Top_Heavy's World

I was a young man when I fell in love with a fat little puppy. Her black coat was dirty and she was always on the go. The farmer wasn't fond of her, she had chewed a rubber fuel line and caught the barn on fire. I was freshly moved to Texas and I needed a dog, a man can't chase endless flocks of ducks, geese and cranes with out a good gun or a trustworthy dog. He laughed when I offered to pay for her, puppies were too much work for him anyway, he wanted an old farm dog. I was elated, I had to get this barely weaned little dog cleaned up and retrieving! With a careful bath and some special attention, I soon had the rolly polly puppy following me and responding to her name... "Dog". A name in my life is earned, worked for, lived. She was as simple as I was... a dog for a boy. Soon enough she was retrieving everything in site. I finally decided it was time for something live! I shot a rooster pheasant one afternoon, I tried to just wing it as it rose off the ground. The shot was perfect and the bird dropped right back into the milo field. I quickly learned what a bad decision that was. A 6'2" man chasing a winged rooster through knee high milo, while trying not to kill it, OUT OF SEASON, only yards from a county road, is not a pretty site!!! I managed to catch that old bird and get him into the truck cab. I got the bird home and devised my plan.
I tied a long piece of string to the roosters leg, so he couldn't get away. I turned him loose and got that puppy so excited she smothered him. I would toss him into the air, shoot my 22 pistol and pull on the string. The struggling bird would crash to the ground and the pup would drag it back. This proved great fun for my 3 year old daughter as well! After several drag retrieves, the poor bird was about dead. I picked it up and tossed it without the string. The distance was much greater than before, with a little coaxing, D was able to pick the bird up and carry it back. I was lucky enough to capture a picture of her first real retrieve.

Branta Canadensis Delight, only 14 weeks old here, made retrieving look simple. This was the first of thousands of birds this wonderful dog brought back to me.