For a very long time in our lives we hunted over English Springer Spaniels.  As the years crept up on us we realized that we were no longer capable of keeping up with the  energetic flushes of the Springers, and so we decided on our first pointing dog.

After much research, we decided on a Llewellyn Setter.  We wanted one that was well marked, all ticked.  As puppies they have very little markings on them, they are predominantly white.

A breeder in Alton NH, Little River Kennels was contacted and as luck would have it he had one pup left that was not spoken for.  She had one rust spot over her right eye, the rest of her was pure white.  George had sent us pictures of her and we fell in love.

When the day finally came to pick her up we couldn't wait to get there.  There were puppies everywhere!  I crouched down to meet the pack and they were on me.  Climbing, nipping, tearing pockets, and pulling on my pant legs.  Little bundles of pure energy, all with one purpose, going home.  Each of them in their own way was saying take me, take me.  We'd have gladly taken them all, but each already had a home.  Sioux of course was ours at last.

The ride back to New Ipswich was hectic as we had a squirting puppy that wanted to explore everything, and right now!  But puppies being puppies, there is much napping that needs to be done between play time.

Sioux went with me on many walks before here first hunting season started.  She listened well and when I told her to hold up she did.  This was good, because on one of our walks we ran into a Mother black bear with a set of romping cubs.  Now to a puppy, playing cubs is an open invite to join the party.  She stopped for a second and I knew what was going to happen next.  I called her but once, and she was at my side.

We did the pheasant scent on a wing, hiding it here and there, and always, she found it.  There really wasn't any pointing going on,  she'd just freeze up when she got wind of the scent. 

At long last it was the opening day of bird season.  We really weren't expecting to much the first time out,  it was more of a let's get acquainted with the uplands adventure.  We no sooner got out in the field when the sky opened up and it poured.  The little pup freaked out. Those rain drop were big, and they hurt!

Ina threw me her shotgun and cradled the pup trying to keep her from getting pelted from the rain.  We no sooner got back to the truck when it stopped.  We waited a bit to see if it was going to rain more, and after a spell we figured the coast was clear and we took off again.

Sioux was everywhere as fast as her legs would get her there.  Sniffing, investigating, oh so many new smells, so many bushes to invade.  We had gone around the edges of a couple of fields and decided to take an inside track on the third one.  Perhaps 50 yards or so along the way Sioux took a left turn to go into the brush and froze!  We eased up on her to see what was going on.  She never twitched, never moved.  We looked everywhere, and if there was a bird to be seen we couldn't find it. 

The pheasants knew they had been made and decided to take flight.  The pup was too young for us to believe she had it already figured out, and so we were caught quite off guard.  You never want to let a bird dog's first bird escape, and so the 20 gauge went to the shoulder.  As the birds tumbled from the air the pup was through the brush and on them as they hit the ground in the open field.  By the time we managed to get through the briars she had them all in a nice little pile and just sat there waiting for one of them to make a move.  We left the field that day limited out, and on her very first hunt!

The classic holding of the paw and the point came shortly after.  As she grew she became more confident,  and she started ranging out.  She could wind a rooster clear across a field, and once she got the scent she was gone!  Sometimes we'd get there before the pheasant couldn't take it anymore, sometimes not.  It was a game of keep up or miss the shot.  She trained us to each take a side of the field which gave her the freedom to pin them no matter where they were.

As she grew older she discovered that pheasants were not the only fun things to sneak up on, after all, it was a long spell between birds.  Why it was just about a year.  So everything that smelled and moved became fair game to stalk.  Doves were always fun, so were chipmunks and squirrels.  Songbirds were fair game, after all, they are birds!

And then came the bears.  I swear Sioux could wind a bear a mile away.  Of course you can't sneak up and point a Black Bear so you do the next best thing and bark at them,  see if you can get them to "flush".  That became her favorite off season fun.  Raven, our Black Lab is not so much into the bears, but when Sioux hit the alarm bark Raven figured it was time to get in on the act.  Oh sure, right through an Anderson window!  Luckily, the only damage was to the window.

For real fun, one of her favorite things to do was to take a pup cookie out of the bowl and flip it through the air.  Before it ever hit the floor she was on it, pouncing, and doing a pup brake dance.  Things would get out of hand and the cookie would end up under something.  Rather than go get another one, that was the only cookie that mattered and she'd bark at it until I went and dug it out from whatever it was under.

Raven made at least 3 of Sioux in size, but Sioux was the Alpha pup of the two.  She'd give the duck dog that look and Raven would back right off.

Once dinner was done it was time for a Frosty Paw, those whey ice cream knock offs for pups.
And I'd say; "Does anybody want a..............."  and she'd be bouncing off the ceiling!

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We lost Sioux on October 27th 2009.  Our lives will never be the same without her.  To all of those who have lost loved pups our hearts go out to you.  Somehow we manage to go on, but it is with much sorrow.  For the true lovers of animals there will be more pups, but none can ever take the place of those who have gone before them, for each and every one finds a way to the very soul of man, where they will always be remembered, always be loved, and always be cherished.  And when The Great Spirit calls us, we will once again be united in a life here after, to romp, and play, and love once again.