After talking with several Wire-haired Pointing Griffon breeders, and doing lots of reading on the breed, seven years ago I purchased Rosie and about three years later, purchased Tilly, from Southern Fire. The owners/breeders of Souther Fire are very thorough and strict with their breeding program - so incredibly devoted, knowledgeable, conscientious, and thoughtful. Throughout it all Southern Fire helped us choose the puppies, helped in training, and continue to help with any health/training questions we may have. We still take the dogs to visit every now and then and we all love that. I highly recommend Southern Fire as a top notch Wire-haired Pointing Griffon breeder.

We couldn’t be happier with our experience working with Southern Fire Griffon’s. From the very beginning, it was clear that Karen & Bob are dedicated to excellence, integrity, and a deep love for the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon breed.

We brought home our pup, Rigatoni, at 8 weeks old, and now at 7 months, he continues to exceed all expectations. He is healthy, confident, intelligent, and wonderfully social—traits that are a direct result of the outstanding start he received at Southern Fire. The care and attention given to his early development laid the perfect foundation for a happy and well-balanced dog.

Communication with Southern Fire was consistent and thorough. Every question we had was answered with professionalism and kindness, and we always felt supported throughout the entire process. Their transparency, knowledge, and genuine commitment to both the dogs and the families they go to is second to none.

If you’re considering a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, we cannot recommend Southern Fire highly enough. Rigatoni is a shining example of the quality and care they put into every pup—and we are truly grateful.

We have purchased puppies from Karen and Bob Cate on two separate occasions. If you are searching for a breeder whose dedication and care exceed all expectations. Karen and Bob Cate are exactly who you are looking for.
Karen has a profound knowledge of the breed, offering invaluable advice on everything from temperament to training tips. All of her puppies are raised in her home which is a clean, nurturing environment, ensuring their physical health and emotional well-being. Karen's passion for Wirehaired Pointing Griffons is truly reflected in her attention to being a preservation breeder and genuine love for each and every puppy.
Throughout the process, Karen maintains open and honest communication. She provides regular updates, including photos and videos of the litter, and she is always willing to answer any question.
We wholeheartedly recommend Southern Fire Griffons to anyone looking to add a griffon puppy to their home.

We currently have two WPG’s from Southern Fire Griffons, aged 3 years and 1.5 years, Lili and Puna (respectively).

Both dogs perform very well in the field. Their prey drive is quite high (understand what you’re getting). While the Griff is often said to be close working, I think its important to understand that at the time of Korthals, the comparison was to dogs that were being hunted off horseback. I would say that ours work at a medium distance, typically working just out of sight based on the cover (30-60 yds in the woods, 100-200 yds on the prairie). They’ve both become excellent companions in the duck blind with loads of natural retrieve drive and no hesitation to swim. While both are quite capable trackers (each receiving a score of 4/4 on the tracking portion of the NAVHDA NA Exam), Lili in particular is a natural at tracking and I have yet to see her fail at it. She’s tracked a wounded Prairie Chicken over 300 yds in the mid-day heat when two other, more seasoned dogs, gave up and she’s tracked a deer that had only been grazed by an arrow close to a mile. Both dogs have the proverbial “Teflon coat” and it’s truly impressive to see how well they shed seeds, burr, and the like, although their coats have been slow to mature (especially Puna). If I have one complaint its that their coats are ill-suited for any real work in temperatures over 70F, but the trade-off is the performance in the duck blind.

Both dogs have proven to be very biddable. Griffs have a reputation of being “soft”, however, I’ve found that both have sufficient drive to not shutdown under pressure. HOWEVER, while gun dog trainers tend to lean into compulsive training methods, I’ve found that both respond exponentially better to training using positive reinforcement methods and using negative reinforcement (compulsion) once the tasks are clearly understood.

Setting aside typical puppy issues, both dogs have demonstrated they possess an excellent “off switch”. Like most Griffs that I’m familiar with, they tend to be “Velcro dogs” in the house… you’ll never be alone! Each of our dogs definitely has a unique personality, but both are quite friendly and are EXCELLENT with children. We also have a small dog and two cats in our home and they all manage to coexist, although if the cats run, the Griffs will chase them without fail. Don’t mistake me however, the cats pre-existed the Griffs and I wouldn’t introduce a new one. As friendly as they both are, I’ve found that both are what I would consider appropriately protective of our family and property.

I’ve had the opportunity to interact with several other dogs from the Southern Fire Griffons breeding program and I’ve found that, although my dogs are obviously the best dogs in the world, they seem to be consistent in terms of performance and temperament. While I simply cannot say enough positive things about the dogs, Bob and Karen are even better. I think that you’ll be hard-pressed to find another breeder that cares as much about EVERY individual dog that comes from their program and the breed. I used to think it was unrealistic to find a breeder that satisfies ALL the things that people say you should look for in a breeder and that I simply had to be willing to make concessions. That idea is a fallacy and Bob and Karen prove that. The time and care they pour into their puppies is virtually unmatched. Bob and Karen invest SO MUCH time and energy to see that the puppies are practically crate and potty trained by the time they’re sent home, have been exposed to gun fire, are swimming, have been exposed to live quail and often other dead prey (ducks, squirrel, etc), respond to whistle commands, have a very solid foundation for a recall and turn and get out front like you’d expect from a hunting dog. They even take the time to imprint your scent on your future puppy if you’re willing to send them some worn articles of clothing (and trust me, this works!!).

I know that there may be some people that might be turned off by some of the requirements Karen has when she screens her puppy buyers but believe me when I say it’s indicative of the love and care she pours into every aspect of their breeding program.

If you want a top-notch versatile hunting dog that lives up to the Griff’s moniker of “Supreme Gun Dog”, if you want a dog that can also be the ultimate family dog, and you can get a Southern Fire Griffon, you simply must not pass up the opportunity. I cannot use strong enough language or overstate this: the dogs that are coming from this breeding program epitomize what the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon is supposed to be. Period.

We currently have two WPG’s from Southern Fire Griffons, aged 3 years and 1.5 years, Lili and Puna (respectively).

Both dogs perform very well in the field. Their prey drive is quite high (understand what you’re getting). While the Griff is often said to be close working, I think its important to understand that at the time of Korthals, the comparison was to dogs that were being hunted off horseback. I would say that ours work at a medium distance, typically working just out of sight based on the cover (30-60 yds in the woods, 100-200 yds on the prairie). They’ve both become excellent companions in the duck blind with loads of natural retrieve drive and no hesitation to swim. While both are quite capable trackers (each receiving a score of 4/4 on the tracking portion of the NAVHDA NA Exam), Lili in particular is a natural at tracking and I have yet to see her fail at it. She’s tracked a wounded Prairie Chicken over 300 yds in the mid-day heat when two other, more seasoned dogs, gave up and she’s tracked a deer that had only been grazed by an arrow close to a mile. Both dogs have the proverbial “Teflon coat” and it’s truly impressive to see how well they shed seeds, burr, and the like, although their coats have been slow to mature (especially Puna). If I have one complaint its that their coats are ill-suited for any real work in temperatures over 70F, but the trade-off is the performance in the duck blind.

Both dogs have proven to be very biddable. Griffs have a reputation of being “soft”, however, I’ve found that both have sufficient drive to not shutdown under pressure. HOWEVER, while gun dog trainers tend to lean into compulsive training methods, I’ve found that both respond exponentially better to training using positive reinforcement methods and using negative reinforcement (compulsion) once the tasks are clearly understood.

Setting aside typical puppy issues, both dogs have demonstrated they possess an excellent “off switch”. Like most Griffs that I’m familiar with, they tend to be “Velcro dogs” in the house… you’ll never be alone! Each of our dogs definitely has a unique personality, but both are quite friendly and are EXCELLENT with children. We also have a small dog and two cats in our home and they all manage to coexist, although if the cats run, the Griffs will chase them without fail. As friendly as they both are, I’ve found that both are what I would consider appropriately protective of our family and property.

I’ve had the opportunity to interact with several other dogs from the Southern Fire Griffons breeding program and I’ve found that, although my dogs are obviously the best dogs in the world, they seem to be consistent in terms of performance and temperament. While I simply cannot say enough positive things about the dogs, Bob and Karen are even better. I think that you’ll be hard-pressed to find another breeder that cares as much about EVERY individual dog that comes from their program and the breed as a whole. I used to think it was unrealistic to find a breeder that satisfies ALL the things that people say you should look for in a breeder and that I simply had to be willing to make concessions. That idea is a fallacy and Bob and Karen prove that. The time and care they pour into their puppies is virtually unmatched. Bob and Karen invest SO MUCH time and energy to see that the puppies are practically crate and potty trained by the time they’re sent home, have been exposed to gun fire, are swimming, have been exposed to live quail and often other dead prey (ducks, squirrel, etc), respond to whistle commands, have a very solid foundation for a recall and turn and get out front like you’d expect from a hunting dog. They even take the time to imprint your scent on your future puppy if you’re willing to send them some worn articles of clothing (and trust me, this works!!).

I know that there may be some people that might be turned off by some of the requirements Karen has when she screens her puppy buyers, but believe me when I say its indicative of the love and care she pours into every aspect of their breeding program.

If you want a top-notch versatile hunting dog that lives up to the Griff’s moniker of “Supreme Gun Dog”, if you want a dog that can also be the ultimate family dog, and you have the opportunity to get a Southern Fire Griffon you simply must not pass up the opportunity. I cannot use strong enough language or overstate this: the dogs that are coming from this breeding program epitomize what the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon is supposed to be. Period.

We currently have two WPG’s from Southern Fire Griffons, aged 3 years and 1.5 years, Lili and Puna (respectively).

Both dogs perform very well in the field. Their prey drive is quite high (understand what you’re getting). While the Griff is often said to be close working, I think its important to understand that at the time of Korthals, the comparison was to dogs that were being hunted off horseback. I would say that ours work at a medium distance, typically working just out of sight based on the cover (30-60 yds in the woods, 100-200 yds on the prairie). They’ve both become excellent companions in the duck blind with loads of natural retrieve drive and no hesitation to swim. While both are quite capable trackers (each receiving a score of 4/4 on the tracking portion of the NAVHDA NA Exam), Lili in particular is a natural at tracking and I have yet to see her fail at it. She’s tracked a wounded Prairie Chicken over 300 yds in the mid-day heat when two other, more seasoned dogs, gave up and she’s tracked a deer that had only been grazed by an arrow close to a mile. Both dogs have the proverbial “Teflon coat” and it’s truly impressive to see how well they shed seeds, burr, and the like, although their coats have been slow to mature (especially Puna). If I have one complaint its that their coats are ill-suited for any real work in temperatures over 70F, but the trade-off is the performance in the duck blind.

Both dogs have proven to be very biddable. Griffs have a reputation of being “soft”, however, I’ve found that both have sufficient drive to not shutdown under pressure. HOWEVER, while gun dog trainers tend to lean into compulsive training methods, I’ve found that both respond exponentially better to training using positive reinforcement methods and using negative reinforcement (compulsion) once the tasks are clearly understood.

Setting aside typical puppy issues, both dogs have demonstrated they possess an excellent “off switch”. Like most Griffs that I’m familiar with, they tend to be “Velcro dogs” in the house… you’ll never be alone! Each of our dogs definitely has a unique personality, but both are quite friendly and are EXCELLENT with children. We also have a small dog and two cats in our home and they all manage to coexist, although if the cats run, the Griffs will chase them without fail. As friendly as they both are, I’ve found that both are what I would consider appropriately protective of our family and property.

I’ve had the opportunity to interact with several other dogs from the Southern Fire Griffons breeding program and I’ve found that, although my dogs are obviously the best dogs in the world, they seem to be consistent in terms of performance and temperament. While I simply cannot say enough positive things about the dogs, Bob and Karen are even better. I think that you’ll be hard-pressed to find another breeder that cares as much about EVERY individual dog that comes from their program and the breed as a whole. I used to think it was unrealistic to find a breeder that satisfies ALL the things that people say you should look for in a breeder and that I simply had to be willing to make concessions. That idea is a fallacy and Bob and Karen prove that. The time and care they pour into their puppies is virtually unmatched. Bob and Karen invest SO MUCH time and energy to see that the puppies are practically crate and potty trained by the time they’re sent home, have been exposed to gun fire, are swimming, have been exposed to live quail and often other dead prey (ducks, squirrel, etc), respond to whistle commands, have a very solid foundation for a recall and turn and get out front like you’d expect from a hunting dog. They even take the time to imprint your scent on your future puppy if you’re willing to send them some worn articles of clothing (and trust me, this works!!).

I know that there may be some people that might be turned off by some of the requirements Karen has when she screens her puppy buyers, but believe me when I say its indicative of the love and care she pours into every aspect of their breeding program.

If you want a top-notch versatile hunting dog that lives up to the Griff’s moniker of “Supreme Gun Dog”, if you want a dog that can also be the ultimate family dog, and you have the opportunity to get a Southern Fire Griffon you simply must not pass up the opportunity. I cannot use strong enough language or overstate this: the dogs that are coming from this breeding program epitomize what the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon is supposed to be. Period.

What no 10 on the scale? Karen jumped in as another breeder was giving me grief. She has been beyond helpful! I seriously can't describe the feeling when someone offers what they know to help you correct or avoid mistakes. She is the model of what humans should be. Caring and helpful!

It’s coming up on 2 years since I picked up my griffon from Karen and everyday I feel incredibly thankful to have gotten one of her pups. After researching the breed for a few years, I’d never come across a breeder that I felt completely met my requirements, until I found Karen. Needless to say, she (& her pups) exceeded my expectations. Karen genuinely cares about each and every one of her griffons and the breed as a whole. If you are looking for a Griff, you absolutely cannot go wrong with Karen’s. From their physical aesthetic and temperament to their intellectual aptitude and health, they are perfect. Her dogs are everything you’ll want and so much more.
Thank you Karen for giving me the best buddy I could ever ask for!

We feel so blessed to have connected with Karen Cate and her Southern Fire Griffons! Our pup took his NAHVDA test last May. Before the judge read his scores he shared that our boy had an ‘absolutely stellar performance in the field’! That compliment speaks volumes about Karen’s Griffs and and her excellent breeding program! Her early training was evident the day we picked him up. He had that nose to the ground and absolutely not gun shy! Our little guy is so impressive to watch when he is hunting. His drive and skills are amazing and I’ve hunted over many dogs for 30+years. Our pup is our first Griff and Karen was always available to answer any questions we had and was quick to offer and suggest training tips. She truly cares about her pups and their families! We will certainly be adding another Griff to our hunting family and it will only ever be from Karen’s Southern Fire line!

I have own many Bird dogs over my 66 years but this one takes the prize. Not only is he a natural pointer, backer, retriever,driven hunter, but a lovable goof ball.
This was an excellent breed dog and the breeder took special attention to make sure there was not any gun shy puppies with early introduction to gun sounds. She even had them use to sleep in their own area.
She made me prove i had a hunting license before she would sell to me.
If you want a hunting dog this is the place to look.

Karen and Bob are amazing!! They are wonderful people who love this breed like no other! We got our pup in November of 2015 and he impresses us every day! Learned commands and obedience quickly. Scored a perfect natural ability score - but that was after two weeks of help from Karen and Bob! We would definitely recommend this kennel and will probably use them again.

It has been and continues to be such a pleasure to deal with Karen and Bob at Southern Fire Griffons. They are the most helpful breeders ever and their love of their pups is evident in everything they do. Our boy has been completely fantastic scoring a perfect 112 on his NAVHDA NA while also completing his AKC Champion title by the age of 11 months (owner handled). In short, quality dogs and quality people.