His name truly sums up about everything there is to know about this young dog. Cruz has one mission in life: cruising through the field in the pursuit of chicks. From his first exposure to chukar at 8 weeks, there has been an intensity that has been thrilling to watch as he is growing into a talented hunting dog. Cruz is all business in the field. One of the most remarkable assets is his desire to be a team player. Cruz has such an innate desire to work with you in the field that he will often be seen stopping at a distance looking for a head nod as to which direction you would like to hunt next without a word ever being uttered. He works a field with so much passion that he puts on quite a show for anyone to watch.

Cruz has shown boldness and unshakeable confidence on waterfowl from an incredibly young age. At 11 weeks, Cruz carried around a mallard that was larger than he was. He attacks the duck search water with gusto and determination. His desire to swim down mallards that he kicks out of the reeds leaves no hesitation that he will be the successor of his pursuit.

Cruz has an incredible tracking instinct that lends to a very gritty successful style finding wild birds in thickets and dense brush. Anyone hunting behind Cruz learns in a hurry that if his tail gets going and he acts birdy, you better make sure that your gun is loaded because the birds are not far away. There is no quit to this dog. He is all go from the minute you pull up to the field until the very last glimpses of sunlight and you can be assured that he will be ready at first light the next day.

With all of the exuberance and spark to live life on the edge, Cruz has the ability to amaze us even more with his versatility. Cruz not only shows immense talent in the hunting fields but in other avenues. He is being trained by our 10 year old daughter for AKC and 4-H Showmanship, Obedience, Rally and Agility. His cooperation and biddability is clearly evident as he transitions from running a field of chukar with Jake to walking into the show ring with Makenzie weekly. We are excited to see the success of this dynamic young team over the next few years!

There is no shortage of quality in Cruz’s pedigree with influences from both DC Hillhaven’s Hustler and Int CH VC Shooting Starrs Sharp Shooter MH. He comes from 6 generations of Versatile Champions! 14 total VC’s including Jacob VD Westwind and Int CH VC Sharp Shooters Man in Black MH, two dogs that have truly shaped the Versatile German Shorthaired Pointer. Cruz is a son of DC AFC NGSPA RU VC Friedelsheim’s Freight Train Mason MH and VC Sundance Pied Piper. This litter was a NAVHDA Natural Ability Award Winner in which all 7 puppies tested received a Prize I, 6 of which earned a  max score 112.