Hello and welcome back!  I bet you-all figured I gave up on this blogging stuff.  Well.... I almost did. You see, Rufus and I have been busy trying to learn the art of quail hunting.  Since I don't have the resources to send Rufus to a trainer, I had to try and figure it out myself.  Rufus is 11 months old now and his maturity level has been slow growing.  Upon many attempts to teach him some manners and how to use his nose, he seemed more interested in wrestling with his "older adopted brother" Bear.  October is the beginning of quail season, and I, like many of my friends figured we had this year whipped.... we had a dog!  Well, not so fast.  I took Rufus on our annual 3 day campout during opening weekend.  I thought what a better place to teach him how to hunt then on a real hunt.  He learned to hunt alright.... he chased every rabbit he saw ! Ok, so this weekend was really a lesson in what NOT to hunt and me getting used to the fact of him running loose and coming home again.

I spent the next two months, every chance I had, taking Rufus out and trying to get him into wild birds so maybe....just maybe, his instincts would fire-up ( I even bought 3 bob white quail for practice at home.... which two of them died).  Trip after trip to the field, Rufus learned that the little birds fluttering between the bushes were a lot more fun to chase than rabbits.  After-all, he is a "bird-dog", right?  In addition to our outings, we worked on his manners on-leash around the neighborhood.  He took right to this routine and now, thanks to me, I have to walk this sucker every morning and every evening or he turns into a real pain in the ??  I have successfully transformed Rufus into a first class "Yuppie-Dog !  ( too much time in the subdivision I guess... as Phil Roberts would say).

New Years Day, I figured, what a better way to start the year than a little huntin trip.  Rufus was all excited when I suited him up with his huntin collar and loaded the shotgun.  We went out west of town to a little spot where I have run into quail in the past and figured he would at least get some excercise if we cxan't find anything.  After about 15 - 20 minutes of hiking through the bushes, I spotted a covey on the run.  I cast Rufus off in that direction and figured I would have to run to catch em before they dissapeared.  Rufus ran past me and ended-up right in the middle of em.  Quail began to fly in all directions and Rufus took off after-em.  After he figured he couldnt catch em, he came back around to where I was.  I started to slowly push throught the area and WHAM ! Rufus went on point like he had been doing this for years!  I didn't know if he really found birds until he could not control himself and bolted into the bush.  Lo and behold.... out came two wild birds from the otherside with my "bird-dog" hot on their tail....feathers.  Rufus came back around and again.. WHAM ! right on point... stiff as a board, this time, he didn't move.  I closed in on the bush and before I could get too close, out came a quail like a rocket.  I took three shots at this bird and missed it.... I was so excited that it really didn't matter.

We continued to hunt for another hour, only now,... we... were... hunting! We did get one bird before we had to leave, and I don't think I will ever forget the beginning of 2013, New Years Day, when the Lord God Almighty, taught my dog.... how to hunt !

Happy Happy Happy New Year to me!
- sg

SWIMMING

Well..... I'm a little behind on Rufus updates so this might take a while.  To start with, last Thursday Rufus thought he wanted to eat some weed.  That didn't go so well.  That weed made him sick!  He threw-up all day Thursday.  I called his Vet and received some advice.  By Thursday evening, the toxins had run its course and Rufus was back to normal (so I thought). Sunday, I needed to clean the carpets, so my wife took the dogs to the in-laws to hang out by the pool so the carpets could dry.  I got there about 4:30 pm and lo-and-behold..... looks like I had a water dog! Couldn't keep him out of the pool, he loves it, things are lookin up.  Well, my excitement was short lived.  Rufus woke up Monday with an allergic reaction to something.  Haven't got a clue what caused it.  His big old nose was swelled-up and he had hives all over his body.  I took him into the vet right away and they gave him a couple shots to stop the reaction.  All's well that ends well.....right ? Not so fast, Tuesday he woke me up at about 1:00am, I let him out to pee, he did his business, went right to the water then back out for more business. Ok, didn't think much about it.  Well, about 4:45am, we did it again.... kind of out of the ordinary for him. Tuesday afternoon, when I got home, same situation, then it dawned on me.... he has a bladder infection !  I called the Doc and they gave him a prescription, whew ! that was a close one, all's well that ends well.... right ? Not so fast, Wednesday, 8:00am, Rufus starts throwing-up.  Well, naturally I assume the antibiotic is making him sick, so we keep an eye on him all day. Every time he eats a little something, within 1 1/2 to 2 hrs, out it comes.  At lunch, I fixed a little white rice to see if that would help settle his stomach. Nope ! he threw that up also.  I called the Vet and they wanted to see him.  We took him in at 4:15pm.  Doc looks him over, we discussed the entire week leading up to today and tried to conclude a diagnosis.  I was concerned there may be a blockage of some sort in his stomach, because he has an appetite and wants to eat, but just can't keep it down.  So we decided to do an xray and look for any foreign objects.  Well, one xray turned into two xrays ($$$$) ...... no foreign objects.  It appears he is "plugged-up", so the Vet Tech takes him out back and gives him an enema.  Doc said to keep him on a wet food mixed with water and olive oil diet for a couple days to get things loosened up.  He sent us home with another enema for tomorrow and to let him know if he continues to vomit.  Wednesday, Rufus seems to be a little better, he hasn't vomitted all day and he's starting to perk up a little.  Thursday, I think we are on the right track.... finally.  It's been a long week, I need a drink! - sg

Swimming

I was told that French Pointers like water and will have no trouble with water retrieves.  Well, Rufus wasn't sure about that.  A visit to the in-laws required Rufus to get wet. I slowly got him into the pool and let him swim to the steps.  He was not happy!  He would look at the water, but he really didn't want to get in it.  I figured it would take a little time, let him decide he wanted to swim.  Saturday, Fathers Day weekend, we have a small plastic pool at the house, so I filled it up, after-all it was only 100 degrees plus. He sniffed around a bit, got in and walked around a little...... then all hell broke loose !  He went crazy, Rufus and Bear (the resident Jack Russell) lost any sense they may have had.  In the pool, out of the pool, around the yard Rufus would run through the pool, do a somersault roll in the water, pop out the side and keep on running !  I guess all he needed was a "kiddie" pool !  Happy Fathers Day to me. - sg

Things were pretty quiet today, so I decided to bring Rufus back to work with me after lunch.  He seems to like it. - sg

4 Months

Rufus is 4 months and 1 week.  He went back to the Vet for his last set of shots, he is finally free to roam!  The other day while I was takin a break from some yard work, I wondered how he would react to a quail wing tied to a fishing pole.  So, I tied one up and gave it a try.  My son Austen video'd the action.  Now, remember, Rufus is only 4 months old with no "bird" or "pointing" training. Pretty impressive! - sg

Rufus is 13 weeks.  He was a stinky little fellow so we gave him a bath on Saturday.  He wasn't really sure if he liked it or not, but after a bit, he seemed to enjoy it.  Some of the photo's are a little fuzzy ( I think the photographer was a little distracted).  I think his natural instincts are finally starting to develope.  Sunday morning we were hangin out while everyone else was still sleeping, he spotted something in the other room and froze like statue.  As we went to investigate what had peeked his interest, he slowly made his way into the other room, using his nose and looking like a real hunter, he stopped suddenly, his body all tensed up and lean, his tail stiff as a board and nose pointed straight at something I never saw.  He just stood there in perfect form...... I just about started to cry!  I never did figure out what he was so intensly focused on, but after that display, I really didn't care...... Things are lookin-up! - sg

12 Weeks!

Well, Rufus is 12 weeks old.  He went to the Vet yesterday for his 3rd round of shots and weighed in at 16.8 lbs. (I was supposed to take a picture, but I didn't).  He is doing very well, the Vet said he looks real good. We have been working on his retrieving training.  I use 2 small stuffed animals in the hallway with all the doors shut and alternate tossing each one to the other end.  When he brings it back, I toss the other one.  He is doing real good.  He does not like the leash too much though, he still fights it a little so we've been takin it slow.  Doc says not to take him out untill after the next round of shots in 4 weeks, plenty of time for leash training.  He is a smart little rascal....he has me pegged- sg