we rescued a brittany

[Ed Norman]

my wife and I rescued a brittany nov. 2017. I had not hunted in about 40 years, I met a guy with 2 brittanies and he took me hunting all that fall. I mentioned to my wife I was "just thinking" about getting a brittany someday. She looks in craiglist every morning at the pet section. That morning, our "johnny cash" was listed. First time she has ever seen a brittany in craiglist. Cash weighed 69 pounds when we got him. The owners both worked and left him penned up all day, then they moved to a condo, so they had to give him up. One of the top brittany breeders lives about a mile from me. I took cash over to him for advice. About 2 months later the previous owners sent us his akc paperwork, it turns out cash was from the breeder that lives near me. That breeder and I are good friends now, he was happy we got his weight down and he is quite a good hunting dog for his first season. We recently went to a pheasant farm with cash and cash's mom, I will never forget that first point, cash slammed on the brakes, and his mom honored. She retrieved every bird that day. (cash is in training to retrieve) Cash was 2.5 years old when we got him, late start but he has more than made up for it. We have gotten a lifetime of memories our first year hunting. My wife often goes with me just to watch him run. I will try to post a before (heavy) and after photo.

[Ed Norman]

First time I ever got a picture on a forum:) That first picture was cash at about 65 pounds, we had him for about a week and a half by then. This next picture was right before grouse season opened, he was about 47 pounds. My wife and I lost about 50 pounds between us by walking him all the time. Can't remember how I got the first picture on here, I will try again.

[Ed Norman]

hopefully this time it worked. Cash at about 47 pounds just before grouse season started.

[Mills Morrison]

I am hanging out with mine right now. Great dogs

[Karl Ferguson]

Ed, I have enjoyed reading the happiness and excitement in all your posts so far ... Good for you... That's what it's all about

[Ed Norman]

Mills, what kind of dogs do you have? Are you a decoy collector, or do you carve? I married my wife 7 years ago, she lived with me for 3 years before that. She left her 2 dogs with her old roomate. I am allergic to most dogs. I got her a havanese dog right after she moved in, then another havanese about 3 years ago. Then our brittany, she used to have a doberman, and she walked that dog every day. She walks cash almost every day unless I do or I take him hunting. Karl, I guess I don't know how my posts are coming across. I just know the best thing that happened to me was getting remarried to a woman that likes dogs:) My whole life has changed for the better. It felt good again to not be able to sleep before opening day after a 40 year lay off. I was able to watch that brittany get better by the week, simply amazing. The breeder has helped me all along the way, and my buddy with 2 brittanies has taken me all over with cash helping him to find wild birds, he gave me an extra kennel he had for my truck, then a ramp because cash is so heavy. He would talk to me and tell me why his brittanies do certain things while we hunted so I would learn how to handle cash. I don't see my pictures, did they disappear? Or do you guys see them and I don't? Sorry I can barely turn on a computer so this is a minor miracle getting a picture on here.

[Ed Norman]

ugh, I just figured out I was trying to edit something and the pictures disappeared. I am really excited about owning an old gun someday soon hopefully. It brings back such good memories of hunting with my dads best friend who had side by sides. My dad was not a hunter, so Lewi kind of adopted me. I may even name my gun after him:)

[George Davis]

Constant companion and wonderful bird bird, she has pointed over 100 wild birds this year.

[Mills Morrison]

Mills, what kind of dogs do you have? Are you a decoy collector, or do you carve? I married my wife 7 years ago, she lived with me for 3 years before that. She left her 2 dogs with her old roomate. I am allergic to most dogs. I got her a havanese dog right after she moved in, then another havanese about 3 years ago. Then our brittany, she used to have a doberman, and she walked that dog every day. She walks cash almost every day unless I do or I take him hunting. Karl, I guess I don't know how my posts are coming across. I just know the best thing that happened to me was getting remarried to a woman that likes dogs:) My whole life has changed for the better. It felt good again to not be able to sleep before opening day after a 40 year lay off. I was able to watch that brittany get better by the week, simply amazing. The breeder has helped me all along the way, and my buddy with 2 brittanies has taken me all over with cash helping him to find wild birds, he gave me an extra kennel he had for my truck, then a ramp because cash is so heavy. He would talk to me and tell me why his brittanies do certain things while we hunted so I would learn how to handle cash. I don't see my pictures, did they disappear? Or do you guys see them and I don't? Sorry I can barely turn on a computer so this is a minor miracle getting a picture on here.


I have one Brittany. I have a small collection of decoys, although I am not really a collector of them.

[Stephen Hodges]

Ed, good for you and your wife. I like dog stories with a happy not sad ending:)

[Gary Laudermilch]

A wonderful journey you are taking. Keep going as it gets better all the time. It will be particularly good when you get a Parker to join in your adventures.

[Ed Norman]

Scott, that is a handsome dog, mine sits in the front seat most of the time. The guys we got our dog from used to take him for car rides all the time. The breeder said he never saw a brittany remain that calm in a car seat and not kenneled. Now I know another hunting dog that rides well in a car seat:) Mills, I carved some in the 80's, John Dallas sent me pictures of some of the decoys he carved to hunt with, it was pretty amazing to see his stuff. Gary, the gun room I went to had vh or gh, the parker site showed the gh I think, but I couldnt find the vh. Was trying to get an idea of prices and what I can afford. I still feel a little lost with grades, just hoping to find a gun that shoots well, and if it doesn't work well, I can sell and get another and not lose a bunch of $$. Stephen, all our dogs have been good stories, even cash finding 4 porcupines and a skunk, its all a learning experience. My wifes doberman went through 5 homes and some abuse, before she got him. What she did with that dog was nothing short of amazing. The day I met him I will never forget, she thinks he had been abused by a man early on, he didnt trust men much. We had a good moment, then he climbed up on the couch with me and fell asleep. I think he realized that my wife maureen was being taken care of when she moved in with me. He just relaxed, I would of never let him go back except, my throat was swelling shut, and my eyes were all bloodshot. One of the worst allergic reactions I have had. She takes very good care of our dogs. Jeff, let me know when your heading up, I will give you my cell number to make sure we can get together. Thanks again for everyones help.

[Ed Norman]

This is cash riding in my truck.

[Dennis E. Jones]

Guys thanks for posting the pictures they bring back such wonderful memories.

Oh how I love Britts, I actually love them more than I love double shotguns or rifles. I'll probably never own another one but live in hope one of my kids will so I can go soak up some of the wonderful, sunny Britt personality.

[Ed Norman]

elk hunter,
I am going to put some fencing up on my property so he can have room to run a little every day. Right now in dead of winter its hard to get him out. We just had a foot of snow this morning. I will try to post another picture of cash on point, I walked just past him, I figured it was a partridge that already took off, so I snapped a picture, then I released him, he moved about 2 feet around a bush, then stopped again. I took the second picture, and as I was putting my phone away that I took picture with, a grouse took off. That bird was 4 feet from me. I will probably never have that happen again. I am glad you like the pictures. I cannot believe how far he has come with his weight loss, and hunting ability. When I took the breeder of my dog with my dogs mom to the pheasant farm a couple weeks ago. He literally could not believe how far he had advanced in his hunting. I think he called him superb, it was one of the better moments in my life. That breeder has only had 5 litters of pups in 25 years because he wants all his dogs to have good homes. He has had a few field champions, his last one who is 9 years old now won michigan gun dog of the year for 5 years in a row, he was also a 3 time champion for either field champion, or national field champion, I dont know that much about field trials. He let me use his quail after he showed me what to do for training, so I was lucky to have birds on hand like that. I cannot wait for next hunting season.

[Ed Norman]

This was cash on point, I walked around him, no bird flushed, so I got my phone out and took a picture.

[Ed Norman]

After I took the first picture, I released cash, he moved just around the tree, and went on point again, so I took another picture. As I was putting my phone away, a grouse took off. That bird was just a few feet away from me and I never saw him, I figured the bird had flown off and he was pointing old scent.