North American Pudelpointer Alliance

Where Performance is Priority

Cedarwoods Dusty Rose

When you ask Cedarwood Kennels patriarch, Bob Farris, who his all time best hunting dog was the answer would likely surprise many. It would not be Cedarwoods First Offense, although everybody who ever saw Tukr in action may beg to differ. The answer Bob gives is “Cedarwoods Dusty Rose”, and the stories he has to tell of Dusty are legion.

Whelped in 1993, Dusty Rose was at the forefront of the development of the modern day pudelpointer. Her dam was Haverhill’s Axcell, a Utility III performer who was a product of the only two Utility Prize I dogs in North America. Dusty’s sire was Birchwood’s Homer, himself a Utility Prize I dog. Dusty would score a maximum 112 points in her 1994 Natural Ability Test and 198 points and Utility Prize I in 1996. One must keep in mind that between 1990 and 1996 only an average of two pudelpointers a year achieved a Utility Prize I! Thanks to improvements in training, along with conscientious breeding practices, times have certainly changed for the better! More impressive than her Utility Prize I score is the fact that Dusty Rose achieved a Utility Prize II score at only twelve months of age! It remains a very rare and commendable feet, even today, for a dog to achieve a Utility title while still of Natural Ability age.

Bob’s stories of Dusty Rose leave the listener with the impression that they missed out on witnessing true greatness. Bob recalls a pheasant hunt in which Dusty was one of six utility prized dogs on the ground with seven hunters. Dusty accounted for eighteen of the twenty one bird pheasants limit! Bob credits her intelligence and big range for outperforming her brace mates that day. Bob’s favorite stories of Dusty Rose involve her pointing so many different animals that it would not seem possible for anybody who did not spend an exceptional amount of time in the wild places. Many porcupines and skunks were pointed thankfully with no hostilities ensuing. In addition, Bob reports that he shot multiple fox and a pair of coyotes over Dusty Rose points. Dusty’s antics would leave Bob with one of his finest memories in a lifetime spent in the outdoors. As Bob states: “The winter snows had pushed the birds (chuckars) and game to the lower elevations. We had gone downriver in a jet boat and were hunting an extremely steep area with magnificent cliffs of unparalleled views. Dusty could be seen on a pinnacle some 100 yards above me. All I could see was her back and tail, but she looked intense. Rather than climb to her, I chose to slip around under her in hopes of finding a covey of birds more at my level. To my total surprise, I was slipping up on two bighorn rams lying in their beds! I got to within 30 yards of the regal pair before they exploded across the canyon walls.”

Although these rams provided a truly special memory, the memory of Dusty slamming a point in the grouse woods only to have Bob walk in and find not a ruff, but instead a black bear cub, and soon thereafter an irate mom, must have been the most exhilarating! Thankfully, to this day, the question of if one ounce of #8 shot will stop a charging momma bear remains unanswered! Dusty’s final point came on a pheasant hunt at Bob’s treasured “Swamp” property. After having seen a late season cockbird slip into a piece of cover Bob released Dusty and soon enough she was on point. When Bob located Dusty, he realized that he was staring at the rear end of an elk from only a few feet away. Upon the “flush” Bob ended up splattered with mud and water from the elk’s hasty departure!

As a producer, Dusty Rose is a dog who is frequently over looked. Although she had no peer when it came to her performance and abilities, there is no question she did not have the record of a producer as her cousin, Cedarwoods Calendar Girl. However, it would be remiss to not take a moment to recognize the impact that Dusty Rose has had upon our beloved breed. Although by no means a comprehensive list, the following Utility Prize 1 dogs all trace back to Cedarwoods Dusty Rose:

  • Cedarwoods Buster Brown (202 points)
  • Dreamworks Hussy (194 points)
  • Dreamworks Hunter (201 points)
  • Versatile Champion Cedarwoods Lexington Brown (204 points)
  • Cedarwoods Prince From Zoey (204 points)
  • Versatile Champion Cedarwoods Tukazoe (202 points)
  • Cedarwoods Commander in Chief (201 points)
  • Cedarwoods Pin Up Playmate (201 points)
  • Cedarwoods Flyin High Again (204 points)

Without Dusty, none of these fabulous dogs would exist! As is always the case, a dog such as Dusty Rose, was the product of the genetics found within their pedigree, coupled with proper training. If you wish to learn more about the breeders who continue to work with these genetics, please visit the North American Pudelpointer Alliance website at https://pudelpointer-alliance.com/breeders.