Welcome to the home of the Deutsch-Drahthaar kennel "von der Salzmarsch."

My kennel is registered in Germany with the Verein Deutsch-Drahthaar e.V. (VDD) I have been a VDD member since 1976 and established my kennel in 1982. I live in Hooper Utah near the vast marshlands that line the eastern shore of the Great Salt Lake, where I spend a good amount of time training and hunting with my dogs. This is the basis for my kennel name "von der Salzmarsch" which means "from the salt marsh."

Ethical hunting requires the help of a truly versatile dog that not only locates game before the shot, but quickly and surely finds and recovers lost or wounded game. This is why the Deutsch-Drahthaar (DD) was developed and why it has become the premiere versatile hunting dog in the world. Whether it be finding and pointing birds, retrieving ducks from water, birds from land, or blood tracking wounded big game, every DD that has ever walked on four legs has been selectively bred and used for exactly these purposes.

Back in 1976 while I was searching for a new hunting dog, I happened upon a newly formed group of people that were trying to establish in America the German system of breeding, training, and testing that was responsible for the development of the Drahthaar in Germany. I had already formed the opinion that the existing American registries had a poor track record of maintaining or developing the quality of dogs originally developed in Europe. We have the German Wirehaired Pointer (GWP) in America which is a descendant of the DD, but as a breed there are no testing and few breeding requirements, and individual breeders have wandered off in many different directions. I decided that becoming part of the original breed club that developed the dogs in the first place, with its defined standard and strict breeding and testing requirements sounded like a good idea. The name of this new group was Verein Deutsch-Drahthaar e.V. Group North America (VDD-GNA), and after meeting and seeing the selflessness and dedication of the people involved, I decided that this was the breed for me. I have been involved in the Drahthaar movement in America ever since.

As a hunter, chukar partridge is my primary game along with pheasant, Hungarian partridge, grouse, and occasionally waterfowl. I also hunt big game including mule deer, elk, and whatever else I can arrange. I have hunted in Germany and understand the use of the DD in their native land. My dogs have become such a part of my hunting that I would sooner leave my gun at home as I would them.

Please browse through the website which was intended not only to advocate my kennel, but also to help hunters understand the Deutsch-Drahthaar and its use as a versatile hunting dog.