Gun Dogs

I’ve been living with dogs for more years than I care to tally.  Since my mid-teens, almost all of them have been Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, the “almost” qualifier needed because a couple of Brittanys have also been part of the mix.  They have, thankfully, been long-lived and not prone to fatal accidents.

     But, even though the dogs that have occupied my kennels along with home and hearth have always been just these two breeds, I really love all dogs–large or small, tall or short, long-haired or wash ‘n’ wear, brave or wimpy, working stiffs or pampered show dogs, champions or pets. For the most part, dogs have responded to that love by liking me.  At the vet clinic or my dog’s trainer’s kennel, the dogs always seem to instinctively know that I’m good for a pet, an ear, tail, head or chin scratch; and the kind of soft, albeit meaningless–unless I throw in a good girl/boy or two–words that all dogs seem to love. Given the opportunity, they seem drawn to me like some sort of magnetic force was present.

     I’ve even had law enforcement and military dogs want to snuggle at our first meeting, to the complete surprise and frequent disbelief of their handlers. That included a particularly aloof Belgian Malinois who, his ex-U.S. Navy SEAL owner said as he watched the dog climb into my lap and cover my face with kisses, had NEVER cozied up to anyone until after they had been in his home several times and even then he retained much of his reserved demeanor.  It was for certain that the dog had never given the rather wild display of affection that I was receiving to a total stranger.

     But, much as I love all dogs, I have to confess that I love gun dogs the most.  That’s because they like what I like which is to poke around places where game birds are likely to be found, whether that’s the vast wheat fields of the Canadian prairies or a five acre Minnesota marsh, or the milo fields and conservation reserve program fields of Nebraska or, especially, the two shooting preserves where we frequently hunt because, unlike the wild areas, they know there will ALWAYS be birds on the preserves.

Posted by AnthonyA on Oct 15 2022. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.