Me And My New Buddy

“Dogs are our link to paradise. They don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring–it was peace.” a quote by Milan Kundera

As many of you already know…I recently purchased a new puppy. Vickie and I drove up to northwestern Ohio over Labor Day and picked up our new bundle of joy; Pappi (short for Papillion, Nebraska). It was a fun weekend and since then we have had many a walk together. If you have never owned a puppy then you are missing out on one of life’s great and simple treasures…as simple as it is I would advise you putting this on your ‘bucket list’.

The opening quote is quite compelling and really couldn’t be more truthful. I have had so many peaceful walks this past 6 weeks; nothing too important, just me, Pappi and occasionally Vickie when I can get her free of her other things. Kind of nuts how simple, yet enjoyable just sitting on a beautiful fall day with the sun shining on your face…watching a puppy go through the hi-jinx that a puppy goes through.

German Wirehairs are known for several things; one of those is their quirkiness and Pappi is right up there and might just set the standard for the breed. He is a very intelligent puppy and that too is and will continue to be both a blessing and a curse. I have a tie out stake in the yard that I put him on each night while I clean the kennels, walk and feed the bigger dogs. I am a firm believer that it isn’t a good idea to take a little puppy along with older dogs until they can keep up and more importantly won’t get trampled; Pappi waits for me patiently and seems to know that his time is coming…I then snap on a short check cord and the two of us are off on a walk. I might add that my older dogs don’t think this is fair at all and for a minute or so….they let me know. When he was first home and very young he would constantly be directly under my (our) feet but with each walk and each week he has begun to venture further and further out away from us. We make our way up our hill, then back down the other side to where our deer herd usually is; it really doesn’t matter if I saw the deer…for each night we reach this point the pup becomes very serious and it is cute to see a puppy turn into a hunter. We wind up sitting around the fire pit for quite a while and this is where Pappi turns into a full throttle nut. He races around the pit and chases each and everything within a stone’s throw.

This past Monday I was up early, boat in tow and off to Bass Lake to fish for Musky. Pappi came along for the ride. We are planning a trip to North Dakota around Thanksgiving and he is going to have to be in a dog trailer along with the others for quite a while…so, I have been taking him with me on short trips to various local places. When we pulled into the boat ramp area I stopped and once again put his check cord on and let him stretch his legs as there wasn’t anyone else anywhere in sight. I began loading fly rods and other equipment into my boat when I looked over and he had found a large fish carcass…he acted like he had never before been fed! I quickly rushed over and snatched the stinky mess away from him and he gave me one of the most indignant and curious looks I have ever seen from a dog. I proceeded to get skunked while searching for musky and was back at the truck in about 2 hours, loaded up the boat…and then took a long walk through the dog running area just west of the lake. For the first time my little guy began to act and carry himself like a real bird-dog. The first big grasshopper we came to was just the impetus he needed to pounce…and he did, over and over. What was in one instance a puppy game quickly became a hunt and Pappi started to look and search for the hoppers. It might not have been a game bird but I could quickly see that there within that 3 month old pup was the entire package; he had a drive and quickly started to creep towards each and every prize. In one of my old bird dog books the author calls this type of walk ‘happy timing’. He insisted that these times together, though they be simple…belie the basis for a long time connection with the owner, I couldn’t agree more…and heck, it is pretty good therapy for the owner as well.

We finished up our walk back at the boat ramp. I had on my water shoes and proceeded to stroll a few feet into the water. I watched closely to see if Pappi would follow and what his reaction to this much water would be. He moved slowly, one paw at a time as he lifted and then gingerly placed yet another paw foreword into the water. He wanted to be with me…but wasn’t sure about this new liquid that he was standing in. It is my hope that he will be good in water and might even make a water retrieve if it were ever needed…so I didn’t force anything but let him take his time and make his own decisions. Slowly the desire to be beside me took over and in a period of about 2 minutes he moved out to where he was chest high in the lake. The photo above was one I snapped as he looked quite regal towards me and his accomplishment.

While I fished a little more on that day (the fishing wasn’t good at all), I would have to say that the day was indeed a success. The beauty of nature and autumn here in southern Indiana was in full bloom. If you are looking for a new buddy…someone to share some time with, someone who will unconditionally love you each and every day…look no further than a new puppy…the two of you will be able to Enjoy the Great Outdoors together.