Walnut Hill Kennels is a haven of classy dogs and quality folks. Owned and operated by Rick Hopkins and Brenda Roe, this North Georgia (LaFayette) kennel has been home to countless champions in the ring and the field.
While Rick and Brenda started their bird dog journeys independently, their lives would later merge through that shared passion, meeting one another through mutual involvement in the National Shoot-to-Retrieve Association (NSTRA). Not only were they a natural fit for marriage and partnership, but their dog bloodlines had some similarities that were only enhanced by merging their canine families.
Growing up in Lexington, Kentucky, Brenda fell in love with horses at a young age. From the time she was nine years old, she had a job working at a riding school. In exchange for her help, she was given lessons. She continued this work for years, competing in numerous horse shows and surrounding herself with the industry. By the time she was 16, she progressed to working on a big horse farm and training a Saddlebred. Later, she was hired in Georgia and began teaching her own riding lessons. She went on to work on a Saddlebred show stable for 23 years.
It was while she was at this horse farm that she became interested in training dogs. She had plenty of land to work them on the farm and had previous experience with shorthairs from her childhood. Her best friend growing up, whose house she frequented, had several shorthairs that would sleep in the bed with them. To this day, her friend who introduced her to the breed comes to Rick and Brenda’s kennel to play with the puppies every year.
Rick grew up in a military family (and later would become a veteran himself) and had been hunting since the sixth grade. It wasn’t until he moved to Flagstaff, Arizona, that he got his first Shorthair, somewhat by happenstance. He was working on a young lady’s house and when she opened the door he could hear a puppy crying inside. She said “Do you want a puppy?” and Rick asked “What kind of puppy?” to which this college student replied it was a German Shorthair and it was completely ruining her hangovers. So, it came home with Rick. He spent time with a trainer and began falling in love with bird hunting, and chose to do so in a great location with the four different species of wild quail that exist in Arizona.
As time went on, Rick began getting involved in the National Shoot to Retrieve Association (NSTRA) Trials in AZ while Brenda was doing the same through a club in Chattanooga.
Neither realized how blessed they were with their first dogs and the extraordinary ability each dog possessed. Rick’s first competition Shorthair, Gretta’s Garbo Gamble, was a NSTRA champion and an AKC Master Hunter, which he believes was the first dog to ever hold those dual titles and was the first female GSP in Arizona to become a NSTRA Champion. Brenda’s first dog was Snips Chick Von Wildburg, who wound up in the NSTRA Hall of Fame but also had utility and obedience successes. Both dogs had Wildburg in their pedigree.
Building on this foundation, they continue to train and raise dogs at their kennel today. Training is their main focus and they only have one or two litters a year. They are very intentional about where their dogs wind up and won’t sell to pet-only homes. In line with this devotion, they are scrupulous about health testing and only breeding when there is a special talent to preserve.
It remains that Rick’s dogs tend to be that first Gamble line and Brenda’s the Snips line. Both appreciate liver dogs and have a passion for dual champions: dogs that can be competitive in the field and the show ring. Together, they’ve had six dual champion dogs, and Brenda’s dog Sam (out of Rick’s Fritz dog) is now the top producer of dual champions at eight and counting. Because of this desire for dual champions, they’ve shifted their focus to American Kennel Club (AKC) and German Shorthair Hair Pointer Club of America (GSPCA) competitions in more recent years, traversing Georgia, Florida, and many neighboring states.
Rick achieved AKC Hall of Fame status with Gambles Odyssey Fritz and Brenda did the same with Gambles Sam Man. Both were also Dual Champions that placed in National Field Trials.
The list of accolades their dogs hold is endless and includes:
- Rick’s foundation female, NSTRA Ch Gretta’s Garbo Gamble, MH (foundation bitch for Gamble Shorthairs, came from Emmett Berg and Wendy Von Enstrand out of Hillhaven Hustler)
- Brenda’s foundation female, 5X NSTRA Ch Snip’s Chick Von Wildburg SH UD “Cricket” (out of a breeding to DC Essers Duke VD Wildburg).
Dual Champions bred by Walnut Hill Kennel or Out of Dogs Owned or Bred by Them
Bootpoint’s Accomack Bobwhite N/A II
Gamble’s Low Country Blues Man
Kan-Points Summer In The City
McShane’s Bringing on Another Chance
(view more at walnuthillgsps.com)
Rick’s Fritz dog is one of several historically integral parts of their kennel and has left a lasting legacy. Rick remembers Fritz coming off of three NSTRA championships and placement at the national trial and knowing he was so special that he wanted to keep embracing his potential. He earned his AKC Field Champion title, and then Rick became aware the last NAVHDA (North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association) competition of the year was in just a few weekends. Fritz had never seen a duck but Rick decided to train him for it, and they competed and got a prize.
Later, they sold a Fritz puppy to South Africa, and the family was so pleased with the dog that they bought a bunch of Fritz frozen semen from Rick and Brenda.
Ten years after selling the puppy, Rick and Brenda went to South Africa with a tour group and had some free time. They met up with Trudy Winters, who bought the puppy from them and got to hunt over Fritz grandbabies at the Capetown Bird Dog Club. While traveling back across the country, they stopped at a winery and saw a German Shorthair making its way through the tasting room. Not long after, they learned that that dog too was a Fritz grandbaby. Their breeding program has left a lasting impact on this bird-dog community in South Africa.
With stories like this, you can tell they are proud of their dog’s accomplishments, and also just how grateful they are for the journey and thankful to get to love such special creatures and watch them live to their potential. Training full-time allows them unique insights into the skill set of each dog.
Their families stay involved as well, with grandkids frequent visitors to play with the puppies. Rick’s son trained dogs with his dad from the time he was 11 years old onward and still has dogs to this day that he enjoys guiding on preserves. In addition, the father-son team goes out west hunting once a year. This past winter, over the course of 22 days they went from Oklahoma Bobwhite Quail hunting to New Mexico Scale Quail hunting to Arizona for Gamble Quail hunting.
Rick and Brenda have devoted so much of their lives to this sport and continue to make significant contributions to the future of the breed. Learn more and follow their journey at https://www.walnuthillgsps.com/.
