Conference vmsnet::hunting$note:hunting

848.0. "Goodbye Dear Friend" by WFOV12::DRUMM () Fri Nov 09 1990 08:19

			      TO MY FRIEND BRITT


	We met one April morning, it was cool but sunny. She came running right
up to the edge of the pen. My wife and daughter picked her out of a litter of
ten. On the way home she was held in my wife's arms with her head poking out
from beneath the spring coat. We talked to her to calm her as she seemed a
little nervous with the new surroundings. 

	The day before I had built a temporary kennel in the garage for the pup
to stay in until she grew a bit and the weather warmed enough for her to stay
out in the yard kennel at night. That first night went ok, we had placed a
tic-tock clock under the old blanket in the sleeping box to help calm her.
And in the morning, what a greeting I got when I entered the garage to feed
her and take her out for a call of nature. "Lady Britt of Southampton," that's
your name girl. We'll call you Britt for short if that's Ok with you? The 
yip-yip I took to mean OK.

	The time passed quickly and soon she had grown to full size, was house
broken and in field training. She was a fast learner, tracked and retrieved
at the outset. The hunting season came and we put her in the field with two
other experienced dogs she was friends with, Buck and Dude. At first she tried
to play but soon found the other dogs were working and not playing. She
observed and learned, made mistakes that cost us birds, but that was ok, the
pleasure of seeing her move from in-experience to experienced was worth the 
few misses.

	During that first season she came into her first heat and I had to pull
her from the field. Distracting the other two dogs, they were males.

	June the following year, she was well trained and came into her second
heat and was bred with Dude. A litter of 10 was had, 8 males 2 females. The
pups were sold for a very reasonable price to hunters who could not afford the
high price of kennel dogs. That's how I bought Britt and felt it fair I return
the favor. Nice to see some hunter who is not all that well-to-do have a chance
to get a good dog.

	That second season was when she showed she was now a full fledged
hunter. On her first day out she tracked and pointed her first bird on her
own. The sad part was I couldn't get into a shooting position for the flush.
She had the bird pinned on a very steep hill and I couldn't get up the hill
safely to shoot. The bird flushed and was gone. She just went on and worked
the rest of the day.

	Then on a following weekend out she tracked, pointed, and held a bird
for me. The flush was a typical open field pheasant flush. The shot was made.
Just like an old pro she brought the bird right back and kind of pranced around
me, real proud like. I chuckled at the sight. Looked like a small version of a
Morgan horse with head held high and a high stepping prance. The bird looked
bigger than her. Boy was she proud and was I. Lots of at-a-girls were given. 





	As the years passed she learned that if she pointed and I flushed there
would be a retrieve made and the at-a-girls would come. Then one day it happened,
I missed, you should have seen the look on her face!! Why she turned and gave
me the look of; Well, I did my part!! What seems to be your problem? Can't
hit a straight-away any more? She got the at-a-girls anyway and on we hunted.
Then just to tell me what she really thought of my shooting she would wonder
over and hunt in front of my father, maybe he can hit a straight-away?

	We had a lot of good times together as the years passed, on hunts,
at home, at play. I could fill a book with stories of hunts and fun times we
had together. Like a binding of the book a bond was welded that could never
be broken.

	She only wanted to please, although there were times I could have sworn
her ears were painted on, had to show her independence now and then. All she
ever expected in return was good care and kindness, a pat on the head would do.

	She was old and could not take care of herself any longer. Fun was
gone from her life. She could no longer do the things she wanted to do to
please us. She could no longer run with the wind, chase the birds of the field
or the falling leaves in the yard, a good tug-of-war with her friend and my son
Brian was no longer possible, her sight was poor and hearing was difficult, and
her best friends Buck and Dude were gone. She tried to wag her tail and even
this was a chore.

	I've heard the fields are big and briar free and the water in the
streams only cool to the touch. Your old friends Buck and Dude are there and
together you can chase the butterflies on the wind. So......


	Today we said goodbye.....

	One dear friend to another.



    Touching.  Sounds like a Britt was a wonderful dog.  And then again,
    all relationships with owners and their dogs are close.  Your parting
    words about your dog makes me want to go home and play with my lab. 
    I am sure you are thankful for being able to experience a relationship
    like that.
    
    A man's best friend is a dog!!!
    
    bob
    

    Hoo-boy.  I can relate.  Maybe she'll see Willie and Trap wherever the
    good dogs go to hunt from here.
    
    /brett

    
    A hunter decided to train his hound to help roust deer, its legal here. 
    Well the dog was a couple of years old and is very much a house dog. 
    So the guy after much deliberation decided what the heck, lets train
    him.  Taking the dog out to the woods, he worked with the dog for a few
    hours, did this on several occassions.  Finally the day came and he
    thought now SAM's ready.  Well Sam took off like a bullit, and everyone
    was pleased.  Soon a hour or so passed and nothing or no sign of Sam. 
    Now this started to worry the hunter, so he and two friends decided to
    track Sam.  They worked on finding Sam for several hours, nothing, they
    were calling and calling and tracking and calling the whole time.  The
    hunter didn't know what to think and was quite upset over the apparent
    loss of his best friend.  Well as it turned out, Sam had tired out and
    decided to lay down in some brush and didn't have a care in the world. 
    They had actually walked right by Sam on several occassions, almost
    stepped on him, but Sam must have decided that he really didn't want
    anything to do with hunting.  Finally, still quite upset about not
    being able to find Sam, he called his friends and decided to call it
    quits.  Well with that they all met (almost right in front of Sam's
    nose) and jointly decided to call it quits for the day go home, and
    then come back the following day.  They started for the car, well Sam
    decided that was good enough for him, so he got up and joined the men
    in the walk back to the car, calling it a day.  
    
    This really happened.
    
    
    Cheers
    Leonard