Odyssey's Blue Duck

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Neil
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Odyssey's Blue Duck

Post by Neil » Wed Jun 19, 2013 3:20 pm

Blue Duck, a Boykin Spaniel, joined the family as a 6 week old pup in 1998 and left us this week. In the last 50 years having trained over 100 dogs, with a number of field trial winners, he remains the best pure hunting dog I have ever watched.

He was as tough as a pine knott, and he gave me his all. He was named after the villain in "Lonesome Dove" and he lived up to it. He whipped badgers, coons, skunks, armadillos, cats; killing them all. He ripped half the ear off my FC Azul, who out weighed him by 15 pounds, and was pretty tough in his own right.

If a wily cock bird tried to avoid him my doubling back, he took it personally, and went in with teeth barred, growling.

He flushed and retrieved to hand 1,000's of birds; pheasants, Huns, sharptail, grouse, quail, snipe, dove, woodcock, ducks, geese, and a few rabbits and squirrels just for fun.

We fought from the beginning, I won enough that he became a finished gun dog, handled marks and blinds. Steady to wing, shot and fall. would honor pointing dogs and other retrievers. But thought it all nonsense. He thought he knew his job better than I did, he lived to get birds in his mouth.

I miss him.

He sired over 50 litters, so he lives on.

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ezzy333
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Re: Odyssey's Blue Duck

Post by ezzy333 » Wed Jun 19, 2013 4:55 pm

Sounds like my kind of dog. He is what the song says "he is what memories are made of." Never forget!

Ezzy
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=144
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It's not how many breaths you have taken but how many times it has been taken away!

Has anyone noticed common sense isn't very common anymore.

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SHORTFAT
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Re: Odyssey's Blue Duck

Post by SHORTFAT » Thu Jun 20, 2013 4:56 pm

Sorry for your loss Neil. Sounds like a once in a lifetime dog. Most of us will never own a dog like that, I'm sure. Cherish the memories and tell the stories.
Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.
- Mark Twain.
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
-Abraham Lincoln

Neil
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Re: Odyssey's Blue Duck

Post by Neil » Thu Jun 20, 2013 9:14 pm

Thanks Guys, I am known for my field trial pointing dogs. But when it came to putting birds in the bag Blue Duck was the first out of the box. I once took him back where I knew we had dropped birds 3 hours before, he promptly retrieve two birds to hand, one over a hundered yards away, had no idea we had shot it.

He once retrieved 6 Huns, when we thought we only dropped three.

He was a special dog, with many flaws. Many asked why I put up with his rebelloues antics, but they did understand greatness comes with imperfection.

And he was imperfect. As I said it was a constant battle over who was in charge. I won my share, but in retrospect he may have been right.

It was at least 6 months passed his time to go, but he would not give up.

I have had dogs with 50 - 60 wins without a eulogy.

Sniper John
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Re: Odyssey's Blue Duck

Post by Sniper John » Fri Jun 21, 2013 3:49 am

Condolences,
Sorry for your loss

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Chukar12
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Re: Odyssey's Blue Duck

Post by Chukar12 » Fri Jun 21, 2013 6:55 am

He sounds like he would have been a good fellow to know Nicely worded tribute Neil I do hope the memories help with the loss.

Joe

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