Baby Rose

At August 10, 2012
By admin
In Favorites, H.A.R.D. Lessons, Hunting & Hobbies, Uncategorized
1

The Birds and The Bees

Our sweet German Shorthaired Pointer, Anna, was six years old when we drove her to Wisconsin to be bred to FC AFC Dr. N’s C. J. MH, VC a recognized champion in the National Bird Dog Hall of Fame. 350 miles, some Mickey D’s, and two pit stops later we arrived at his kennel ready to take a picture of the dogs when they met and mingled. I figured there would be at least a half of an hour of photo ops as they became acquainted; sniffing, greeting, and circling. I wanted to pose them side by side for a picture we could frame. Afterwards, I imagined both lovebirds would go into a private kennel while we owners drank champagne and passed cigars around.

Dr. N’s C.J.

As soon as Anna hopped down from our truck, CJ was on top of her. He is a boy who has been to this rodeo before. John and I were equally shocked at the speed of connectivity. Even Verizon Wireless would be impressed. We locked eyes in panic and John rushed to Anna’s side. The camera dangling around my neck was my only move…I was stopped cold, frozen in my tracks. The kennel owner explained how important it is that we witness the blessed TWENTY MINUTE event to prove he used the correct stud. (Jeez-Louise, I would have believed him anyway.)

After 25 years of marriage, we were honestly embarrassed in front of each other. I thought I had seen it all, but had to laugh (inside) watching John hold Anna and whispering to her, “It’s okay, Anna, it’s okay,” as CJ’s tongue lolled out the side of his mouth. Throughout the service, John locked eyes with me and I with he, and we did our best to feign dignity. The stud’s owner shot me the skunk eye when she noticed the camera. We were busted. I didn’t bring it for the express purpose of doggie porn, I assured her. We were totally green –and Anna was too by then.

May 1, 2003 - Whelping Day

A few short months later, we had a litter of eight speckled pups and all the joy our hearts could hold. Their little squeaks were music and they would cuddle in our arms for hours. The first five weeks were a piece of cake; Anna did all the work. After that, they figured out how to get out of their enclosure and left us gifts of every size. One pup would be a keeper; a gun dog to take over momma’s job. We had to pick.

Ours had to have the best nose, lots of intensity, and we wanted a white-ish one, a real “looker”. There was one pup in particular who was especially connected to Anna. She kept by momma’s side and did a lot of sitting. She was heavily ticked and the darkest dog–and some in my family thought she was the ugliest one. She was fat, too. A big, round, fat, full puppy. As the rest of the puppies were sold to hunting homes, somehow Creekwood’s Ramblin’ Rose stayed behind. My fat baby Rose–the dog only a mother could love.

Remi at 8 weeks

Nap Time in May

Rosie proved to be a solid hunter. She had a great nose and made trips to Iowa and the Dakotas where she put up hundreds of pheasants. John did a great job getting her ready. Everyday we worked on obedience and field training. Her deep chest was full of air and her stamina rivaled that of any professional hunting dog. Everyone wanted to hunt behind John’s dog.

Anna and Rose, doing what they were born to do.

Fate Steps In

Anna, our sweet momma, grew jealous of Rose. She began to take off with Rose and run away, trying to lose Rose. They would be gone for two hours and Anna would come back first, feeling triumphant. Then Rose would (thankfully) show up and we could all breathe again. Our solution was to never to let both dogs out at the same time. For months it worked until one day the housekeepers were here and they unknowingly let both dogs out at the same time. Sure enough, Anna took off and Baby Rose followed. It was a 20 degree November day filled with flurries and dropping temps as the night drew down. No Anna. No Rose. Finally, John’s cell phone rang. A frantic lady said, “Hurry, come out to Baldwin Road. Your dog is hurt. I hit it with my car.”

We shot through the front door, dropped the truck in drive, and fish tailed down the road spitting snow, ice and salt. In a sad way both of us secretly hoped it wasn’t Rose. When we got to the scene, Anna was standing and Rose was in the back seat of a car, wrapped in a red blanket. Her upper thigh bone was snapped and exposed. The opposite hip was out of the socket, rendering her a paraplegic. The lady said that after she hit the dog, it spun around and was dragging itself across the icy road by it’s front legs and crying out. She couldn’t leave it. Using the information on Rose’s collar, she called us. THANK GOD for responsible drivers!

At Michigan State’s Veterinary Hospital in East Lansing, we learned that her whole caboose was shot. She was four years old, in her prime, and fully trained to do what she was born to do–hunt upland game. We opted to have her leg surgically repaired with rods, plates, and pins and the hip was placed in a sling that we lifted each time she had to evacuate. You learn those nifty words in the hospital. After six months, the rod became infected and had to be removed. The vets at State assured us that the bone had healed and it was strong. The day we brought her home from the hospital, I heard a loud snap. She screamed and hobbled on three legs. John and I knew we were back to square one. At this point, having gone through all the pain that I know we three could tolerate, we opted to put her down.

Fate Steps In

Training Day

Buckets of tears later, while staring out a window, a random thought popped into my head. I wondered if Dr. N’s CJ was still at stud. If we couldn’t have Baby Rose anymore, maybe we could get a half sister? (Anna was ten years old and wasn’t viable.) At 13 years of age, trusty CJ had sired an impressive litter seven weeks earlier. Off we went, hearts in hand, back to Wisconsin, where we played with a pack of puppies and picked a perfect pup– Remington’s Iron Maiden, Rosie’s sister!

3 Months Old: Our first camping trip!

Anna accepted Remi with a scowl, but soon enough everybody loved everybody. Now fully trained to pheasant hunt, Remi has just turned four years old. I tell her every day that her Daddy was a champion and her sister was loved. She just looks back at me with impatient eyes that say, “So are you going to hand over that treat, or what?”