Friday before last I lost not my best find dog, but my favorite dog to a heat stroke he suffered the Monday prior. I had a pretty hard time letting go of the dog I had become pretty attached to over the last couple of years. and even more so during the last few days of trips back and forth to the clinic. Each time I pulled in, it was just like going to visit a sick relative at the hospital.
Tuesday night I got my head right and loaded up three dogs to make a run on a guys place who had been calling. I got there, unloaded and was headed towards the woods when an explosion a short distance down the road about scared me off my wheeler. After my heart regulated, I realized this owner had put out propane cannons in an attempt to move the hogs out. I drove on down and tried to dump the dogs. Madison, one of my younger saddlebacks must have been spooked by the cannon and wouldn't even get out of the buggy. I tried several times to lead her into the woods, and she would come running back out and get under the trailer. About 15 minutes later I was getting really ticked, when I heard a lone bark from Abby in the distance. Waited a while and didn't hear anything else, so out came the tracking system and we started in her direction. We traveled around a mile when I began to faintly hear her in the distance. Her bark was strange...a couple of barks then silence for a bit...then a couple of barks. I was a little unsure what was happening, so I let the other two dogs back out to go "investigate" and it took just a bit before they finally heard her and went to help. When we heard the others, we unloaded the catchdog and made our way there. When we arrived at the bay, the three dogs were calling this hog all kinds of names. They sounded just about 10 yards the other side of the creek we were standing at in a thicket where we couldn't see. Just as we were contemplating how to cross, the hog broke and was headed to our side. Lucy and I were both ready, and as soon as he came up the creekbank about 15 yards from us I turned her in and she hammered him on the run. I've been REAL impressed with this little Cat/AB catchdog and I'm really starting to like her. With my streak of bad luck as of late, I didn't want to press it so I caught dogs and headed home. It's been a LONG time since I heard Abby work a hog for any length of time by herself. I'm guessing that because of being alone, and the hog being a pretty respectable boar she was baying pretty loose. From the sound, I figure perhaps she was standing and only barking when the hog would make a move. I've never heard her like that.
Wednesday night went back and had another textbook hunt of catching, rolling out and catching another. Total for the two hunts was 7 hogs. Nothing of much size, but a couple of good quick hunts to regain my confidence with NO injuries. Hopefully my run of bad luck is over.
First Pic - R.I.P. Doc
Second - Hog Caught Tuesday With Lucy (I don't know who was hotter...me or the dogs. MAN it was humid!)
Third - Another Pic Of Lucy
