A good hunting dog is worth a little mischief

For those of you who follow this column, you are aware of my longtime fishing partner, David Pointer. Having retired at an early age after wise investments, David is unique in that he can pretty much do as he pleases, when he chooses to do so.

David called to ask if I could join him in his search for a new bird dog. I was sad to learn that Blackjack had passed away. Blackjack was a large lab of English descent and a constant companion.

I was with David when he had the pick of the litter and spent many hours in the field running patterns and breaking bad habits. Among those that needed to be broken was his habit of collecting shoes. No matter if at home, in camp or just visiting, Blackjack would ultimately end up with someone's shoe. It wouldn't have been too bad if he would bring home the pair, but odd collections and sizes seldom matched.

I recall a trip to the paint store when David was doing a bit of renovation to the fish camp. In those days, it was not uncommon to take your hunting dog into the store. Many of the merchants knew David and were willing to overlook some of his idiosyncrasies. David had chosen a few quarts and they were sitting on the shelf waiting to be mixed. Blackjack got a bit curious and moved closer to investigate. He had never seen a paint mixer and all the shaking got him excited. He barked, the salesman jumped, and things just kind of spiraled into pure pandemonium after that.

The salesman bumped into a corner display of brushes and rollers, which flew across the floor, causing a customer to knock over the wallpaper display. Another customer kneeling in the next aisle attempted to stand but lost his balance and fell on top of a display of rollers and pans. The manager came out of the back room and slipped on a roller, landing smack dab in the middle of the material table where old Mrs. Oliver was trying to decide between paisley and velour.

David called and Blackjack turned, only to knock over the paint waiting to be mixed. All this excitement got the young pup a bit confused and he began to run around the store barking and stepping in the spilled paint. As for me, since I didn't own the animal, was not purchasing anything and was merely a companion along for the ride, I watched.

Finally a sense of order was restored and apologies exchanged. Old Mrs. Oliver took her medicine and the cool glass of water seemed to bring her back to reality. She sat there petting Blackjack while he was sniffing her shoes and David was presented the bill from the manager. The total cost of the visit would have had me looking for a co-signer, but David took it all in stride. Mrs. Oliver chose paisley, David got his paint, and somehow Blackjack ended up with an old boot splattered with paint. David refrained from any further merchant visits until Blackjack matured a bit.

As I'm told, there was another incident in which his massive tail knocked over a few glass displays in a gift shop, but that's another story for another time. Until then, I'll give you a story told by the proprietor of Canines and Companions, where David chose another English lab that oddly enough looked a lot like Blackjack.

As it goes, an avid duck hunter was in the market for a new bird dog. He finally found a dog that the salesman claimed could walk on water to retrieve a duck. He purchased the animal thinking he could make a few dollars betting his fellow hunters. On the first field trial, he decided to break the news to a friend of his, a competitive hunter and eternal pessimist. His friend was the type of individual who refused to be impressed with anything.

The hunt went something like this...

Sitting at the shoreline, a flock of ducks came into range. The hunters fired, a duck fell into the water. The dog jumped into the water but did not swim. The animal simply walked across the water to retrieve the duck.

This continued all morning. Each time a duck landed in the water, the dog retrieved it in the same manner, never getting anything more than its paws wet. The hunter's friend watched intently but never said anything.

As they were leaving the hunting blind, the man asked his friend if he noticed anything peculiar about his new dog. "I sure did," responded the pessimist. "He can't swim."

BSFDC MEETING

The November meeting for the Beaufort Sportfishing and Diving Club will be Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club. The social begins at 6:30 p.m. and the meeting at 7.

Captain Judy, of Miss Judy Charters of Savannah, will present her inshore/offshore tricks of the trade. She is one of the most knowledgeable captains fishing South Carolina and Georgia waters. Several of her male and female captains will be present as well.

No reservations are required, and guests are encouraged to attend. For additional information, call Capt. Frank Gibson at 843-522-2020.

DOTTIE DUNBAR RESULTS

The 17th annual Dottie Dunbar All-Woman Fishing Tournament was held Oct. 10 at Palmetto Bay Marina, with 41 female anglers participating. The anglers caught 23 spottail bass and 13 spotted trout. Here are the top finishers, as supplied by Stacy E. Wimmer:

Bass: 1. Rhonda Lee 5.0 lbs, 2. Linda Fraser 4.9 lbs, 3. Dana Lucchesi 4.8 lbs

Trout: 1. Cindy Sullivan 3.6 lbs, 2. Holly Miles 2.0 lbs, 3. Catherine Waterhouse 1.4 lbs