Problem solved
By: Lawson Vallery
Photo: Paul Andersson

This is a story about Ginger Daughter to Sealpin Reckless and Creignant Llefenni. She was 17 months at the time.

Last October I had a real experience while attending a field trial in Claestorp. It ended up being a great experience but  it could have just as easily gone the other way.

The judge was Mrs. Wendy Night from GB.
   Ginger and I had finished a long run and after finding no game the prøve leder decided we should all return to the cars and drive to another area.
   The prøve leder had a vorster with him which he released as we all headed for the parking that was around a kilometer away. Suddenly, about half way to the cars the vorster went on point in a small wooded area in the middle of a large open field and after a short discussion between the judge and prøve leder I was told to bring your dog and we began to double time it in the direction of the vorster who was still on point. As we got within 50 to 60 meters the Prøve leder stopped everyone and began to creep up behind the vorster and I swear to God he crawled the last 20 meters. To our surprise he managed to get the dog by the tail, drag him in reverse and not flush the game.   
   Then Wendy said to me, release your dog and work the wooded area and of course within a minuet Ginger flushed  a flock of raphøn. The gun on the right made a very long shot. Ginger was stone steady looking at me and  we all thought he had missed. Then after a long period the prøve leder shouted that a bird had fallen, however it had fallen around 200 meters away. Again a discussion between Wendy and the prøve leder, then I was told to leash my dog and we were going to go toward the area that he thought the bird had fallen.
   So now here we are, standing in the middle of a very large open field at least a 150 meters from where the shot was made and the prøve leder tells Wendy, I think that it fell somewhere between here and that white post at the edge of the field. That post was about 80 meters away and I was thinking to myself, this is not really happening. It's a dream but suddenly the dream turned into a nightmare when Wendy told me to send your dog. Well I sent her, and sent her, and sent her. I handled her all the way out to that bloody post six times and finally I was told to call her in and leash her which I did. Then the prøve leder handed his vorster over to someone to mind for him while he, Wendy and the two guns went out to look for the bird and sure enough they did find it, only it was about 60 meters in the opposite direction that I had originally been told to send Ginger. Well by this time Ginger was exhausted and confused. Then Wendy asked me if I thought I could handle her out one more time, so I looked at Ginger and she looked me in the eyes then in her own special way said. Don't worry, I can handle it dad. And she did!
  While she was retrieving the rapøn the vorster got loose and as the foto shows went on point at the bird as she delivered it to me.
  As I said what an experience!!!!!!!!!      

© Copyright 2002 Annelie Hansson och Stefan Hansson, Umeå

Uppdaterad 2007-12-07