Did Sled Dogs Get Executed Because of Slow Business?

Outside of hunting dogs, sled dogs are the hardest working canines. But the ASPCA is investigating a mass murder of sled dogs in the Vancouver area.

Check out the latest GoHUNTn Dog post over on GoHUNTn!

Labs are Number One!

As if lab owners didn't know this already!

According to the American Kennel Club, the labrador retriever was ranked as the number one favorite breed in America. As a biased lab owner, labs are not only versatile hunting dogs but great with kids, can be indoor and outdoor, and are a handsome looking breed.

On the hunting front, there are your arguments for other breeds. I've only ever owned labs, which is a result of me mainly using them as waterfowl and family dogs. I don't think there's a better combo between the two. I've also hunted over some spectacular field labs who have roused uplands better than their pointer and spaniel brethren.

Some other hunting dogs in the top of the list were beagles at no. 4 and golden retrievers at no. 5. Click here for the entire list.

Sure there are some that are better for certain applications than others. I don't think a lab would be great at running through a brier patch after rabbits. When it comes down to it, it's not about the breed, really. It's about how you treat and train your dog.

Disrespecting a Dog in Death

Here in central Pennsylvania, there is outrage over a local story. It seems that someone tied a cinder block around the neck and muzzle of a German shepherd and threw the dog over the side of a bridge. Killing the dog. There's also a hole in the dog's side, so it may have been shot. (Photo courtesy of the Williamsport Sun Gazette)

I don't think there will ever be a shortage of new stories that leave us saying: "What the hell were they thinking?"

I have a small shred of hope that what happened here was that the German shepherd had terminal cancer or something, and the owners, instead of putting their dog to sleep, shot it. And instead of burying the poor pup, decided to give him a burial at sea.

Animal Cruelty: Dog Halloween Costumes

I'm all for festive dog collars and the occasional bandana for Boru to celebrate an occasion, like a big Syracuse Orange football game, but for his first Halloween, Boru is going as a hunting dog. As he will for every Halloween of his life.

But dog owners in the great metropolis of New York City and I don't share the same view on this topic (shocking, I know). The blog BuzzFeed calls these dog costumes from Tompkins Square Park's Halloween Dog Parade "cute." I think it's the scariest halloween parade I've ever seen.

How To Say Goodbye to Your Gun Dog

It's never easy, but at some point, we'll all have to say goodbye to a gun dog. The relationship between a hunting dog and a hunter is different than any other dog/owner relationship. While there are people who tuck their bichons in their purses and carry them everywhere, no one gets closer to a dog than a hunter.

There is a strong bond between hunting companions. I consider people I've hunted with as good friends, even if that hunt only lasted a weekend. A good hunting dog is the long-term hunting companion who doesn't make fun of you for missing an easy pheasant shot, falling into the stream on a duck hunt, or snoring relentlessly through the night.

Boru's First Hunt!!

Well, fall is here and the time is right for hunting in the creeks.

I have not been the best hunting dog trainer/owner/blogger in recent months. I have excuses, but I won't bore you with them. Luckily I'm blessed with having a very smart 5-month-old puppy who has all the energy of a puppy with at least some of the restraint of a 5-year-old dog.

After a few gun breaking sessions, which he did wonderfully with, and some field retrieves with a pheasant wing duct-taped to a bumper, it was time to take Boru out on the water for some wood duck action this morning.

A nice windy morning with early clouds made for a perfect day on the water. We kicked some woodies out first thing, but it was too dark to shoot. Boru quickly settled into his favorite past-time: chewing and eating sticks, while we hoped for some more ducks to buzz by.

After the nearby shooting died, the clouds cleared, and the turkeys flew back and forth over Sugar Run, one of my hired guns (my dad) decided to take a walk and see if he could kick up some ducks and stir up the action, while my other hired gun (my grandfather) stayed in our duck blind.

It's Almost Hunting Season!

Well, we've made it. Three pain-staking months of no hunting, early dove and goose seasons are just a week away here in Pennsylvania and in much of the nation, as well.

Boru and I have been doing okay on our training. He's responded well to gun shots, enjoys retrieving in the water, fetches on command. We haven't done a lot of live-bird training, which is largely my fault. From what I've heard and read, pigeons are ideal training birds. For the past five years, living in New York City and Washington, D.C., I've tripped over these rats with wings. Now out in the sticks, finding them is a bit of a task. So, we have relied on using store-bought wings.