Bird Dogs and Me
I grew up in the northeast - Ruffed Grouse country - although no one called them that, except “the society“. Nope, in my neck of the woods, everyone hunted “partridge”. We also hunted woodcock. At some point in my life, I moved to Maine. The birds they hunted there looked like the ones in New Brunswick, except they were called “pahtridge” and “woodcawwk”. I had always kind of had a hankering to hunt over a bird dog. One day I was reading a Sports Afield magazine and spied a picture of the most beautiful dog I had ever seen. It had classic hunting dog lines, like an English or Irish Setter. It was a little bigger though, and jet black. Black with mahogany feathering. And a little white splash on the chest. In the photo I saw, there was a pair. they were Gordon Setters. I immediately started to research these dogs, and tried finding breeders in Maine. I stumbled across a breeder, Jeff Pratt, in Woodland,ME. My wife (at the time) and I took a drive down, and I was hooked! Alas, though - we didn’t think it was in our budget - so we added it to our “someday” list. That September, I was helping her Dad work on a storage shed by the cottage on the lake in Danforth. I heard her car pull up, and out she came with a beautiful little pup! An early birthday present! Woo hoooo !!! My eyes got moist for sure! I named him “Jake” and for a long time, Jake was my boy! He was a hard dog to learn on though, when it came to training. He was a bird-crazy SOB, but boy, did he run wide! That dog would go like a black missile! We hunted some, but I got discouraged long before he did. Later, when my wife and I separated, Jake and his yard-mate Zeb got adopted out to my family, as I had to move into an apartment. Zeb was a big furry Newfoundland-and-something mix; a bear of a dog that was happy and gentle. He went to my brother’s. Jake went to Mom and Dad’s. I think Mom and Dad got attached to ol Jake, and Dad fussed over him quite a bit. Jake passed on after I moved west. He had that stomach-twist thing that dogs get now and then. Zeb passed as well - he got loose one night and was hit by a car.
After I moved to Arizona, it wasn’t long before my thoughts turned to taking a crack at another bird dog. There are a few Gordons here and there in Arizona, but not many. It’s just too hot. I saw an ad for GSPs not too far from my home. I checked out the pups, and melted. “This one is a big love”, Ken the breeder told me. That’s the one that came home. Trooper was a kick. My wife wasn’t so sure about him - she’d never owned a “big” dog. Turns out, years later - Trooper is her favorite. For as bold and brash as Jake was, Trooper has always been timid and skittish. Not sure why. I know his breeder, and he’s never been abused here or there. If the toaster pops, Trooper makes a dash out of the room. I’ve never worked with him on birds. I admit, I got him and just didn’t have the time to commit to properly train him. That, and I just didn’t know how to deal with such a sensitive dog. He’s made a great dog though - everyone is afraid of him at first, but they always wilt with a dose of “trooper-love”. He’s like a 70 lb lap dog, and is as caring and gentle as any dog I have ever owned.
I’m a little disappointed in myself that I wasn’t realistic in assessing my ability to make time for, and train these dogs. I’ve always been a dreamer I guess, and the vision in my head of hunting over my own pointing dog was just too much to resist. That being said, they both ended up as great dogs, and I loved them dearly. I’m glad to have had them along, during my little slice of life.
It is amazing how fast you can get attached to a dog. Sounds like all those dogs were good (or are) good ones. Trooper definitely looks like a sweetheart.
May 12th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
We had a chocolate lab (Dixie) that was second-to-none as a bird hunter. I’m convinced she’d hunt under a Howitzer canon if we had used one - or so it seemed. But boy, let a plastic grocery sack get snagged in a tree and flutter in the wind - and she’d cower like you were trying to beat her.
Some dogs are just naturally skittish. Regardless of their breed and training, dogs seemingly manage to find a way to warm the hearts of their owners. Such is the apparent case of Trooper. The picture of her lying on that book is precious. Thanks for sharing it and the story.
May 13th, 2008 at 8:22 am
[...] My family has owned Labs since I was a kid, and I?m a sucker for a good dog. The Desert rat has a great post about dogs he has known. I especially love the picture of Trooper laying on the dog training book. Very [...]
May 19th, 2008 at 6:15 pm