Yoda's last hunt???

John Robinson

John Robinson

Well-known member
Neil and I took his Snow Goose out for a morning hunt yesterday, here's pics...

YodasNovember2009.jpg


YodaNovember2009.jpg

He just rolled in mud and got it all over his face, he's old but still acts like a puppy....

He can still do it, he had one long 200 yard blind retrieve on a cripple, plus used is nose and bird finding skills to pull another out of dense cattails, but he definitely is wearing down. I could see the cold was effecting him, and though his adrenaline and heart get keep him up to get these birds, and it's what he wants to do more than anything, I can see it's hard on his body. Cheryl says he is beside himself and crys and crys if I take one of the young dogs and leave him home, but I can't in good conscience push him into that cold water and tough conditions.

He can still swim fine, so I'll wait for calmer conditions and easy, small ponds. This is the part about hunting with and loving a good dog, that breaks your heart.

John
 
John,

Do you have a neoprene vest for Yoda? Makes a big difference in their buoyancy as well as keeping them warm. Could extend his season a mite longer.
 
Yeah we do. Actually I have three custom fitted vest, one for each dog, though Yoda's is a bit raggy after ten years. Up here in Montana I don't think you could run a dog long without one. Yoda just has very bad arthrites in his elbows to the point he can barely walk. He swims fine but I think the cold even with a vest on, and the jumping in and out of the boat, crashing thru cattails, jumping logs and slogging mud is just too much for him now. BTW those six ducks yesterday made it 274 ducks shot over the last four seasons without Yoda loosing one bird, he is just a bird finding machine. I can't imaging Gus or Alex (my two young guys) , breaking that record.

Thanks for the comment, like you, I'm a big proponent of vest for retrievers. I used to be macho with my dog, but I wasn't the one having to break ice all day naked.

John
 
John,

I know the feeling all to well. My heart goes out to you. We had to put or last dog, Shannon, down 3 years ago at 14 years old. She did not hunt her last 2 years for the same reasons. I would come home and my wife would beg me to take her the next time because she would just sit at the front door and cry until I got home. I tried taking her along on a few easy hunts but it really took it toll on her. So, she sat the last year out totally and it just killed me to see her sitting at the door crying. Kind of reminds me of when my kids were little and I had to go to work and they would do the same thing but the crying would only last a few minutes.
 
John I feel for you. I have taken my 12 year old chocolate lab on a few mild hunts this year. Usually I have him sit in the boat while the 4 year old yellow does the retrieving. The Chocolate still tries to get out of the cockpit when he hears the gunshots. I let him retrieve a duck or two if the conditions aren't too bad. On the subsequent days, he is content to walk over to his kennel and asks to spend the day there when I start loading the truck. I am lucky in that he knows he is tired and sore and fine with sleeping at home all day.
 
John

Cassie is about to be 8 and has the same white face. Seems to happen with the darker goldens, or at least is more noticable. Maybe we should try some "Just for Beards" to make them look a few years younger because they act younger than they are. I'm sure it's the same for you but the older Cassie gets the more I pay attention and praise her retrieves. Any retrieve, any season, could be her last. I don't hold her to the same standards I once did. She's done everything I ever asked and never lets up. At this point in her life she has nothing left to prove to me or my partners. She met and exceeded every expectation I had. I just want to rub her head and ears inbetween flights and hope her last retrieve is as far off as possible.

Thanks for sharing.

Eric
 
John, it's certainly a tough thing to watch as our dogs age while we want to keep their quality of life as high as possible. I got my younger dog when my old-timer turned 10 and it was a difficult thing to leave behind the older one as the pup progressed. But I created opportunities for ol' Cab using the same methods others have suggested. Hunting earlier in the season, dove hunting, field hunting, hunting midday, avoiding currents, ice or deep water, etc. Toward the end of his life I would leave him in the truck until it warmed up a bit and then plant a few dead birds in the weeds on dry land or even in the back yard when I got home. In his mind he was still hunting.

I know what you mean about wanting to protect him, particularly from the cold. I've found the cheap Army surplus wool blankets to be great material for creating a small horse blanket for a hound.
 
John,

Looks like Yoda was busy and it is great that you took pictures to reflect back on him. It is a sad day when the tough decision is made to retire a great dog. Even though Yoda won't be happy about it, I wish him a good retirement.

All the best,
Craig
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top