Guus, the six-year-old German wirehaired pointing dog of hunter Eric Ouweneel from Almere, won the Nimrod, the Dutch championship for hunting dogs, in De Bilt. He finished ahead of the 17 other selected dogs after completing all nine retrieves in each of the three practical tests; only four dogs achieved the highest qualification on all three tests, and Guus recorded the highest score.

Guus, whose official kennel name is Abe of the Oldinghof, had previously suffered torn nails, a cut reaching the bone in his right wrist and several abdominal injuries. Ouweneel said he had once considered stopping the dog's training, but continued after encouragement from his children. Hunting dogs can participate in the Nimrod only once, and Ouweneel had declined an invitation the previous year because he believed Guus could perform better after further preparation.