Victory in Defeat

For the last two weekends Sam and I have been in the field trying to complete the requirements for the Senior Hunter title conferred by the American Kennel Club. A dog needs four qualifying hunts, and Sam has two. We’ve both made mistakes, she and I, but we were confident now. 

All sports offer their participants moments of exquisite beauty. To me there are few sights more thrilling than a good dog working a field, then suddenly locking up into a rigid point that says to its handler, “Bird, right there!” The hunter may not see it, but the dog knows: “Bird, THERE!” The discipline of holding that point until the hunter flushes the bird and shoots followed by the dog’s obedient retrieve on command is perfection to warm the heart.

On Sunday Sam did it all. She was magnificent. She found and pointed three birds, held her point, honored another dog’s point, and made a good retrieve, all the requirements of the test. She and I were incandescent with joy. When the last bird flew and before the gunner fired, I saw in the corner of my eye the blur of a running red dog a nanosecond too early. Disqualification.

The judges gave her eights and nines in four categories. Her extraordinary intensity and enthusiasm—her most spectacular qualities—were also her downfall. But it was our best performance yet, and for that a victory. There’s always next week.