Bird Dog Heaven

Ode to Aggie-
Tekoa's Pinekone Aggie - January 23, 2001 - October 8, 2004

Aggie suffered a snake bite during a field trial on October 2 near Sterling, KS. She died October 8 at 5am.

Aggie was part of a "package" deal with another dog of a "higher" pedigree. I immediately told a friend that Aggie would be a special dog. We had a connection before she ever arrived in Kansas. Aggie arrived in the Kansas City airport on September 10, 2001 at 11pm. Yes, the night before 9/11.

Aggie was shy with huge, dark, and soulful eyes. She would not point, honor, or retrieve. I had a very difficult time touching or even catching her. Wow my intuition had sold me on a dog that was worthless and one that I had no connection with. But she kept working and we entered the hunting season. She would mirror Shades everywhere he ran in the field. She learned how to honor before she ever pointed a bird. Then she learned it was great fun to run through the field and scare all the birds away before anyone else got in the field. What was I going to do with her!

I entered her in an AFTCA trial and she earned a 4th, she was a natural at running with big league style. However, she had still never really pointed a bird. We worked together on pointing pen raised quail. When she started pointing birds, Aggie had the most pathetic tail set in the history of all pointing dogs. I started hunting with her on a 40 ft check cord. Talk about comical, hunting through snowy CRP fields with a dog on a leash, it was a riot.

Finally, I landed on the idea of just letting her grow up. So I would hunt all the other dogs and then let her out at the end of the day. She would take off so of course I lost her on several occasions as the sun set. On one occasion I had given up finding her, it was well after dark. I threw my coat down where Aggie had been dropped off and over the next 2 hours drove all around the area telling the country residents to watch for a dog I would return in the morning. On my final pass by the area, I checked my coat and she was snuggled up in it. From that time on I used to remind Aggie about getting lost and she would talk to me, bow wow, bow wow wow wow, over and over.

By summer 2003, Aggie was pointing and backing with great style so we worked on the retrieving bit. While working with her on the trained retrieve, I encouraged her to jump up and give me a kiss on command(stay tuned), she loved it! It was clear in August of 2003 she was ready to enter the NSTRA field trial circuit. In her first trial weekend, she earned a 2nd and 3rd place. Aggie had arrived, she placed almost every weekend that she was entered in the fall of 2003. Many judges commented on Aggie's style. On more than one occasion, after honoring another dog Aggie would jump up and kiss the judge on the lips. Aggie earned 15 points toward her championship including two 2nd place finishes in the qualifying rounds of the national championship Purina Endurance Classic. She finished in the top 16 of all breeds and the highest finishing female setter in that same national championship venue in September 2004. Aggie whelped 11 pups.

On the eve of Aggie's death, I sat with her for a few hours and she would wag her tail more than she had the entire week of her battle with the snake bite. What unbelievable courage and attitude! Everybody loved Aggie. Aggie was the only dog allowed to touch Shades, she would wait for him to exit his pen and bite him on the neck with no consequences.

We drove each other crazy and we were crazy about each other. Once in awhile you run into a dog that changes the way you think and train, Aggie was that kind of dog. I suspect Aggie is eagerly awaiting her hunting buddies, Shades and Angel, in a field full of wild birds.

This evening on the way to the training grounds I cried for the loss of my friend. I trained in several hundred acres of pasture grass. In the distance out of the corner of my eye far ahead of my other dogs I thought I saw a glimpse of a beautiful setter running with a high head and a high cracking tail. Maybe it was Aggie........................ all I could do was smile. She made it home.

DESCRIPTION OF AGGIE
Aggie was a white/orange female with an engaging personality. She was heavily ticked throughout the body. Aggie hunted with a high cracking tail, trial style. She backed naturally with a 12 o'clock tail. She retrieved on land and water. Aggie handled like a pro. She tracked wild pheasants to their demise. Aggie found coveys of quail and picked off the singles too. In her first AFTCA trial she placed 4th. She earned six 2nd placements and three 3rd placements in NSTRA trialing. She finished in the top 16(128 dogs entered) dogs of all breeds and the highest finishing female setter of the 2004 Purina Endurance Classic Trial. Aggie whelped 11 pups. Her pups have high tails. She is a granddaughter of Hall of Famer/Champion Tekoa Mountain Sunrise with 8 crosses to Grouse Ridge dogs on a 5 generation pedigree. Aggie's COI is .04883% with I'm Dan and Watson's Dixie Sugar each contributing 9.375%. Aggie is registered with American Field's Field Dog Stud Book. Click here for pictures and pedigree of Aggie.

Jim Gourley, State Authorized Commercial Dog Trainer
Setter Dogs
Beverly, KS
785-249-4316
jim@setterdogs.com
www.setterdogs.com