It’s always a emotional expereince taking a dog for one last drive down to to the Vet.Today was no exception.The 18 mile drive goes by very slow and Lisa and I where silent for most of the way.Roxy was snoozing in the back seat.Once the purple needle was administred she peacefully slipped away and an Era of dogs ended. Roxy and I met in September of 1999,I had been boarding my first dog “Zane” with Leslie Andreas in Maple Creek Saskatchewan.At the end of my fishing season I would go get Zane and hangout with Leslie and her Husband Rick.
Roxy and Jasper point Huns
Time was spent chasing Huns and Sharptails.During this visit a friend from Idaho was going to come up and purchase a dog Leslie had for sale.Prior to his arrival Leslie suggested that I take Roxy out hunting with with Zane.So off we went,Roxy pointed birds,retrieved and both her and Zane seemed to work great together.Roxy was a great compliment to Zane.Roxy and I “bonded” however in the back of my mind I knew that my friend was coming up to get her.I had to end that,which I did.
Roxy and Her littermate Covey Pointing Huns in Sk
Roxy had a soft spot for chasing Deer.When my friend finally arrived we took Roxy out to so he could see how she handled,of course I went to a spot that had lots of Huns and Deer.Sure enough Roxy pointed some birds then took off after some Whitetails,45 minutes later she came back happy to see me and with a few Porcupine quills hanging from her nose.My friend was somewhat taken aback by her performance,I reassured him that a dog chasing deer was a hard thing to correct and she ran really big,maybe even to big for what he wanted,then back to Leslie’s we went.I wrote a check,the rest is history.
Roxy pointing Scaled Quail
I quickly solved the Deer problem with an e-collar.For the next 12 years Roxy hunted and put on solid performances pointing Birds along the way in Alberta,Saskatchewan,British Columbia,Wyoming,Idaho,Montana,Kansas,Nebraska,New Mexico,Texas,Oklahoma,Arizona and Mexico.
Roxy and Covey in action in Oklahoma
The species Roxy pointed includes ,Huns,Shaprtails, Pheasants,,Ruffed Grouse,Blue Grouse,Chukars,Bobwhite Quail,Scaled Quail ,Mearns Quail,Gambels Quail,Valley Quail,Lesser Prairie Chickens and Rio Grande Turkeys.Wherever we went Roxy was a hit,a tiny but feisty Brittany she loved people and people loved her.With one exception.We where guiding a Client from Idaho that did not like to walk much,we ended up driving the Saskatchewan hedgerows looking for Huns and when a covey jumped up I would put a dog on the ground and follow them up.I got the vibe from this guy that he really did not give a shit about dogs and dog work.
Roxy and Covey pointing Mearns Quail
When sweet little Roxy went over to get some loving from him she got none,just a cold shoulder.We started walking in the direction that birds had landed,Roxy went on point then when we where just about in gun range she looked over at us and flushed the birds,my client got a little pissed.I said ” she never has done that before”,Roxy did it again on the next covey,I could not make an excuse this time and told him flat out “I guess she does not like you”.
Roxy-Oklahoma
With the one exception she was a hit with all of our guests and awed the Barmaids at the Murray Hotel in Livingston MT and at The Rockyford Hotel in Rockyford Alberta.Prior to us moving to Arizona during the summer months Roxy and Company where boarded and in some cases entered in some field trails.In 2000 Roxy won the Region 14 Derby Dog of the Year beating out Setters and Pointers,yes a little Brittany with a heart gold won gold.Her bubbly lovable personality ensured that she would end up gracing the pages of Shooting Sportsman,Pointing Dog Journal,The Calgary Herald and The Oklahoman.Of course she was a “Star Performer” on two TV Shows, “The KT Diaries” filmed here in Arizona and “The Wingshooter’s Journal” filmed in Saskatchewan.
Roxy being backed by Sam
I could spend hours writing about our experiences and how she handled her birds,to sum up the Roxy experience she “crushed it “both in the field and at home.Her last commercial hunt was in Saskatchewan 3 years ago,then she started to develop seizures it was retirement time for her.Over the last week our “Good Old Girl” has been going down hill.The last couple of nights have been extremely tough as she was having a hard time getting up and moving around and the seizures had also returned.
Her last hunt -Jan 2014
It was her time.Lisa will miss the “let me in”scratches at the back door.I will miss her being curled up under my desk.We have a ton of awesome memories of Roxy,at the end of the day it is “all good” and Roxy is better off now than if we had dragged the inivable out.
Roxy
Roxy now joins her littermate Covey,Brother Clint and her buddies Zane,Cochise,Sonny,Quincy,Jasper,Crash,Hilda,Lucy,Okie,Jamie and Cochise in the Land of 1000 Bird Coveys.She will enjoy it as both Lisa and know that she is in great hands and company.Thanks to DR.Roberto Rojas and his Staff at Companions Animal Hospital in Nogales AZ.
