"Gooood Tessie. GOOD," Jon says, as Tess, his 2-year-old German wirehaired pointer, makes a successful water retrieve. Amid spider webs and pond scum, Tess paddles back across the gray swamp to her proud master.
It is 9 a.m. in upstate New York, and Jon, an opera singer by night and "wire" aficionado and dog trainer by day, is showing his capabilities in both areas. His bass voice serves him well, as do his dogs - German wirehaired pointer bitches of varying ages.
CH Side by Side's Contessa of Hilltop ("Tess") is training to compete in a fall North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVDHA) Utility test. CH Side by Side's Apfelschnaps ("Schnaps") achieved a Utility Prize 1 score twice, and the 5-year-old is preparing for the prestigious NAVDHA Invitational 2000. Both Tess and Schnaps are bench champions.
The "Old Lady" of the Prescott kennel is KTV Mein Schatz, or "Gipfli," which is German for croissant. At 9, Gipfli, who recently had her final litter of puppies, has received numerous NAVDHA Utility Prize II scores and been a consistent performer in the field.
A self-described "small-time" breeder, Jon is meticulous and discriminating when it comes to researching and breeding wires. "Let's face it," Jon says. "When one has limited resources and limited time, you really owe it to yourself and the breed to do the homework and concentrate on one litter at a time in order to come up with the best all-around dog."
That's similar to the logic that continental sportsmen in Europe used in the 19th Century when the common man only could afford to keep one dog. They envisioned an all-purpose gun dog that could perform on water or land. Retrieving pointers, including a breed native to Germany, the Deutsch-Drahthaar or German wirehair, became popular. The breed was imported to the United States in the 1920s and was admitted into American Kennel Club stud books in 1959.
Jon decided to concentrate on German wirehaired pointers in the fall of 1970 after an extremely long quail hunt on Cape Cod without a dog. "I came home worn out and nearly beat to death, and made it a point not to try that again. My dad told me to look at German wirehaired pointers, and that's how we got started."
Jon and his wife, Margaret, found their first wirehair in a Boston Globe ad. Their second was a bitch from a Connecticut kennel, and soon they became involved in NAVDHA. "We had our first litter in 1975 and finished our first bench champion in 1976," Jon says.
The Prescotts were hooked, and two wirehairs accompanied them to Europe, where Jon performed at various opera houses for 10 years. Today, the couple lives in New Jersey with son Ben and enjoys free time at their summer home, dubbed "Sanity," on a lake near Binghamton, N.Y. Jon spends fall and winter performing as an opera singer at various U.S. venues, while Margaret is a cardiovascular pathologist.
Jon delights in reciting from the German wirehaired pointer "Official Standard" as Tess and Schnaps pose for their master: "The breed's most distinguishing characteristics are its weather-resistant, wirelike coat and its facial furnishings."
He uses Schnaps to demonstrate what a German wirehair should look like. "Tess has a decent coat. Schnaps has a wonderful coat, dense enough to protect against the elements and brush, yet with proper length to minimize maintenance. She's the only German wirehaired pointer that I know of to get a perfect NAVDHA Utility score and be a bench champion."
Jon breeds for temperament. "It's like the wiring and electronic heart of an automobile that controls everything. Sound temperament results in a dog that is easier to train, willing to please and good with the kids."
He breeds for desire. "That's the motor, the horsepower that gets you where you need to go under all kinds of conditions."
He breeds for conformation. "That's the chassis that allows you to get the power to the road. It makes for freedom of movement and proper gait and the ability to perform for hours in the field."
To keep the odds in his favor, Jon relies on a network of kindred spirits in the wirehaired world to find appropriate stud dogs that can deliver desired genetic qualities.
"Most of what I do is personal footwork and research," he says. "I talk to breeders, I ask for photos, I ask for pedigrees, I look at the grand sire and grand dam.
I have a fairly rigorous questionnaire, and I do my homework by looking at NAVDHA scores and field trial results, and finding people who have actually seen the dog work in the field. I also have a lot of experienced friends who help me in evaluating potential breedings."
Jon pays attention to a wirehair's hips, elbows, eyes and other genetic factors. He also relies on owner/breeder honesty when researching potential stud dogs. "At a recent NAVDHA national meeting in Baltimore, Dr. James Rieser talked about the breeding decisions he's made over the last 25 years to get where he is today with his premier line of German shorthaired pointers. He also was very open about the strengths and weaknesses of his dogs and the reasons for his breeding decisions. For a serious breeder, there is no other way."
Jon and Margaret Prescott guarantee their puppies in writing. "We guarantee the health of the puppy, and if for any reason the new owners don't want the puppy - owner health, financial difficulties, whatever - we ask that they contact us first and we'll place the pup or buy it back."
Additionally, because Jon and Margaret use NAVDHA testing as part of their evaluation process, they encourage new owners to participate in the NAVDHA Natural Ability test. "When they send us the NAVDHA Natural Ability score sheet, we send them for that commitment," Jon says. "We encourage our puppy owners to test the dogs and show the dogs. Otherwise, how can you be sure what you've bred?"
To prove a point, seven dogs from the Prescotts' recent "C" litter were Natural Ability tested. The Prescotts use the alphabet to track their litters, so the puppies from this litter were registered with names starting with "C." Five puppies earned top honors with a Natural Ability Prize 1, including four with perfect scores. The other two puppies tested earned Natural Ability Prize 2 scores. In addition, the "C" litter has produced two bench champions and one of the puppies won the German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America's National Derby in 1998. "These dogs are only 2 years old!" Jon says.
The Prescotts feed Purina Puppy Chow brand puppy food and Purina brand Hi Pro dog food, as well as some Purina Pro Plan brand dog food. "Puppy Chow always works — we've never had a dog refuse it," Jon says. "And if you want a testimonial for Purina products, look at Gipfli who just had puppies six weeks ago. At the age of 9, she's in excellent condition and ready for the field. That says something about proper nutrition."
Along with the traits they strive to achieve in breeding, Jon and Margaret also stress early socialization and say temperament is paramount. "We want dogs that are easy to train and easy to live with," Margaret says. "You can see that these dogs are comfortable in the house or in the field."
At Sanity, the scene is quite comfortable. Three well-behaved and adoring German wirehaired pointers rest on the porch with a smiling opera singer. As Jon says, "Do the research. You really owe it to yourself and to the breed."