Circle of life, fair well my little friend.

Thar

Well-Known Member
I had to let a little friend go today, Maryland Zag or just Zag to us that knew her.

I didn’t buy her, I earned her, she came to me as a 10 week old liver and white English springer spaniel pup, she had a little sister called Zig they were named after two kids TV program characters of the time. When Zag arrived she was with another EES pup of the same age called Jill, my remit was to bring them both on until they were 6 months old and Steve the owner was going to pick the best one of the two for Field trailing, and I got to keep the other pup as payment.

While both dogs had there good points Jill did have that bit more flare that you would look for in a trailing dog, I gave Steve my honest opinion and after watching them both he agreed, Jill was the better FT dog.

So I got to keep Zag, I was happy as I knew she would make a better shooting dog that Jill. Her training when well she would quarter in tight patterns and would never pull too far in front, she always wanted to please and the only correction she needed was a hash word from me. If anybody came round the house and she was in her kennel you would have thought I had a rabid rottweiler in there but once out she was so soft she would lay at your feet. She had this habit of grinning at you, which could look like she was showing her teeth but she wasn’t, she was such a soft dog.

She was a bit gun nervous at first but once she realised that there was the likelihood of a retrieve on the report of the shotgun she was over this. She became my main beating and shotgunning dog. I had other Springers at that time including one out of the twice British Champion, but Zag was the better dog despite her pedigree not being as good. My other main ESS was a better dog if you used the trailing standard as a judge of your dogs. But Zag was a much more relaxing dog to shoot over you could trust her and she was 100% steady. I remember shooting driven pheasants with her one day standing on my peg we had pheasant rain down around me some landing only 1ft away from her yet she never moved until told to. I was complemented on my dog many times.

When I breed from her she turned out to be a first rate mother looking after her pups fantastically. When I got my GWP pup she mothered that from the start and I had to put them into separate kennels as the pup was looking to Zag for emotional support when I start training her. My ESS dog got a wound on it’s shoulder while I left him with my father for a week, I picked him up on the Saturday and had a look,it was infected and I thought looks like a vet trip first thing Monday morning, but come Monday morning it looked a lot better and I couldn’t figure out why. Then the following day I saw Zag licking the wound for him. She idolised her kennel mate Chadd the ESS dog. The GWP used to bully her latter on when she was older and she put up with a lot but would growl when the GWP pushed things too far.

I did try her as a deer dog, but that was not for her, she did not like the crack of the rifle and cost me a big doe first time out with her but forgiving her was no problem, the other Springer took to tracking deer like a duck to water.

For the last couple of years she had become a house dog, my young nephews and nieces loved to pet her and walk her, she would follow the wife around getting under her feet and come nosing up to her for fuss. She loved to go out in the car and would jump in, in a flash even if you weren’t taking her out. She would pick up my work gloves in the garden and take them to her favourite place under a bush, then chew them up, I guess she liked my scent on them.

Earlier this year she got tumours in her mammary glands and we had her operated on and she seemed fine for a 13 year old dog. I went on holiday to New Zealand for 2 weeks and when I came back I thought she had aged, but as the weeks pasted I knew some thing was wrong, I watched the new litter of GWP pups get bigger and stronger and her get weaker. 3 weeks were spent going back and to the vets as he tried to find out what the cause was but it was in vain. I went to the Midland Game Fair on Friday I returned Monday and the wife said she had not eaten since the Friday and had not moved off her bed for two days, she would not drink, barely able to lift her head, when lifted she would yelp in pain which was not like her.

Having her put to sleep was one of the hardest things I have had to do; I have buried humans and it hurt less in truth.

I look at the 8 weeks old GWP pups and think did she leave this world to make way for them, it would be the selfless type of thing she would do.

The circle of life continues.

She now lays under the apple tree in the garden.

Fair well and rest in peace my little friend.

Tahr.
 
Sad Kevin but sounds like you had a good-en and she will be the topic of many a future conversation . Making way for another dog is the way to go but i personally would let the dust well and truly settle like woman you don't want to get one on the rebound. ;)
 
Thar

It is never easy loosing a good faithfull friend, but the memories live on and life as we all know is a circle and it seems you will be occupied to the full with the new pups. On behalf of the Admin team, we are sorry to hear of your sad news and send you are best wishes.

Sikamalc, JAYB and Mark.
 
Tahr,
sorry to hear of your springer.
Some dogs are just special. I presume she had a good time and that's all one can do.
edi
 
Sorry to hear that, it's a strange thing we do to ourselves and I always swear never again, but I always do.

I'm just back from the vets with one of my dogs. Buster is a 12 year old sprollie, X between a springer and a collie, no one told Buster that he and his brother were not full springer's and the result was two unlikely gun dogs. He has not eaten for two days, now one day with him is not unusual, he is a world class scavenger and will eat anything, when he was younger he had an operation to remove pebbles from his stomach. So the normal thing is he is too full of rubbish to eat for a day, then produces air polluting smells for a few hours and normal service is resumed.

Today is day two and he looked to be worsening, this is not normal so off to the vets. Following an examination, taking blood, administering antibiotics and anti inflammatory pain killers, the vet is none the wiser. We have to return at 9.00am for the results of the blood tests, but the old boy does look bad.


His litter brother is still jumping around like a puppy, I keep telling him he is an old man but he won't listen.

John
 
Sorry to hear about the dog, as you know my own dog is about to go, but at least they both enjoyed their lives.

Bob
 
Thank you chaps for your kind words of sympathy, I found a old photo of Zag(liver and white) and her kennel mate Chadd.

ZagChaddandSikastag1.jpg


John I do hope things work out OK for you.

Cherish the moment chaps, none of them or us lasts for ever.

Best rgds

Tahr
 
THAR
you hav my best wishes, losing a friend such as that i know all about and been there lately myself.
run free zag, run free
stone
 
Thar
It has taken the best part of 2 years to replace my old springer Megan,sadly gone , but I have found a new puppy with all the mischief and interest that a good dog should have. I am sorry the for your loss of your well loved companion . Trapper
 
I am so sorry I had a look at the thread after reading your message, we lost our beloved spaniel Sam some years ago and although I still have two of his pups they just haven't got that little spark that made him so special.
We were lucky in a way although he was very ill we didn't have the awful choice to make as he passed away peacefully on his favourite sheepskin rug by the fire.
I still miss him to this day and swore I would never buy another dog again, the house felt so empty although as I said we had the pups they just didn't fill the place in the same way he did.
Eventually we ended up with a scraggy little terrier we got by default, my mate got him for his ex girlfriend who he took one look, decided he didn't like the woman and promtly bit her, then wandered round to ours and plonked himself down by the fire and we have been stuck with him ever since!!
He is no Sam dog but he is a character in his own right, and the house seems full again, time is a great healer life moves on in it's litttle circles as you say and it will get better and another little friend will fill the empty space you then remember the good times you had together with a whistful smile rather than a tear in the eye although I admit there is one in mine now as I think of my old pal.

Again so sorry Thar hope to see you saturday all being well
 
Well, poor old Buster did not make it. After an Xray followed by an operation that started as exploratory, then removed what turned out to be a Teddy Bear's ear from his gut, he never made it through the night. Seems that he was doing OK but the poison from his festering gut where the blockage was did for him in the end. So it was his desire to eat anything and everything tht finally got him.

DSCF06692.jpg


I am assured that he would have just passed away in his sleep, peacfully. I'll bury him now where he can watch the geese migrating, that always fascinated him.

John
 
Thar, that`s a very moving tribute to Zag, almost shed a tear myself.
I`m sorry for your loss and my condolences go to you and your family.
RIP Zag.
basil.
 
John

I am so sorry that you too find your self in the same position as myself, I was thing off you and had hoped the out come might be better. I did the Shoot and March today, it has took my mind of things after moping around for 3 days. You have my sympathy.

Thanks Basil.

Best rgds

Tahr
 
Jaybe. Sorry to hear the sad news about Buster.
When the geese migrate, you will know Busters spirit will be close by.
basil.
 
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