For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to own a German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP). I don’t hunt, but that’s beside the point(er). The Dillmanns, who were a hometown family friend (and possibly distant relative) of my mother, owned a GSP when I was young. The name of their dog was Grafin. (Let’s Americanize it and make the a hard, forgetting about the umlaut. Close enough.) Grafin means Countess in German, and I always liked this name. So I am going to borrow it.
As described in another blog, round one of the Grafin saga ended sadly. Our adopted dog, who was intended to be Grafin the GSP but was unmasked as Daisy the Bluetick Coonhound, passed away tragically. Round two started on July 17th, when a litter of GSPs was whelped in Lula, Georgia. An ERAU friend of my daughter bought a pup from Ruff On Birds GSP in Lula a couple of years ago, and I followed suit.
GSPs come in many variations, from solid black or brown to white, liver, roan, ticked and / or patched. The original Grafin was what I considered a classic-colored GSP, white with liver patches and ticks. This is what I was looking for, and I definitely wanted a female dog. I was placed on a waiting list, which didn’t take long as the GSPs were very busy up in Lula. After the third litter in July, I was notified that some females were available.
It takes roughly two to three weeks for the puppies to open their eyes and become relatively mobile and photogenic. Ruff On Birds sent me a few sets of photos, and I chose the third pup (mug shot above). She’s not exactly what I had pictured, but fairly close (solid brown head, whitish / roan coat with liver patches). I’ve been told that their colors don’t change drastically after three or so weeks, so I’m anxious to receive the next set of photos. Puppies can be brought home after eight weeks.
There can never be another Blaze, but we’re really looking forward to welcoming Grafin to our family.