Bird Dogs

Dogs have always had a special spot in my heart.  As a disclaimer I do not view them in the same way as many other folks do.  I am a very firm believer that God did in fact give man dominion over the animals.  I cut my teeth training beagles and coon dogs.  I loved to hear them open up after rabbits and coons, but it did not take me long to not enjoy so much when they opened up all hours of the day and night at home though.  Their training was not very intense, mostly just expose them to their quarry and let them figure it out on their own or from letting them tie in with the older more experienced dogs.  There wasn’t much in the way of handling other than coming when called and loading and unloading into the dog boxes.  I enjoyed and still enjoy running after these hounds and they will always stir something in me. 

Bird Dogs

Then I discovered bird dogs.  These seemed to be on an entirely different level.  They would handle to so many more commands, they would listen, they would retrieve birds, and find and lock down birds on point.  They became, very much a fascination and soon a love of mine.  I read books, fiction, non-fiction, instructional, magazines, and whatever else I could get my hands on about these special creatures.  I loved the spaniels that bounced around through the grass and flushed the birds, I loved the pointers and setters that locked down on the scent and became statues.  I loved the retrievers that swam after the birds in the water or retrieved downed birds in heavy cover.  The versatile breeds though quickly took my notice and I was determined to have one.  They could do several of the jobs that the other dogs could and that versatility and need for only one dog for all the work just seemed to fit like a glove. 

All Kinds 

Since then I have had several bird dogs, I’ve had a German Shorthair Pointer, I’ve had a Drahthaar, and I’ve had a Lab.  I have been impressed with all three and all three were wonderful dogs.  I had much more time with the shorthair and so became supremely attached to him more than the other two.  I have enjoyed shooting doves, woodcock, grouse, quail, ducks and geese over my dogs and they have located birds to shoot and found shot birds that I would not have been able to on my own.  Part of being self-reliant and self-sufficient and as efficient as I can be in my hunting ventures has included training my own bird dogs.  I particularly enjoy training puppies and watching them latch onto the lessons and grow as well as develop into hunting machines.  Sadly, I am without any bird dog at the moment, but I hope that will not be a permanent situation.

More to Come 

I will have another dog when I retire but living where I live and not having the freedom to travel to suitable hunting locations does not do justice to a dog and I will not be responsible for holding one back from achieving its potential.  I identify with a bird dog trying to make a living in this area of the world where homes now grow where once quail and grouse used to.  Rabbits still abound but are now racing in and out of neighborhood privacy fences and planted shrubs, feeding on manicured grasses and postage stamp sized garden plots.  These places will not return, nor will the birds return to them, and thus I must follow the feathers to a more fertile and less populated land eventually, where if a man doesn’t have a bird dog then he has shorted himself a huge portion of his potential.  God allowed man to domesticate dogs to have companionship.  Bird dogs took that to another plane entirely and give back so much more than simply companionship.  These dogs are amongst the very few who can actually “earn their keep” and not because someone simply says that they do.  These work horses are easy for me to identify with and I share a certain bond I feel. 

Genesis 1:26