The Marriage Proposal Puppy
Pheasants Forever 06.14.12
Steve Ries, owner of Top Gun Kennels, may have stumbled upon a new business model for his German shorthaired pointer kennel business: incorporating marriage proposals with puppy pickups. For at least one customer, that was the business arrangement last Saturday.
When Brandon Berg of West Concord, Minnesota visited Top Gun Kennels in Iowa this spring and put a deposit down on a GSP puppy, he told Ries the puppy was part of a surprise for his girlfriend. Yes, only part of the surprise. You see, Brandon was also in the process of designing a one-of-a-kind engagement band for Shay Jurgensen of Kasson, Minnesota.
“Shay loves German shorthairs and I wanted to make the perfect proposal very special and unique to her,” explained Berg. “After I told Steve my idea, he was all-in and excited to give me advice on how to best pull my plan off.”
So with Brandon’s plan in place, the couple road-tripped from southern Minnesota to Iowa last Saturday to “look at” Top Gun Kennelpuppies. Shay had no idea what lay in store for her.
“Steve handed me the pup I had picked out earlier this spring. Around the pup’s neck was the collar I had given him with the engagement ring I designed attached,” explained Berg. “When I handed Shay the puppy, I dropped to one knee. With puppy in her arms and Shay’s eyes fixed on the ring, the tears began to roll pretty quickly down her face.”
The happy couple named the new pup, “Remington,” and plans to hunt pheasants, ducks and geese over him this autumn. Most bird dog owners will tell you that there is one dog that stands out as their “dog of a lifetime.” I’m confident Remington will be exactly that dog for Shay and Brandon. No word yet on Remington’s role in the wedding ceremony, but I’m placing the smart money on the position of ring-bearer.
Tune in to FAN Outdoors radio this Saturday morning at 7:30AM CDT to hear Steve Ries tell the story in his own words.
NOTE: In a twist of serendipity, Remington happens to be from the exact same litter as my new shorthair pup, “Izzy.”
Pheasants Forever launched Quail Forever in August of 2005 to address the continuing loss of habitat suitable for quail and the subsequent quail population decline. Bobwhite population losses over the last 25 years range from 60 to 90 percent across the country. The reason for the quail population plunge is simple - massive losses of habitat suitable for quail. There are five major factors leading to the losses of quail habitat; intensified farming and forestry practices, succession of grassland ecosystems to forests, overwhelming presence of exotic grasses like fescue that choke out wildlife, and urban sprawl.
