Steve Kremp and his two wirehaired blood trackers

A very nice note from Steve Kremp who owns two wirehaired dachshunds. Dita is a daughter of Alfi and Elli, and Ruby out of Gail Berger's breeding is a daughter of our Billy (Billy/Pepper).

Steve Kremp with Ruby and the buck she recovered.

Hi Jolanta,
Sorry that I haven't given you any updates on Ruby and Dita for some time. They are both doing very well and have gotten lots of tracking time in with many great recoveries. Ruby in particular has really excelled but Dita is still the family favorite. Its hard to even imagine what it was like before we had Dachshunds. They are a constant source of entertainment and bring joy to all of us every day. 

Last spring the two of them became extremely aggressive towards each other, including one nasty fight that I'm afraid could have ended very badly had I not been there to break it up (which was no small feat in itself!). They both suffered scrapes and minor punctures around the ears and neck, but fortunately there were no serious injuries. We decided that it would be best to have Ruby spayed and it seems to have solved the problem.

Some of the best recoveries that both dogs have made have been on antlerless deer, but everyone likes a nice buck picture so here are a couple that Ruby found. The wide buck was the best the tracking experience that I have had to date, covering an unbelievable distance through extremely difficult terrain and cover. This took place 16 hours after the hit and there is no chance the deer would have been recovered without the dog. I am finally learning to have full trust in the dogs even after hundreds of yards of no visible blood. Too many times I would waste time by doubting them and pulling them off the line and taking them back to the last blood. Without fail the deer would end up being found a short distance from where I gave up.

I've been following the Born to Track group closely as well as the blog and as always the information there is extremely helpful. I will make an effort to keep in touch.

Enjoy the spring and the new puppies!

Steve