Track,
A dog quickly becomes a member of the family, but there's something about a working dog that is a hunting companion. It's like the difference between a good friend and a friend who is also a hunting buddy. You've been through more together, shared more good times and hard times.
A part of your life has been ripped away. The pain fades gradually, but the scar remains. I still feel my throat tighten when I touch my first Lab's collar which still hangs in its place. My second dog is reaching the end of her time now. She lies at my feet as I type.
The more a dog gives us, the greater the price we pay when we lose them. Kipling warned others:
"You will discover how much you care,
And will give your heart for the dog to tear."
Rusty was doing an important job. Out of respect for Rusty, don't leave the position open for too long.
Old gun dogs have stood the test of time and event and circumstance. They come now, slowly, and lay at foot or close to side, jowls flat, eyes faded with the fog of cataract, their muzzles and paws white or speckled salt and pepper. But they come. They want to be close.
They are great treasures, these old dogs. For they are more than themselves lying there. They are us. – Bill Tarrant
