The thing about dogs
James Sutcliffe
James Sutcliffe reflects on what makes working dogs so special to us and names his all time greats.
Dogs. I’ve come to the conclusion that they’re a lot like cars, we normally end up owning a raft of them in our lifetime; they occasionally break down; some are more unreliable than others and they can be expensive to run. Despite all this, once you’ve had one, you wouldn’t be without one… or two or three.
Also, a lot like cars, every once in a while a dog comes along that really leaves its mark on you.
Be it the slightly useless one that never really lived up to expectations but that firmly engrained itself in your heart, or the one that defied expectations and is utterly fantastic, I’m a firm believer that some dogs (and cars) are just special.
The cars
For me, I can think of two cars that really left their mark on me. First would be my first and favourite auto, an old Series 3 Land Rover called Betsy.
She was never the fastest or easiest and never failed to surprise me (or passers-by when the exhaust fell of in the middle of Preston!) but I utterly adored that vehicle and I have vowed to one day hunt her down and buy her back.
The other car in question was my little Toyota Yaris. You may think this a bizarre choice, but that car got me across three countries to my job in Germany. It also drove all over the UK for all manner of shooting opportunities and did it all without ever missing a beat.
Back to the dogs
But this article isn’t about cars. Its about the dogs that we shooting folk couldn’t imagine living life without.
When it comes to those really special dogs, for me there are three, all of whom sadly passed away this year (somewhat inspiring me to put pen to paper).
There was Razzmatazz, my partner’s phenomenal springer spaniel that produced some of the most amazing retrieves I have ever witnessed and literally never failed to put a huge grin on our faces, usually when sitting very proudly in a nest of tennis balls he had acquired and squirrelled away.
He learnt to love me but would pass me over for her in a heartbeat, normally in front of a crowd, much to everyone’s amusement.
There was Big Mac, my first ever dog and best friend in the whole world. He worked like a champ (if somewhat independently!), was the most affectionate dog I’ve had and got me through some of the toughest times in my life. He learnt to love my partner but in turn would pass her over for me, so we’re pretty even on that point.
Lastly there was Squidge. He was a little black lab that defied every odd to become the best working dog, excelling at everything from beating to picking up, all the way to deer tracking.
Despite all the working success, one of my favourite memories of Squidge was him subtly retrieving my electric fox caller when I was testing it out…
Why do our working dogs mean so much to us?
I’m sure if you ask anyone in the shooting field, they will tell you countless stories of their dogs and their amazing successes and triumphs.
So why is this? Why do those with working dogs have such a special relationship with their trusty animals? After all, there are about 10,000,000 dogs in the UK and I have no doubt that the overwhelming majority of these owners have nothing but love for them.
Well, I’m convinced that the link between us and our dogs is so strong because of the nature of what we do with them.
They aren’t just pets, they are an incredibly vital part of a team. A cog in a much larger machine that helps it all run so smoothly.
There’s something almost primal about a person and their dog working together in harmony towards a dedicated goal.
Our dog’s successes in turn become our successes and without them everything just sort of stalls or has a bit less of a special feeling to it.
Making life better
Think of it like this, what do you think would make you prouder; shooting the pheasant of a lifetime, or watching your dog retrieve it for you. I know I’m firmly lodged in the latter camp and enjoy working my dogs far more than puling the trigger.
Every time your dog flushes that bird, finds that deer, points at that grouse it’s doing its bit to make all of what we do possible. Without our working dogs, the shooting sector would look terribly different, and I can’t imagine for the better.
So, I think it’s that link, that teamwork that binds us so strongly to our working companions, and it just means that when its their time to depart this world it leaves an extra noticeable hole in our lives. We haven’t just lost a dog, a friend or a pet. We’ve lost a teammate.
So, take the time to go and give them a hug, throw a dummy for them and just enjoy every minute you have with them.
And as for Razz, Mac and Squidge, I know they’re in a better place and can only hope that that place has all the tennis balls and pheasants they could dream of.
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