Sean C. Morgan
A 1-year-old German short-haired pointer from Sweet Home recently became the youngest dog of her breed to achieve grand champion status in dog shows.
Twitter was 1 year 8 days old when she achieved that status on Feb. 23, said owner Kirstin Fulk of Field of Dreams,.
That is the youngest grand champion in the history of the breed, Fulk said. She acomplished it at the Linn County Kennel Club show.
To achieve the designation, a dog must first earn 15 points to become a “champion,” Fulk said. Five points are the most available at any show. The points are accrued competitively. Twitter earned her champion status at the Rose City Classic on Jan. 16.
Upon achieving 25 points, a dog earns “grand champion” status, Fulk said. Twitter achieved it in six showings.
Fulk has been showing Twitter since she was 6 months old, Fulk said. She achieved the title of “junior hunter” at 7 months of age. A hunting dog earns that recognition by completing four tests, including hunting ability, trainability, bird finding and pointing, and then may continue to “senior hunter” and “master hunter” status.
Next up, Twitter will head to Wisconsin for nationals and compete against the top dogs in the nation, Fulk said. Fulk is hoping she’ll just be acknowledged at some level in the competition.
Twitter has a lot more show in her, Fulk said, and she wants the dog to reach the top 25 German short-haired pointers soon and then breach the top five in the nation, earning her an invite to Westminster Kennel Club show.
Twitter’s official name is GCH CH Kempfers Follow Me JH. The abbreviations are the awards the dog has won. She is the daughter of 7-year-old Destiny, officially GCH CH Kempfers Destiny JH. Destiny was ranked in the top 25 German short-haired pointers nationally for three years.
Twitter’s sire is Benny, officially DC/AFC NMK’s Molto Bene MH, an amateur field champion and a show champion as well as a master hunter.
Fulk has been showing German short-haired pointers since 1994. She is raising a litter of nine, parented by Destiny’s sister, Gracie, and Benny. Eight are sold, and Fulk is keeping one hoping it will be another Twitter.
Fulk has owned and operated the Field of Dreams Kennel, west of Sweet Home, 21980 Hwy. 20, with her husband, Paul, since 2001. They offer kennel and training services and are about to open a “self-serve dog wash.”
They also host a series of bird-dog hunting competitions and training events during the summer.
The dogs are members of an active breed, Fulk said. “They are very family-oriented. They love kids. They love to be with the family. They’re goofy. They’ve got a lot of personality. They love to play. They really like people, a bold, in-your-face kind of dog.”