Remember when we first met…it was at the pound 12 years ago..you were the only one not barking…you took mom and I for a walk pulling with all your might….I remember the look on your face when we left you that day…I could not take it and returned the next day to claim you as mine! The kids were so surprised when they got home from school that May Day, as was mom. You are a lab mix, mixed with what I will never know. Our relationship was a little rocky at first…..I will never know what type of horrors you may have experienced in the two years before we met. More than once the misses and I discussed giving up on you as you had a rocky start figuring out where your place in the pack was. You had to Be the family dog as well as the pheasant dog come the fall. Remember when we hid feathers in the back yard and you would find them….remember when we would play fetch and you would retrieve the training dummy….you never were very good at giving it back….remember the training pistol going off as you ate….remember your obedience training star pupil you were not. Remember the first time I set you loose in the field wondering if you
Would ever come back? Remember the excitement you had every time I came down the stairs with my hunting gear? I have so many fond memories of the short 12 years that we have had together. Remember the time you caught the rabbit in the back yard…not only did you catch it you brought it in the house and dropped it at my feet..only to allow me to see that your fur was crawling with fleas! Remember all the hunts we shared? How bout the time I dropped the rooster 40yards out in the swamp..we were knee deep in cat tails and looked for30minutes only to find a few feathers…I was ready to give up…you disappeared and returned with the bird in your mouth with the “is this what you are looking for stupid” look on your face. You only retrieved when you had too and I did not mind. You learned to go after each bird with a slow methodical method….you usually figured it out and occasionally would surprise me with a point as you did on the last rooster you sent to the sky…..I shoot myself for not capturing it on film but knowing our time was short I did not want to screw it up for you. Remember when you would get on strong scent and your tail would thump on my leg as I waited in anticipation for the flush…that by far was the best.I know you will never forgive me for introducing you to the new pup Stella a couple of years ago. You two made a great team you found them and she retrieved them. It is now Stella’s turn to carry on your legacy. It came on suddenly…you stopped eating and are barely able to get up on your own. You have not wagged your tail in days….the time has come for us to say goodbye….you planned it so the older kids had the opportunity to come to the house to see you for 1 last time…..I have some comfort in knowing that sometime tonight you will be licking the hand of my grandfather…waiting for the sun to rise in the east so you can chase roosters once again. Grandpa had many many bird dogs in the past and he will be truly impressed at your abilities…..god speed Chelsea….my memories of you will last a lifetime!
April 30, 2013 at 12:10 pm
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