Maija was nominated for this HighlightHer segment by her mom! Momma says, “Maija is just an amazing human! She grew up in an active household however, it wasn’t until she moved to SoDak and met her now husband that she has gotten into upland and speed goat hunting along with dog training. She is not afraid to venture out and try new things on her own.” Read on to learn more about Maija.
Describe a typical day in your life
My day usually starts with our Pointer’s tail thumping against the bed making sure I don’t snooze my alarm. Once I get out of bed, I start the morning with dog chores before getting ready for work. We currently have an 8 yr-old Pointer “Jack”, a 3 yr-old Deutsch Drahthaar “Ines”, and a 2 yr-old Deutsch Drahthaar “Louie” who keep us very busy. I work as a genetic counselor at our local children’s hospital–I’ve been practicing for 5 years and love my job. My evenings usually consist of exercising or training dogs, a run, and relaxing. On the weekend (depending on the time of year) we’re usually out hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, cross country skiing…anything active outside.
How did you get into hunting and/or dog training?
I’ve always loved dogs and my dad is a lifelong upland hunter. I was that kid that read all of the dog books and watched every dog show on TV. I had a VHS copy of a late 90’s Purina puppy care video that I watched over and over and over–I knew all the steps to train basic commands long before my family picked up our first bird dog. After years of begging, my parents finally broke down and “Skeeter”, our first Epagneul Breton, joined the family when I turned 13. I loved tagging along to training sessions and teaching Skeeter little tricks (he would happily give you a fist bump), but as a busy kid in a lot of activities I didn’t have a lot of desire to get in the field. Fast forward to 2016 when I met my husband who is an avid outdoorsman. I don’t like to sit at home, so I started walking the occasional field and shooting with my camera instead of a shotgun. In 2020, we added a Drahthaar puppy to the family after losing two of our older dogs. That’s when we dove head first into the DD world and never looked back. In 2022, we picked up our second Drahthaar puppy and I made the commitment to be his handler through all of the VDD tests.
If you’ve attended a HerUpland Event(s), which one and what did you enjoy most about that event?
I recently attended the Yappy Hour with Kristen Barbaree to learn how to prepare a pheasant for fly tying and crafting and plan to attend the upcoming Pheasant Feather Crafts Yappy Hour. I really enjoyed being able to connect with like minded women who may not be local to me and learning a new way to use more of the birds we harvest. I hope to attend many more events in the future!
What’s your Bird Dog Breed of choice, and why?
Everyone one thinks they have the best dog and they’re absolutely right. That being said, I’m a huge Deutsch Drahthaar (DD) lover. I’ve found that DDs are hard working, cooperative, eager to learn, and just sweet as pie. My husband and I enjoy both upland and waterfowl hunting so we value the breed’s versatility. They are the do-it-all, all day, in any weather condition dog. I also really value the German testing system and the commitment to performance and health. At the end of the day, I truly believe that selecting a breed also means selecting a community. I say it all the time–we come for the dogs and stay for the people.
Name one thing you’d like to accomplish with your dog in the next year.
If training goes as planned I’ll handle my DD, Louie, in his VGP this coming fall. I also owe him some shooting lessons.
What is your favorite upland or bird dog product on the market right now?
I have to shout out our good friend Carson Fillin at Fillin The Outdoors Custom Leather. He makes gorgeous custom leather goods including collars and Jaeger leads.
