I woke mom up at 5a today so that we would have plenty of time to wake-up for the test. Since mom and I were staying in Ms. Stern's basement, we made our way straight outside and went for a short walk in the woods. The property behind Ms. Stern's house is amazing - completely wooded and down hill to a small stream. I would love to come back and romp in that spring when it is a little warmer out!
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flicker of white in the distance and I was entranced. A herd of deer was in the woods! I immediately started to pursue but mom gave a sharp "no!" so I stopped and watched them move on. What an exciting event; it must be a good omen for the day!
When we came back to the house, Ms. Stern was awake and ready to go. Mom hopped into the shower and got ready as well. The plan was to stop at Starbuck's for some "happy juice" for mom & Ms. Stern, and then we all would head to the hunting fields where I would put my skills to the test. Owe'n was also going to try to pass his hunting test too.
Here I am in the car - Ready To Go!
When we arrived Mom and Ms. Stern checked, double checked and triple checked the brace number for each of our tests. I wasn't too sure what was involved in the test, but I hoped it would be a practical, not written, exam.
While mom was away, I peaked out of the car and took in the scene. There were tons of cars, people and dogs, and they all looked like they knew what they were doing. I realize I am a dog and do have dog's hunting instincts, but for Pete's Sake I am from the inner city! How could anyone expect me to do this test?
Mom explained to me that for these hunting test, you run with another dog in what is called a "brace" and the idea is to smell, locate and point as many birds as possible in a window of twenty minutes. However the trick is that there are only a small number of birds so if you brace-mate finds them all first, you are out of luck. Then two judges score you on you hunting ability! That is a lot for one pup to take in, so I figured I'd go out and just see what happens.
When it finally came time for my test, mom got me from the car and took me to the bird box. That is where the hunt-test people keep the birds before they are "planted in the field", and mom said there would be at least three planted for me and my bracemate, a male German Shorthair Pointer. We walked over to the line in the backfield. Ms. Stern, Mr. Scott and a few others came along as our "gallery". This just means they walked along and watched mom and me do our thing.
While we were waiting for the judges I could see that GSP eyeing me up. After all I am a city girl and a temptation for any dog, so his handler said he would "try his best to keep his dog away from me". I mean... I am just out here trying to do my thing. I don't need any "companionship" if you know what I mean.
As the judges rounded the corner and approached us, I got very confused. They smelled like people but they had six legs and two heads! Then I remembered old Lester, and realized it must be some sort of Horse-Human Hybrid. What kind of genetic manipulation was going on here? Mom tried to get me to refocus, but I continued to bark and fuss, telling them "keep away, you mutated beasts!"
Mom finally let me off the lead and I dashed forward to get away. The GSP began chasing me so I just ran faster. Between barking at the Horse-Human Hybrids (HHHs) and keeping away from the GSP, I nearly missed the best experience of my life: Road Apples.
Mom has never let me have any road apples so when, in the midst of my circular sprinting, I came across these, I needed to stop and check them out. And what better way to check them out, but to taste them. Woah! These road apples sure are tasty! Slightly sweet, with a nutty after taste -- you should really try one sometime. I can only imagine they are served in the finest New York restaurants, or at least if I were running them, they would be.
Mom was beside herself with my barking at the HHHs, the running from the GSP and the eating of the road apples. She knew she need to get me back on track and thinking about why we were here: birds. Actually, Quail to be precise.
So when we eventually finished walking through the backfield and onto the bird field she called me over and tried to send me out to get to work. The trick is to have the hander (that's mom) move through the bird field so that the dog (that's me) ranges out and covers the entire hunting area. As I already mentioned, there are only a small number of birds to find so if you don't find them in time, you are out of luck. Below is a diagram of mom's tactical maneuvering.
As you can see, we were nowhere near any of the birds and mom didn’t range far enough.
(Click on the image to see it larger, then click the "back" button to return to Urban Mutt.) So between the GSP clearing the bird field (because he actually forgot all about me once we got to the field of battle and did his job) and mom & me not covering enough area, I didn't find any birds.
So with one "Ma'm, you can collah yo dawg," I failed my first-ever bird hunting test.
Here is my report card. Ms. Stern thought that ripping it up was the best option, but mom wants to save EVERYTHING of mine, good or bad, so here it is:
(Click on the image to see it larger, then click the "back" button to return to Urban Mutt.)Another friend of mine, Canyon, also did his test today. Here he is just before he and Mr. Rob went.
He qualified.
I wonder if she knows that I am entered in the Vizsla Club of Greater New York's Hunting Tests this weekend? I'm looking to get my third and fourth legs in order to complete my JH (Junior Hunter) title. I better go ask Ms. Stern to let mom know!
