Tessie 7-29-09 to 1/19/24
The excitement and joy that our bird dogs give to us is like no other relationship a human can have. Their sole purpose for existence is to serve us without judgement and often without regard for their own aspirations. In fact, they don’t harbor aspirations, they aren’t selfish (except sometimes with the bird they just fetched), they are only jealous when it comes to someone stealing our affection and attention, and most of all they love us without condition.
They don’t care if we hit our sales goals or achieve the greatest heights of success in business. They only want to be by our side, and exist as a positive part of our life. They prefer ribeye but are perfectly happy with Purina, and considering the things they lick, clean water is really not terribly high on their priority list. They spend the entire off season dreaming of the next day afield when they can smell, run and make us beam with pride at the absolute bird finding machine they have become. This is the sum total of their aspirations….our happiness.
Years are not kind to any creature, particularly the ones who give all, with no regard for themselves in pursuit of their quarry. Hips, elbows, hearing and eyesight all become problematic as time rolls on for many senior bird dogs. This wonderful life they live has a consequence, but they live it nonetheless with unadulterated pure joy in their hearts.
When we first saw their big clumsy paws, chubby belly and overgrown ears waddling to our feet, we could only look on them with pure happiness and think of all the potential sitting in that tiny little bundle of fur.
What we do not think of is the contract we accept upon taking responsibility for this loyal creature. This contract goes beyond proper care and feeding, it requires us to make decisions in the very best interest of our K9 friend. When the inevitable time comes, we must evaluate their quality of life and set aside our own selfish desires. We must advocate for them when it’s time to cross that rainbow bridge into the great coverts on the other side, which are undoubtedly flush with game.
This is not just a dog, its an extension of one’s own personality and consciousness. They are the representation of all that is pure and good, as well as the instrument for our passions, the comforter when life is rough, and perhaps the finest counselor available to mankind.
When the time arrives to say goodbye, do not show them your sadness, look upon them with pride, compassion and confidence. Assure them they’ve been a good dog. Tell them you are are proud of them and hold their paw while they drift on to the next place.
Tessie was a good girl, full of drive and with a love for dog-life. Even the greatest of creatures ultimately succumb to time…as we too will. She spent more than a decade of field work finding and retrieving countless ducks, geese, grouse, woodcock, pheasants, sharpies and huns. Her exploits are many and impressive, but her ability to sense precisely when she needed walk over to her humans, lay her head on their lap, gazing up with those big comforting brown eyes, was otherworldly.
A wise man once told me: “life is nothing more than a series of great bird dogs.” As time marches on, his insightful sentiment makes more and more sense.
