Monty
Another loss for our pack today, as Monty passed away at the ripe old age of 14 1/2. He was the longest lived dog that we've had, and he had a great life, in and out of the woods. He finally hung up the bell and beeper collar a few years ago and had enjoyed his retirement from the grouse woods since then. But before his "golden years", Monty was one of the best dogs I've had the pleasure of following through the woods, not to mention his personality outside of it.
My clients and I had many great days following "Elmont", watching him work his magic with the grouse and woodcock that will certainly not mourn his passing. He took to the grouse woods like a fish does to water, pointing them quickly and displaying an aptitude for delicately handling his birds. It only got better over the years, as he had many amazing days, so amazing that there were times that even I felt sorry for the birds, because Monty could lock 'em down.
Needless to say, he became a favorite of my clients, as Monty was usually the first dog out of the truck to get us started on the right track for that day. This strategy usually worked well for us, and Monty became a steady and spectacular performer on both grouse and woodcock. There were actually days where he was the only dog - putting in six hours or more, searching for birds, and we took a lot of them over his exceptional points.
Needless to say, he became a favorite of my clients, as Monty was usually the first dog out of the truck to get us started on the right track for that day. This strategy usually worked well for us, and Monty became a steady and spectacular performer on both grouse and woodcock. There were actually days where he was the only dog - putting in six hours or more, searching for birds, and we took a lot of them over his exceptional points.
In addition to pointing, Monty was also a master at retrieving, especially recovering cripples that sometimes we didn't think we'd get, or one time, on a bird that we didn't even know that my client had hit. Ten minutes later, after the shot, here comes Monty with the bird in his mouth - amazing. One exception was with woodcock - usually he would retrieve them, but only part way - the bird would be expelled out on to the ground about 10 - 15 feet from me. I guess woodcock really don't taste that good ...
Monty was also a great "lodge dog" and ambassador for our business, laying by the fire day after day, greeting many guests, and setting the tone inside the front room. He followed after Greta and Rudy in that respect, and his laid back personality was a great addition to our business. Unfortunately, he was not able to pass this trait on to to any of my other dogs - Bode, Rosie, Millie, Rocky and Bella are just not capable of "chilling out by the fire", apparently. Quite a few people that were greeted by Monty erroneously thought that German Shorthaired Pointers as a breed are normally as calm as he was. As anyone with experience of this breed knows, that is not the case!
For bird hunters, following a great dog over miles and miles of territory, trying to uncover what is hidden there, is something that cannot easily be conveyed. There is just something to roaming the countryside with a great dog that is very special and something that we always remember. Monty was a one-of-a-kind special dog, and we'll never forget him.
Monty was also a great "lodge dog" and ambassador for our business, laying by the fire day after day, greeting many guests, and setting the tone inside the front room. He followed after Greta and Rudy in that respect, and his laid back personality was a great addition to our business. Unfortunately, he was not able to pass this trait on to to any of my other dogs - Bode, Rosie, Millie, Rocky and Bella are just not capable of "chilling out by the fire", apparently. Quite a few people that were greeted by Monty erroneously thought that German Shorthaired Pointers as a breed are normally as calm as he was. As anyone with experience of this breed knows, that is not the case!
For bird hunters, following a great dog over miles and miles of territory, trying to uncover what is hidden there, is something that cannot easily be conveyed. There is just something to roaming the countryside with a great dog that is very special and something that we always remember. Monty was a one-of-a-kind special dog, and we'll never forget him.
