TSJ Feature: Dove Dogs

A natural dove retriever like Sadie is rare.

The calls that come into the lodge start something like this, “Say, is it alright if I bring my dog on this dove hunt?” I tell them all, yes, then run down the simple rules and eventually greet them and meet their pooch. We make a hunting plan and off we go. What might happen next can make for great theater: The owner turns out Ole Blaster right before the shooting starts. The canine, ecstatic at the notion of liberty, beats a hasty trail of introduction to each of his 20 new hunting friends in the field. In between undignified tirades, Blaster’s owner blusters a heavy wheeze into his whistle. At that point, if a dog’s face could applaud, if there could be a four-legged ovation of body language, then that is what Ole Blaster would return to the livid whistle-blower. It is like he is saying, “Wow, Dad. You can really blow that whistle.” But he doesn’t budge.

Then the shooting starts.

By now, the master of Blaster, 12 gauge in hand, has yanked the whistle from between his teeth and replaced it with a leash. The dog he so desperately wanted to bring, the pooch the wife told him “really wants to go hunting with you” is now busy “helping” other hunters. As you might imagine, it can get worse from there. Half way through a retrieve, another shot rings out and Ole Blaster runs to get that bird, and then drops it to get another etc. Thankfully, the dog usually lacks the conditioning to do much more damage and will instead shade up in a nice panting area awaiting the certain gushing compliments that will come his way from that terrific whistle blower.