As many of you know, I lost my beloved English Labrador Retriever, Ellie, about a year and a half ago. For fourteen years, she was my constant companion on stream. She was possibly the ultimate fishing dog. She would sit by my left side and watch me catch fish. She wanted to look at each one. Everything went well until a trout would jump. Then all bets were off. She would launch into the water to retrieve it. She would, of course, occasionally get hooked. She would stand still, while I quickly removed the barbless hook. When I got tired of fishing and sat on a rock she would curl up beside me and take a nap. When she was sick toward the end, we knew that time was short and began a search for a new dog. We wanted the two to bond but that was not in the cards. We picked up Tilley a couple of weeks after Ellie passed.
I wanted a fishing dog just like Ellie but my wife, Lori, wanted a show dog. I figured that Lori would take her to a few shows and then I would have a fishing dog. Things didn’t work out the way I expected. Tilley turned out to be an incredible specimen and a natural competitor. At seventeen months of age, she has earned three AKC (American Kennel Club) obedience titles, Canine Good Citizen, Beginner Novice, and Rally Novice. She has qualified to compete in the 2015 AKC Rally Championships at Purina Farms in Gray Summit, Missouri. She has also competed in AKC conformation and has won a blue ribbon in every show she has attended. She even won a best puppy in show at a competition in Harrison. While she has done well in her age group she has not done well beyond it because she is still filling out and is not expected to fully mature for another five to six months. Lori hopes she will take off at that time. All of the judges and trainers think she will.
Tilley’s success is no accident. Lori took special care when choosing her. She wanted a good bloodline that had championship potential and no health issues. She visited the kennel before she chose a puppy to meet the male and female dogs that produced the litter. Once we had Tilley in our possession, she took it to our Veterinarian to have her checked out. Lori began training Tilley immediately. She worked with top notch trainers on a weekly basis and reinforced the training with daily training sessions. Rather than using professional handlers, Lori learned how to show Tilley herself. It has all paid off!
The problem is that I do not have a fishing dog yet. I fear that I will have to wait until Tilley retires from the ring. Ellie began as a show dog but had a fairly short career. Tilley is doing so well that I think she will compete for a long time. It may be just as well the traits that make her a great show dog; exuberance and enthusiasm do not translate well to the stream. She is not nearly calm enough to be a fishing dog. Hopefully she will mature in temperament as she fills out.
I look forward to fishing with her.
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