Devotion: A Dog and His Family
posted in General |by Joe Noe
Published in The Llewellin Setter Association Journal. Winter 1995, p. 27
Every once in a while a hard luck story comes along that tells the heart warming tale of a husband and wife’s devotion to their dog and the story of Jack and his owners. Roy and Jane Spark’s is just such a story.
It was a year ago that I saw Jack for the first time. He was a cracking tail pup that came under my judgment in the first Llewellin Gun Dog Trial at Bob Bailey’s Straight Creek Gun Club, in West Liberty, KY.
Jack took second place at that trial in the puppy class. One could tell his owner had spent a good deal of time working the youngster. After the trial was over, it was suggested to Roy that he let the dog become a bit more independent for Jack had a tendency to flag a little on point. Often, because of the strong desire to show well in a competition, a handler will over handle his dog causing the dog to be a bit indecisive on point.
Upon returning to West Liberty this year we were saddened to learn that over the winter Jack, on a very cold night, because of a tarp covering his kennel in which he had become tangled, lost his right front leg. The tarp was fro a good purpose but luck turned it into a bad incident for Jack.
Mr. Sparks was going to run Jack in the trial. I and I am sure others, wondered how Jack would fair. It did not take very long for the answer to be evident to all of us. Jack covered the ground at very near the same pace he had run the year before, and with the gallery of observers on the hillside above, Jack was seen to stand pointing with bird well located well to the front, rock solid from his nose to his tail. jack was back and he never seemed to miss a beat in his race.
When Jack’s heat was up he had racked up four very nice finds but only one retrieve. The bad luck now had switched to his owner, Mr. Sparks who try as he might, missed three birds that did not present easy shots for the human part of the team.
As Mr. Sparks heeled Jack out of the field, I was glad to have been a part of watching a loving bond between this man and his dog.
Sure the dog and his hunting pal have had some bad luck, lesser dogs or lesser owners might have given up; but not this dedicated pair. Those who witnessed the event were given a lesson in the never quit spirit of Jack and his human family, the Sparks.