A sad hunting dog story.

id. painter · 04-30-2003, 02:10 PM

I got my first Britt. spaniel at age 11. We learned to hunt together. I fell in love with the bread and have owned nothing but Britts since.All of my dogs have been from my first, 7 generations .
Last winter, goose hunting with my 9 year old Britt. called Belle.
Belle was a very special britt. she was the most fantastic retriever. It didnt matter how far the bird went down she would come back with it. Many times i remember seeing a bird flintch from being hit and continue on for a 1/4 mile or more before going down, . I wouldnt even stand up, i was sure Belle would be back ,,, with the bird.
Back to the story.
It was one of those days when you wish so bad that you had listened to the little voice inside that tells you when something isnt right.
I hunt geese lots during the winter months here, it is often sub zero for months. This winter was no different and we had just recieved some real bad snow storms.Drifts 10ft everywhere.
I was spotting for birds the day before i planned to hunt and ran into a group of guys from Utah.The Utah guys were watching the same birds. It was in a farm field (winter wheat) and we all had permission to hunt it. One of th eguys from the other group offered to hunt together the next morning , so as to not get in each others way.I am a lone ranger most of the time and my first instinct was to not even consider hunting with strangers, but, i called all my friends and couldnt find anyone to go. So ,, not listening to my gut instinct, i called and told the other group id be comming.
I had hunted in many of the fields around that spot, but not that field, exactly.As i got out of the truck that morning i noticed that there was sign of Beaver working along the creek. My first reaction was of concern, i was instantly worried about my dogs going thru the ice. I walked along the creek and watched as my dogs ran back and forth across some of the ponds. The temp. had been very cold for an extended period and things seemed solid. That morning while sitting in the blind (creek bottom, with brush) i broke thru the ice and noticed that there wasnt water running under it but just mud.
At about 11:00 A.M. i mentioned that the birds were done flying for the morning and that it was time to pack up . This got everyone going and within 30 min, everyone was leaving...
I actually drove off , looked at some other fields and then came back. I came back not for the hunting, but for the afternoon out doors with my bird dogs( i also had a pup along).I had realized that there was an exposed ancient camp site right where we had set the decoys that morning.
I love to collect arrowheads and thought I would kill the day looking for a point and waitting for a goose.
I walked back out with a dozen decoys and the dogs were running along. Just as i was gitting to where i was going to set up, a hen Pheasant flushed and my pup started to run after it.Out of the corner of my eye i saw Belle running full speed for a clump of willows about 200 yards a head. I know what she was thinking.She knew that there was a few minutes to run around before i was going to make her sit and wait for birds, she understood that there would be some Pheasant in that brush and she would get a chance to flush them,,, just for fun....
Well , i never saw Belle again. I instantly knew something was up when she didnt return within a few minutes. I had the feeling that my hunting buddy was in trouble. But i didnt know where she could be. It didnt look like she could get in trouble in that creek ,so i started thinking if things like a leg trap, or hung up on barbed wire or stuck in a drift hole. I knew where i had last seen her and with the pup on a leash we started down the creek toward the brush patch .The drifts were big and breaking thru them was tough, . I was worried but couldnt hurry cause the snow was up to my stomach. Just as i got to the brush i last saw her in, i left the creek bottom, and started walking along the side of the creek . I could see across the frozen creek and couldnt see any sign of where a gog could have gotten in trouble. I spent that night going from house to house giving description and my phone #.
The next morning at light i headed down the creek again. This time i walked the entire length of the frozen creek. As i got to the spot where i had last seen my Belle the realization hit me . She had to have gone thru the ice.Sure enough. The Beaver family had a series of dams in that small clump of brush, and the freezing waters had backed up , frozen on top and then blown out ,leaving a layer of ice about 10 inches above the water level. I found two spots where a britt could have gone in. She would hve bee swimming for her life and crying about it,,,,, but i couldnt here her cause of the hole she was in. Absolutely broke my heart.... id. p.

norms gone fishing too · 04-30-2003, 04:59 PM

i can't put in to words how sad i am for you i hope you recover for the great loss

norm

Cool Texan · 04-30-2003, 05:12 PM

:depressed: :depressed: :depressed: :depressed:

jimmy jig · 04-30-2003, 05:57 PM

ID, I am sorry to hear of your loss.. :depressed: I know how hard it can be to lose your best friend..

Hang in there...

jj

SLEDDER · 04-30-2003, 06:02 PM

Id. Painter, Thank You for sharing that story. It was sad, what a way for a hunting dog to go, doing what they love best. It is better than dying of cancer or getting nailed by a car ect. I am not looking forward to the time when my lab goes. It is a tough time and I feel for you. I live in Oregon but I run a small business out of Northern Idaho. I am a Idaho resident. I have property just off of Lake Pend Oreille out of Garfield Bay. It is a great state!!! I am also a bird hunter. Will be bear hunting this coming week.

[ 04-30-2003, 07:04 PM: Message edited by: SLEDDER ]

Dipnet · 04-30-2003, 10:04 PM

So very sorry. :depressed: :depressed:

dipnet

pdxkevin · 05-01-2003, 07:07 AM

man............ so sorry to hear about your loss. :depressed:

Jennie@ifish · 05-01-2003, 07:11 AM

Sometimes life can be so cruel.
I can only imagine how you must have felt.

Dang... That is a heavy story, and my heart sank, reading it.

:depressed:

Jen

id. painter · 05-01-2003, 07:25 AM

Thanks for the kind words , everyone. That is the first time i could relate that story without tears.
Ive lost my enthusiasm for goose hunting, it reminds me of the hundreds of days with Belle.I now have a pup to work with and ill have some great days with her(Morgan), it will take some time.
There were some other strange things that happened at those exact moments when i lost my Belle. It is one of those times that I will spend the rest of my life second guessing the decisions i made that day.. It seemed like it was pre determined to happen, I just couldnt make it right that day....
The Utah guys spent the morning in amazement as my little Belle retrieved all the birds we dropped , doubles , triples, it didnt matter. They all spoke of her big heart.
She rests in a field that has geese flying over head 12 months of the year . For ever... id. p.

Toyn · 05-03-2003, 09:21 PM

Oh boy, a tear jerker. I can think of 100 people that deserve that...and NO dogs.

Mr. Carp · 05-04-2003, 01:09 AM

I sam sorry to hear of your loss ID. Words can't explain what you must have felt. I wish you all the best in the future! [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

Crappie Chaser · 05-04-2003, 07:53 PM

I bet you gave Belle the best life and home she could have possibly had.I had my first Britt for 16 yrs. 6mos. and 6days.He was a great buddy.I now have his grandson who is going on 6.
I would have loved to have seen Belle make those retrieves.

salmurai · 05-04-2003, 10:57 PM

Id P. My heart goes out to you man. I lost mine over twenty years ago and only last year managed to talk myself into another. Had a difficult time convincing myself that I wanted to go through puppyhood again, but I did and have never been sorry. "Buddy" is a black lab and he gets to sleep on the white couch. I really love that dog. No, he isn't spoiled, I just don't think much of the couch! Hang in there.....

id. painter · 05-05-2003, 07:33 AM

Thanks for the kind words ...
Here is an update and a strange twist.
Belle was a once in a life time Britt. I have owned and hunted with the breed my entire life and she was a hard core retriever.Ive never seen another like her.
The pup i have now is a descendent from my first Britt (33 years ago).
Last summer while recovering from a life changing spinal injury( it was a tough year)lost my dog and ended up crippled,I was learning to walk again .I couldnt fish, all i could do is walk..
I couldnt walk on uneven ground, my legs were to unsturdy, so , i would go and walk around the shore line of American Falls Res. Flat and no brush...
The pup i now have (Morgan) hunted with Belle and myself but had shown no desire to fetch up a wounded goose and actually acted intimidated at times. I hadnt pushed the fetching thing on her cause i had Belle to do the work. So, once Belle was gone i started to work on getting Morgan to fetch.It wasnt working, she didnt want anything to do with fetching birds for me.I was discouraged and had given up on working with her, she just didnt like to fetch.
Well ,,, back to walking,, one day completely out of the blue , im walking along the shore of the lake and i look up and here comes Morgan (with a goose in her mouth). The birds were in the molt stage and had become flightless ... Morgan had decided she knew what her job was and it was to catch these big birds and bring them to me. She was soft mouthed with them and once i grabbed the bird they would come back to life and run away.She wasnt killing them just fetching them.
I was shocked and pleased at the turn around, She(Morgan) must have been learning while watching belle at work, fetching up birds. Subconciously she knew she should be catching those geese and bringing them back to me.
I will get to shoot again this fall and im real interested to see what Morgan does when we drop the first honker of the season...id. p.

blackdog · 05-06-2003, 12:01 PM

Sorry for your loss. Nothing can replace the life of a lost dog, especially one who was so obviously special as Belle. However, a wonderful young pup can help to ease the pain. There will never be another Belle, but Morgan is certain to bring you years of love as well. Good luck.

id. painter · 05-06-2003, 01:13 PM

Thanks B.D.. I still cant believe this happened to me. I get that sick feeling in my gut each time i think of it.
Morgan will love me just as much as any dog and she is without a doubt the fastest Britt. ive ever seen. She has shown some sign of being birdy. Morgan is sure to become a legend in my mind , just as all my pups have. Each having thier own special gifts. id. p

Fishrite · 05-19-2003, 07:22 AM

Sorry about your dog. I also lost a great retreiver (Lab) at only 6 yrs. old. She died of a heart problem. We tried to save her, but she died on the operating table. She was the best dog I have ever had too. I've hunted all my life over dogs and she was so special. She was also my friend and companion. I really understand how you feel. It is terrible. It has not been a year yet. I didn't even hunt ducks last year I was so depressed. I hope that you heel soon...It is good that you have another dog...but NO dog will ever take Belle's place. Just like there will never be another "Hunter" for me. Sorry for you loss, Fishrite

id. painter · 05-23-2003, 07:59 AM

My computer has been acting up and i havent been able to respond.. Thanks Fishrite. your consolation helps . I get a little tear each time i read this thread and the kind responses ive gotten. You know how i feel and that helps. Thanks again... id. p.

speedaddiction · 10-31-2011, 10:46 AM

Sad to hear.

BeaverNation'57 · 11-01-2011, 09:56 PM

I am really sorry to hear about your loss. But I also wanted to say that your story clearly does Belle justice; a fine tribute to a great dog who died doing her job right. All your love and admiration for her comes shining through. As a teacher of writing at Oregon State University, I know the value of the written word to change lives and minds. Yours was a very, very powerful story. Thanks so much for sharing it.

Buoy8 · 11-01-2011, 10:54 PM

guys this thread is over 8 years old now..... Wondering how Morgan has matured?

BeaverNation'57 · 11-02-2011, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buoy8

guys this thread is over 8 years old now..... Wondering how Morgan has matured?

Wow, Buoy8, that is true, I hadn't noticed the OP was written in 2003. I wonder how it got "re-kindled" so it appeared at the top of the hunting forum yesterday? It was such a motivational story, I think a lot of us must have not looked at the time signature. Hunting dog stories always capture a guy's imagination.