Lost my dog of a lifetime yesterday. Kola took a novice dog handler to a utility prize on her first try. She was known for her hunting drive. She got a 4 in duck search. She earned the respect of all the local breeders.
In January of 2014. My brother bought a farm in Eatern Oregon. We dubbed it the farm that time forgot. It hadn't been farmed in 12 years. It had all the classic cover. On that farm she became the best pheasant dog I had ever seen. Hundreds of wild pheasants had been shot over her.
She was never a slow plodding Griff like others. She adjusted her range on what species she was hunting. On chukars she made casts of 300 to 400 yards. Normally she was out a more comfortable 100 to 200 yards. Always checking back with a soft mouth whistle. On the farm she was usually at a comfortable less than 100 yard range. She knew what she was hunting and adjusted accordingly.
She was a really good tracker. After being force fetched she became an exceptional tracker.
Yes, she was my once in a lifetime dog.
She was only 5 when she passed. Way too young. I suspect what killed her was a cheat grass awn we were not able to fully remove two years ago. She had a a infection on her side and when we had it operated on they were not able to find it. The infectious bump showed up two months later and we treated it with antibiotics. Nothing a year until the 4th of July.
