About 10 years ago ,I lost three in a row over a matter of a year ...the first was a huge 230 lb St .Bernard,the most lovable guy you could ever meet,he died painfully with his head in my lap from a what seemed to be some sort of intestinal blockage, it came on fast and there was no time to even seek medical attention ,I was on the phone with the vet when he went .

The second ,a couple months later was my 12 year old "rusty color water dog " his time just ran out ,although he did make it to the vet and I guess it was easy on him ,watching him fall asleep was no easier on me .

The third that year was a beautiful little Gordon I had picked up after old Chess went...He got brutally ill and him ,I had to put down myself ...something I found very difficult but there was no choice .

But the bottom line is I can't live with out one (or two ) the joy out weighs the pain a hundred fold.

Here are pics of Willie and Tara in healthier times.

Rich, thanks for reminding me of the "collar thing". I have collars with tags hanging in the gun room and in the living room on the decoy shelf. I even have some collars from pups that didn't live here but were dear to us because we knew them. I can't even throw away a leash. I have not spent a lot of time with more than one bird dog in the house at one time, so my list is shorter than other near seventy year old dog people. When I was three years old, there was Penny, then her son Rusty, then Ranger, then Feather, then Jake, whose death caused me to go through a bit of a dogless period until Linda brought in her Springers, mother Kelly and son Doser. Now there is our Wirehair, Eva, maybe the most beloved of them all. I can't imagine what it would have been like without them.