I acquired my first English Setter in 1975 as a kid growing up in Western Kentucky when quail were plentiful and a good dog was a “must have”. In the late 80’s I was introduced to Pheasant hunting in Iowa and was drawn to the “versatile breeds” starting with Vizslas as hunting companions and pets. Shortly afterward we began competing with our Vizslas in horseback field trials and breeding. In recent years we began to include Pudelpointers to our family as their qualities were consistent with our likes/needs and have turned out to be truly amazing dogs. We take seriously our goal of improving our breeds while mentoring, supporting and encouraging others. During this journey we have been fortunate to make many new friends, win multiple national field trial events and be on the cover of Bird Dog & Retriever News.
My brother-in-law, Lewis Goodin, works closely with us in the whelping and raising of our many of our Vizslas. He and his family live on a 300 acre farm in Elizabethtown, Ky where the dogs have plenty of outdoor space to run and play. He welcomes you to come visit the vizslas and spend time on the farm with them. This allows me to focus primarily on training, hunting and competing with our dogs. Visitors are welcome to visit Mark in Paducah where our property connects with 6800 acres of wildlife management giving ample land to train and hunt. Our property has birds, kennels, horse stalls and hooks ups for those with horse trailers or campers and puppy buyers are always welcome.
What we believe
When selecting a breeder we recommend that you select one that has common beliefs as you and has breeding goals that match what you want in a dog. Here are a few of our basic beliefs;
- Our dogs are meant to be companion dogs first and foremost and should be dogs that are pleasant and easy to handle with great temperament and health.
- Our dogs are “field dogs” and should display natural field ability. Only dogs that have demonstrated this ability should be used for breeding. We believe that the best way to prove field ability is hunting on WILD birds AND testing/ field trials.
- Confirmation is important but should never be the primary consideration for breeding.
We also have over 10,000 acres of ground (public & private) that I constantly use to train and hunt my dogs. Puppy buyers are offered the opportunity to come and train or hunt with us at any time. We also provide an annual “fun day” where our buyers come and spend time with us and their dogs to learn different topics to make the relationship with their dogs most enjoyable.
What we support…..
We belong to several local, regional, and national clubs (AKC, NAVDA etc) and are members of Pheasants Forever and Quail Unlimited. We believe as a breeder we have a responsibility to improve the breed and actively support clubs and other breeders that demonstrate their commitment to the same goal.