Drumbeat Springers
FTW Drumbeat Dynamic Rhythm
Dyna's time with us was truly too short, but incredibly sweet
Rest in Peace, Beautiful Princess
9/13/97 - 4/2/06
On April 2, 2006, we lost our beloved Dyna in a freak automobile accident. Without going into gory details, let it suffice to be said that she showed as much heart and devotion in her final moments as she had so many times during the previous 8.5 years. I was able to look into her warm, sparkling eyes and tell her good-bye before she left this earth. Now we are left with a hole in our lives, deepened by the sudden unexpectedness of her departure. With her great health, we expected five-six more years of her presence in our lives.
The local ID club president gave her a beautiful send-off, that I heard about later from another trialer. On Sunday afternoon, he went to the site of the accident, a small bridge, and released six pheasants in honor of Dyna's memory. Reading about this tribute on a card from the other trialer sent chills down my spine, and tears down my cheeks. How fitting for her to have six more flyers at the spot she flew away with the angels. Dyna would appreciate that, too.
I wrote the following about Dyna this past November: "She is a tomboy with so much verve and style in the field, not to mention a pure muscular build. She is primarily white with lots of liver ticking, a square frame muscled to 37#, soulful eyes, and a beautiful spaniel head (not one of those pointy snout greyhounds). Birdfinding is her forte -- moving birds, sitting birds, quail, chukkar, pheasant -- in one trial she produced more than a half-dozen pheasants clustered near the line of her retrieve -- each time she lined out perfectly-- and she was steady and never lost her head through all that! She loves to run and her retrieving skills are top-notch, although she tends to make it look easy and perhaps not always get as much credit for them. She has a perfect mouth and is a super-reliable dog in hot/dry or cold/wet conditions." In her last trial, the Amateur stakes the day before she died, she blew out her first bird in the 2nd series from quite a distance -- luckily it flew across the course so the gunners had a shot and she got a nice retrieve on the other course....at the end of the series, the judge said "what a nose," to which I replied, "well since she's a dog, that's a compliment, if she was a woman, it wouldn't be so nice." She was our first female, received as a stud fee, and I trained her myself completely from 7 weeks old -- no collars, no tables, no pros--yet somehow she managed to have a perfect delivery ;-) (although sometimes she jumped up and practically tossed the bird into my my hands with enthusiasm, which some judges may not have appreciated...) Our first glimpse of her at 3-days old when we went to supervise the tail-docking was the beginning of a deep bond that never weakened.
Regardless of the fun we shared in the field, it is in the home and everyday life where Dyna is missed the most. Her consistently happy demeanor brought sunshine to even this rainy Spring we have had this year. She had such a kind, gentle demeanor in the house -- although she did enjoy being the "princess," it did not go to her head, and other females were welcome in her house. She was a first-rate snuggler, loving to lay on my lap on her back while I watched TV or napped on the couch. And rarely did she go into her bedroom crate at night before insisting upon and getting a proper belly rub and cuddle session. All of this pampering she deserved: for her devotion and loyalty, her quiet companionship and for bearing two litters of beautiful pups. A calm and gentle mother, she was also playful and protective with all her "kids." One day when we were walking in the neighborhood, she picked up a sick/wounded young rabbit -- even though they are pests, I felt sorry for this injured babe and promptly told Dyna to "leave it," she did so the little one could go die in peace. Everyday on our morning walk on the neighborhood horse trail with the other dogs, every rabbit, quail and dove reminds me of her -- how she would have loved to flush them out.
Hopefully one day we will have another female descended from her who gives us half as much joy, but whatever tomorrow brings, Dyna will always be in our hearts.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
2003 National LASHA award winner, Amateur (tie)
|
Dyna was born on the 13th of September, the only female in a litter of five--lucky girl! We were not planning on another dog at the time, but couldn't resist her sweet face. We heard she was the bossiest one in the litter, but who can blame her, the only girl? Dyna is a sweet girl, muscular and full of run (and jump). In fact, she shows us everyday why they're called "springers" with her powerful rear quarters giving her one of the best verticals off the basketball court. She has an eye-pleasing style with very spaniel action and she is always a pleasure to handle with her strong desire to please. Along with that beautiful run, she has a great nose to boot --- and a knack for tracking, along with a wonderful mouth and delivery. We call her "dependable Dyna" for she is always honest. Above all, she is a happy dog and that shows in the field. A sweet dog with very clean house manners that gets along well with her kennelmates. Physically, Dyna is primarily white with liver markings and ticking, and weighs about 38 pounds. She has a large head and square muzzle, silky straight coat, thick bone and lots of muscle for a female, and incredible spaniel tail action. She is OFA Good, PFK Normal and CERF Clear 2002. Only run in two puppy stakes, due to her heat cycle, Dyna won her first outing, and placed 3rd in the other. Her heat also kept her from competing in all-age stakes most of her first fall season. When she finally ran in her first All-Age stake at the San Fernando Valley SS Club field trial, Dyna not only finished the Amateur under challenging conditions, she placed 2nd to boot! Dyna started out strong, 1999: 1st Puppy, Arrowhead ESS Club, Porterville, CA, Feb 1999 (first puppy start!) 3rd Puppy, Green Valley ESS Club, March 1999 (second puppy start) 2nd Amateur, San Fernando Valley ESS Club, Wasco, CA, October 30-31, 1999 (First All-Age start!) 2001 trial season was a success: 2nd Amateur, Arrowhead ESS Club, Porterville, CA, February 17-18, 2001 2nd Open, Arrowhead ESS Club, Porterville, CA, February 17-18, 2001 2nd Amateur, Antelope Valley ESS Club, Tehachapi, CA, October 13-14, 2001 1st Open, San Fernando Valley ESS Club, Wasco, CA, October 27-28, 2001
2002 started out fine with our National qualifying placement in her 2nd trial, with 42 starters 3rd Amateur, Tamarin ESS Club, Gridley, CA March 2-3, 2002 4th Amateur, San Fernando Valley ESS Club, Tehachapi, CA October 12-13, 2002 3rd Open, San Fernando Valley ESS Club, Tehachapi, CA October 12-13, 2002
2003 started in the fall (Dyna had a litter in the Spring), with our National qualifying placement in her 1st trial, with 42 starters 3rd Amateur, Utah ESS Club, Wellsville, UT September 20-21, 2003 3rd Amateur, San Fernando Valley ESS Club, Chino, CA, October 11-12, 2003 2nd Amateur, Antelope Valley ESS Club, Hemet, CA, October 25-26, 2003 2003 National LASHA Award, Amateur, (3-way tie) Dyna's tracking and retrieving abilities are winning her points in my scorebook and the judges'. Now she just needs a win in the Amateur and points in the Open to finish her championships. We're happy with her strong son by FC/AFC Sunrise Bullet---2005 Western Interclub High Point Pup, Solo-- and looking forward to even more hunting and trial excitement in her confident maturity. As great as she is as a mother, Dyna lights up like the 4th of July when it's time to get back in the field and find and retrieve birds! It's hard to believe she's eight years old with the fantastic condition she's in!
Back to Top Back to Our Dogs page
|
