The Line: Book Review

The Line: A Story of a Hunter, a Breed, and their bond by William A. Urseth

I received the Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book becuse of my affiliation with Net Galley.

About the Author: 
William A Urseth is a lifelong outdoorsman who just “ loves to hunt and fish.” Bill is recognized as being the winningest player in Tournament Hunting history, including 16 US Open victories . He currently serves as the editor in chief of Menz Tournament Hunter magazine in the US and Menz Magagine in Canada, as well as being the host on the Menz Where the adventure Never Ends radio show in Eastern Canada, and co-host of Quest for the One, another Outdiir Life Network television show. He lives in Montreal and Minnesota.

About the Book:
William Urseth loves dogs, and even more,he loves what these dogs can do. Striking a perfect point, flushing a grouse for hours, retrieving perfectly to hand; moments that can steal your breath away. William Urseth loves bird hunting, and spending days in the field with a great dog can warm your heart. William Urseth loves business, and the chance to develop a perfect line of German Shorthair Pointers could not be missed.

William Urseth is known for his hunting on his tv show, Quest for the One, o the Outdoor Life Network, and on his Menz radio show in Eastern Canada, but his stories in the Line center on his Minnesota Horse and Hunt Club, his kennel and dogs there, and their hunts in the northern Midwest of the US.

His decision to breed German Shorthairs brought him to Jager and Cent, dogs he bought after hiring an expert to find the best of this breed in the world. From these two, he would create The Line, generations of dogs that would not only win countless tournaments, but also create countless highs and heartbreaks as they spend their lives in the homes and hunts of William, his wife, and his friends. These stories are like the dogs they recount, they will steal your breath away, warm your heart, and should not be missed.

My Review:

This book is absolutely amazing and should be on everyone’s must read list who is even thinking about getting a dog. Especially a family getting a pet. This book follows the life of one boy and his never ending quest to have a dog of his own which leads him on many adventures and misadventures as a young boy helping to reunite lost dogs with their families. When he gets older he is able to have his own dogs. he takes you through the decision process which is one very family should go through. It is so important to choose the breed that is right for you as a family pet so that you will have many happy years and happy memories together. This book through stories about his dogs explains why it is so important when purchasing a new family member to find a breeder who breeds for conformation, breed temperament, and health testing. He tells his story as a breeder of a specific breed with qualities he admires but these stories hold true for each and every breed out there. He explains in simple terms that it is important to understand the “job” your dog was bred to fulfill and to know that your dog will look to you to help it fulfill that job or come up with one that will help to occupy its time.
Through his stories you learn what it takes to be a reputable breeder and the dedication they put into their breed. His stories tell of the love, time, dedication, and sacrifice a breeder goes through.

Through his stories he explains that sometimes even the most structurally brilliant dog has to be thrown out of the breeding program due to temperment or inability to perform the tasks it was bred to do and then there are dogs that are amazing in every other way but when it comes time to genetically test them for the diseases prevalent in its specific breed they fail a critical test and must be let go from the breeding program. Dreams are crushed and breeders hearts break over these kinds of decisions but they know that for the long term health of their lines they do not want the possibility of passing these things on to future generations. There is also the other side of the equation when a puppy is born who isn’t structurally as sound as you would like them to be but they ooze a love of life and will to live and please and are naturals at their specific tasks in life. Their genetics are so solid and they are free of genetic diseases that you will travel the world to find a mate for that dog that is so structurally strong in the areas that your own dog lacks so that you can breed from the dog in order to solidify the love of life and drive into your lines. Reputable breeding is a give and take full of ups and downs laughter and tears. Mr. Urseth does a fantastic job of really explaining the nitty gritty of breeding to his readers without boring them in the scientific and mundane of tasks a layperson would not appreciate.

 I have to say reading this book convinces me even more that Davinia and Indiana really want to be out there flushing birds. I know that Cavaliers haven’t been taken out with their masters in generations but Davinia has such a strong drive to flush and when Indiana and Davinia strike a point you would think they have been trained to do it. I would love to get them out there but they aren’t allowed to enter these kinds of events because they are considered Toy Dogs not Spaniels or Sporting dogs which I understand but I still think that like their bigger cousins that they would love the opportunity to show a sportsman that little dogs can do big things. Then again Indiana would probably point every lizard, blowing leaf in the entire field while Davinia would probably give chase to every small animal in the field and get herself in trouble with proper training or even the right handler I know that they would be happy little girls with a job they really loved. Don’t get me wrong they love to lay on my lap and cuddle in bed but those aren’t jobs they are hobbies.

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  1. […] will steal your breath away, warm your heart, and should not be missed. You can read our review of The Line from back when our Blog was only a few months old! Oogy- The Dog Only A Family Could Love In […]

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