Welcome, Failte

We weren't allowed to have a dog until I turned 12 years old. While my dad, brother, sister, and I desperately wanted on, my mom wanted to wait until we were all responsible enough to take care of him. Fourth of July weekend 1995, the McClintocks brought home a yellow lab from Close Corters Labs in Linden, Pa.

Since he was our first dog, and we were a sports family, we named him Rookie. Rookie was a remarkable family dog and hunting dog. He had no interest in playing fetch, and would only retrieve downed ducks, which he did with great skill.

We had to put Rookie to sleep in 2008, and when I was looking for my first dog, I knew I had to go back to the Corter's. Fittingly, though, I stuck with my generation when choosing my pup, getting him through the son of the owners of Close Corters, Daugherty's Run. And I decided to go with a black lab.

I pick him up in a few days, and I'm anxious to start training my new hunting companion, Boru.

I will be asking for advice, sharing progress stories, and hopefully getting some stories from you as well. Once we get GoHUNTn up and running, I'll be looking forward to sharing this blog with the entire hunting community on there!