Treasure & Gibsons Pups - 2 Years Old

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OCTOBER 11, 2009

In recognition of the 2nd birthday of True, Brandi, Boog, Kasper, Remington, Jersie, Millie, Casper, Riley,  Patches, and Rugby I thought it would be nice to share this amazing video one more time.  Personally, I never tire of watching it and it's really neat to know that it has now been viewed on YouTube over 3000 times. Enjoy this video - I never could have dreamed it would be enjoyed by so many outside of our ATB family.

Perhaps you are seeing this for the first time and are not familiar with the story behind it. It is really self explanatory and some narration text is offered on the clip itself. This is as amateur as it gets when it comes to making a video and it was made with a very basic point & shoot digital camera, a camera I just happened to have in my pocket.

The pups were about 5 weeks old, simply outside discovering the great outdoors. Weather permitting all pups from our breding program here are absolutely introduced to birds regardless of whether they will go to a hunting family or not.  9 out of the 11 pups in this litter not only went to hunting families, but are currently enjoying their 2nd bird hunting season this fall. John had returned from a successful pheasant hunt and dressed the birds for me. We often save the feathers etc. Such was the case this day.

Treasure, mother of these pups, has an amazing nose and strong prey drive so it didn't take her any time at all to locate and then steal the tail feathers from John's bird. It was the first time we'd let the pups roam freely in the yard, away from the confines of their small exercise pen.

Treasure not only inherited strong natural hunting abilities from her mother Wish, but also her wonderful nurturing and maternal instincts as well. When Treasure and her litter mates were about the same age as the pups in this clip Wish caught a chicken roaming around the yard, killed it, and delivered it to her own puppies. There is a reason why we emphasize the raw and natural instincts of our Brittanys! Wish was always an easy whelper and being her 'midwife' has been a beautiful experience for us. As any breeder knows, it is not always that way. (She is retired from her mothering responsibilities.) John and I were very pleased to discover that Treasure too has her own mother's tendencies, in more ways than one.  Like her mother, Treasure possesses specific qualities we want to see passed on.

We are used to seeing one or two of the parents of young pups interact and play with their babies. It's a precious privilege in our eyes to be treated to such a sight. Even more precious though is when a 'gift' such as is contained within this video unfolds right before your very eyes. Such was the case that day.

Treasure disappeared from sight but quickly returned with the pheasant feathers in her mouth. Her litter of pups was in the middle of their first great exploration around our yard, busy discovering things like our grand children's swing set or simply deciding whether they wanted to leave the familiar comfort of the x-pen.

How does one accurately describe a vision such as the one which unfolded right before my eyes? It's not common place but I know it happens sometimes. Although I've had the pleasure to observe many interactions between mother dogs and their pups, I've never them engaged in the raw beauty of a deeper understanding, an innate behavior which no man could ever instill in an animal.

Treasure is the one who first introduced these puppies to birds. She is the one who awakened their instincts. Not John or me. We have only seen this natural phenomena once and I don't know if we'll ever see it again. We always get pups on birds early on. But this time - Treasure took it to a much deeper level. The results of which are embraced by those who own and love one of these pups who will turn 2 years old tomorrow, the pups of Treasure and Gibson's first litter. (Including of course our own sweet True puppy!)

Happy birthday to each one of 'you', we will forever love you with all our hearts.

John, Ann, and our canine crew here at All Things Brittany