Traumatic Experience for my Son

[Big Dave2]

Well, we lost our Brittany "Bella" last week. My 15 Year old son comes home for lunch each day from school and lets the dogs out to do their thing in our fenced in yard. About a week and a half ago he let Bella out and didn't notice that for some reason the gate was open. Bella always had a thing for running off if she could get out and managed to do so at least a few times per year. My son chased after her and witnessed the dog attempt to cross a street in front of a car that had no time to stop. Needless to say Bella lost that battle with the car and is no longer with us. She was 8 years old, smart as a whip and was a great companion.

This was all very tough on our son. He has asked if we will get another dog but I'm not sure at this point if I have it in me to go through that again. We still have a Yorkie that is my wife's dog but it is not very fun for my son since it really only likes my wife and is not a playful dog. If we get another dog I'm not sure if it will be another hunting dog. We never hunted Bella nearly as much as I intended when I got her plus I lost my right foot last winter and although I get around perfectly with my prosthetic, I'm not sure if bird hunting will be in the cards for me anymore. I'm not sure if it is very fair to a hunting breed to not be hunted on a regular basis but I really like the Pudelpointers since I am also allergic to dogs.

[leech~~]

Well, we lost our Brittany "Bella" last week. My 15 Year old son comes home for lunch each day from school and lets the dogs out to do their thing in our fenced in yard. About a week and a half ago he let Bella out and didn't notice that for some reason the gate was open. Bella always had a thing for running off if she could get out and managed to do so at least a few times per year. My son chased after her and witnessed the dog attempt to cross a street in front of a car that had no time to stop. Needless to say Bella lost that battle with the car and is no longer with us. She was 8 years old, smart as a whip and was a great companion.

This was all very tough on our son. He has asked if we will get another dog but I'm not sure at this point if I have it in me to go through that again. We still have a Yorkie that is my wife's dog but it is not very fun for my son since it really only likes my wife and is not a playful dog. If we get another dog I'm not sure if it will be another hunting dog. We never hunted Bella nearly as much as I intended when I got her plus I lost my right foot last winter and although I get around perfectly with my prosthetic, I'm not sure if bird hunting will be in the cards for me anymore. I'm not sure if it is very fair to a hunting breed to not be hunted on a regular basis but I really like the Pudelpointers since I am also allergic to dogs.

So sorry to hear Dave. We had one of our dogs Lady a Beagle get hit by a car as well when I was about your sons age. It's a very hard thing to go through. I would say a pray for your family, but well we know each other a little by now. Hope your family can work through this.

Edited November 29, 2015 by leech~~

[bobberineyes]

Dang big d,  sorry to hear it. Somehow our gates were left open now and then, turns out the neighbor kids were leaving them open, a bungy took care of that. A little time will help but I would jump back into it, a missing foot or not, theirs more than one way to put you and your dog on birds...

[leechlake]

buddy of mine has had a prosthetic leg and has had it since a teenager.  It is very difficult for him to walk through normal pheasant habitat so I understand.  He is an excellent "poster" though.  That may not be in the cards depending on how you hunt.

I do have an awesome idea though.  Merely find some  Britanny puppies and just go for a family adventure to look at them.  Your son will play with them and smile.  He will look like a little kid again.  He will tell you he will play less video games taking care of his new pup if you get one.  Heck, he's probably going to be moving out in a few years and what better way to cope with that than having his faithful companion around the house., fully trained and a model citizen you brag about to your friends and family.  Before you go the family can go over great names to call him.

"C'mon dad..."

Bring your checkbook by the way.  Maybe the family will want to go out to eat afterwards.  

PS- excellent family Christmas gift.  You'll be a hero.  

Edited November 29, 2015 by leechlake

[Ufatz]

I really don't mean to come across as "Mr.Negative" but there are some things to consider. First, losing your dog in that way is just terrible. Had it happen when I was younger than your boy. The temptation might be to dash out and buy a new pup but.....consider that your son's interests are going to change dramatically over the next few year. Think back to your own experiences at ages 15 through 20. Will the interest in the dog fade? Probably.

If the dog is also YOUR main dog that will make a difference of course.  Lost my old pal Annie a year or so back to cancer and, because of my age,  figured that was it. It really hurt to lose Annie 'cause we were real pals.  I was not up for another dog.

And then a "pal" showed up at my cabin and dumped a fat little eight week old litter reject on my porch. She ain't perfect but she's all Lab complete with her papers and Abby is now a fixture and has turned out to be one of the smartest dogs I've ever trained!! She is simply amazing.  My one worry is that odds are I will cross over the divide before and I hate to leave Abby behind because she is SO focused on me and loyal to me.  I worry about her.  But wife says she will keep her when I make my last cast so that is some consolation.   I ramble on like this because it pays to think carefully about a new dog at any age but especially if a guy is "mellow and aged",   not physically perfect any more and may be faced with other issues.

Okay. I've said my piece.   Very sorry about the loss of your little pal.  I have convinced myself they are all in a special place just waiting for me to arrive and we are going to have a ball romping together again.

[leechlake]

all valid points.  My dad died in September and lived with my sister the last 18 months.  He spent most days alone while my sister and BIL were at work.  The have a golden retriever.  That dog is the most worthless dog I'd ever met.  Big like a tank, thinks he's a toy poodle.  The dog ended up getting a mention in the obit, my dad called him his "associate."  My dad fell down frequently.  I've tripped over that tank of a dog many times.  For whatever reason that dog and my dad never had a falling incident and they kept each other company many days.

Food for thought.

[Big Dave2]

So sorry to hear Dave. We had one of our dogs Lady a Beagle get hit by a car as well when I was about your sons age. It's a very hard thing to go through. I would say a pray for your family, but well we know each other a little by now. Hope your family can work through this.

Yeah, when I was a kid we lived on a farm and for some reason all of our dogs chased cars that went by on the road. Every dog we had eventually got hit on the road and I witnessed several of them but when you live on a farm you see death all the time. My son has not had that experience in his life so it was a lot more traumatic for him than it ever was for me.

The good news is he seems to be doing a lot better now. 

Dang big d,  sorry to hear it. Somehow our gates were left open now and then, turns out the neighbor kids were leaving them open, a bungy took care of that. A little time will help but I would jump back into it, a missing foot or not, theirs more than one way to put you and your dog on birds...

Thanks for that, I know I could probably walk easy pheasant habitat like can sometimes be found in SD or a hunting preserve and I should be able to walk shorter grouse trails but that's about it.

buddy of mine has had a prosthetic leg and has had it since a teenager.  It is very difficult for him to walk through normal pheasant habitat so I understand.  He is an excellent "poster" though.  That may not be in the cards depending on how you hunt.

I do have an awesome idea though.  Merely find some  Britanny puppies and just go for a family adventure to look at them.  Your son will play with them and smile.  He will look like a little kid again.  He will tell you he will play less video games taking care of his new pup if you get one.  Heck, he's probably going to be moving out in a few years and what better way to cope with that than having his faithful companion around the house., fully trained and a model citizen you brag about to your friends and family.  Before you go the family can go over great names to call him.

"C'mon dad..."

Bring your checkbook by the way.  Maybe the family will want to go out to eat afterwards.  

PS- excellent family Christmas gift.  You'll be a hero.  

I get what you're saying but due to my allergies and the hair shedding all over the house and furniture, I think another Brittany is out of the question. I would be more apt to check out a Pudelpointer or Griffon but I know that most breeders of those 2 breeds are a little particular on who they sell their dogs to and I'm not sure I'd qualify since I don't hunt as much as others. 

[bottomdweller]

Sorry for your loss Big D