ATB VIDEO: Holly & Zuko with Birds

It's been 3 months since my total knee replacement surgery.  Needless to say spending time in the field with our Brittany dogs has been few and far between.  I have been gone down to try to ride the 4-wheeler and found I could do that briefly.  I will admit to having a true fear of falling so as much as I gave it my best shot and enjoyed the opportunity.  Fear has been my biggest hurdle as a matter of fact throughout this recovery which still has a long, long way to go.  (The flexion in my knee needs to be much better and there's times of pure frustration.  Physical therapy continues to be challenging but I will keep pushing through and doing the best I can. The debilitating pain of severe osteoarthritis is gone and my gait has improved, there is no longer a bow to my leg.)  A few weeks ago with our good friend Julie was down, she took her camera down to the field and captured some great photos of my puppy, "Holly Beth".  I loved the glimpses but it was not the same as seeing her live in action. Yesterday our daughter brought her 3 kids up and her own puppy "Zuko" up for some time in the field.  It meant a lot to me that the timing was just right for me to go with them. Although she had already been out and found her birds, John brought Miss Holly back out so that I could see for myself how well she's doing. Of course she was less than stellar when it came to being steady at the flush but she did return quickly to John.  Holly will stand once the bird flushes and the gun is shot, she just didn't do it for me to see!  Plans are to test her this fall in both AKC and NAVHDA hunt tests and I'm very pleased with how well she's been doing under John's very capable hand.  She's 7 months old now.  Also I am so pleased with 4 month old Zuko, a new puppy that I co-own with my granddaughter and who is a very special pup bringing healing to that hurting family after the devastating loss of Boomer to cancer. I love that our daughter has taken such a keen interest in learning about gundog training too.   For such a young pup Zuko is doing very well but as Julie said it would be a fluke if he wasn't because of the great breeding behind him. Anyway, wanted to share this glimpse of an informal and fun morning in the field. The use of a cane is still required for me on uneven ground but next year at this time I anticipate being fully involved, something that will make me very happy.  For the time being, it truly is one day at a time. And I put my complete trust and faith in the Lord, knowing perhaps He would have me learn to be patient in the healing journey.

 

Thanks for your interest in our canine crew, and as always take care and God bless! John, Ann, and All Things Brittany