The following was written for RLS's website in May 2005 by Sophie's owner. The hunt took place in March when Sophie was just nine months old. The Rocks have received other hunting anecdotes before the following hunt and since, including one about another, in which Sophie, at about eight months, pointed fifteen released chuckar and four others! Sophie was proving her outstanding hunting ability before she even turned one year old. She was a very special dog.
Bondhu's
Petite Sophia (Sophie)
* World's
best family dog. Quiet, gentle, funny, affectionate,
playful and obedient.
* So cute in appearance and so sweet in personality she could get
away with almost anything!
* World's most fun upland birding dog. Never happier than when
she's in the field, but a lot more serious and focused than at home.
Tireless.
* Perhaps the best all around dog that's ever lived! Always
loyal, never grumpy, and ever eager to please. Our best friend.
* Gets along well with all other dogs she has met, does not try to
dominate and always honors another's point
* Maxwell's best buddy (our 16 month old Papillion)
* Guardian of Izzy the cat
* Nephew Mitch's sleep over buddy
In mid March a close
friend named Paul, who had just returned from
active duty in Iraq, asked if he could join me at the ranch. A
professional trainer friend of his was to deliver a fourteen month old,
"finished" German Shorthaired pup Paul had adopted prior to
his
deployment. Of course I agreed, and made arrangements for a released
Pheasant and Chuckar Partridge hunt so Paul's new pup could show his
stuff.
Paul, the trainer
and I arrived at our starting point accompanied by
Paul's new Shorthair Sandy, the trainer's prized English Pointer Jake,
and Sophie. The morning that had been absolutely still a few minutes
before stirred with a 10 mph breeze that unfortunately, blew from our
backs. After some discussion we decided to continue under these far
less than deal scenting conditions knowing that we could move to the
opposite end of the draw later if it was too difficult for the dogs.
As we set out the
Shorthair and Pointer were thoroughly confused and
were struggling to get started. Sophie, who normally traverses about 35
yards ahead of me suddenly took off on a dead run straight away from us.
I thought to myself, that after eight or ten great hunts, she has
finally decided to act like the puppy she is and drew my whistle. She
was about 75 yards out now, and just as I was about to blow the whistle
she came to a screeching halt, turned to locate us, and started working
back toward us with her nose to the ground, tail wagging like mad. I
gave Paul the "I knew she was going to do that look", but the
whistle in
my mouth gave me away. He just laughed, and as I panned back to Sophie,
I noticed the other two dogs standing still, their gaze fixed on Sophie.
On her third traverse
Sophie locked into a beautiful point and held rock
solid for the minute or so it took us to move up on her. By the time we
reached her the birds were on the run, and with a nod she broke her
point to reposition herself and keep the birds between herself and us!
As we continued in three Chuckars flushed with an explosion, and the
four shots that followed dropped them all. Sophie and Sandy each
retrieved a bird while the trainer fetched the 3rd. Perhaps the pointer
thought it best to look unimpressed and in any case refused to
participate.
Anyway, this was just
one of many great memories Sophie has provided
before and since. Its these special moments, and the knowledge that
tomorrow's hunt holds another, that makes it so hard to sleep the night
before. Thanks Chelsea, for taking so much care in developing a
treasured member of our family, and a constant source a fatherly pride
and joy!
Fred
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