German Shorthaired Pointer

A German Shorthaired Pointer does not rest. It scans, it sniffs, and it waits for the word. Then it is gone across the field like a liver-colored arrow.

The breed began in Germany in the 1800s. Hunters wanted one dog that could do everything. It had to point, track, retrieve, and swim, in fields, woods, and water. German breeders crossed pointers with hounds and bird dogs until they had it.

The dog arrived in America in the 1920s and the AKC recognized it in 1930. It took to American fields at once.

A GSP has a water-friendly coat and webbed feet. It hunts upland birds in the morning and retrieves ducks from cold water in the afternoon. Few breeds do both so well.

At home, a GSP is affectionate, goofy, and exhausting. It needs miles of running every day. Without them, it will rearrange your furniture. With them, it is a gentle shadow.

Give it a field, a job, and a family. In 2016, one named CJ won Best in Show at Westminster.