Tony C. Zappia       Focus on the Outdoors

 

On a dark, snowy Thursday evening, two days following Christmas, my beloved golden retriever of 10 years was euthanized. Her AKC name was Timberland's Fourth Coast Elle, WCX.

Two weeks following her 10th successful hunting season, Elle developed a bit of a limp. For a 10-year-old, she was in fantastic shape & trim, plenty of stamina, full of play and intensely focused on retrieving birds. Other than favoring her left shoulder, Elle was a picture of health.

Thinking it was nothing more than a pulled muscle, I treated Elle with buffered aspirin and anti-inflammatory medicine. But, after two weeks, Elle's limp got worse. So, my wife, Barb, thought I should get her to the veterinarian's office.

"No problem," I said, as I thought the trip would consist of a quick diagnosis followed by a bit of medicine.

When I arrived, my vet examined Elle and during the exam he put pressure on her left shoulder. When he did, Elle, who had a high tolerance of pain, let out a cry. When she did, my vet looked at me with a drawn face and explained an X-ray should be taken of her shoulder.

Ten minutes later the vet opened the lab door and called me in. His sunken shoulders spoke volumes. "What is it doctor?" I said. In a low tone he gave me some long, medical term. "In laymen terms, what does that mean?" I asked. He then spoke the two words that made my knees buckle & "bone cancer."

From that point forward, everything that happened at the vet's office and during the long drive home became a numbing blur.

I had two options, each as despicable as the other: The total removal of her front shoulder and leg or euthanasia. Amputation was out of the question as Elle was a very proud girl and an alpha female. To think she would have enjoyed living out the remainder of her life just laying around the house while never going afield would have been unrealistic.

A LITTLE ABOUT ELLE

Her 10-year journey began Nov. 11, 1997 just outside Portland, Ore., as she was sired by one of the country's top field golden retrievers & AFC AFTCH Rosehill's Mr. Speaker MH, OS, FDHF, CCA (Amateur Field Champion, Canadian Amateur Field Champion, Master Hunter, Outstanding Sire, Field Dog Hall of Fame, Certificate of Conformation Assessment).

I picked up an 8-week-old little ball of golden fur at the Syracuse Airport, and for the next few months, baby Elle and I developed a special bond that cemented a special relationship that stayed with us until that fateful December evening.

It was a bond many people simply wouldn't understand. He knew and reacted to every move I made, and she developed the uncanny ability to anticipate my every action in the field and around the house. During hunting season, the minute I awoke, Elle would not leave my side as she didn't want me to hunt without her. But, what she didn't know is that I hated to leave the house without her. I'd rather forget my shotgun or my waders or my calls or cameras. On the rare occasions I hunted without Elle, those hunts seemed unfulfilled.

SUPREMELY METHODICAL RETRIEVER

Those who knew or had the privilege of hunting behind Elle never thought of her as a flashy retriever. She didn't exhibit great style with spectacular water entries nor did she burn up a pheasant field. Instead, Elle was considered a methodical hunter who always focused on the task at hand & be it quartering a pheasant field, making countless blind retrieves in dense cattail swamps, or lengthy, open water retrieves after crippled divers during the month of December. You could always, always, count on Elle to finish a hunt, no matter what you tossed at her & nasty weather, insurmountable terrain or even her aging bones. She was "Miss Dependable."

Seldom would an upland bird hunter shoot a bird in excess of 30 yards while hunting with Elle. In the pheasant field she exhibited confidence and essentially commanded the hunt while at the same time obeying whistle, hand and oral commands.

As a year-old retriever, Elle and I had the good fortune to spend considerable time hunting pheasants at Basswood Lodge and Hunting Preserve. As a young retriever her natural hunting abilities were uncanny and it was that first year of her life, and the quality time spent at Basswood Lodge hunting upland birds and waterfowl that built those critical learning blocks successful hunting retrievers need. And, for that, I must express my utmost gratitude to the Forsythe family.

I also must thank those who spent time hunting and training with her, especially Jim Lyon, Ronnie LaDuke and Charlie Durant, for they made Elle's life richer with their warm and caring manners.

As for me, my wife and Elle's half-sister, Emme & we loved Elle dearly and her passing has left an enormous void in our lives.

For some reason this winter seems a bit colder ...