An article from WWA’s Doctor’s Orders
By Dr. K.C. Brooks, an avid waterfowler, dog lover and practicing veterinarian at Lodi Veterinary Care.
This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s May 2020 eNewsletter.
If you have followed my recent articles, you may remember that my “first” dog was “Laddie”. In reality he wasn’t all mine but instead “owned” by five children and two adults. He was very special and provided some wonderful hunting memories. My real first dog was “Big River Brodie”.
The back story is that I had just finished my undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. During our undergraduate studies, my brother and I discovered a prime waterfowling site within a 45 minute drive from campus. We took every chance we could to be there to partake in the evening flight. It was a wonderful contrast to campus life and it helped ease some of the home sickness I experienced in leaving the family farm 180 miles away. Unfortunately we did not have a dog. For four and one half years of college education I suffered through “dogless nights and hunts”. While most of the time college life kept me occupied, the duck hunting expeditions always reminded me that something very important was missing. When I decided in December of 1980 that I would be taking a position on campus after my graduation, I set out in earnest to acquire a puppy for the purpose of being my hunting companion.
Puppies! Photo courtesy Bruce Ross
Fortunately for me, my search was made remarkably easy as my new boss happened to be an avid hunter and field trial enthusiast who owned two Labrador retrievers. For some time I had “bent his ear” about finding a puppy with good bloodlines. My relationship with him, and his close proximity to my residence, allowed me to follow my advice on selecting a puppy “to a T” (see my previous article on selecting a puppy). I was fortunate to see both dam and sire in multiple training sessions as well as their behavior in the home/family setting. I knew both parents were medically sound with OFA clearance for hip conformation as well as being certified free of inherited eye disease. Once the litter was born, I was able to see the puppies several times a week until they started leaving for their new homes. As opposed to having the “pick of the litter” I had the pick of the remaining two female puppies. I chose the “average” puppy compared to the large, outgoing female. I paid $500 for her at a time when that was a large sum to pay for a puppy. I worked $100 off the price by doing odd jobs for the litter’s owners. I had my fiancée, Cindy, write the remaining $400 out of her checkbook for fear that my parents would learn how much money I paid for a puppy! I named her Brodie and registered her as Big River Brodie following the Big River bloodlines of her mother and father.
Brodie became the instant second love of my life from the day I brought her home. She was with me constantly for the next three and a half years as I finished my course work in preparation for Veterinary School. She was the stabilizing outlet as Cindy and I prepared for our upcoming marriage that was three months away. Through her I was introduced to a veterinary clinic. This turned into a part time job and then the development of a friendship with the veterinarian who would become my mentor. She fueled my passion to choose veterinary medicine as my career. Then there was her role as my hunting partner. I was blessed to have a job that gave me a great deal of flexibility in finding time to pursue my hunting passion and Brodie became my favorite hunting buddy. We spent endless hours in the wetlands, mentioned previously, hunting waterfowl. We purchased a jon boat and expanded our hunting territory to the Mississippi River. We ventured to Clark County to chase grouse and woodcock. When the hunting season ended, we took up training for field trial events. We entered several trials over the next three years where we had remarkable success despite my lack of experience. She was everything that I didn’t know a dog could be. She was probably the most “talented” dog that I have had. She marked exceptionally well and had unbelievable drive. If she marked a bird, she never quit. She was a strong swimmer and her water entries were spectacular. She learned to track very well and had an above average nose in the upland fields. While her passion for hunting was exceptional, the bond she formed with Cindy and me is what made the most dramatic impact on us. She guided Cindy and me through the first fourteen years of our marriage. She became the perfect outlet for us when the stress of being a new teacher, veterinary student, and later veterinarian, made life uncomfortable. She inspired several of my hunting companions to see the value of having a dog, and they became avid dog lovers for life. She inspired me to step outside my comfort zone and take hunting trips to Saskatchewan, Ontario, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Iowa. Her hunting “highlight reel” is long. She caught my limit of roosters on my first day of pheasant hunting in South Dakota. She broke ice to retrieve ducks on our first trip to Saskatchewan. In short, she gave me a very personal lesson on the strength of the human-animal bond well before that was in vogue.
Many years after she was euthanized due to advanced congestive heart failure at almost fifteen years of age, I was asked to speak to a group concerning the power of the human-animal bond. I used Brodie as my personal case study for the power of that bond. I concluded that presentation with these words: “She taught me so much. She taught me about the importance of genetics in selecting a puppy. She taught me about the value of early training and discipline. She taught me how to appreciate the work of a dog in the field. She taught me how a dog can comfort people when they are in a time of need. And when it came time to end her suffering, she taught me how to deal with death. She taught me so much and… she was just a dog.” Enjoy your dog!