Blunt Force Trauma

It's been nearly a year since I added anything to this site, and the staff and I extend our deepest apologies to our loyal readership for being so lax. I will try to add bits and pieces in a more timely manner henceforth.

Now, on to a subject that everyone who runs gundogs, whether hunting the big woods, or in various FT games needs to be aware of, and prepared for, and that is the incidence of blunt force trauma. This point was driven home to me this season.
Dogs are quite prone to this injury, because of the speed at which they comb the woods, and the layout of their anatomy. The lungs are positioned very close to the front of the chest. If a dog running flat out encounters an object that can injure, this is the area that will take the brunt of the force.
My Sandy, the English Setter was running the grouse woods at high speed, as is her nature. This dog requires GPS, and luckily, she was wearing it. She was well off.. Out of bell range, but the Astro showed her at about 400 yards, and not moving.. Could she be on point? It was only our second day out on the season, and this would have been the first bird encountered. I started to make my way to her, but the GPS showed her headed back in, so I just waited.. She got back as close as she could, and collapsed on her side. Being only the second day out, I thought she just ran herself out... She was pretty tired when we quit the previous day.
But this was more than that... Her gums were gray. A touch showed poor capillary refill time. This was serious. I carried her out of the woods. We got back to the truck, I loaded her up, and headed for camp, where I called the closest Vet... 45 miles away, who said the bring her right down.
My wife and I wasted no time.. We were off immediately! We thought we might lose her on the wat down. Gums still very gray, and CRT very poor...
The Vet took her in immediately. The Tech started feeling her, asked her age?? 8 years, and stated she was starting to get "lumpy bumpy," which happens to many dogs as they age. I know this dog better than I know myself... My hands are on her all the time, and she had no bumps! But, here was a bump the size of a baseball on her chest! The area proceeded to get shaved to reveal a huge bruise. What happened was now starting to become obvious.
The Vet, a very nice gentleman, and very competent, confirmed our worst fears.. She needed to stay in hospital overnight, on IV fluids. He hoped that she would not crash overnight..
This dogs has not spent a night away from us in the last seven years, so it was a tough decision, but necessary.
We called about 9PM to check on her.. Contusions on her lung from blunt force trauma!

My wife and I obviously spent a horrific, and sleepless night!

The next morning we called.. She was alive and doing reasonably well. We drove down, not knowing if the Vet would release her. The staff was expecting our arrival, and brought Sandy out to us immediately. A consult with the Vet allowed us to bring her home, but three weeks rest was insisted upon. These folks had never had to live with a hard headed Setter that loves to run, and thinks she's in shape to do so..

So, in the end, it turned out well in our case. But, be prepared! Know what to look for and don't take chances. Know the location of the nearest Veterinary Clinic in the area you're working, and have the phone number handy... It just might save your friend's life...

Out thanks got out to Dr. Landenberger and his staff as Schroon River Animal Hospital in Warrensburg, New York... We're forever in your debt!

The photo shows the patient covering the woods at a speed that sometimes gets her in trouble!

Garmin Grrrrrrrrrr....

I've been running the Astro system since it first came out, and with generally great success. I've upgraded from the dc-20 collar unit to the dc-30 and performed all the software upgrades along the way.
As can happen with all computer related equipment, glitches sneak in from time to time, and even when it happens on rare occasion, the results can be problematic.
I just returned from a week chasing birds and running dogs in the Adirondacks. Shortly before I left, I did a software update on the Astro system. Never having had a problem with this procedure before, I fully charged everything and put it away.
First day it got strapped on the dog, but something did not seem right. The little Setter got turned out, and it did not take long for me to realize that the dc-30 collar and the Astro handheld were not communicating. Day 1 down!
Without internet access in the mountains, things did not look promising with a dog that can range 800 yards plus in the big woods, and a hunter slowed by arthritis.
The original dc-20 collar stepped in to save the day, though... The dc-20 is an imperfect system... It needs to be strapped on with a "backpack," and the RF antenna is somewhat fragile, but it got me through the week in fine fashion.
Once home, I looked into the dc-30 issues, and it seems I'm not alone in having created problems with the software update.
So a call to Garmin, who sent complete and detailed instructions via e-mail has got the dc-30 humming along effortlessly once again.

For those that may have also experienced these issues, I will reprint the complete instructions from Garmin. If this does not solve your operating difficulties as they did mine, I suggest shipping the unit off to Garmin..

So, without further adieu... the instructions....

______________________________________________________________

Thank you for contacting Garmin International.

When experiencing issues with the Astro 220, there are a few
troubleshooting steps that are at your disposal...

[1] Change Comm. Settings: press the DOG button to get to the Compass
page > press the ENT button on selected dog > press the MENU button >
select Change Comm. Settings > select a different ID > select OK >
select OK.

[2] Remove the dog from the handheld and then add it again: press the
DOG button > press the MENU button > select Dog List > press ENT on
selected dog > select Remove > select Yes > select Add New.

[3] Update handheld operating software to the most current available: http://www8.garmin.com/products/webupdater/howtoinstall.jsp

[4] You might try doing a master reset to eliminate any potentially
corrupt data. This will clear out all data and restore factory defaults
and settings. You will lose all user information (such as waypoints,
tracks, and routes). I recommend that you save this information before
resetting. You can do so by downloading our free program BaseCamp
(www.garmin.com/basecamp). Following are instructions on how to perform
a master reset:

-With the unit powered off and disconnected; press and hold the
following buttons for 5 seconds: BACK + MENU + OUT + POWER. Release all
buttons after 5 seconds and the unit should power itself on
automatically.

-You may want to attempt the following as well: with the unit powered
off and disconnected; press and hold the following buttons: ENTER + MAP
+ POWER. Release all buttons when the screen comes on with a prompt to
erase all user data. Please select YES to erase all of your data, the
unit should power itself on automatically after this.

After the master reset please place your unit outside so that it has a
clear view of the sky for 5 to 10 minutes so that the unit can acquire
new satellite almanac data.

[5] There are a few things we should try for collars experiencing
issues:
? For the DC 20, please remove the 4 screws in the back of the collar
and remove the battery for 10 minutes. Occasionally the collar can
become locked up, and doing this can resolve this issue. After you have
done this, please reconnect the battery and attempt to pair the collar.
? For the DC 30, please remove the screws in the back of the collar and
remove the battery for 10 minutes. Occasionally the collar can become
locked up, and doing this can resolve this issue. After you have done
this, please reconnect the battery and attempt to pair the collar.
Please look at the attached PDF files which will allow you to
troubleshoot a few small hardware issues that do not need to be
addressed with a regular repair.

If your collar is detected, please attempt an update: Press Dog > Press
Menu > Dog List > Select your Dog > Show Info > Menu > Update Dog Unit.
Screen should say "Ready to communicate with PC." Please use http://www8.garmin.com/products/webupdater/howtoinstall.jsp
to ensure the software in your collar is up to date.

With all troubleshooting options exhausted, I am sorry but the problem
you are experiencing with your device will require it to come in for
repair. I will be happy to set up a Return Merchandise Authorization
(RMA) for the repair; however, I will need to verify some information to
be able to do so. Please verify and complete as needed the following
information in a reply to this email:


* All Garmin products are warranted to be free from defects in materials
or workmanship for one year from the date of purchase.

* If your device is under 1 year old, to obtain warranty service, an
original or copy of the sales receipt from the original retailer is
required showing the original date of purchase. Online auction
confirmations are not accepted for warranty verification. You may do
this by either by attaching an image to this email, or if you need to
send it by fax, please send it to: 913-440-8280 Attn: Jon, Associate
#6961. Please include a copy of this email as well. Once warranty is
verified, the device will be repaired at no cost to you. Your return
device includes a 90 day warranty or the remainder of your current
warranty whichever is the greater.

* For the device outside of warranty there is a flat rate of repair of
$89.00 plus tax if applicable. This will cover any and all issues with
your current device, and includes updating software, return shipping,
and provides your return device with a 90 day warranty (or the remainder
of your original warranty, whichever is the greater.)

- You may send in a check to cover the repair costs. (It must be sent
separately from the device to our Finance department):
I will include the total amount (including tax if applicable) with RMA
number in my reply, along with instructions for sending the check in.
Keep in mind, shipping of the returned item may be delayed until the
check has cleared. Request submitted via email will by default be setup
as payment by check. Please provide the check number if possible.

-If you desire payment by other means I do not recommend providing
credit card information through email or fax since this is not a secure
method. Please let me know what would be the best time and a telephone
number for Garmin to contact you to place an order. After receiving your
contact information you should receive a call within 24 to 48 business
hours.

If you have not done so already, please register your device here: https://my.garmin.com/mygarmin/marketing/register.htm
. It is important to have your device registered so that in the unlikely
event your device is separated from the paper work, or lost in the mail,
we will have a record of the serial number in question.

When I receive this information, I will email you the address and your
RMA number to have the device shipped back to us for the repair. We
cannot guarantee GPS data recovery, if at all possible, please backup
the GPS before sending it to us. From the time that we receive the
device, we should have a replacement device back to you in approximately
10-14 business days.

_______________________________________________

There you have it. It worked for me, and hopefully it will help some folks out there.

Garmin does it again

Well, I just returned from 2 weeks in the Adirondacks. The opener was on the 20th, and we were out, and moved birds almost, everyday.
Which brings us to the impressive Garmin Astro system. Every time I strap this on a dog, it continues to impress me, and I learn a little bit more about it. It is just so feature laden, that I'll probably never learn it all, but I keep pressing buttons as we go, and learning new aspects of it's capabilities.
I've got a dc-20 and a dc-30, the first and second generations of collars. The dc-30 was a huge improvement over the original, the dc-20, and I was only too happy to upgrade.
Now, we see the introduction of the dc-40. Another upgrade to the collar unit, but not as dramatic as the first upgrade. The dc-20 had a few shortcomings, no doubt, all cured by the dc-30. The dc-30 has a few idiosyncracies also... The collar material frays and the charging contacts can get full of gunk. It's also a little antsy to tell if the unit is charging at times, but that can be overcome by carefully monitoring the charge operation.
The new dc-40 purportedly corrects those issues, but at the cost of moving the GPS antenna off the top part of the dog's neck, and into the unit that rides below the neck. Now, I'm no engineer, but common sense tells me that an antenna that looks directly at the sky is better than one that is shielded by the dogs body. There are no changes to the RF antenna that communicates with the handler's handheld unit, so that issue is a draw.
I had myself convinced that I would stay with the dc-30, and not do yet another upgrade to the dc-40.... And then, I read Steve Snell's evaluation of the new collar unit.
For those that don't know, Steve Snell is the proprietor of Gun Dog Supply, and has probably had more influence in the design, and subsequent upgrades of the Garmin system than anyone.
Now, I've had my dc-30 working and communicating at better than 800 yards in dense woods in hilly terrain. I need that kind of performance, but thankfully, not much more! So, if the new collar can equal that, the upgrade may just be worth it. and it would be nice to have the other small issues not be a concern anymore.

So, the jury is still out on whether I'll upgrade or not... But it's just a bit less sure that I won't than it was before...

Click here to read Steve Snell's review of the new dc-40 from Garmin

Do we ever get past it?

I'm sure we've all read the stories about that "one dog"... The one that teaches us to hunt, touches our heart and just seems to do everything right!
The dog the we know we'll never be able to replace, and leaves us all too soon. So, we try to make it better... we have to with a new pup. We're still going to hunt!
Can the young pup ever meet the expectations? Ever match the perfection of the "once in a lifetime dog?" Caqn the newcomer measure up to such lofty ideals?
Unfortunately, often not! And just as often, probably not the pup's fault!
I've seen it time and time again.. A hunter with a beloved dog. The two operate in the field as one... Poetry in motion. The efficiency of two predators at the top of their game.
I've also seen those same hunters hang up their shotguns for good after the loss of the partner, not really giving the new pup an honest chance. Not realizing that it takes time and experience... Perhaps forgetting the not-so-great days early in the brag dog's life.
If there's an answer to all this, the only oner I can think of is to keep pressing on.. Realizing the dogs are individuals just as humans are.. Some more talented... some less. All prone to the good and bad days that the best of us experience. All just one piece of the puzzle shy of a Grand Master.

I'm ready for a new puppy. Maybe my last high powered dog... Only God knows. But, I'll keep an open mind and give the pup the chance it deserves, and as many opportunities as the "gettin' older" body can provide.. It will also have love, and the experience to realize that greatness comes in small doses, and just maybe progresses by baby steps..

So, here's to looking forward to a new puppy. Nothing is cast in stone as of yet, but whatever happens, and whatever path I take, and the pup and I take together, there just might be a few surprises in store..

Stay tuned!

Nice dog alert..

Crossposted.. Please do the same.

Due to the untimely passing of Mr. John Yates, his widow, Donna is offering for sale some very nice birddogs. The dogs are located in NW Pennsylvania, and priced to move. Here is an excellent opportunity for some lucky individuals to get a nice little gundog..
Mr. Yates has done alot to help the owners of Sporting Dogs through the The American Sporting Dog Alliance, which he founded and built into a force to be reckoned with.

For more information, please go directly to the website.. Eagle Rock Kennel.

Thanks for looking, and please pass the word.

Melrose Gordon Setters

Melrose Kennels, at long last has their own place on the web, other than the old BDARN area.
It's pretty nice, and those into Gordons should have a look.

Add it to your list of favorites..

Melrose Gordon Setters

For the Dogman who has everything...

And that would be a beautiful bronze from Stan Bentall... Master gundog sculptor.
I've read that he has done a bronze of the great Gordon, Melrose Tad, but I can't confirm if one of the dogs on his website is Tad..
For those that would like to see the work of Stan Bentall how it relates to Gordons, please click here.

To see more of Stan Bentall's work, ond for other breeds, go to Stan Bentall's website..

Stress management for dogs..

Purina seems to have entered the Veterinary diet market, once the almost exclusive domain of Hill's Veterinary diets, in a huge way, producing specialized diets to help manage everything from overweight, to kidney function, to geriatric difficulties. I wasn't aware of this new departure until seeing an ad in "Field Trial Magazine" for a new supplement, apparently aimed toward the gundog market called FortiFlora.
This is a probiotic supplement for intestinal health in highly stressed dogs that I assume are prone to diahrrea. Whether it will be picked up on by the average gundog owner looking for any edge will be the subject of speculation, but I would not be surprised to see it be put to use whether medically called for or not.
I've had dogs get so excited the day of a hunt that they spend a fair amount of the morning trying to rid their bodies of loose stools.. In a dog that suffers this, maybe a product like this would be helpful.
In any case, it's always wise to be proactive and ahead of the curve when it comes to the health of our gundogs..
Is anything more important??

For those with an interest, and a few more questions, there is a list of FAQ here..

Out on The Rock

I was pleasantly surprised to receive a comment the other day from my old friend Dan, a Newfoundlander and fellow Gordon lover. I always enjoyed Dan's pictures and accounts of his wild adventures, mostly solitary as I recall, on "The Rock," as he affectionately refers to his homeland of Newfoundland.
Dan has started his own blog called "Out on The Rock". The views and accounts of the exploits of Dan and his dogs is stunning, and gives an inside look at one of the world's truly wild places.
You're doing yourself an extreme disservice if you don't visit Dan's blog and witness for yourself what he has to offer.
I'm glad my old friend found us, and we'll once again be treated to his exploits and view from the wilds of Newfoundland..

Visit Dan's blog here, watch the videos and read the posts.. It's time well spent!

Dan's blog will sit at the top of the blogroll for a spell, until everyone is aware of it and visits to see what it's all about.. Congratulations to Dan on I blog I'll visit often!

Early Fall

Days that are still sometimes too warm and humid... Too many leaves still on the trees to make looking for birds very effective, but still quite beautiful...
Warm enough to hunt in a tee shirt, but not enough clothing to protect my neck from a game vest laden with too much unnecessary junk.
Humid enough to fog up shooting glasses with the slightest amount of exertion... Shooting glasses being a necessary evil to prevent cross-firing due to a God-given gift of a dominant right hand and a dominant left eye.
Warm and humid enough to promote the dreaded mouth breathing of the dog I depend on to find game..

But then, every once in a while the Red Gods smile on me and provide me a morning as pictured here, clear and cool with a hint of chill in the air... Colors beginning their mystical appearance on the sidehills.. Dogwork that once again restores my faith that things actually are right with the universe, and that the hours spent really are worth it.

We had, all in all, a beautiful opening week, made all the better by the visit of another thoughtful and inspired kindred spirit. The kind of folk that restores faith in humanity to a somewhat jaded psyche.

A more than successful start to another season...

Thumbs up for Garmin

Well, I received not a repaired unit, but a brand new dc-30 collar from Garmin for my Astro unit.
It seems that Garmin has made quite a few improvements along the way also!
The aluminum plate that fastens the gps unit to the collar is now flattened on both ends, presumably to protect the dog's neck from abrasions and sharp edges.
The nylon collar material itself is thinner, making it much easier to thread through the buckle... Something that can give a handler fits when trying to apply it to an excited, squirming dog.
The ON/OFF button is slightly raised, and a bit more pronounced.

So, other than being a bit more user friendly, and acquiring satellites a bit faster, it's still the tool we've come to know and love..
The tool of choice for location fast moving, and big running gundogs..

The Astro system receives the "Black and Tan Bombshell Seal of Approval," for producing a great product and standing behind it. For those that don't have the system, you owe it to yourself to try it!

Astro troubles

I bought into the Garmin astro system when it first came out. The unit with the old dc-20 collar had some functional problems, but it worked well. When the new dc-30 collar unit came out, it was the answer to a prayer.. It was finally designed properly, for the most part, for a Pointing Dog.
I upgraded to the dc-30 collar unit when they first came out, and it has been working flawlessly since. It takes that knot in the pit of your stomach away when running a big running dog.
Lately, the dc-30 has been giving me a bit of trouble. One of the charging LED's went out, and the other works intermittently. It's hard to know if the collar unit is accepting a charge or not. I have also been losing communication with the dc-30 from time to time. I believe the rechargeable batteries are the problem, so back to Garmin it went for an overhaul.
Now, the boys that run Setters out west and on the Midwest prairies may call a birddog only out 900 to 1,000 yards a boot licker, and they may be right. But, I'm here to tell you that a dog out a thousand yards, that's a half mile to you and me, in the thick cover of the Northeast is running big! Bigger than I'd like, and I don't care how often the dog checks in. Further, there are enough pitfalls in the Big Woods to befall a dog that I get a bit of angst when a dog gets out well beyond even beeper range. Without some type of tracking device, I get out of my comfort zone, so to speak.

So, hopefully the dc-30 will be back before September 20, when our grouse season opens.. If not, we might be picking up a spare dc-30 collar..

Oh, the joys of running Pointing Dogs..

I'll post the final resolution..

A Special Treat

The following article has impressed me immeasurably over the years. It's one of the funniest pieces of gundog related literature I have ever read, and whenever I think that dog out there in front of me should do everything right, in spite of the fact that when it becomes my turn to perform, I can't, I try to remember this article. I get a laugh all over again, and it puts the whole reason we're out in the field with a dog into perspective once again!
My thanks go out to the author, Mr. Joel Vance, for his kind permission to reprint the article here, in it's entirety..
I know our readers will get just as much from it as I have every time I've reread it over the last 20 plus years..

So, without further adieu..

Guff's Bad Day

By Joel M. Vance

They say every dog has his day, but when Guff had his, planets collided and stars rocked in the firmament.
Now, there are good days and bad days. This was a bad day. Well, saying it was a bad day was like saying an encounter with the guillotine is "a little owie."
You must understand, Guff is my pride, my talented child, the kid who just spelled "anopheles" in the Spelling Bee finals.
Guff is a dog.
Not just any dog, you know, but a French Brittany who has enough Gallic blue blood in his background to out-do the house of Burgoyne. His grampa was a champ and his daddy was a champ. Most of his uncles and aunts win field and bench shows nationally and internationally. They look on Westminster as "that silly little American show."
Guff is short for "McGuffin" which is what Alfred Hitchcock called the gimmick in all his movies that all the good guys and the bad guys sought. The McGuffin is what everyone wants.
McGuffin is an ardent hunter who will come out of a sound sleep if someone murmers "birrrrrd!" He is broadchested with the typical butt-sprung gait of Brittainies. He has several bird seasons under his orange and white hide which have included just about every game bird in North America-ruffed grouse, sharptailed grouse, woodcock, pheasant, quail. He has worked them all, growing as reliable as Mr. Goodwrench.
Guff has a cute little freckled nose that makes cute little freckled girls gush over him, so I take him to a lot of places where there are many cute little freckled women.
He loves attention, thrives on affection, does adorable things that make you just want to hug him. God! I envy him!
Large men in brush pants no doubt are gagging at the thought of hugging a bird dog unless you're trying to squeeze some sense into it, but I love my dogs and we share pretty much everything.
For example, I buy a sack of caramels every time we come north to the pine woods to hunt ruffed grouse and woodcock. Some are for me, some are for Guff, most for the family dentist who enjoys replacing my fillings and taking his own vacations in more southern climes. But the caramels keep our energy up as we stumble through God-forsaken swamp edges where the footing is somewhat like break-dancing on a pool table covered with ball bearings.
Because Guff is first a quail dog, he has trouble with grouse. Since he only sees them once a year, he tends to forget they aren't just big quail who will sit right under a French Brit's black nose as if skewered there with a dirk.
Instead, grouse are stupid birds, brainless and indecisive. Anything foreign in their environment throws them into a mindless confusion that usually leads to movement-they either walk off or fly up in a tree where they can be taken in what one of our hunters euphemistically refers to as "the pre-flight position."
A French Brittany creeping forward like a roan cat definitely qualifies as "foreign" and Guff has trouble realizing that he must instantly freeze at the merest whiff of grouse stink, no matter the direction, that he must not try to locate that smell or make it grow stronger. He must learn that a bird spotted on the ground walking around is not crippled and will fly if you try to catch it.
So, it is understandable that he has the occasional bad day. But this bad day was the Johnstown Flood compared to an overflowing toilet.
Guff started it by falling off his bed. He'd sneaked up on the overstuffed chair in the old cabin where we stay, and probably dreaming of cute little freckled ladies, rolled over and onto the floor with a thump that woke everyone up.
We all thrashed around in bed, grumbled a bit, and went back to troubled, interrupted sleep. God knows what Guff dreamed about, but no matter how wild his reverie, it couldn't have approached the reality that was fast approaching him.
I was expansive at breakfast, telling a disbelieving audience in the log cabin where we shuck civilization that I had reformed.
"No more screaming at the dog," I said and they smirked. "No," I protested, "I mean it. Just not worth the hassle. Besides, the dogs have settled down and I just don't need to run them down and speak long and earnestly at them. We're both mature now." I smiled paternally at Guff. Me and my doggie, finding grouse, shooting them, a scene to warm the cold, revered shade of Burton Spiller.
I spoke the words and believed them. Ah, the words with barbed wire wrapped around them, the toughest kind to digest when you have to eat them.
"Zen dog training," Ted Lundrigan said. "I'll swallow that when I see it."
Ted and I walked the edge of a doghair popple stand which crowded a pasture. I searched the thick saplings in vain for the noble sight of my dog, descendant of champions, as he coursed the covert. Then a movement caught my eye, in the field beyond.
There was my noble dog snacking on a cowpie, his shoulder drooped and twitching, like Charles Laughton in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," ready to roll in what he didn't eat.
It may come as a shock to new dog owners to think that their endearing companions would eagerly snack on bovine biscuits, but life with bird dogs is filled with such taut moments of unhappy discovery.
My Zen calm went out the window when I roared ancient Anglo Saxon while Ted tried to pretend he was hunting alone.
I lost it again after the third point Guff busted. Zen went the way of my resolve never to touch Scotch and Water again, never to buy another shotgun, never to lie about my shooting.
I laid curses on Guff that you couldn't cancel with an exorcism. I held him by the cheeks while I explained in dog language what I expected. Dog language is sheer, roaring filth that even the most inane creature comprehends.
Perhaps Guff pointed a grouse that day, but if so it was done while I wasn't with him. I do know that he busted at least a half dozen birds, most of which had been nailed by Ted's setter, Salty, until Guff came along like a derailed cattle car.
You can steal a man's children, corrupt his wife, ruin his business, even insult his baseball team-but let your bird dog bust up a point that his bird dog has made and you've really ticked him off.
Ted began to look at Guff as if he were head lice, then looked at me as if I were the head.
I muttered about "competition" and "doesn't realize you can't lean on grouse" and Ted muttered something about "take that dog's head off with a two-by-four."
Salty was becoming jittery, Ted was becoming, well, homicidal is the word that springs to mind. Fortunately, the sun took pity on me and started to go down.
We headed back to Pine River. Guff, of course, had to assistant-drive, his face between us, panting a fog of recycled manure.
Back in the cabin I regaled a bored audience with tales of Guff's misbehavior. "He was disgraceful," I said. "He made every mistake in the book and invented some new ones. He was terrible." As I spoke, Dave Mackey's face grew alarmed and I thought it was with horrified sympathy. It wasn't.
"Watch out!" Mackey exclaimed. "He's sick!"
Guff threw up on the carpet behind me, a slurry of awfulness that took an hour to clean. Clearly this was a dog beset by devils, a victim of black magic or a curse. The Red Gods were playing dodge-ball with my dog and me.
Guff looked at me with a sick apology and suddenly I felt sorry for the little guy and tried to consider the big picture. After all, for every bad day, he'd given me so many good ones. For every point he'd busted, he'd made a dozen good ones in the past.
I tried to correlate the day's experience in human terms and the television set helped me. The St. Louis Cardinals had just won their way into a tie with the San Francisco Giants behind shutout pitching by ace John Tudor. Tudor had pitched like a Little League dropout his previous game; couldn't do anything right.
Obviously, even the best have their off days.
So, I relented and petted the little dog and he sighed heavily and pouted off to a corner to lie atop Dave Mackey's hunting pants, which were draped over his box of ammo and gun cleaning gear.
We watched "The Equalizer," whose methods of correction (throw them through brick walls, etc.) were close to those what I'd considered all day long for Guff.
Dave picked his pants up the next morning and they were dripping with WD-40. Guff had laid on the nozzle of the full spray can and emptied it.

His bad day was complete...

_________________________________________________________


My thoughts..
I first encounted this great little story in 1988, in the September/October issue of Gundog magazine. It made a great impression on me, and I've often thought about it over the past 20+ years. Any person who cruises the glorious uplands with a dog must surely be able to relate to this story.. If not, you've had better luck than I , or just have not spent enough time with gundogs as of yet!
What also is obvious from the story is the great bond that existed between Guff (pictured above) and his partner, Mr. Vance.
Once again, I'd like to express my thanks to Mr. Joel M. Vance for his permission in allowing me to reprint "Guff's Bad Day" here.

Mr. Vance has many more books that should be of interest to readers here. On Conservation, and his lifelong love affair with the uplands and French Brits.

Making a mark

How does an animal as commonplace as a dog leave it's mark on the fabric of the Universe? What could be done to possibly make a difference in the great scheme of things? How can one dog touch a life and leave an indelible impression? What could possibly be done for that one dog's pawprints to leave imprints on the ages?

Field Trial placements?? It could be one way, but they're soon superceded and forgotten, except for a handful of great ones, and even those are soon surpassed. No, I'm convinced that a dog make's it's mark on time by how much it is loved by it's human family. How much of a difference it has made to the lives of it's human companions. How much the gentle temperament of a dog has allowed it to integrate itself into a family, and how that dog has become an important part of a family..

Dogs don't last long. It's a cruel joke that God has played on man, giving the man seventy years or more, and the dog only ten.... If I made the rules, it would be the first thing I would change... So, we have to make the most of the time allotted.

Sandy came to us at about a year old. She was mishandled as a pup, and given away. She had already made a few stops in her young life. When we met, she was being kenneled and was profoundly unhappy. She'd eat enough to keep herself alive, and no more! Everyone could plainly see that something was wrong with this little 30 pound Setter, but no one could understand what it could be. All the other kennel dogs were happy and animated. I was asked if I could find a home for her... She would not make it as a FT performer because of her headstrong ways, but she had genes that folks would like to tap into, so the proviso was the right to breed her.
I thought and thought for a long time as to where she could be placed, and always came up blank. I soon realized it was because I wanted to help this sensitive little dog myself. So, Sandy had already touched me in a small way.

We took Sandy and never looked back! She won't do her birdwork the way I want her to do it! She does it her way! That doesn't always please me, but she atones in so many other ways.
When I call her into me, she comes with a look of total adoration in her eyes and a little wiggle! I know she would do anything for me, and I for her! She's touched my life in ways that are both strange and wonderful.. My life has been enriched by being afforded the opportunity to enrich hers.

So, to me it's quite simple... A dog make it's presence felt for all of time by how much it is loved, and how much that love is returned. And by those criteria, no champion could ever make a stronger statement than my little English Setter... Sandy.

Muddy dogs are happy dogs!

And, unfortunately, particularly when it's a Setter that is so hard to clean up. The Gordon, pictured here doesn't show the mud like the English setter, but is clearly just as dirty, and almost as matted.
But, that's all part of the fun... Right??

Enjoy the long holiday weekend!

The Dual Dog dilemma

Many breeds have agonized over the question of which path they, and influential breeders, have wanted to proceed along.
All the Setter breeds have had their share of difficulties along these lines.. But, are they always truly difficulties?
I see many "Show" only breeders competing in the ubiquitous AKC hunt tests in hope of putting a "field title" on what is basically a show dog, to increase the value of their puppies and attempt to pass them off as "duals"... But, that's not what we're really talking about here... With thye qualifications necessary to achieve an AKC JH title basically the dog's ability to fog a mirror placed beneath it's nose, that question is a moot point.
What I am more interested in is the attempt by field breeders to hit the "sweet spot," where the designations between true field dogs and larger show dogs overlap. As far as the Gordon goes, the breed I'm most familiar with, I'd be in favor od splitting the breed, having the Field side conform to the 1939 standard, and giving the show side full reign to increase their standard, which continually calls for a bigger and bigger dog, to whatever degree they feel necessary.. Why give up any field performance for pure eye appeal, if that is the appearance that one likes?
Now, we've discussed this before on these pages, and I won't speak to the English Setter where the situation is a bit different, or the Red... again a bit different, but has taken a road pretty similar to the demise of the Gordon, but was thankfully saved by forward thinking individuals.

Which way would you take a breed? Are folks taking the right path seeking unification of the two factions??

Everyone is entitled to run the dog of their choice, but field performance should be "Job 1" as in the old Ford commercial...

Age and Misconceptions

When I was coming up through the ranks, and learning all things birddog from people that knew, and continue to know alot more than I do.. I heard the idea that specific traits we passed on to the get from the Sire, and other specific traits from the Dam..
Things such as courage, fluidity of gait and endurance were often attributed to the dam, while a dog's style and flash, apparently passed on from the sire.
I now believe these old preconceptions to be just so much heresay, from an age when much less was known about genetics and heredity..
I know that similar events do not happen in people, and the genetic shuffle of genes is, I assume, no different between the species..
I can agree to an extent that males will often "show" better and display a bit more style, but is this trait supplied strictly from the male in a breeding.. I find it hard to believe..
Maybe the research at U.C Davis will shed more light on questions such as this for us all, but until that data becomes available, I'm interested in the thoughts of others..
Have you noticed anything that sounds similar to the old dogma in the dogs you've studied?? Does the premise appear to make any sense knowing what we know today about genetic mixes?

All opinions and thoughts are welcome...

Astro news

I received this e-m,ail this AM from the folks at The Field Trial Pointer message board on Yahoo...
Please make your voice heard... This is a safety issue for dogs instead of merely a rules issue..





Input for both groups' decision makers may be provided by letters, emails, and phone calls. The Field Trial Pointers Message Board is also providing
a mechanism for input. This, almost 1,400 membership group, has the potential for much wider spread grass roots input from field trialers.
At 9 pm last night a poll was posted to provide members an opportunity for feedback that is much faster and easier than the forementioned ways of providing feedback.

Trustees for AAFTCA as well as staff of the The American Field belong to
the message board so both organizations can have access to the results of the poll. Hopefully, if there is a high voter turnout, both groups will listen.

Members of the Yahoo group bearing the same name were transferred by me when the group was moved last year, but some have yet to visit the new board site. Some who joined after the transfer also have not logged in. If you have forgotten your user name and/or your password and are unable to log in please email me at gno52@windstream.net and I will send them to you. Please let me know the email addy you used when you joined so I can id you.

PLEASE VOTE.

Frank Thompson

Victory

I love the smell of pigeon shit and old checkcords in the morning....
It smells like.......... Victory!

Enjoy your Monday...

Our brush with illness..

And that illness is... pyometra.

Pyometra, I've recently learned the hard way, is an infection of the uterus in unspayed females of generally middle age. Just like our little Field Gordon, Holly.
Holly is 5 1/2 years old, intact until just yesterday, and never bred. I had thoughts of a possible breeding early on, but various issues prevented my pursuing it. We had been warned about this disease of the reproductive tract on more than one occasion, But I chose to ignore it. I bear the responsibility for that, and I can assure folkks that today I have learned my lesson after having a 3.1 pound infected uterus removed from my girl yesterday afternoon in emergency surgery. My wife assisted in the surgery, and is the person most responsible for saving this little dog's life!
Holly finished up her heat cycle about three weeks ago, and almost immediately was not quite herself. But, most folks would not notice the subtle changes. I didn't recognize them myself, and hunted the dog for the last time of the season just last week. And she looked dynamite... Her old self, but little did I know of the danger lurking inside her body.
When she presented with heavy thirst and heavy urination just days ago, it was undeniable that something was wrong, and we did not waste any time getting her checked over by the Vet my wife works as a tech for. But, she made the call and the diagnosis, which was correct, I might add.
For all those with unspayed females at home, read the link on this sometimes deadly disease and pay heed to the warnings, and I'm here to tell everyone that pyometra is nothing to leave to chance. It can sneak in insidiously and take an animal's life in short order!
I hope that the Birddogdoc reads this post, and does a piece on his blog about this dreaded and deadly infection..

Click the picture to see the IV apparatus Holly was connected to last night, at home as we wished, after surgery..

Be careful out there!