Susan is a member of our communications committee, working on our newsletter, social media, and more! We’re so grateful she shares her talents with us. Learn more about Susan below.
Describe a typical day in your life
I work a 9-5 in higher education in fundraising communications, but thankfully have a hybrid schedule allowing me to be home twice a week, which I think our pups enjoy. I’m also an avid runner and my husband and I enjoy the outdoors so we try to spend as much time out there as possible. I like to get our older dog out for walks during the week and then my husband takes both dogs for long hikes on the weekends. We’re still training our younger dog to hone in her recall and other skills. She keeps us on our toes with her drive!
How did you get into hunting and/or dog training?
My husband introduced me to bird hunting. He had a Brittany as a child and got his second shortly after we met. Trout, who is now 7, is an incredible dog and I loved watching him work and train. I didn’t grow up in an area where hunting was popular and knew very little about hunting, guns, etc. My husband opened my eyes to all of that and I fell in love with it. I still have a lot to work on and so much to learn, but I enjoy the time out in the field with my husband and our older dog, Trout. Hopefully this fall we’ll get our newest pup, Brooke, out there too. I worked and continue to work with both dogs on obedience training and just other mental engagement activities. Trout does agility classes, which he really enjoys, and during COVID, he earned his Novice Trick Dog title. Brooke also recently earned her Novice Trick Dog title, which was a lot of fun for both of us to work together to achieve.
What’s your Bird Dog Breed of choice, and why?
We have two Brittanys and absolutely love the breed. They’re just wonderful companions and excellent bird dogs. I think we’d probably stick with the breed moving forward, but occasionally discuss exploring other breeds like English Cockers or Small Munsterlanders, for example.
Name one thing you’d like to accomplish with your dog in the next year.
I think for me it’s continuing to build confidence as a hunter. I do reasonably well when I go to a private club to work with my husband and Trout and even in the gamelands of PA. However, we’ve gone to South Dakota twice and plan to continue to go in the future and that’s when it becomes clear to me that I have a lot of work to do. I’m attending a Women’s Wingshooting clinic this summer and we recently joined a local sportsmen’s club where I can continue to work on my skills. I hope that pays off in the field with Trout (and eventually Brooke) as there’s nothing I think Trout loves more than bringing a bird back to us.
What is your favorite upland or bird dog product on the market right now?
I really like my briar jeans from LL Bean, but it appears they may no longer be restocked, which is a HUGE bummer. I’ve had them for several years and they’re still in great shape and offer such great protection. Another product I like is my Gamehide Gamebird vest. It has a nice big pocket in the back for birds and I really like the pockets in the front for ammo.
