Chukar day...

My local bird place was out of quail so I got a couple chukar to work with Winnie today.

I can confidently say that her excitement level has increased each time I've had her around birds. In the past if she came across the scent she would follow it to the bird, as if she was going along with her instincts but didn't quite know why, but today I really got the sense that she really wanted to find a bird. She ranged out a bit further and really seemed to have a blast. I'm getting used to letting her do that, and she's getting used to the check cord. That thing is great, by the way, she'd circle around the same tight spot and wrap the cord around some brush and it always comes loose. Cool.

Sandy took some video too, I need to edit that down but should have something posted soon.

Stick Inducted to Toy Hall of Fame

With a recent and welcome influx of readers of this blog from the UK, I hesitate to report that we even have a National Toy Hall of Fame, let alone that the Stick was just inducted therein. But seeing as how the Stick is Winnie's favorite toy, I thought the story was appropriate here.

Curators at the Rochester, NY museum say the Stick is a special addition (what did they call 2005's induction of the cardboard box?), and they praised its "all-purpose, all-natural, no-cost qualities." Hard to argue with that.

(By the way, does that 'display case' look suspiciously like a cardboard box?)

Congratulations to the Stick, who finally gets the recognition it deserves. Throw a stick for a dog today!

Yellow...

Another Winnie Relative

This sweet dog is named Rudi, and is a half brother to Winnie and about the same age (though a little younger in this photo). Rudi is from England which means, unlike Winnie, he probably prefers his beer room temperature.

Thanks to Rachel from Moricroft for the great photo of Rudi!

More Bird Exposure

Winnie's first exposure to quail was in a mowed yard at the trainer's, where she could see the bird. She showed mild interest in it, pointed it, and when it walked away she politely walked behind it like a baby chick following its mother. Better than being scared of the bird, or showing no interest at all, but when I got the opportunity to introduce some more to her today - thanks to the generosity of a cool neighbor I recently met with eleven acres and four setters - I wasn't sure what to expect.

We planted a bird in heavy cover and brought Winnie in from downwind. She quickly started following the scent, and located and pointed the quail! Then she pounced on it, batted it around and played with it. We threw it elsewhere in the cover and she quickly began smelling for it again, and pointing again. She eventually caught it, brought it to me and placed it in my hand. I've never been so happy to receive a gift of a mortally wounded bird in my life.

So we were walking back to the guy's house, less than a hundred yards, Winnie dragging the check cord. We turned around and she was gone. "Where's your dog run off to?" he asked. She was just there next to us a second ago. We looked back and there she was, she had run back to where the birds were!! I was very proud.

Anyway, it was fun and she did great!