I Live With Humans, Joey's Storey

Hi! I'm Joey the German Wirehaired Pointer and I want to tell you what it is like living with humans. My full name is Misty's Von Joey but my humans just call me Joey. I like my name and especially like to hear it when the human children call for me.

I live the life of Riley, hey, that would make a good name for a dog. I've never lived with anyone else so I really don't have anything to compare my life with but I'm pretty happy right where I am and wouldn't want to change anything.

I live in the house with my humans and even sleep on their bed at night. They bought me my own big bed but I really like curling up at the foot of the bed near my humans feet. That way I can protect them if anyone should come in the room! I use my bed to take naps in and it is really, really comfy. I know this drives them crazy...hehehehe.

I get fed dog food twice a day. Once in the morning after a long run and once in late afternoon. What they feed me is OK but I would prefer to eat the human food. Sometimes they give me some of their food but it is usually a vegetable. Not that I don't like the carrots or brocolli but I would prefer the steak or chicken. I never, ever get chocolate, onions or grapes. I overheard my humans say that these things could hurt me so I guess I should be happy with the carrots.

My very favorite thing to do is go pheasant hunting. I love to hunt! I'd rather go pheasant hunting than any other thing in the world. I'd rather pheasant hunt than eat and that is really something because I love to eat.

My next favorite thing is being in the water. I'm a pretty good swimmer and this summer I even learned to put my head under water to retrieve a toy. Pretty good huh? I guess I shouldn't brag about swimming because I do have webbed feet so I have an advantage over other dogs when it comes to swimming.

I think I am pretty well behaved but I can be stubborn sometimes. Once I get on a scent and have my nose to the ground I don't want to come when I am called. My humans get really mad when that happens so I try to obey their commands, but sometimes it is so hard. And, if there are other dogs around, besides my brother Jack, I have a hard time listening to my humans. I'm only two years old and still have a lot of puppy in me.

I guess I didn't tell you about my brother Jack. We are from different litters and have totally different personalities. Jack is very serious and doesn't like me to pester him. He wasn't very happy when the humans brought me home. I guess I can understand that because he was the only dog for over two years and then he has to put up with a pesky puppy. And believe me, I was a pesky puppy....always biting at his whiskers.

I don't remember a lot about when I was little but I do know my humans took a lot of pictures of me. They would always say "get the camera, Joey is being silly". I could always make my humans laugh and they love watching me do somersaults. I don't know how I learned to do a somersault, I just did it by putting my head down and rolling over. I guess it is quite funny to see.

When it came to potty training I was really, really stubborn. I did not want to go outside to do my business. I prefered the rug in front of the front door. It felt good under my feet. Jack would always give me a sniff and roll his eyes at me as if to say I would never learn. My humans never spanked me but I could tell by the tone of their voice that they were not very happy. I soon came to realize that I liked to make them laugh instead of having them mad at me so I always go to the door and bark to let them know I need to go outside.

I do remember the first time my human took me pheasant hunting. I was about 4 months old and it was awesome. The fresh air, the long grasses and all those smells. It was awesome. From then on whenever my human put on hunting socks I knew where we were going and I never let him out of my sight.

At 6 months old my human let me go on a guided hunt with my brother Jack. That was even better than I could have imagined. Me and Jack make a great team and those pheasants just don't have a chance. Did I tell you? I love to pheasant hunt.

Brother Jack

You don't see many German Wirehaired Pointers but we have a great heritage. I learned that word from my human and I think it means we go way back.

Just to tell you a little about the German Wirehaired Pointer or GWP for short, our breed is one of the most versatile of hunting dogs. We have wirey coats and lots of facial hair. My humans love to brush me and they say I look so pretty when my beard is combed. We are an old breed that has been around since the 1800's and were first seen in Germany. We were bred to be in the field hunting and retrieving.

GWP's are family dogs and even though we love to hunt we also like the social life of being in a human family and make much better hunting dogs if we live with our humans rather than being kenneled. I am sure there are some that would differ with my opinion but I know living with my humans makes me feel special and loved.

We Wirehaireds come in many different colors and our coats can be different. For instance, my brother Jack is liver colored with a white chest and reddish colored beard and eye brows. He really is quite handsome. Me, I have much longer hair than Jack and my coloring is liver and white. I've also seen GWP's that are black with some white ticking.

My breed is loyal and eager to please and we are ranked as one of the top hunting breeds. We have excellent stamina and can remain in the field as long as you ask us to. We are focused on what we have been bred to do and that is hunt!

In the field

Yup, that's me. I must be the happiest dog ever. Can you see the smile on my face.

I love to hunt. I think I told you that before but it is really what I live to do. So you know that Fall is my very favorite season. There is a scent in the air and the mornings are cool with a little frost on the ground. It is a really special time of year for me.

Here I am on our property and the human has just called me to see if I want to go hunting. Are you kidding??? I love to hunt. I'll meet you at the truck in say, 2 seconds.

Did I tell you that on my first guided hunt I, me personally, pointed 7 birds? Yes, I did. It was the most fun ever.

Sharing with Jack

One of my favorite "human" foods is sweet corn. I like mine with a lot of butter and a touch of salt. Whenever my humans have sweet corn for supper they always make an extra ear for Jack and I to share. I don't like to share most of the time but I know that when it comes to the sweet corn that is the only way I am going to get some.

This picture was taken when I was only 6 months old. I really was a cute little guy and I was really lucky that Jack would put up with me, especially when it came to sharing the sweet corn because before I came along he got the whole ear to himself. Lucky dog.

Here is a great bed for your dog. I love mine. It keeps me up off the floor so I can see better and it is oh so very comfy.

I must confess, I am a chewer. So, the only toy my humans can get for me and know that I won't chew it up is a Kong. They fill mine with dog treats. Yum, yum.

My humans refer to it often because it has all kinds of information about GWP's from puppy to senior dog. There are a lot of ideas about training up your puppy to be well behaved and fun to be around.

These are just my thoughts about being a dog named Joey.

First of all, I like my name. It fits me and I am glad my humans found a good name for me, even though when they call me I don't always come right away.

Second, I wish all dogs could come and live with me. That would be awesome. I would have someone to play with all the time because sometimes Jack doesn't want to play. Or, at the very least I wish my humans would bring home another puppy. But, I heard my mama human tell the daddy human "over my dead body" whatever that means.

Third, I wish every day was pheasant hunting season. It is the most fun and I love being with my human. I wish I could explain how much fun it is to see those birds flush and then hear the gun shot and all the while I am watching and waiting to see that bird come down so I can go get it and bring it back to my human. Of course, there are times that he misses and I try hard not to give him a look of disgust but gosh, I have worked so hard and I don't want him to miss. I need to feel those feathers against my lips. I guess I'll have to try harder not to give him the evil eye.

Fourth, I love where I live. When we travel I see some dogs living outside and chained to a box of some kind. I don't think I would like that very much. I like being close to my humans, to hear them laugh and talk and especially to get some pets whenever I need one. Besides, how can I protect them if I am outside chained up?

Finally, I just love being a dog. My humans love me very much. I see the Vet at least once a year, they give me great food to eat and even share some of their food, that is if it's a vegetable, I get to guide pheasant hunts all of hunting season, I have lots of grandchildren to play with, especially in the summer when they are out of school and I have a swimming pool to swim in when it is hot. What more could I ask for? Aaahh, it's a dog's life!

If your human will write for you I hope you will let me know what your favorite thing to do is. Happy hunting!