Nutmeg

 

 

The GSPCA Board of Directors chose to have its June 2010 meeting in Memphis, Tennessee largely to enable the Board to visit the National Bird Dog Museum in Grand Junction, TN just east of Memphis.

Established by the Bird Dog Foundation, the museum is also the home of the Field Trial Hall of Fame, the Wildlife Heritage Center, and the National Retriever Museum.  An impressive, life-size series of bronzes in front of the building depict a hunter with his pointer on birds, and a setter backing him.  The facility also has a library of many sporting dog-related books and publications, and a dining room of sufficient size to accommodate large numbers of people.  The museum was first opened in 1991 and featured many pointers and setters.  In 2004, the retriever wing was opened, doubling the size of the museum.  Ground-breaking for the next addition, a Sporting Dog Wing (to include German Shorthairs and other continental breeds) is expected to occur in the late summer or early fall of 2010, or when the fund-raising achieves its minimum goal.

 

We were given a short tour of the museum and grounds, but one could easily spend hours there looking at the many paintings, sculptures, bronzes, trophies and memorabilia that commemorate the history and tradition of the field trial/sporting dog.

 

It was especially nice to be able to see many of the plaques that adorn the wall of Flaherty, in particular Patrick Cooke, on the walls of the Field Trial Hall of Fame.  The entire dining hall is lined on three sides with these plaques.  Patrick’s plaque has a wonderful painting of a shorthair on point above it.

 

This museum has a lot to offer and will be even better once the sporting dog wing is complete.  To make a tax deductible donation toward their fundraising effort, send checks made out to Bird Dog Foundation, to P.O. Box 774, Grand Junction TN, 38039.  Footnote your checks "Building Fund" and also indicate your breed affiliation for proper documentation.  For credit card donations, call 731-764-2058.