Gene Hills comment on dogs
 

Thought I would share. I'm sure all of us that have been blessed to have hunted with our dogs can relate.
Wish all a great weekend.
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I can certainly relate to that Phil, except mine isn't even two years old yet but she'll get up from her comfortable spot by the fire and comes over and drops her tennis ball in my lap then rests her chin on my leg and rolls her sweet brown eyes up to meet mine.






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REST??? you get REST????????

:rotf:
http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=7855


so far this morning - i have taken a camera, a list of measurements for a PH project, multiple pieces of what was once a list of salmon fly tying materials I need to order, a plastic bowl, a pocket knife and old dog and a cat away from him


:vconfused:


one of Gene Hills best dog quote (and I don't have it handy to do it word for word) was

"if a man can't say anything good about a dog, especially his own, it tells me more about the man than the dog"

Gene Hill's quotes and stories have been a source of consolement to us as of late. We lost our two English Setters just two months apart to the day. Just like losing a member of the family. Had Dixie for 11 years and Duncan was five. Their loss has left a gaping hole. We really enjoy Gene Hill books; friends have sent us several of his quotes. The picture and comments above are so true. Would be neat to make a print of that picture and frame it.

Carl, I cannot imagine losing two that close together, and a 5 year old at that. What happened to him at such a young age? I am very sorry for your losses!

I have 3 setters, 4, 10, and 15. The old guy is not doing too well and I fear he is nearing his final time with me. He's had a good run of it, having hunted grouse in numerous states but it is never easy. I pray for one more day, one more week to look into his loving and understanding eyes. The clock will not stop for any of us.

Again, very, very, sorry.

timely post- just stopped at the gun club for some quick business and found the friend who had my Old Hemlock Osthaus' brother at the bar

he had to have Gunner put down last night- that leaves my old and failing Osthaus as the last survivor of his litter

Gentlemen,
The Gene Hill references really illustrate how he was a master at saying the most with the fewest words........especially regarding pups. Our favorites are:
"We never really own a dog as much as he owns us"
and ( my wife's favorite)
" Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot little puppies"
That pretty much sums it up.......my thoughts exactly.

Daisy will be 11 in March and though she is still going strong I can tell age is taking it's toll. It takes her longer to recuperate after a hard day but her heart is still 110%. She went through some ice a couple of weeks ago. We were close to the truck and I got her toweled off put the heater on her and warmed up the seat. We took a nice break and I left her in the truck for our last little bit of cover. You could hear her barking 200 yards away. It took her a full day to get back to normal after that one.

I'm fighting the wife tooth and nail on another dog. It will be one of those occasions where it's better to ask forgiveness than permission. I have a line on a nice male setter 3 years old and a good hunter. The battle is coming:eek:

Loud and clear Rich.... Grace is coming up on 2 and I just hit 68. It looks like we'll both be winding down at about the same time in about ten or twelve years..... maybe me a little sooner.






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I try to explain that to the wife, at 63 I probably only have one more dog in me. Math isn't her strong suite:rolleyes::rotf:

My Story
 

I was thinking of getting an EB (French Brittany) pup next year or so, but in mid Oct. '15 I came down for breakfast and found my wife already on the computer. She announced; that I wasn't getting any younger (turned 70 last Aug.), we should get a pup right away, she'd just found a new litter and I should call the breeder Right Now! I'm not as quick on the uptake as I once was, but I don't have to be hit in the head with a brick. Called the breeder right away and put a deposit on the last female O/W available. Then on the weekend of 12/2/15, we drove to South Carolina and picked her up!
About three years ago, we gave up a double bed and got a queen size. Good move, now most nights we sleep with 3 dogs & 2 cats.

i said to my wife that we may have one more dog after Macallan, her response was there was time for a few more

although, I doubt there will be three at a time again after this time :rotf:

When I lost my dog Jules I was not sure if another dog could ever take her place. Truth is another dog can not, and lm truly glad of that. Each dog has its own personality.
A new puppy will bring you lots of other special memories. Today was the last day of quail season and my hunting partner and I teamed up our two youngest dogs. In the 35 years my hunting partner and I have run bird dogs we sure have had some great ones, but we both readily admitted our newest dogs may be two of the finest bird dogs and companions we have ever had the opportunity to hunt over. Just look at the smiles on these pups faces is enough to tell you your life will be richer with another dog.
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Happy dogs are the best hunters.






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I am 73, Jolie is 2-1/2 she is hard to keep up with! I do a lot of things that I would not do if she was not around, they keep us in the main stream, and yes, there comes a time when age comes to play, so do not hesitate to enjoy one of god's best creations, anew pup! Gary

If anyone could express the value of a dog and what one means to it's owner it was Gene Hill RIP Gene you are sorely missed

Phil, that is a great post and quote by Gene Hill. Especially meaningfull to me as I had to put down my 15 yr old male setter, Shiner on Mon. eve. It would be great framed and on the wall.

Harold my heart goes out to you. As hunters I believe we have an even closer relationship with our dogs.
I wrote about the loss of my hunting companion Jules in the fall edition of the Parker pages. I must admit it was tough at times putting the article together and thinking of the wonderful times we had together.
I'm sure we all feel the same way , that we are pretty lucky to have been part of our dogs lives.

This might be the quote Phil referred to. Audrey bought me this when we lost Gunner and it hangs on the wall in the gun room. it's hard to believe that he's been gone 3 1/2 years.

" It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them, and every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are". Anonymous

Just to top it off she left a note as if it were from Gunner on the back:crying:

It was a sad day around the Gustafson house yesterday. We finally reached the decision to put Teddy, our Springer down. He was 15 and dealing with a lot of issues. The last 9 months have been hard on him. But he was up to the challenge and never complained although I'm sure he was in pain. We were being selfish and waited too long but its hard to let go of something you love so much.

Jimmy Stewart summed it up pretty well in his poem "A dog named Beau"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cyrus-...b_1146937.html

A lot of us know exactly what you mean when you say you waited too long.

Very sorry for your loss Garth.

Dean





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Sorry for your loss.. That's never an easy decision to make.

I'm so sorry to hear of this difficult decision. It's hard I know but doing the right thing can be difficult as it should be in a situation like this. We know it will come when we partner up with a dog it's just the way it is. The good times will always be remembered.

Garth, how fortunate you were to have had Teddy in your life for 15 years. It seems like a long time but for those who have lost a special dog it is never long enough.
May you and your family's grief of losing Teddy be made a little easier over the next few days , as you think back about those rich moments I know you shared together.

Sincere condolences Garth. A real tough decision and very hard to do. I'm sure you have many very good memories of him.

Our black and white English Springer, also named Teddy pictured below, has been gone for several years now. What a dog, what a hunter.

We've since had Ben, Woody, Jake and now we have Jasper. Life would not be the same without a good dog.

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i1...psa0mgdpib.jpg

Thank you everyone for your very kind words. Watching Teddy being put down is one of the hardest things I've had to do. It tears at your heart. That last image of Teddy slipping away
is going to stay with me for the rest of my life. God how we loved that dog.

Garth, that is the best looking Springer I have ever seen, not to take anything away from Bill's pup. My Doser was 14 when we put him down and he was swimming after ducks just a short time before. I have a picture of his last water retrieve at 14.