Thanks to Rick for suggesting this thread.
It got me to thinking about our Peat. Peat was the only pup from a breeding of ours from two proven hunters that we had shot lots of birds over. The tragedy was that he lost his back foot (you can see this in the picture of him just after he was born) when his mother accidentally bit it off while attending to him at birth.
Peat's a special dog. I trained him and he has hunted faithfully (and hard!) in spite of his "disability," showing more courage than I would have under the circumstances, I'm sure. One season when our other veteran dog at the time mysteriously dropped dead while retrieving a grouse in northern Minnesota, Peat was my only trained dog (we only had a small pup at the time). Peat hunted as much as I would let him that season. Some hunts I had to help him get up out of ditches that were too steep, but he never lost his desire. Bird numbers were the worst I've ever experienced here in northern Missouri that season, but Peat and I went as often as prudent and managed to find a few coveys. In spite of the bad conditions, it was a special season.
Peat's ten now and in semi-retirement. He refuses to stay home when he knows we are going bird hunting, and is happy to get out if only to sniff the other dogs' birds. This past season, near the end of January, we had hunted out a farm in Iowa and were getting ready to head home. I had put my gun away and my wife let Peat out to stretch his legs while I was getting us ready to leave. After a minute or two she called that he was on point just down the fence line. I did not believe her, thinking it was just "Peat being Peat," but my wife urged me to come and look. I saw him down the fence line with as good a point as I'd ever seen him have. I had to uncase my gun, find two shells and hurry down to his point. He held the entire time and when I finally got to him and walked in, two quail got up. By the grace of God, I shot both for him. He was so happy he could barely contain himself. Needless to say, my wife and I shared his happiness. Time may take Peat away from us, but it cannot take that one season, nor that day from us.
Enjoy your pups. They leave us too quickly.
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