proud to be that dogs partner

[Beeman]

I would Just like to share a story abut my dog. Last year while hunting on a local pond, I droped three ducks. I marked the first two very well but the last one drifted into some heavy cover. the pond is pretty shallow but deep enough for a dog to have to swim(lots of sunken logs and bog grass). Well I sent the old boy(11 years old) out for the first two and he shined like a star. on the last retrieve he went out where I sent him(where I thought the duck had landed) and searched for about 10 minutes without luck. Being as old as he is he pretty much does what he wants to do . So he came back in. He stoped about 10 feet out from shore and rested on a sunken log. I asked what he thought? "Do you think he's out there"? I asked. He sat there a while looking at me then back out over the pond. finally I said"well its up to you. If you think he's there then go back out if not lets go". He looked at me with these eyes that said,Well I checked but I'll check again, and then he went back out. This time he went in a little different direction and soon I could tell he was on something. He zeroed in on the duck about 150 yards out from were I marked it. Like a bullet he took off after it and caught it just before it flew away from him.As I stood there on shore watching all this unfold I felt my heart fill with pride to be able to share a moment like that with a partner that can never be replaced. Just wondering if any one else has a memory that gives them a tear.

[BDR]

Thats a cool story beeman. I have two I'll share. First when my Gsp was 4 months old it was game fair time. My wife and I went to the (Hickox) seminar for pointers. I was abit early so we grab a front row seat. Well the old man is getting ready for the show over to the side, time gets close and he starts to walk past, Charlie jumps up and locks on point. the trainer stops, pats his bird pouch on his hip and says you guys stick around. He started his show and then came to me and asked if he could use my pup, of course feel free I said. He takes him out front to demonstrate natrual pointing instinct. Charlie shines and I got the puffed chest feeling.

2 Months later I took him along for an impromto Duck opener. It was very crowded on a slough behind my Dads place but we got in right next to the nieghbors. One of the nieghbor guys skybusts and drop a mallard that hits the water right in front of us. then scoots into the cattails. Well we have avout 6 guys in waders searching for about 15 minutes to no abail we call it a lost duck. Out of the water I walk back to the blind to find Charlie sitting there proudly with a Mallard in his mouth. Didn't even know/expect he entered the water. Yep got that feeling again.

Hope he can finish his year as he started. We have had 76 great years so far.

[Mr. B]

I have a younger brother who has only hunted with highly trained and skilled dogs. He has never had to take a dog through the training process. Needless to say the first couple times he and I and Maggie went hunting things were not quite what he was used to.

This fall we head out to do a little hunting at Thanksgiving. Every thing is going pretty smoothly when my brother kicks a rooster while Maggie is working a small patch of brush in front of me. As the rooster flushes my brother wings it. I only glimpse of the bird that I get is it finally folding up and dropping about 150 yards away in a cat tail swamp. As my brother and I talk to decide how we are going to get this bird we forget about Maggie. A couple minutes later we realize she is no where to be seen so we wait to see what happens. Ten minutes later here comes Maggie with the rooster. She walks up to my brother places the bird at his feet and then walks over to me and sits at my side. The look she gave my brother was priceless!

I have no idea how she saw the rooster. Since she has not progressed in her training to hand signals that retrieve was all her, I could not have helped her out if I wanted to. The best part is that even my brother has admitted that Maggie is a pretty good bird dog.

[Slowfinger]

I have a very similar story. My brother n law winged a pheasant down next to the Vermillion river and it crashed in the bank on the other side. My Britt swam over and chased into a large wood pile. My bro then asks if she'll get it out....I said, probably not - you'd better get those boots and pants off. After a moment or two, he starts peeling clothes, ready to wade across... He got down to his scivies, standing in the cold, when my pup swims the pheasy back and drops it next to him. Proud? ...you bet.

[EYEYIEYE]

3 year old black lab. pushed some sourgum for pheasants that was bordered by a tree plantation. We got to the end and deciede to push the trees back as fast as fat out of shape hunters can walk. So we decided that I would take my dog to the end and we would block. I started jogging we got a couple hundred yards down the edge of the trees and the dog went birdie he ran into the trees and came out 1 yards down the line he did this twice and then he would just run ahead of me and stick his hea into the trees he did this twice also then he ran about 30 yards ahead and dove into the woods i could hear him coming towards me and then bam a nice Dakota Rooster. I even hit it!! i am certain he was watching that bird run ahead of us and he cut it off. love my lab!!!!!

[Beeman]

Theres so many great stories. Its fun to see how dogs can make us look like the fool just by being themselves!