Raven, my black Lab, was lying stretched out on the living room floor the other day. Her back legs were twitching and she whimpered softly. She seemed to be dreaming, if that's what dogs do.
The late Gene Hill once wrote, "Our greatest [hunting] trophies are not things, but times." Perhaps hunting dogs feel the same way, dreaming of great times afield in autumns gone by. We can only hope.
This much I know.
Our times together, Raven and me, are winding down to a precious few. This autumn, she has become an old dog and, for the first time, at the age of 11, is older than me in dog years.
I'm not sure when her aging body became so obvious. Months ago, she started limping a little on her right front leg. Her back hips seemed weaker, too. The vet's diagnosis was arthritis. Comes with age, he said. I nodded, having a little arthritis myself. Give her Rimadyl, the doc said, it'll help. Without it, she'd be crippled, he said.
Author Steve Reider once observed that when you get a puppy, "you're about to embark on an adventure, which will create memories that no one can ever take from you."
If you've ever followed your dog through the pheasant fields or grouse trails, you know what Reider was writing about. All of us who go afield with hunting dogs have our own doggy adventures and fond memories.
Raven was born in my garage and, at age 6 months, was the third Raven to gain fame as '"the star of the 'Minnesota Bound' television show." She was a natural in front of the camera.
