Rest easy my friend, a tribute to Wyatt

F

Flushedup

Active member
This might help me deal with what happened and it might not. Theres only one way to find out. I might not even hit submit on this but lets see. The past 2 days have been incredibly tough and I need to just put something down.

Through this site, I became the proud owner of my first dog. After 3 years of hunting I decided that I wanted to improve my success by getting one of those 4 legged bird finding machines. I was already on here, and by chance saw an ad / post by @FCSpringer for a started dog that was returned to him. Seems the guy wanted Wyatt for a show dog, and he had a rib cage birth defect from getting pushed around in the womb from the other pups. I replied and drove the hour to "go see the dog" with the wife. (she didnt know but I had already figured he was coming home with us) And well now I had my hunting dog. Or so I thought -

As much as people talk about hunting birds the reality is, that dog is part of your family FIRST. My daughter had just turned 3 when we introduced those two. Let me tell you I dont know if I have seen more love between a kid and a dog than them together. My son is now 13 and got to hunt with a gun with Wyatt and even though Wyatt got him chances he didnt connect. Nevertheless, as a faithful pup Wyatt kept trying for him. The times at the lake, fetching frisbees.... so many memories in 7 1/2 years. My wife loved the extra eyes and ears around the house, and the cuddling on the couch.

His hunting genes were apparent and as it turned out I didnt know how to even hunt with a dog. We spent the first couple years getting to know each others' cues. I have many memories and shot many birds with Wyatt, but those pale in comparison to just hanging out with him where ever we were.

I wont go into the details, but he had a vet appt for a yearly checkup in March, and nothing was detected. 10 days ago, he started to stiffen up and was very ginger to the touch. After 3 days of that, I took him to the vet and they figured it was Anaplasmosis, and sent him home with meds. After 2 days of that he was walking ok, but breathing was tough. 2 days ago, it was so hard I took him to the ER vet and they gave him an ultrasound. His lungs were full of fluid and he had lumps in his chest. We said goodbye to Wyatt in a parking lot at 10 o clock at night under the streetlights. He left us as quickly as he came.

A gentle, kind dog in all respects. Fun, always staying home. A social people dog. He was exactly what I wanted, even though I didnt know it at the time.

I miss you buddy, love you Wyatt.

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It is never easy when we have to say good bye to a dog. That is the downside to the incredible bound we form with them. Remember the good times and all the memories you have shared. When the time is right start looking for the next one to start making memories with.
 
Hey Wyatt ! Look around for Mick, he's a liver and white ESS with an undocked tail and endless tolerance for the lesser-endowed biped he associated with on this mortal coil. He may be able to show you around, he left me a year ago and there's not a day I don't say "howdy and thanks for the friendship."
 
I'm sorry for your family's loss! I've lost a few over the years, they were all special! When the pain settles down and you reflect on your journey with him -you'll be so glad he was there with your family! You learn more from your first bird dog than you probably taught him! I know I did.
What sux about bird dogs is-their time with us is always too short! It's just a part of life. When the time is right-get you another hunting buddy.
 
I shed tears the 3 times I've lost mine, especially the 1st. It's like pulling a big piece of bark off of you. I don't waste anytime on getting a pup though, best remedy for the pain.
 
Thanks only curse of owning dogs , is they don’t outlive us.... you will never forget your dog! But it will hurt less in some time down the road . Sorry
 
This may be an understatement, but my heart truly goes out to you and your family during this painful time. Hold on to those amazing times and memories that you have.
 
Heartfelt condolences to you and your family. The good thing is that there is another dog waiting for a loving family to be part of.
 
I'm so sorry to hear about Wyatt, FlushedUP. There is no question that it is the hardest thing about bonding with our dogs, their lives seem to just fly by in an instant. But it is the price we pay for the love and companionship we receive from them in return. You will never "replace" him but your next dog will start another chapter in that love and companionship. Start looking when you feel the time is right.

Tom
R.I.P. Drake, Morgan, Taylor, Cody, Logan
 
We are thinking now of a setter,
whose coat was flame in the sunshine and who,
so far as we are aware,
never entertained a mean or unworthy thought.
This setter is buried beneath a cherry tree,
under four feet of garden loam,
and at its proper season the cherry tree
strews petals on the green lawn of his grave.
Beneath a cherry tree, or an apple,
or any flowering shrub of the garden,
is an excellent place to bury a dog.
Beneath such trees, such shrubs,
he slept in the drowsy summer,
or gnawed at a flavored bone,
or lifted his head to challenge
some strange intruder.
These are good places, in life or in death.
Yet it is a small matter,
and it touches sentiment
more than anything else.
For if the dog be well remembered,
if sometimes he leaps through
your dreams actual as in life,
eyes kindling, questing,
asking, laughing, begging,
it matters not at all where that
dog sleeps and at last.
On a hill where the wind is unrebuked,
and the trees are roaring,
or beside a stream he knew in puppyhood,
or somewhere in the flatness of a pasture land,
where most exhilarating cattle graze.
It is all one to the dog, and all one to you,
and nothing is gained, and nothing is lost -
if memory lives.
But there is one best place to bury a dog.
One place that is best of all.

"There is one best place
to bury a dog

" If you bury him in this spot, he will
come to you when you call -
come to you over the grim, dim frontier
of death, and down the well-remembered
path, and to your side again.

" And though you call a dozen living
dogs to heel, they shall not growl at
him, nor resent his coming,
for he belongs there.


" People may scoff at you, who see
no lightest blade of grass bent by his
footfall, who hear no whimper, people
who may never really have had a dog.
Smile at them, for you shall know
something that is hidden from them,
and which is well worth the knowing.

" The one best place to bury a good
dog is in the heart of his master."

By Ben Hur Lampman
from the Portland Oregonian Sept. 11, 1925

"Someone said that the only place you can bury a dog is in your heart. That way you can call the dog in for a little chat now and then, teasing it about being a clumsy puppy and looking down at your old hunting boots, remembering who it was who put the teeth marks there. You can hunt a day or so again, together, when you need a certain kind of memory-another day you like better than the one you are living in now." Gene Hill

Grief is the reminder that love was present,
And that even if it is no longer in its original form,
That love still exists.

Michelle Maros

I'm sorry for your loss... I know how hard it is.
 
Flushedup said:
This might help me deal with what happened and it might not. Theres only one way to find out. I might not even hit submit on this but lets see. The past 2 days have been incredibly tough and I need to just put something down.

Through this site, I became the proud owner of my first dog. After 3 years of hunting I decided that I wanted to improve my success by getting one of those 4 legged bird finding machines. I was already on here, and by chance saw an ad / post by @FCSpringer for a started dog that was returned to him. Seems the guy wanted Wyatt for a show dog, and he had a rib cage birth defect from getting pushed around in the womb from the other pups. I replied and drove the hour to "go see the dog" with the wife. (she didnt know but I had already figured he was coming home with us) And well now I had my hunting dog. Or so I thought -

As much as people talk about hunting birds the reality is, that dog is part of your family FIRST. My daughter had just turned 3 when we introduced those two. Let me tell you I dont know if I have seen more love between a kid and a dog than them together. My son is now 13 and got to hunt with a gun with Wyatt and even though Wyatt got him chances he didnt connect. Nevertheless, as a faithful pup Wyatt kept trying for him. The times at the lake, fetching frisbees.... so many memories in 7 1/2 years. My wife loved the extra eyes and ears around the house, and the cuddling on the couch.

His hunting genes were apparent and as it turned out I didnt know how to even hunt with a dog. We spent the first couple years getting to know each others' cues. I have many memories and shot many birds with Wyatt, but those pale in comparison to just hanging out with him where ever we were.

I wont go into the details, but he had a vet appt for a yearly checkup in March, and nothing was detected. 10 days ago, he started to stiffen up and was very ginger to the touch. After 3 days of that, I took him to the vet and they figured it was Anaplasmosis, and sent him home with meds. After 2 days of that he was walking ok, but breathing was tough. 2 days ago, it was so hard I took him to the ER vet and they gave him an ultrasound. His lungs were full of fluid and he had lumps in his chest. We said goodbye to Wyatt in a parking lot at 10 o clock at night under the streetlights. He left us as quickly as he came.

A gentle, kind dog in all respects. Fun, always staying home. A social people dog. He was exactly what I wanted, even though I didnt know it at the time.

I miss you buddy, love you Wyatt.

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:-('''''' Always difficult to lose a hunting dog. I've lost 4 in 25 years. Gets harder with each dog. Mine are cremated. They will be scattered with my cremains when the time comes.
 
Thank you all for your kind wishes and responses. The wound is still very fresh, but we are working through this. We got his cremains back yesterday so he is home. That is somehow comforting, and the little bush/landscaping I put in helps a little. Just one more pic of the 2 stooges

20200106_063058.jpg
 
What I wrote when my Shenandoah a Lab died.
My Dog's Bettern Yer Dog
My dog's bettern yer dog, and I aim to prove it.
He's so smart, he uses a chair to sit.

My dog's bettern yer dog and when I'm done you'll agree.
He's so refined, he uses a throne to pee.

My dog's bettern yer dog, and after this they'll be no doubt.
He doesn't drink water, it's only Guinness Stout.

My dog's bettern yer dog, but I'm willing to call it a tie.
You see my dog Shen, had to go and die.
SRB ©1999
 
Flushedup said:
This might help me deal with what happened and it might not. Theres only one way to find out. I might not even hit submit on this but lets see. The past 2 days have been incredibly tough and I need to just put something down.

Through this site, I became the proud owner of my first dog. After 3 years of hunting I decided that I wanted to improve my success by getting one of those 4 legged bird finding machines. I was already on here, and by chance saw an ad / post by @FCSpringer for a started dog that was returned to him. Seems the guy wanted Wyatt for a show dog, and he had a rib cage birth defect from getting pushed around in the womb from the other pups. I replied and drove the hour to "go see the dog" with the wife. (she didnt know but I had already figured he was coming home with us) And well now I had my hunting dog. Or so I thought -

As much as people talk about hunting birds the reality is, that dog is part of your family FIRST. My daughter had just turned 3 when we introduced those two. Let me tell you I dont know if I have seen more love between a kid and a dog than them together. My son is now 13 and got to hunt with a gun with Wyatt and even though Wyatt got him chances he didnt connect. Nevertheless, as a faithful pup Wyatt kept trying for him. The times at the lake, fetching frisbees.... so many memories in 7 1/2 years. My wife loved the extra eyes and ears around the house, and the cuddling on the couch.

His hunting genes were apparent and as it turned out I didnt know how to even hunt with a dog. We spent the first couple years getting to know each others' cues. I have many memories and shot many birds with Wyatt, but those pale in comparison to just hanging out with him where ever we were.

I wont go into the details, but he had a vet appt for a yearly checkup in March, and nothing was detected. 10 days ago, he started to stiffen up and was very ginger to the touch. After 3 days of that, I took him to the vet and they figured it was Anaplasmosis, and sent him home with meds. After 2 days of that he was walking ok, but breathing was tough. 2 days ago, it was so hard I took him to the ER vet and they gave him an ultrasound. His lungs were full of fluid and he had lumps in his chest. We said goodbye to Wyatt in a parking lot at 10 o clock at night under the streetlights. He left us as quickly as he came.

A gentle, kind dog in all respects. Fun, always staying home. A social people dog. He was exactly what I wanted, even though I didnt know it at the time.

I miss you buddy, love you Wyatt.

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Great tribute to Wyatt.
 
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