Cisco’s Sonar

By Bryce Nielson,

This one was tough for me to write.  I think it was better when she is still alive instead of after she is gone.

Retirement of a Hunter

Don’t jump to conclusions about “Old Bryce” giving up hunting.  It is not true.  As long as I have grandsons who want to go or friends that will take and old guy along, I am ready.

I am talking about my faithful spring spaniel, Maggie.  When I picked her out of the litter 13 years ago, I had looked for a female that was not aggressive.  Previously, I had two labs and a Brittney spaniel, all of which we “over the wall” active.  I wanted to train this little liver and white spaniel to be a “duck dog”.  Most of her breed are upland game hunters, adept at pointing and flushing birds.  There are not many pheasants around Bear Lake but there are ducks.  Born in June, I worked with her and she was ready to try and retrieve by October.  She was a natural, loving the water and picking up ducks.

For the last 11 years she has only gotten better.  She would stand by the side of the Bear River below Oneida, covered in ice, and still make retrieves on the other side of the river.  Standing in the frigid water next to the blind, she would spend all day searching the skies for ducks.  I couldn’t have asked for a better dog that was a true retriever.

As the years passed, her body started to give out on her.  They say that a dog’s body ages, but in their mind, they are always young.  This was the case with Maggie.  She was already to go and hunt with a true fervor, but she paid for it with aches and pains later.  She eventually lost her hearing, probably due to guns going off around her all the time, and now she is totally deaf.  She knows what to do by my body movements but if she takes off after something, there is no calling her back.

These days she sleeps a lot but is always ready to go for a short run/walk/hunt when I go out.  I know she would still try to retrieve a bird, but I can’t risk her health by doing it.  I know her days are numbered but I prefer not to think about it.  For now, she lives in her own world, running like mad when she is asleep.  I would like to think she is dreaming about hunting and all the good times she has had.  She has ridden with me as my number one wife and companion in my truck for thousands of miles, but now she needs to be lifted in.   You will know when she dies but for now, we just have the future to enjoy.  SHE IS A GOOD DOG.