Come and listen to a story of a dog named Kell, had so much fun that she gave her owner - well, you get the idea.

The H.R.L.R.C. was having it's spring hunting test so I entered my 7 year old Kelly and her 2 year old granddaughter Boomer. I would be running Kelly and my husband Terry would be handling Boomer. They were both entered in the Junior division. Kelly had 1 wing towards her JH and this would be Boomer's first test. Both dogs had their American WC's and Kelly also had a Canadian WC. Besides this test being Boomer's first time, this was also Terry's debut as a handler. We also brought along Kelly's mom Jessie (11), Boomer's mom Robin (4) and Boomer's half sister Murphy (6 months) for moral support.

The H.R.L.R.C. holds it's hunting tests at the Lapeer State Game Area in Lapeer, Michigan. The area has many ponds and fields that are perfect for hunting tests. Many area clubs hold hunting tests and field trials there annually.

There were 60 Junior dogs entered and 21 Seniors. The Junior dogs were divided with 30 dogs running in each division. We were in Junior B which would start on land. Terry had volunteered to marshal for our group with myself and another gal acting as stewards. The land test was set up with 3 marks. The first required the handler to sit on a stool. The bird was a dead pigeon which was thrown after a duck call had sounded. The gun went off while the bird was in mid-air. Both thrower and gunner were hidden behind a blind. The second mark was a shot flyer. Again the handler must sit on a stool. A duck call sounded, the bird was thrown and shot down (hopefully). For the third mark, which was also a shot flyer, the dog and handler walked to another line where the bird was shot and landed between two hedge rows.

While stewarding I was able to watch the test and had an idea of how Boomer and Kelly would run. Neither dog have had a shot flyer before, but I thought that it wouldn't bother them. Some of the birds were almost shot in half and some of the dogs took their time picking them up. One refused all together.

Finally it was Boomer and Terry's turn to run. They walked to the line and Terry sat down on the stool. Boomer was out of position a little and I saw him reach down like he was going to straighten her out with his hand (a no-no). Mid-reach he stopped and swung her gently around by the slip cord through her collar. Boomer got in position and sat at his side. He signaled and out came the dead bird. When released Boomer exploded off the line, ran right to her bird and brought it back and made a perfect delivery to hand. Sitting back on the stool Terry lined her up for the second bird, the shot flyer. The bird was thrown and when shot, exploded in a cloud of feathers. I watched as Boomer ran out, sniffed her bird and then proceeded to return it to Terry. On the third mark, I thought that the bird was just winged when shot. She ran out, but came up short of the fall site. She worked and worked her way to the fall. She grabbed the bird and brought it back to Terry. I was right the bird was just winged. A lot of dogs won't pick up a live bird, but Boomer sure did and earned the right to go on to water. Terry was really proud.

Soon it was Kelly's time to run. As I was waiting in the blind she started to whine. (a big problem with her) Kelly might be 7 but she has more enthusiasm than most dogs half her age. Just as I got her to quiet down, we were called to the line. As I sat on the stool, she let out a squeal. I told her to be quiet and quickly signaled the judges that we were ready. As soon as the judges called for her release, I let her go. She shot out to her bird, picked it up and dashed back to me. For the second mark she sped out, yipping once, grabbed her pigeon and sped back. On the third mark Kelly, like Boomer, came up a little short but worked to find the bird. She too earned the right to go on to water. All but 5 dogs went to the water. One dog which failed land was owned by the gal who stewarded with me. Her dog is a lot like Kelly. Very enthusiastic. She did her first mark fine, but couldn't find the second bird, so she went back to the first mark. Not finding a bird there she decided to go for a swim and started retrieving sticks.

The water test was set up in an L shaped pond. There would be two marks with dead ducks being thrown. The dog had to go out of a boat for both retrieves. The first mark was across the pond with the duck landing on land half way up a hill. The gunner and thrower were behind a blind. The second mark was about 60 yards to the right. The bird was thrown between two logs in the water. Across the pond from the area where the bird landed were decoys. When it was Boomer's turn I went down to marshal for the judges. Terry cam down the hill that led to the boat with Boomer on a slip cord. Since there were hidden logs in the pond, the judges had told us that they would not allow collars on the dogs while in the water. Nobody wanted the dogs to get hung up on anything in the pond. This was Boomer's first time in a boat and she wasn't very graceful getting in. As Terry tried to get her in position for the first mark, she fell out of the boat. I really had to bite my tongue not of offer him advise. He finally got her in position and signaled for the first duck. Out it came and landed on the hill. Boomer jumped awkwardly out of the boat, but swam to the other side, worked her way up the hill and found her duck. She returned to her handler and delivered her bird. Back in the boat, she watched intently for her second bird. When it landed with a smack in the water she was released and jumped into the water. She wasn't quite so awkward the second time. Instead of going right to the mark, she took a bead on the decoys across the pond. She bumped one and then swam around for a few moments. By this time, I was dying (I bet Terry was too) as I stood and watched, mentally telling her to turn right. She turned right and went and found her duck. Then instead of swimming back to Terry, she decided that it was better to stay on land and run the bank. Up the hill from the mark she went, the duck bobbing in her mouth. Terry was blowing his whistle all the while to remind her where he was. She wove her way through the parked cars of the gallery and then started down the hill again on her way to Terry. It was about that time that I noticed her limping. Never dropping her duck she delivered to hand. I took her from Terry at this time so he could continue to marshal. I wanted to check out the source of the limping. When I got her to the top of the hill, I checked her out and noticed a small puncture wound on the bottom of her right foot. While I held her, a friend felt her paw for thorns. Not finding anything I took her back to the van. I always carry a first aid kit for the dogs so I got that out and cleaned out the wound. It wasn't bleeding and didn't look serious. However, it had to have hurt bad because Boomer wouldn't put any weight on it. Despite all that, this courageous little dog had passed the test for her first wing towards her JH.

Kelly's turn came a short while later. While we were waiting our turn in the blind, she seemed low key. Compared to the land series, to me this was a good sign. However, once we moved out from behind the blind to walk to the boat, she started to prance. She popped into the boat and stared intently at the blind across the pond where the gunners and throwers were hiding. Out came the duck which landed on the hill. Kelly exploded out of the boat and squealed as she swam across the pond. I turned to the judges, both who knew this dog well and we all kinda chuckled and shook our heads as if to say "That Kelly!" She charged up the hill to her duck and just stood there. I blasted on my whistle and she danced around her duck like a puppy with her first bird. She almost put her mouth on it then danced around some more. In disbelief I dropped the whistle and hollered at her. She continued to dance, the whole time laughing!! Smiling myself I turned to the judges again and both were laughing. They tried to stop but couldn't. With anyone else they would have been able to keep a straight face, but they knew Kelly's personality well.

By this time Kelly had blown the test and I was told to call my dog in; easier said than done. When the thrower went out to get the bird, Kelly dashed to it, picked it up and danced around him. She faked him out when he went to take it from her, she held it just out of reach. The thrower finally grabbed the bird from her and Kelly ran along behind him as he went behind the blind. I started to walk around the pond to get her when she finally turned around and swam back to me. As I put the leash on her she whirled around like she was ready to go again. Fat chance. She was really proud of herself as we went up the hill. Someone asked me if she was a puppy which set everyone off laughing again. I explained that Kelly was actually 7 years old and believe it or not had seen and retrieved a duck before.

Then someone remarked that I must have wanted to kill her. Smiling, I said no, not really. I explained that Kelly had almost died from an illness two years ago. I had sat up nights with her for 6 weeks as she struggled to live. She was alive today because of that spirit that she had displayed today. Sure I was disappointed that she chose to display it at that particular time, but we were just happy to be there. There would be other tests to try again.

I put her back in the van with the other dogs and went back to the test headquarters. My friend had gotten there before me so when I walked in I was asked if Kelly had fun today. These people knew Kelly's history and we all shared a good laugh. As we sat and chatted, my mind drifted to that awful time two years ago when I almost lost Kelly. As I said, I'm just happy she's here. Anything she wants to do is fine with me. Kelly has always been a dog that likes to have fun. If its not fun for her, she won't do it. That's okay by me, because I feel the same way. When its no longer fun, I'll quit doing it. Some people would try to break Kelly's spirit if they owned her. Sure she does things her own way, but that's part of the fun.

Later that evening when the test was done and everyone had come back to the headquarters for their qualifying ribbons and a bite to eat, one of the judges came up to me and said "That Kelly really had a good time today. Boy, was she bad. She was really BAAAD!! But that Boomer really showed some guts." She went on to say how proud she was of Boomer and Terry. You know, even though things didn't exactly work out perfectly, so am I. Now on to the next test.

Boomer's foot swelled to almost twice the normal size that night. She ran a high fever and refused to put weight on the foot. After a day of soaking the foot, I took her to the vet where the abscess was lanced. Once all the pus was drained, Boomer quickly healed. She is once again sound and ready to go again.

The following weekend Boomer went on to finish her Championship in Canada!

© 1992 - LRM

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