Our Dogs

As far as Todd is concerned, hunting is nothing without the help of our four-legged friends.  Over the years, several dogs have been a part of the family.  When we first met, Todd was sharing his house with Riley, a Chesapeake, and Trouble, an aging English Pointer. 

A few years later, Rigsy, a German Wirehair, filled the gap when Trouble passed on.  Riley tried to teach Rigsy all she knew, but Rigsy wouldn’t listen (she was too busy running, everywhere.  Talk about an energetic dog!)  Rigsy ended up being a great upland game bird dog and a pretty decent duck retriever.  Looks like she listened to what Riley had to say after all! 

Riley will always have a spot in Todd’s heart.  It almost broke him when Riley had to cross over to Rainbow Bridge, and he still talks about her.  He knew it wouldn’t be fair to compare any other dog to Riley, so we put off adding to our family as long as we could.  The deciding factor was Rigsy.  She grieved the loss of Riley in an almost human way, and finally we could take it no longer.  She needed a buddy.  With much research and a couple of trips south across the line, Todd found a Chessie breeder in Washington.  We ended up waiting another year before our pup was ready.

Storm came home.  She was a minature Riley, and Todd steeled himself against comparisons.  Now, at four years old, Storm is a helluva duck retriever.  Her drive is over the top, and she’s very social.  And, she loves Rigsy.  The two of them go everywhere together.

Here is Rigsy during last year’s Montana Pheasant Hunt

 

And here is Storm, in her vest, during the cold mornings of duck hunting in Delta, BC