Al Hansen
Well-known member
I guess Chili was almost 3 1/2 years old when Bev and I bought Pepper. It was one day in March when I happened to be cruising through the classified ads and came across "Lab Pups for sale". Since the owners only lived 60 miles away we hopped in the truck and headed north.
We liked what we saw and put down a deposit to hold 1st pick female. When that time came we went back, Bev did her magic and picked her out, just like she did with Chili. I will not forget her because Pepper was on my lap all the way back home. After all it was a birthday wish that came true!
Chili, at first, had nothing to do with the little pesky one who at 7 weeks old was full of mischief. However the barriers soon began to crumble especially when we would go out by the pond in the morning and sip on coffee and watch our dogs.
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I had been working with Pepper on her retrieving skills and things looked good enough to try her at the small lake that is just north of us. I wanted to see what Pepper would do in water and also how Chili would handle learning how to share.
At first it was just more curiosity than anything else as this picture will show you.
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Then as I continued to toss the bumper Pepper became more aggressive.
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From that point on I then tossed another bumper for Chili to retrieve that was way out in there. She got there first naturally but then did something so unnatural that it was almost hard to believe. She waited for Pepper to get there and let her take the bumper and then swam behind her the whole way back.
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This worked so well that I decided to try Pepper on a solo toss and it worked like a charm. The Boss Lady sat there at the edge of the lake observing the whole thing.
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Later on that summer during our monsoon season we got an unusual amount of rain and the teal pond filled up quickly. I took the two of them out there and tossed the bumpers some more. I let the instructor show Pepper how it was done first. Pepper had a leash on for this one because she did not have the restraint that Chili was blessed with at that age.
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Then I let Pepper go on a solo retrieve. I still laugh when I see how enthusiastic she was and that never changed by the way for all her years of retrieving.
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From that time on Chili taught Habi how to retrieve and especially how to sit in the blind and not move. Now I have Habi teaching Chip how to sit in the blind.
I was blessed to have Chili as my hunting partner for 11 duck seasons but much happier that she was such a good all around lab. In my mind nothing could be better.
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Chili fell off my 4 wheeler just once when we were cruising along the Rio Grande. Thankfully she hit just sand and rolled with no injuries at all. From that time on for over 4,000 miles of riding on my rig, she never fell again.
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The Land of Enchantment has a way of doing just that. Almost on a daily basis I see something that just flat out amazes me down here.
Life is Good and God is Good.
Al
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We liked what we saw and put down a deposit to hold 1st pick female. When that time came we went back, Bev did her magic and picked her out, just like she did with Chili. I will not forget her because Pepper was on my lap all the way back home. After all it was a birthday wish that came true!
Chili, at first, had nothing to do with the little pesky one who at 7 weeks old was full of mischief. However the barriers soon began to crumble especially when we would go out by the pond in the morning and sip on coffee and watch our dogs.
I had been working with Pepper on her retrieving skills and things looked good enough to try her at the small lake that is just north of us. I wanted to see what Pepper would do in water and also how Chili would handle learning how to share.
At first it was just more curiosity than anything else as this picture will show you.
Then as I continued to toss the bumper Pepper became more aggressive.
From that point on I then tossed another bumper for Chili to retrieve that was way out in there. She got there first naturally but then did something so unnatural that it was almost hard to believe. She waited for Pepper to get there and let her take the bumper and then swam behind her the whole way back.
This worked so well that I decided to try Pepper on a solo toss and it worked like a charm. The Boss Lady sat there at the edge of the lake observing the whole thing.
Later on that summer during our monsoon season we got an unusual amount of rain and the teal pond filled up quickly. I took the two of them out there and tossed the bumpers some more. I let the instructor show Pepper how it was done first. Pepper had a leash on for this one because she did not have the restraint that Chili was blessed with at that age.
Then I let Pepper go on a solo retrieve. I still laugh when I see how enthusiastic she was and that never changed by the way for all her years of retrieving.
From that time on Chili taught Habi how to retrieve and especially how to sit in the blind and not move. Now I have Habi teaching Chip how to sit in the blind.
I was blessed to have Chili as my hunting partner for 11 duck seasons but much happier that she was such a good all around lab. In my mind nothing could be better.
Chili fell off my 4 wheeler just once when we were cruising along the Rio Grande. Thankfully she hit just sand and rolled with no injuries at all. From that time on for over 4,000 miles of riding on my rig, she never fell again.
The Land of Enchantment has a way of doing just that. Almost on a daily basis I see something that just flat out amazes me down here.
Life is Good and God is Good.
Al
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