American Muscle Week 1 Update

All of the puppies are doing great this week!  Everyone got a trim on the tail and dew claws removed, but other than that, puppy life is pretty easy.  The pups gain about 2 ounces per day, which is well above the 1.6 oz minimum that we shoot for.  So, enough of that.  This is what everyone wants to see!

Shelby 2lb 0.1oz

 

 

Nitro 1lb 12.5oz

 

 

Hemi 1lb 15.8oz

 

 

Tubo 1lb 12.8oz

 

 

Charger 1lb 10.2oz

 

 

Diesel 1lb 12.8oz

 

 

Cuda 1lb 12.3oz

 

 

Torc 1lb 14.5 oz







 

 





Puppies!!

Broken Bow Kennels is thrilled to announce the arrival of our American Muscle litter.  This was a litter of 7 boys and one brute of a girl.  The theme seemed only appropriate with a make up like that.  Shai labored for only about 5 hours and was calm and healthy for the duration.  Here are the boys and girl.

 



#5 is Charger

12.9 oz 

 #7 is Cuda

15.4 oz

 #6 is Diesel

14.2 oz

 #3 is Hemi

15.5 oz

 #2 is Nitro

14.5 oz

 #1, the only girl and the biggest by far, is Shelby

1 lb 1.5 oz

 #8 is Torc

1 lb 0.6 oz

 #4 is Turbo

15.5 oz

Puppies-The First Look

We went in to see the vet for the last visit before the pups arrive and finally got a look at the parasites that have been taking over Shai's body.

 

 

The vet says 7, which is a great number!  This ensures healthy, well sized pups from the beginning.  We can't wait to see them in one short week!

Counting Down

We had a great weekend out with the boys.  This will probably be the last one until the puppies arrive and Shai is probably grateful for that.  She is getting huge!  But in spite of the huge belly, she is a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon first!!  One thing we can never talk her out of (and who would want to) is finding birds.  So here she is, belly and all, pinning down a rooster pheasant on the river bank.

Fat and Happy

Shai's days in the field have come to a close.  For the time being anyways.  It's a lot of work building babies and she's right in the thick of it.  We know they'll hunt, now it's just fingers crossed that we'll see a pile of happy, healthy puppies.

Training Days

I got a little behind in my posting, but being a working kennel means the days are filled with better things than the internet!!  These are just a couple short videos of our training days. The first is a practice run for Shai's NAVHDA Utility Track and Retrieve and the second for her Utility Duck Search.

https://youtu.be/99Ah8kxZQU8

https://youtu.be/0cZJd__Ambs

The First Shall Be Last

Benjamin Franklin said, "Write something worth reading or DO something worth writing about."  I hope with this blog I find a little bit of both and I think this bit is exactly what Brother Franklin was referring to.

As the waterfowl season was drawing to a close, I didn't have a lot of time to get out to the blind, so many of my hunts were jump shooting then catching a few in passing before packing it up for the day.  This day was no different.  I was three birds shy of my limit and had, through poor planning on my part, three lonely shells left for the day.  And so we set out.  I would whoa Shai and work from sagebrush stand to juniper then call the dog behind me.  We could hear the Mallards and Canadas chattering away on the other side of the brush in the warm water of East Idaho's Rainey Creek and Shai was quivering.  Not yet wet from the river, she was electric as she stood and waited.  Not wanting to spoil it, I parked her, readied the 12 gauge and stepped out...

The water explodes in every direction.  BANG...goose drops to the right.  Down, but not out.  Swinging.  BANG...Mallard drake.  BANG...huh...a wayward Teal drops.

Shai had broken on the second shot.  It was all just too much.  She brought it to hand and I sent her on the Teal, which had dropped somewhere in the cattails.  Now where was that goose?  A few minutes later I spy it walking up the far bank, a wing dragging beside.  FETCH!  While not yet force fetched, Shai does very well at moving in the direction she is sent.  So she goes out, steadily, until that goose flaps a wing and ploughs into the water.  Shai loses her mind.  Half yelp, half bellow and across the ice like a freight train.  I watch in momentary entertainment, then in silent panic.  The goose has paddled into the middle of a large pond and, as the dog approaches, it slips beneath the black surface.  A bark and a whimper and the dog treads water.  30 feet away the goose resurfaces, paddling in the other direction.  And the dog begins chasing again.  This repeats again as I weigh options.  Shai is a good dog, but while paddling a couple hundred feet away commands are lost in translation.  I'm empty, and not about to wade.

I set out for the truck.  A half mile away and 10 inches of snow make for slow going.  I run, gasp, walk and run again.  Finally arriving at the truck, I double over trying to catch my breath.  One shell, that's all I need.  I rifle through pockets and bags.  I find my missing sun glasses and an old sandwich, but no ammo.  Finally, under one of the seats, two glorious, black shells are waiting.  Now running I can still hear the dog yelp and bark as the goose avoids her and mocks.  I show up a full 25 minutes after the dog went in the water and just in time to watch the big bird slip under again.  Waiting.  Still waiting.  Now up...BANG!  Not sporting, I know, but I'd had enough!  I can only imagine the string of obscenities running through the mind of my sweet puppy as she hauled her prize to shore.

With all six of our legs wobbling with exhaustion, we slowly make our way back to the truck.  I couldn't have been more proud of my dog.  The time she spent in that wintery slick with nothing but a desire to please driving her was incredible.

As we finally arrive back at the truck, her reward waits in a warm truck cab.  Mine, on the leg of an Alberta Mallard!