Buddy's New Friend - 'Cricket' (Can you guess how she got her name)
A young man name Chris Ward contacted me because he had the Chessie pup (above) and told me he had read about me on the internet (gulp). He wanted to know if I could help him train his pup to go duck hunting on the Mississippi delta, AND make a good christian out of her. 'OK', says I, and anyway we went. Chris has a lovely wife, Kim, and a beautiful little girl (below), Katy. So, the whole family is in on the training. Wife, Kim, who is an amateur photographer took these images. Mom and daughter have matching camo outfits
So, anyway, my local club sponsored a 'Mock Hunt Test' to give newbies a chance to run their dogs under test conditions. I delivered a short, hands-on firearms training course and then went to help with the 'Started' dogs and handlers. As the handlers ran their dogs a senior judge was there to comment, and give bits of advice on dog training, or on hunt testing techniques.
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I had Chris, Kim and Katy all run 'Buddy' in the 'Started' test so they could get a feel for working with a well trained dog. They adored running 'Buddy', and 'Buddy' seemed to really like the role of mentor to newbies.
From a sitting position on the bank - walking on water.
Buddy's new friend working a 'mock' hunt test for newbies to the sport.
A moment to be proud of.
Hooked for life!
