I'm happy to report >>we have a new Cabela's in our little neck of the woods Lacey Wa.

The problem is...we have no representation.....NO GSP stuff, granted, they may have a hunting book or training video ! No cute or cool stuff..all Labs !  I just feel a little discrimination ....Our "other" sport shop Sportsman's warehouse...has nothing either...I mean not even a hat or T shirt...

We spent 90 minutes in Cabela's yesterday...finally my hubby found a stuffed animal, we think was an attempt at portraying a pointer of sorts, just to make me feel better I decided it was a GSP. Anyone else see a lack of representation ?????  Maybe the GSP community is just SO ELITE....    Renee'

I know what you mean, but think of it this way: at least the GSP isn't the massively overbred shadow-of-it's-sweet-and-useful-self that labs are! Right now my husband, sister, and I all agree we won't recommend a lab off-hand to anyone because we've run into so many that were lazy, unhealthy, and/or downright nasty. The problem is finding decent breeders in a sea of mediocre or worse labs.

Yeah, there are crummy GSPs out there too, but there just isn't the same massive swath of cruft to wade through IMO. Popularity comes with a price.

We get stopped all the time to be asked what Bo is ... I can't believe he can still fit through the door his head's so bloated from the "what a beautiful dog" comments. (Of course, I KNOW he's a beautiful dog, still it's nice to hear it.) 

We have had the old rubber-necker, slow down to see the dog occassions too. The first was when he was just a little fellow ... this big white truck started pulling up beside me while I was walking Bo in the evening (we live in a VERY safe neighbourhood, but STILL!) ... I picked up my pace and then the window rolled down and the driver squealed, "it's a puppeeeeeee!". To which she then added, "Take a look in the back". Fool I am, and there were two very sweet older GSPs who had just come home from their run. Even more irony? We have the same first name.

We know each of the pointers in our neighbourhood (there are 4 others) and when Bo just seems to know he's found his own when we come upon them. (He even gravitates towards the neighbourhood wire-haired pointer).

I think the Cabela's catalog and website has more GSP items than you would find in the stores.  But in any event, check out the Christmas decorations on the National Wildlife Federation website (nwf.com).  They have a blown glass GSP ornament which is really neat! 

The field labs I've met are smaller and definately more to my taste... less helium between the ears and some motivation to actually DO something productive. 

I'm hard pressed to find things with GSP's on them other then shopping online. We don't have a Cabela's, just Gander Mountain.

If you are looking for GSP-related items, GSP Rescue PA has a 'store' with a stuffed GSP, caps, sweats, tshirts and of course, our new cookbook .  Proceeds are for the rescues' direct dog care.

Deb Orpen, GSP Rescue PA

And if you're a lady, just tooling around with a GSP or two or three seems to gain you instant attention from every hunting guy out there. I've been happily married for 13 years so it does me little good but I find the phenomina amusing.