COCHISE BIRD DOG CLUB
Volume 3, Issue 2 Sept 2008
Prepared by a Few with Input from Many!
The Officers and Board members for the Cochise Bird Dog Club
Dave Higgins President (520)378-4114
Mike Jones Vice President (520)720-4142
Barbara Hershberger Secretary (520)455-0060
Jeanette Higgins Treasurer (520)378-4114
Chris Orndorff Board Member (520)458-1584
Chris Sterner Board Member (520)439-4507
Jackie Olmsted Board Member (520) 439-0522 /(303) 447-2688
Current Treasury balance is $1600.00. (That is better than Uncle Sam’s right now)
Dave
S
UMMER is winding down and it seems to me it has been a long hot one. I note the cooler mornings and the darn weeds are beginning to die. Man what a mess this year. I mean that was a full time job. Needless to say I didn’t tend to them very well. The second issue has been the snakes. I have heard lots of feedback on rattlesnakes and it is one of my greatest concerns. Be on the lookout for them. A neighbor of mine was telling me the other day that this time of the year they are getting their new skins and consequently they can’t see very well. They are more prone to strike without warning this time of the year. A big one got away from me the other day. I guess they get big when they are smarter. He knew I was around before I saw him, but when I noticed him and while I was looking for something to dispatch him with, he was gone lickity split!
Fall is near and I am looking forward as all of you are to dusting “ole Blue” off and doing some work. The quail season approaches in early October. For some reason The wise guys at G&F have decided to move the season up a week earlier. It starts on 4 October. For several years I have put off my urge to go those opening weekends just because it is too darned hot and not hunter/dog friendly. If you decide to go out on opening weekend go as early as you can as it warms quickly. This earlier opening has put a dampener on our plans for our “First Annual Buddy Hunt” and we will have to see if we can fit it in perhaps in November if folks want to do it while hunting season is on going. Let us know your feelings on this. I think the hunt has the potential of being one of our great annual events, a good time, good work with the dogs and an all around enjoyable event for our dogs.
M
ost of you know by now that we had a litter of pups here at the house on Sunday, 7 Sept. Every thing came out okay and they are growing like weeds in their comfortable whelping box with mom as I write this. I have had, by count, some 8 litters over the years beginning in 1965 and have never had an ounce of problems. Peggy, the dam of these pups runs a little small for pointers and this was a concern of ours. After having 3 pups on her own in the whelping area she just made no progress with the 4th pup. I consulted Coronado vets, luckily they were on call for the weekend and then I rushed her and the new borns to their clinic on Glenn Road. An xray quickly revealed that there was one hung up in the birth canal and at least two more in Peggy. A C-section by Dr. Sugaski, aided by their new Dr. McIntosh extracted the last three pups and vigourous work by all brought the 3 pups around. In less than 3 hours I had her and the 6 new pups back home and safe in her whelping box. It was quite a miracle as I have never experienced the problem before. We took the dewclaws off last night and they are doing great, crawling all over the whelping box and Mother is quite attentive to their well being. I look forward to seeing these pups mature. Update: We have 5 active and healthy pups that have passed the two week mark, eyes open and now the fun begins!
A
Dios. By press time Andy Rapp and his family will have relocated back home to Pennsylvania and their new pharmacy that they built. Andy was a go getter in the club from the day he joined. He set the bar high for the membership by jumping in and demonstrating a willingness to learn and to help whenever and however he could. His last words to me were that he got more than he gave. To me he gave a lot and it was a pleasure to have met Andy and his two Vizslas. I am sure he learned a lot in his short time in the club and we appreciate his positive attitude towards our club.
ANNUAL CLUB MAINTENANCE DAY
· Chris Orndorff has made a couple of attempts to energize a work detail to get some maintenance done on the club equipment. For various reasons he has not been successful, but I thank Chris for the effort. There are a variety of tasks that need to be done on the club equipment. I think we should set up an annual Club Maintenance Day, get together, bring your tools, have a list of tasks that need to be accomplished and then throw some “Shrimp on the Barbie” along with a cold beer or drink after the work is done. Here is a list of projects that need to be finished. They will not get done without the cooperation and support of the club membership. The more the better!
· Club Trailer, still needs to be finished with additional storage racks, propane and water plumbing, electrical rewiring and interior lights and sanding and painting.
· Johnny House. We need to make some better entrance cones for the Johnny house so it is easier to recall the birds. It also needs to be painted.
· New Quail Pen. I have seen several walk in and portable pens and the club would benefit from one of these. They are much easier to catch birds for planting and easier to access. They are made of PVC pipe and I think we could use the nylon bird netting that I have here at the house for the fencing. We need a guru to take charge of this project.
· Youth Quail Hunt. Chris Orndorff has taken this on as a pet project. He has developed a grant and submitted it to the Arizona Game and Fish department in hopes of gaining some additional funds to expand our Youth Quail Hunt. Be sure and mark the event in your calendars and let Chris know that you and your dog want to participate in this fun and worthwhile project.
· Hunt Test. Chris Sterner has volunteered to chair the next AKC Hunt Test. The only condition on that is that we do it in conjunction with another club so we can host a dual event. Rising costs and expenses related to competition are just about forcing the end of stand alone events. Hopefully we can work out an agreement with either the SAGSP club or the Arizona Pointing Dog Club. This will allow us to maximize the entries.
· Mearns Quail Hunt. The Board of Directors have put on the yearly event schedule a Mearns Quail Hunt. We could all camp out in an area then depart on the day to individually hunt then return to camp in the eve for stories, good food and tales of the day!
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Lost Dogs and Collars
A couple of our members went through some anxiety this past summer when their dogs were lost. Chris Sterner’s Holly was lost in the back yard! Buck Mantsch and Olga did have a genuine situation develop when Buck was out with his morning walk with Olga. As you know the ending was happy in both situations. They both have lifetime stories to tell, one humorous and one with a more serious slant. I feel for anyone who has lost their dog and know how upsetting it is to experience. I cant over emphasize how very important it is to get a collar on your young dog as one of the first steps in bringing them home. Identification on that collar and any other collars that you may use, such as e-collars and tracking collars are of equal importance. Don’t buy the little tags that you can get from the machine at Walmart, but get the flat, brass name plates that can be riveted to any of your collars. I think as sporting dogs one of the first instincts that they have is to go hunting when they are turned loose. That drive will always come to the surface and can pose potential problems for the dog and of course the owner. Taking those additional steps of collar id and perhaps even the micro chip implanted are good insurance policies. Olga has the chip, but when the person who found her took her to the new Animal Shelter in Sierra Vista, the attendants didn’t want the dog brought into the shelter and never even thought of waving the wand over her. Now that seems contrary to the goal of protection and humane treatment. Fancy shelters are great but they are only as good as the people that work in them. A simple 5 minutes to check her would have terminated Olga’s “lost” situation and returned her to Buck and Paulette much sooner than she was. In short, don’t assume anything when it comes to protecting and recovering your lost dog.
DOG SHOWS
By Barbara Hershberger
DOG SHOWS (conformation events) are intended to evaluate breeding stock. The dog’s conformation (overall appearance and structure), is an indication of the dog’s ability to produce quality puppies.
Judges examine the dogs, then give awards according to how closely each dog compares to his/her mental image of the dog described in the breed’s official standard. The standard describes the characteristics that allow the breed to perform the function of which it was bred. These include specifications for structure, temperament and movement.
Each dog presented to a judge is exhibited by its owner, breeder or a hired professional. Dogs in competition at conformation shows are competing for points toward their AKC championships. It takes 15 points, including two majors (wins of three, four or five points.
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There will be a Club Match Up Chukar Hunt with team drawing at Empire Ranch on Saturday 18 Oct. Members will be teamed with members of the SAGSP club. The format will be similar to a Fun Hunt.
The Buddy Hunt is set for Nov 22. This is open to members and their invited guests (buddy). More info to follow. Location will be at Empire Ranch. Contact Dave for further info and to volunteer to help.
MEET THE POINTING BREEDS. We will present information here from time to time about some of the lesser known breeds that fall within this category. Here is the first one:
The Spinone Italiano. Classed as a Pointing Breed member of the AKC Sporting Dog Group.
General Appearance
Muscular dog with powerful bone. Vigorous and robust, his purpose as hardworking gun dog is evident. Naturally sociable, the docile and patient Spinone is resistant to fatigue and is an experienced hunter on any terrain. His hard textured coat is weather resistant. His wiry, dense coat and thick skin enable the Spinone to negotiate underbrush and endure cold water that would severely punish any dog not so naturally armored. He has a remarkable tendency for an extended and fast trotting gait. The Spinone is an excellent retriever by nature.
Be sure and contact your board members or event chair person to volunteer to help. We always need the extra hands!
I received this from my son in Tennessee recently and I thought it was well suited for the club newsletter. I don’t know the source of the article.
A Dog's Purpose - a 6-year-old’s perspective
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family I could do nothing for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.
As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day , I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.
The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, 'I know why.'Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.
He said, 'People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?' The six-year-old continued, 'Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.'
Southern Arizona GSP Field Trial, 31 Oct -2 Nov.
National Vizsla Field Trial, Sonoita, Empire Ranch, 5 Nov to ?
These are two great opportunities to see some great dogs. There will be many people from all over the country coming for the Vizsla Nationals and it would be a great time to meet and to observe some of these great dogs. I am taking entries for the SAGSP trial which will be in advance of the Vizsla trials. There are going to be some top notch dogs with multiple championships, both conformation and field trial to include some bearing National Championship titles. Don’t miss a chance to come out and participate.