppies! We would like to get a liver colored male, we would really like it when they have more color on them than white fur. You do a fantastic job raising these great puppies and we are so happy to have found you and Cooper!

Thanks again,

Mindy ~ CO. 2005

Dear Deanna,

Sage is a little angel in our house, although she does have a little attitude sometimes (which makes her fit in perfectly LOL) she's cute, sweet, and learns extremely fast! In a little while, we're going to take her out pheasant hunting. She has already been out in the field before, so she can't wait. Another thing good about her (it's annoying too sometimes) is that fact that she would be a perfect watchdog. At the smallest sign of neighbor cats or other moving creatures, she runs around the house telling everyone. Well, thank you for asking, she fits right in with our family and we love her very much!

2005

Sage at 6 months old, she`s now about a year old, but still looks the same.

Montana

Sincerely,

The Bell's

Hello Deanna,

Just a quick note to let you know Moose is doing fine. He and his buddy "Harley" (the 15 week old sable tri) hit it off from day one, and both are adapting very well to their new environment.

They both go to the vet on Wednesday - that should be interesting - thank God I don't have 13 to go like you.

Anyway, I've attached a couple of pics to show you how stressed both pups are here. It's hard to believe he can sleep with his head hanging down, but he seems to prefer that position. I had to take the pictures while they napped; it's about the only time Moose is not NON-STOP. He cuddles when he's tired, the other 23 1/2 hours he and Harley are wrestling, chasing each other wide open (both inside and out), and just wearing me out trying to keep up.

Seriously, we really enjoy him; his non-stop energy, his super cute face, and his bulldog attitude.

I'll keep you posted on his progress.

Thanks again,

Martin 2005 ~ Georgia

Nico is four now and has quite a personality. All of our boys are out of the house, with two in college who get home sometimes and one out on his own, so Nico follows my husband, Bob, around "like a puppy dog". We live on a loop a little ways off the highway and Nico loves to run around the block while we ride the bike (not near the highway!). He has two best friends, a weimeriener (Chase), and another cute little Springer (Clover). Chase's owner comes over two or three times a day and takes all three dogs across the street from our house and lets them run in the vacant lot that borders an irrigation ditch while we're at work. They also ride around the block, but if we are home, Nico will not go with them--he's afraid he'll miss something with his "dad"! He loves to be outside and when he's in, he loves to sit on the couch or chair and look out the front window. He has his nose to the ground all the time, loves to chase birds, loves to swim, hates a bath. He gets all excited when we mention "outside" or "going around the block" or "do you want a bone?" He was fixed a couple years ago and never wanders off. We have a fenced in back yard, but off course he always wants to be in the front yard!

He's been fun and we get a kick out of him almost every day.

http://www.greatlakesbcrescue.org/SimmyProject/OCD.htm

Hi Laura, I have never heard of this before in springers...When did Annie start showing symptoms?

I dont believe any of her littermates have this problem but than again maybe I just havnt heard yet? I get quite a few UPDATES so maybe I will hear something?

I had to go do a search the link above is one of the sites I found POOR girl is it really bad? Does she seem to be in pain? Tell me all about it when you get a chance I am very curious! Both parents have OFA cleared hips I guess I never even thought a springer could get other joint problems. I have never heard of that before. Beings they are a smaller breed. Is it in her back hock? I would LOVE to see new pics of her !

give her a hug and kiss for me!

take care

Deanna

Deanna, Yes, it is in her back hock. You may not remember - I emailed you at the time we discovered it. She was about 6 months when we discovered she had a limp. We ignored it for a couple weeks thinking that she just did something running around as a puppy. Ultimately ended up with some specialists in Spokane that did surgery to clean out the cartilage but that's all they can do. There is no cure. We decided very early on that we weren't going to baby her and let her have as fun and full a life as she can. Although she can't jump into the truck and is not quite as sure-footed as she would be, she has no idea that she's not normal so we just treat like she is.

She gets pain medicine when she over does it. While the specialist said there is not yet conclusive evidence, it is possible that this is genetic. Since it doesn't sound like any of the other owners have contacted you, and they would have, then that may not be the case here. He had never seen this in a Springer either and took particular interest in her because of that. You can see from the attached picture that she also looks much different than our older girl, Libby (Annie is on the right - they were pretty scruffy there - right before hair cuts). Annie has the long, silky show dog fur vs. the field breed. Libby is field through and through.

Anyway, we love her dearly and she's spoiled rotten. Laura ~ Washington

Hello-

It has been a long time since I sent you pictures of Rhapsody. You happened to catch me on a slow day AND I just happened to download some current pictures.

Rhapsody is an absolute love. She is cuddly, precious, and beautiful. She loves to run and wrestle with her older sister. She thinks she is a lap dog and at 50 pounds, she fills up my lap. She has tons of energy and is always anxious to get off her lead and run. But the best thing about her is she is always happy. Her tail wags every time you look her way or mention her name! I wouldn't trade her for the world!

Take care,

Caralee ~

California

Lilli is doing good--she has quite a personality and likes to hug--she will put her paws around your arms or legs and hugs you---she also can be quite mischievous -especially when she thinks you are not paying enough attention to her--example--when I am on the phone--she takes one of her squeaky toys and pushes it against my legs to make noise--so I get off the phone faster--she also loves walks and lets me know that she wants a walk (which is everyday) by going to her leash and than to the front door and barking----she is a very beautiful dog and we always get compliments on how good looking of a dog she is----we are working on manners now and also behaving when we get company--she gets so excited when we get company-that quite often she has to go to her kennel-because she doesn't want to calm down---and she is very strong-so it intimidates people--especially little ones that get scared because she is so hyper and excited....

but she is a special part of our family and we love her very much--I'll try to send you a picture soon--she is a big girl and 60 lbs..very strong and muscular...she loves to swim --but hasn't really socialized well with other dogs--she prefers humans...

No Worries,

Karen ~ Washington

Bailey is doing just great! She weighs about 55 lbs and is very active. She is also very sharp and loves to learn commands.

Hunter my older dog is not the sharpest tool in the shed. He by no means is anywhere close to an Alpha dog, but poor Bailey cannot get him to understand that she should be the one ruling the roost.

She is definately bigger, stronger, more agile, and far more muscular than he is but when they test against each other she eventually reverts to puppydome and flips over. Go figure!=)

They both fall asleep in our bed at night and are very much loved.

Hopefully one more year to go and my home at night won't look like a daily frat party was tossed They have a doggie door so they get full run of the house and back yard. My neighbors report they go out a couple of times a day to do their 'thing' and then race around the yard a few times and then dart back into the house. They are not constant barkers and my neighbors really consider them good dogs.

Donna

It's hard to believe they are 2 1/2 ALREADY!!!! My babies are all grown up!!! The three of us had a fun summer of hiking and agility. I'm hoping as winter sets in that I will be doing a bit of snowshoeing! It will be great exercise for me, and Maggie N Molly will benefit too. Running through deep snow will definately tire them out. Always a good thing!!! We just went trick-or-treating lastnight. Maggie was a policeman and Molly was a convict. Very cute!! Well, I could on forever about them, but I will stop here for now. I'll send ya a recent picture of each of them too. They are VERY beautiful girls!! I literally get comments about how beautiful they are EVERYWHERE I go, and by almost EVERYONE!!!

ps. The pictures I attached were taken this last August on a hiking trail up in the Bridger Mountains, outside of Bozeman. We had a blast!!! Leslie ~ Montana

Hi, Deanna,

We were so happy to hear from you. It's wonderful to know you still think of the pups that have gone to live with various owners.

Our report could be far longer than you have time to read so I'll try to be brief.

Tucker is absolutely the best, most beautiful dog in the world! He's a talented bird hunter although he's not spent a lot of quality hunting time. He's in the field a lot but Gary and I don't do a lot of shooting anymore. We think we can see a smile on Tucker's face when he flushes a bird. He has boundless energy which makes him a perfect running companion for me. He's very good with other dogs which makes it nice to run trails, etc. while we're in Bozeman. We're more secluded but we do some hiking with friends and dogs and he loves the dog companionship. The qualities I've just described probably don't surprise you too much. However, this little guy is amazingly adaptable. He's been a perfect visitor at the nursing home where my mother resides. He goes in and sits by chairs where older folks offer treats. He's as gentle as you can imagine. He seems to know he needs to be calm in that environment. He's very good with kids as well. If they offer to be wild, he's happy to oblige. If they are timid he's willing to sit back and be patient. We think those traits are pretty amazing for a puppy with as much energy as Tucker.

Just yesterday a woman stopped us and asked about Tucker. She commented on his beautiful markings. I don't mind bragging to you, he truly is a beautiful dog. It's difficult to show all of his markings in a photo.

Most of all, Tucker is our buddy and we love him a lot. We struggled near 6 years before making the decision to find another dog. Now we can't imagine what we did without one. We're so happy we found Tucker.

Sincerely,

Tucker's parents, Gary and Myrna ~ Montana

Hi Deanna,

I thought I would send a quick reply to let you know how our Tracker is doing. I don't have a real up-to-date photo, but I will send you one as soon as I take it.

Tracker is amazing. He's so perfect for us. We love his sweet little personality, he literally loves everybody and everything. Tracker just turned three years old. He is very loyal to us, and gets so pathetically sad anytime we have to leave him alone. This is rare since Tom is disabled and doesn't work. Tracker loves to run. We take him out daily either to the track or to nearby sugar beet fields. He also loves our frequent trips to the mountains. We've become very interested in the Pryor Mt. Wild Horses, and he's learned to respect them and stay back from them. He learned this after he decided to chase a bachelor stallion, and the stallion turned on him and chased him to the car. I'm very cautious with him and keep him on a leash whenever we're near the horses. I just can't take any chances with him.

Tracker is so strikingly beautiful. People stop us all the time to comment on his beauty. Of course he loves this and has lots of affection for everyone who takes the time to pat his head. We never did get his hair cut, and right now it's so long and silky.

As you can tell, we love our dog. We are so grateful to you for sharing him with us. I always feel that he was a gift from God the way we happened to find him. I'll send you a picture very soon so you can see this little beauty.

Nancy ~ Montana

Hi Deanna,

Sorry we haven't e-mailed sooner! Naomie(now Libby) is doing wonderful - we are Amazed at how quickly

she has adjusted. It only took her about a day and a half. She is so smart - already knows how to sit

and comes every time we call her! She is a Sweetie, we are so happy to have her, she has brightened up

our lives so much already. Thank you so much - she is growing, we'll send you a picture soon!

Mark, Cheryl and Libby

Hi Deanna,

Sorry we haven't e-mailed sooner! Naomie(now Libby) is doing wonderful - we are Amazed at how quickly

she has adjusted. It only took her about a day and a half. She is so smart - already knows how to sit

and comes every time we call her! She is a Sweetie, we are so happy to have her, she has brightened up

our lives so much already. Thank you so much - she is growing, we'll send you a picture soon!

Mark, Cheryl and Libby

Montana

Deanna,

Hi there. Sorry I have taken so long to get back to you. Samuel is great!!!! He is so cute, it's hard not to pick him up and carry him. I am trying to keep him on the same schedule that you had. We are still working on create training. He is getting better and better each night. Samuel has also learned to use the dog door, and is doing great at the housebreaking.

Today he went and curled up right next to my oldest dog, it was so sweet. He is fitting in great with the family. My kids and I think everything he does is so cute; we just can't quit taking pictures of him.

Thanks for such a great dog.

Thanks again,

Christine

P. S. He is lying next to me, a little tried from all the play

Oklahoma

Deanna,

Just letting you know my little baby arrived safely! He cried and tried to howl all the way down the hill but was asleep before we got to Missoula. The drive through Lincoln and over Roger's Pass was a little slow but once we got down to the flat land it was smooth sailing. I made the mistake of waking him up when we were safely down the pass to

let him tinkle and he cried the rest of the way home. I think he was hungry!! He is a VERY good eater. All the puppy books make it sound like it's hard to get them to eat all their food in twenty minutes but he has been gobbling it down right away. He was a little confused by the leash at first, but it didn't take too long to figure out why we were going out on it. Today he was actually prancing about on the end of it.

Deanna, thank you so much for letting me adopt him. I can't believe how much I love him already. He is so cuddly, yet very playful. Already, I think he's getting the idea of fetch--if he doesn't get distracted on the way over to his toy. LOL You can really tell he's been handled a lot by you and your family because he has no problem with me touching his feet and looking in his ears,etc..

Thanks again.

Mary

Montana

Hi Deanna,

We got Buddy a little over a year ago from you, and last Fall sent you some pictures of Buddy on her first pheasant hunt. Last year our pheasant habitat flooded and that was hard on the young chicks so the pheasant population is down this year. Thus, I only shot one bird this year (I see pheasants are real numerous in Montana) and have sent you a picture of Buddy with the bird. Also, left Buddy in the car when I went deer hunting last weekend and she waited so patiently that I let her out after shooting a buck. She rode back to the house on the deer in the back of the Jeep. Buddy's doing great and we'll probably take her out quail hunting this weekend, the quail population is still good.

Richard

~Indiana

Hello Deanna,

I have been meaning to write to tell you about Fiona's progress. Since she just turned 8 months (my how time flies!), I thought this was the perfect time to send you pictures. I'm eager to also hear about her siblings. Have they turned out as fabulous as Fiona? Or are we just incredibly lucky?? :-) I'll tell you one thing Deanna, Feather and Tucker are a great combination! And from the few pictures that I've seen of Feather. Fiona looks just like her Mom.

Fiona is about 45 pounds now and all leg as you can see by the pictures. She's incredibly smart, too smart for her own good at times, and she really challenges us to keep her motivated. She went through puppy school and level 2 training with flying colors. She is such a good girl. She sleeps in her crate in our bedroom and it doesn't matter how long we sleep, she waits in her crate for us to wake up to let her out. She never cries. She is a giant love bug in the morning. Needs lots of rubs, especially belly and ears. She fetches the newspaper every morning. She's very good at that! Dale has taught her how to "high five". She loves catching frisbees and she's wild about swimming. She even dives under water. It's an amazing sight!

She knows what each of her toys are and when I ask her to get a particular one, she goes right for it. We still have the fleece blanket that you sent with her. She sleeps with it every night and sometimes walks around the house with it in her mouth. Like Linus. Can you tell that we are just crazy about Fiona?! She is the light of our household. Thank you!!!!!

I hope you have a happy thanksgiving,

Barbara

Dear Deanna,

We have now settled into our new home in Bothell, Wash. and Joey & Whiskey are doing great.We had them Kenneled for five and a half @ a Canine Country Club. The people there where great and gave them a lot of love and attention . We were able to visit them and that is where these pics were taken a couple weeks ago.

Jim,Joey & whiskey

The Boys as we refer to them by

Joey Tri & Whiskey B/W

Jim & the Boys

They are settling in quite nicely

Joey is now 62lbs.of love, and healthy 17 months Whiskey is 55 lbs. of love and healthy 11 months

Joey is as sweet as can be and Whiskey is a lover, always needs someone around and has to know where we are.

I tell you they are God's gift from Heaven.

Sincerely,

Jim & Diane

Bothell, Wash.

Hi Deanna

just a note to update you on scooter......he has been out to the pheasant club

1-2 days a week...jim was very patient and it has paid off.....

scooter the last two weeks has done very well flushing, retriving, and just

generally following commands well...we are hoping that our hunt will learn from

scooter and start getting it also....

scooter is, also, the most mellow soul i have ever known....loves to play and

fetch.....but can be found cuddled up to my back when i am asleep....

he is an all around joy to have in our family...

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL...

Carol

First, Happy Holidays to you and families.

Can you believe it? Dice and Domino will be one year old January 5th. They have been the best hunting buddies and get along so well. They still rough house, tease each other, and play tug-a-war with toys but that's just being dogs.I have more hunting reports for you. For their first hunting season they boys have been a real joy. They both have developed into great hunters and other than sharing retrieves (2 dogs; 1 bird) they are ready to hunt anywhere, anytime. Upland that is. I haven't

yet tried to keep them sitting in a duck blind, and may not even try this season.

This past week I gave myself and the boys a hunting Xmas present. We spent 5 of the past 6 days hunting. 3 days we hunted the rice fields in northern CA (Williams/Colusa) and managed to bag 6 snow geese, 6 roosters, and 2 bufflehead ducks. You should have seen the dogs when they were surprised by geese falling from the sky vs. pheasant flushing from the hedge rows. When I would shoot at the geese overhead they'd stand ready watching for the bird to drop. They

got the hang of it and retrieved one cripple probably 100 yards, and retrieved two birds across a canal

saving me very long walks.

The boys still like to chase rabbits, rats, mice, tweety birds, lizards, or anthing else that moves, but I don't mind them chasing one or two rabbits as long as it's safe (no fences or roads).

On my return to San Diego I quail hunted the desert (Landcaster CA) with a friend who has 2 Golden Retrievers. They're pretty good but our Springers quartered better, hunted close, and bounced most of the birds. We bagged 15 quail. Two hunters; four dogs; tons of quail; priceless.

Finally my buddy and I spent Xmas Eve morning in the desert near El Centro (2.5 hours drive East of San Diego). We hunted quail early (bagged 3), then dove (bagged 7) and finally walked a couple of alfalfa fields and bagged one nice rooster. To find a rooster in this area is very unusual and nothing like the northern CA rice fields. (see pics attached and you see the comparison). The boys and I prefer the wet cool rice checks and quality hunting in northern CA, but when we left the alfalfa field Saturday it was approaching 80 degrees (yes, Xmas Eve was 80 degrees in the So. CA desert). I only hunted a short time and kept the boys cool with water. They had a great first time hunting in lush green alfalfa.

Easy walking for me too.

We left with only waterfowl and quail for the next month, but I'm sure I'll have the boys out hunting somewhere.

I'll keep you posted.

I want to thank you for the health and hunting

skills of Dice and Domino. They have not replaced my

previous Springer who died a year ago, but these two

have made great companions and quality hunting

buddies.

Happy Holidays, and see the attached pics.

Eric ~ California

Hi Deanna,

Sadie is doing great! Yes, we decided on Sadie since her dad was Saddle and she looks like she has a black saddle her back and she really responded to the name Sadie. She is a smart little girl and learns quickly. She does really well sleeping in her kennel at night. The first night she slept on our bed then the next night the kennel and she cried for maybe a half hour or so. The second night she cried for five minutes or so and since she is just as quiet and content until the morning. She loves the water and has already been in my koi pond and into the pool. The cats and her get along just fine and Chase likes playing, however, gets a little tired of Sadie chewing on her. She is settling in beautifully and like all babies, likes a routine.

Hope all is well and talk to you soon!

Devon ~ 2005 California

Hi Deanna,

Please accept my apology for the delay in responding to you. We've been

so puppy-focused that we forgot about the computer. :-)

Little Miss Autumn is doing VERY well. She has made a smooth adjustment

and goes to the vet in an hour. She is definitely a little explorer - as she enjoys

climbing in the box planters and likes to frolic in the leaves. It is especially fun

to see her at play inthe early morning, after potty, as she runs around the

back yard looking for sticks and stuff. She is great about letting us know when

she has to got potty/outside.

She has a wonderful disposition/temperment, and is receiving basic instruction

quite well. She is a smarty! :-) And so very happy too! Tempting to call

her "Joy." :-) We are keeping her name "Autumn" as itis a beautiful name and

represents my favorite time ofyear and the season of our wedding anniversary.

She is a real gem. She just loves her dog bed, the blankies you sent, and all of

her many toys. Her favorite one is the doggie you sent. It is so cute! Is it

possible to purchase some of those from you? Simply put, we adore her!

Springer love is the greatest!

We've included some photos for you. Enjoy!

Warm regards, Kristin & Dave 2005~ Oregon