> The bird dog season began this year with a new pup in my string…Gretchen (Gretch) came to us with high hopes of a grand season. Gretch is out of Grand National Grouse Champion Shady Hills Billy and Pennstar. Our season started in the 2nd weekend of September in Colorado’s Glorious North Park. It was a perfect weekend with plenty of sun and wind. The North Park is one of the greatest places on this earth. The grouse where there, and they cast purple shadows on the prairie when they take off! It was a wonderful weekend and Gretch, our English Setter, got her very first exposure on wild birds…she handled it better than I had ever dreamed, out of a dog with tons of energy and GO!