Cody Williams
Well-known member
Hi guys, thought I'd check back in after a too-long absence. I started my own construction and tile company this spring and it's been keeping me busy, I kept my old full time job with the state and I've been running my business on the side and it's been a ton of work! Worth it in the long run I hope. I haven't made a decoy or a boat for almost a year now-far too long! Hopefully I'll get back at it soon.
Some of you may remember that I was having some problems with my Chesapeake Sage last fall-he was starting to bite down on birds and I had a problem with him developing a hard mouth. We worked on it for a while and he was doing quite a bit better and had a great end to the season-one of his last retrieves at the end of the year ended up being one of his best ever-he broke 5 feet of thick ice to chase a wounded mallard up onto the bank and made a retrieve that I'll always remember. A few weeks after the season ended my wife noticed that he had a strange lump on his belly near his back leg-when it nearly doubled in size overnight we took him to the vet and he ended up having emergency surgery to remove what turned out to be a grapefruit-sized tumor. Biopsy confirmed that he had severe, untreatable cancer and that his days were numbered-the vet's instructions were to keep him happy and comfortable and then use his behavior to make a decision on when to have him put down. Fortunately we were spared having to make this decision as he passed away suddenly and peacefully a few weeks after being diagnosed-he was a great dog that always did a honorable job and I'll always miss him, but I'll always be grateful for the 7 seasons that we shared together. He never quit and always had another retrieve left in him, and that's about all I could ask for.
RIP Sage-2008-2016
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On a happier note, a month or so later while I was kind of halfheartedly looking around for a new puppy to train, I found a dog that looked really great on paper-an outstanding pedigree, both parents working hunters, and located just a few miles away. Only problem was that she was a female Lab and I was looking for another male Chessie. We went to see her, fell in love, and when I found out that she shared a birthday with my oldest daughter I decided it was meant to be-so we welcomed home Canvasback's West Desert Cedar, or Cedar for short. She's now 22 weeks old and full of mischief and excitement-I can honestly say that I've never had another dog that learns so fast, or picks up new ideas so quickly. I was reminded all over again just how much work it takes to make a good hunting dog, and when you have a good, experienced dog for a few years it's easy to take for granted how much they know and learn on their own. I've been really enjoying the training process though, it's fun to relearn things along with her and it's also fun that my kids are old enough this time around to help out with the training process. I'm excited to hunt with her this fall!
Early water retrieves
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Some of you may remember that I was having some problems with my Chesapeake Sage last fall-he was starting to bite down on birds and I had a problem with him developing a hard mouth. We worked on it for a while and he was doing quite a bit better and had a great end to the season-one of his last retrieves at the end of the year ended up being one of his best ever-he broke 5 feet of thick ice to chase a wounded mallard up onto the bank and made a retrieve that I'll always remember. A few weeks after the season ended my wife noticed that he had a strange lump on his belly near his back leg-when it nearly doubled in size overnight we took him to the vet and he ended up having emergency surgery to remove what turned out to be a grapefruit-sized tumor. Biopsy confirmed that he had severe, untreatable cancer and that his days were numbered-the vet's instructions were to keep him happy and comfortable and then use his behavior to make a decision on when to have him put down. Fortunately we were spared having to make this decision as he passed away suddenly and peacefully a few weeks after being diagnosed-he was a great dog that always did a honorable job and I'll always miss him, but I'll always be grateful for the 7 seasons that we shared together. He never quit and always had another retrieve left in him, and that's about all I could ask for.
RIP Sage-2008-2016
On a happier note, a month or so later while I was kind of halfheartedly looking around for a new puppy to train, I found a dog that looked really great on paper-an outstanding pedigree, both parents working hunters, and located just a few miles away. Only problem was that she was a female Lab and I was looking for another male Chessie. We went to see her, fell in love, and when I found out that she shared a birthday with my oldest daughter I decided it was meant to be-so we welcomed home Canvasback's West Desert Cedar, or Cedar for short. She's now 22 weeks old and full of mischief and excitement-I can honestly say that I've never had another dog that learns so fast, or picks up new ideas so quickly. I was reminded all over again just how much work it takes to make a good hunting dog, and when you have a good, experienced dog for a few years it's easy to take for granted how much they know and learn on their own. I've been really enjoying the training process though, it's fun to relearn things along with her and it's also fun that my kids are old enough this time around to help out with the training process. I'm excited to hunt with her this fall!
Early water retrieves
