Olivia Webb

Richmond County Daily Journal

In a quest to blend two of his greatest passions, Wade Meacham went on an international adventure.

A professional dog trainer since 1987, Meacham has been around pointers, setters and retrievers his entire life, having gone on his first hunt at 15 months old.

“I had always owned labs and bird dogs during my school years, but while in college, a local doctor and duck hunting partner gave me an outstanding pair of lab pups,” said Meacham. “I was hooked immediately. Because of these dogs and their outgoing nature, tracking, and trainability, I decided to pursue a living training retrievers.”

Which led to the 47-year-old Ellerbe man’s pursuit of the quintessential gun dog.

“I’ve always had an affinity for all things Irish, from music to literature to art,” said Meacham, who added that the country he loves to travel to happens to produce the best Labrador retrievers in the business. “Ireland is so small that it could fit inside of North Carolina twice, so when I go over there I am able to meet and work with some of the top trainers in Ireland — if not the world.”

Walking through his 28-run facility, Sun Dog Kennels in Ellerbe, Meacham points out which dogs are American-made, and which ones have the luck of the Irish — but the physical differences aren’t hard to see.

Irish Labrador retrievers are built smaller than their American counterparts, with short legs, broad chests and boxy legs. All the Irish labs at Sun Dog are sired from national champions.

According to Meacham, the other difference - calm, steady temperament - is due to one part Irish breeding, one part American training. The perfect hybrid, he says.

On Friday, Manness Tire Manager Terri Lewis and his wife Cheryl came to see what all the fuss was about. They’d just had to say goodbye to Brock, their companion of 14 years, that morning.

“Cheryl and I were all to pieces,” said Lewis. “I said ‘We’ve got to get another dog.’ It’s the best therapy I know. I’d talked to Wade about it - and Wade knows good dogs.”

Meacham was the one who trained Brock, a brown American lab.

“She was a wild child when we brought her to Wade,” said Terri. “When he got through with her she was absolutely calm and well-mannered. She’s the smartest dog I ever had. She reasoned things out and entertained herself at times. She was the most amazing dog I’ve ever seen.”

Meacham currently has 16 Irish puppies for them to choose from. They go for about $1,000 a pop. But well-bred, fully-grown dogs cost him around $15,000.

“I’m going back to the base stock,” said Meacham, who added that as a breeder he wants to keep this Labrador line as close to it’s origin as possible.

According to him, these labs descend from those made famous by the second Earl of Malmesbury, who coined the name “Labrador” as a reference to the dogs that English fishermen brought back from the Labrador territory (just northwest of Newfoundland). An avid duck hunter, Malmesbury was impressed by the way the dogs swam, and procured them to go out and retrieve down birds.

“This is a dog that is calm, tractable, and driven,” said Meacham.

He equally enjoys the personalities of the Irish dog trainers he works with.

“They’re your stereotypical Irish people,” Meacham laughed. “I call about a dog and the guy wants to talk politics and tell jokes.”

He loves the experience as much as he loves the dogs.

“Now, with the Internet, I’m basically able to have an international connection to the best trainers in Ireland,” said Meacham. “I’m sitting here in little bitty Ellerbe and buying dogs halfway around the world.”

For more information about Irish Gun Dogs, visit www.sundogkennels.net.