Hard night tonight....

Jayhawker

I always try to squeeze in a bird hunt on Thanksgiving morning.....this year is going to be kinda hard...I'll be leaving my English Setter, Hannah, home for the first time in many years...she's 16 now and officially retired...while her spirit is willing her body just isn't up to it anymore....a 15 minute run will stove her up for a couple of days, and while there are meds that will help her cope, those same meds will allow her to hurt herself badly and not even know it....she's prone to petite mal seizures when she gets excited. I'm going to hate walking out the door without her, but I think it would be even more cruel to leave her in the truck while Jake and I head out....I hate this part of having dogs... I'm hoping I can find a couple of small patches she can cover in a few minutes so she can get out this year, but tomorrow it's the big patches of CRP.....

Here a pic of my princess in her prime....

Zee

:up:

Beautiful dog, she is.

NN

Good luck with the hunt, hopefully your dog will associate
with you when you get back.

sarg1c

There is no type hunting like Bird hunting. I always loved working a good bird dog. Hannah is a pretty dog, we always used English pointers which are realy timid dogs .Brings back good memories. No birds here anymore except maybe some grouse....

5280 shooter II

It's hard leaving your huntin'-buddy behind! This year at camp, my cousin Jeremy brought his lab puppies up...Dumb and Dumber....lol! Just walking and watering them made me miss my own.

beartracker

Awesome and she has a great owner. Yes, hard owning dogs sometimes and I sure hope you find her a small patch some time in the near future since her heart is still in it. Good luck on your hunt and thank you so much for sharing.

tennmike

Hannah is a beautiful dog. I love English Setters; they have a heart with no bottom for hunting. They just don't know when to quit. I hope you can take her out to some small plots to let her hunt a little. Short jaunts afield will do her spirit good.

CHIRO1989

16! You have taken great care of her.

HAWKEN

You are a lucky man to have such a companion, for so long. My girl "Dusty", was also an English setter. She had th best nose I have ever seen on a hunting dog. I even proved, to a friend, that she could smell under water. I found a one pound round river rock, rubbed my scent all over it, and tossed it into a pond. She jumped in, and brought the rock back, with a wagging tail......Robin

orchidman

I grew up with English setters that were the spitting image of Hannah. Spent many a day wandering through the vineyards following them.

I sometimes wish I could turn the clock back to those times, just the dog and I, a pocket of hulls and a boundless enthusiasm for each other and hunting................

snake284-1

Jayhawker wrote: »

I always try to squeeze in a bird hunt on Thanksgiving morning.....this year is going to be kinda hard...I'll be leaving my English Setter, Hannah, home for the first time in many years...she's 16 now and officially retired...while her spirit is willing her body just isn't up to it anymore....a 15 minute run will stove her up for a couple of days, and while there are meds that will help her cope, those same meds will allow her to hurt herself badly and not even know it....she's prone to petite mal seizures when she gets excited. I'm going to hate walking out the door without her, but I think it would be even more cruel to leave her in the truck while Jake and I head out....I hate this part of having dogs... I'm hoping I can find a couple of small patches she can cover in a few minutes so she can get out this year, but tomorrow it's the big patches of CRP.....

Here a pic of my princess in her prime....

God, I feel your pain. That is the down side of owning a dog, and the reason that I said I'll never own another one. I get way too attached to them. They are truly man's best friend.

Michakav

I sincerely commend you for knowing when it was time to retire her and not running her into the ground like some would.