Originally breeding Wirehaired Pointing Griffons in Utah for the last 15 years Thorn Creek has since moved to Western Washington where we continue to raise quality family companiion hunting dogs. Thorn Creek has been breeding quality Wirehaired Pointing Griffons Since 2007. We do not practice Line or In-Line Breeding. Late Spring-Early Summer Breedings for Fall Pups. Proven Sires of AKC/CKC/NAVHDA lineage, all proven workers in the field. Dams of AKC/CKC/NAVHDA lineage, all proven workers in the field. All Breeding dogs have been PENN Hip/OFA with eyes and thyroid clear. All breeding dogs have great Instinctual hunting desire and water drive. We raise our puppies in their own Puppy Agility yard. There we handle each pup daily and allow them to run with their adult Griff pack. We introduce all our pups to gun noise and birds. All pups receive their 1st vaccinations with a complete Vet health exam. Please call (we prefer to talk to all prospective clients) or email us for information about the availability of our upcoming litters. References on request. At present our new Thorn Creek Website is under construction, though you can read our Testimonials here on this site. Although we did just move to Washington state. Don't let that deter you. We continue, as in the past to distribute and deliver quality pups throughout the US and Canada. We look forward to talking to you soon. Duffy and Cathleen McCabe
Submitted by: Ted Hallows on Jan 14, 2024
We got a female Griffon from Duffy at Thorn Creek Kennel last year and she is an exceptional dog. Coho as we call her is very smart and learns quickly. She has unbelievable conformation and is a really good looking griffon. The best part is that she has tons of personality and is quite the companionship as she runs the house, however once we get out hunting she is a different dog and it is all business. She will go all day and give it her all. She has started to point chukars and grouse and is coming along great. Duffy has really gotten some excellent dogs that are well worth the money. Thanks Duffy.
Submitted by: Brady on Nov 27, 2021
Duffy was so amazing to work with. He is knowledgeable and helpful. He responded quickly to our questions. Our puppy, Hagrid, has awesome natural instints when it comes to birds and retrieving. He has a fun personality and is a great family dog, but gets excited and works hard in the field. We highly recommend Thorn Creek Kennel.
Submitted by: Carter on Feb 24, 2021
My previous Griff breeder experience was a disaster so I intended to do a thorough investigation on my second Griff purchase. The breed will keep you coming back. After reviewing the testimonials of many breeders on this site I stumbled upon Duffy and Thorn Creek Kennels. What a pleasure it was to deal with a individual that obviously loves the breed and loves what he is accomplishing with his breeding program.
Our new addition is Zoey, a female griff that is everything we would ever want in a hunting dog and companion. At seven months, she has the brains, instincts and drive required for the field. At home she is great calm companion. My wife and I are having so much fun with Zoey that I placed a call to Duffy to place me on his waiting list for the next available litter. Thanks Duffy!
Submitted by: Chad Herbers on Feb 06, 2021
My griff is now a couple years old. I am continually impressed on her hunting abilities and even more so about her as a pet. She hunts birds in the mountains of Colorado to pheasant and quail in the plains of Kansas. She is truly remarkable. I have multiple griff breeders within a 1 hour radius and 1 in the town that I live in. I will pass up every one of them and drive the multiple hours to go back to Duffy, Thorn Creek, for my next one. Truth be told, my father posted an earlier review and his drive was longer and passes even more breeders. I can’t speak highly enough about Duffy and his griffs.
Submitted by: Eric Seymour on Dec 02, 2020
Duffy from Thorn Creek Kennels is producing an incredible line of Wirehaired Pointing Griffons. Our griff is very instinctual hunting and extremely biddable. He chills in the house, is very mellow and easy to train. He’s great with kids, friendly in the office but put him in the field and a switch flips and he is a hunting machine. He has a high prey drive and at seven months old he has found and pointed ruffed grouse and pheasant. When a bird is down he is on it in a second.
My wife is not a hunter but joined us on a pheasant hunt for a day. When she saw our seven month old griff working she yelled with excitement, “that’s not our baby puppy, he’s a BOSS” as he worked the cover and pointed a rooster. Duffy told us for the first year, “your dog will have the instincts to do everything, just don’t mess it up,” and he is right.
On top of breeding a great dog Duffy has been an invaluable resource for training and advice. Duffy is always available and we look forward to having a lasting mentor and friendship.
Submitted by: Chuck Herbers on Nov 27, 2020
Chuck Herbers Nov 27, 2020
As I sit here the day after Thanksgiving with a 41/2 month old female Griff (Kayce) laying by my chair, I think how lucky I am that my son has a Thorn Creek Griff for me to get to know first.
My first conversation with Duffy was like talking to an old friend. He was very knowledgeable and passionate about his Griffs. When we arrived at Thorn Creek in Sept 2020 to pick up our Kayce we were greeted with professionalism from both Duffy and his wife. How he can pick out a pup for you after a couple of conversations is quite a talent, but he nailed it perfect for my wife and I. Kayce climbed into her kennel as we started our 12 hour trip home to Kansas and was not heard from again until we stopped to let her out every couple of hours, little did I realize that this would be exactly how she is now, (when I need something I will let you know). As a bird dog goes she has already pointed and retrieved both Quail and Pheasant and is very deliberate an thorough.
I cannot recommend Thorn Creek, Duffy or his dogs high enough.
Submitted by: Craig Bullara on Nov 24, 2020
My experience with Duffy at Thorn Creek Kennel has been fantastic! Duffy is extremely knowledgeable about the history and lineage of his dogs and runs a clean and organized operation. I picked up Xanadu (Xan) in May of 2020 and we've been having a blast ever since. Xan has a strong prey drive, is confident and loves to hunt all game birds. Duffy and Xan have exceeded my expectations and I'm excited about the many years ahead with my new pup!
Submitted by: Eric Seymour on Nov 24, 2020
Duffy from Thorn Creek Kennels is producing an incredible line of Wirehaired Pointing Griffons. Our griff is very instinctual hunting and extremely biddable. He chills in the house, is very mellow and easy to train. He’s great with kids, friendly in the office but put him in the field and a switch flips and he is a hunting machine. He has a high prey drive and at seven months old he has found and pointed ruffed grouse and pheasant. When a bird is down he is on it in a second.
My wife is not a hunter but joined us on a pheasant hunt for a day. When she saw our seven month old griff working she yelled with excitement, “that’s not our baby puppy, he’s a BOSS” as he worked the cover and pointed a rooster. Duffy told us for the first year, “your dog will have the instincts to do everything, just don’t mess it up,” and he is right.
On top of breeding a great dog Duffy has been an invaluable resource for training and advice. Duffy is always available and we look forward to having a lasting mentor and friendship.
Submitted by: Roy Stralla on Oct 30, 2020
We received our pup "Joey" in May 2020. She is a beautiful dog in looks and temperament. I have already taken her out on several chukar hunts. She is pointing and learning how it's done with the help of my son's three-year-old-griff. Duffy was a pleasure to deal with throughout the whole process of getting our dog. He kept me updated with photos and emails or texts from the day she was born. We also had the pleasure of picking her up at his kennel which is in a beautiful location. Duffy and his dogs are top of the line!
Submitted by: Joe Wolfe on Apr 23, 2020
I got my first dog a female Rio from Duffy in the fall of 2009. Trained her myself and have been totally pleased with her game drive, nose, and her obedience. She has been a fabulous hunting dog, family dog, and a true companion. Based on her performance I contacted Duffy in the winter of 2018 to get a pup in 2019. I picked up Roi (a male) in July of 2019. After seeing videos of the puppy playground Duffy has it explains a lot about both dogs athleticism and confidence at a very early age. Roi has a fantastic nose, tremendously athletic and strong for his age, and he has absolute game drive to the point it consumes him that he focusses on the game or scent trail until he finds the game. Once I get his obedience better to understand that it more about us being a team and not just him finding game I wil have one unbelievable hunting dog. I think his nose is even better than what Rio's was at the same early age (he has much better nose than her now). He is lightning fast, has great vision and hearing, with tremendous endurance, just need to work him on live birds and get him steady to wing and shot. He uses his nose to find me when i take the dogs for a walk and we will get separated after Roi has tracked a pheasant for hundreds of yards in the tall grass behind our house in a rural subdivision. We got separated last fall hunting in standing corn I had a Garmin collar on him which kept losing signal as it said he was out of range! I was quite nervous but finally was able to locate him and "beep" him in till he could see and hear me. Turns out he was backtracking to the farm we were hunting at as I watched him following the route we had taken. We were probably 3.5 miles from the farm when I lost him and maybe 1.5-2 miles when I located him! Needless to say I put him on a leash for the rest of that day and observed him just shaking with energy while we were blocking on the end of the field as he would see the walkers kicking pheasants up and shooting them. I would certainly get a dog from Duffy again should I need one. In the local NAVDA chapter I always got compliments on Rio's coat, physique, and temperament. In the field she has been a real rock star of a hunting dog. I know Roi has the ability to be the same once he matures and I get more time to work with him.
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