J&A's Brittanys: Seasonal Reflection

Recovery From Two Short Family Tragedies

Can you believe that it is already June?  I sure can't.  Life has been one big blur since John's massive heart attack, angioplasty (stent) surgery, and his 5 way bypass. Happily I declare with all certainty that his recovery has been nothing less than a miracle. John is back to doing most all of the things that he shares a passion for and of course that includes All Things Brittany.  Try as I may to offer reasonable suggestions about taking it easy, slowing down, listen to your body etc., etc., John is just happiest when he is actively pursuing some type of project. I am so thankful for the strength and determination I see in him and also how he has conceded to the reality of a change in diet, activity level, and the very real need to rest. Above all, we remain grateful to God.

Within days of my previous post back in April, our son's beautiful Katahdin Log Home was destroyed by fire.  Praise God no one was at home at the time as it was Sunday morning and all were at church when the call came in.  But their home was totally burned to the ground.  I was there at church when the call came in to the family. We were just shocked. My heart was broken for them all but our church family pulled together and we saw the love of Jesus in action. This is a very challenging time for all of the family as they truly are displaced. Fortunately they have excellent insurance and will be in a position to rebuild.  Emotionally though, it has been devastating especially because they lost their beloved family pet in the fire, a lovely Great Dane by the name of Stormy.  This has been surreal and very hard for all of them but especially my grandchildren. 

THANK YOU I wanted to take a moment and just say thank you from the bottom of my heart for the support that has come to both John and I as well as to our son and his family.  While the intent of my heart is truly to express appreciation individually I know that may not always be possible.  No gesture of kindness has gone unnoticed and has truly been a blessing. Please forgive us if we have not personally expressed our gratitude.  The support has been awesome and overwhelming, thank you!!

Speaking of Blessings

Our family experienced a very joyful and blessed event last month.  On May 18, 2019 our oldest granddaughter, Nova Marie was married to the love of her life, Chase Stearns.  It was such an amazing day and so full of happiness, happiness that the entire Short family really needed. I had the honor of making their wedding cake. Nova, who has always exemplified true beauty, was just stunning.  My favorite part of the wedding?  The father/daughter dance when they danced to Lavender Blue, Dilly Dilly.  When she was a little toddler, John Jr. always sang that to her. I watched them on the dance floor and my heart melted.  Thank you Lord for your faithfulness, generation to generation.  And soon, it will extend to yet another generation.

I have also been blessed to be back on the worship team at Maine Life Gate Christian church.  Most Sundays I have been on the platform with my other grandaughter and the team.  Brook is an anointed and gifted worship leader and the team in itself is amazing. I can't always be there this time of year but I treasure those Sundays I am.

And Then There's Revere

Revere is 11 months old now and continues to mature nicely.  We have taken several levels of training since December at Inspire K9 over in Alton, NH.  Our trainer is Megan Arey and she's one of the best as far as I'm concerned!  Revere and I continue to develop as a strong and bonded team. He is highly intelligent. Consequently, this means he either needs to be constantly challenged to learn new things or he will be constantly challenging! Right now it's a little bit of both. John and I recognized his potential early on to become an outstanding field dog.  At a very young age he was finding, and pointing upland game. We've been able to take hold of the zest and zeal present in this young puppy prior to introducing too much obedience.  For the first 12 months of a Brittany pup's life I believe that fun, spontaneity, natural desire and instinct are the building blocks to future success. This means little to no pressure or restraint around birds.  There is plenty of time for that.  Revere has a tendency to run big and I have learned it's a lot easier to bring a dog in than to teach them to go out. Revere is incredibly versatile. I do not want Revere to respond to strict obedience commands that results in a mechanical dog who gets the job done but only because of pressure exerted on them. Even so, Revere will turn a year old in less than a month so we have started to increase our expectations of him.  His inherent abilities and strong desire to naturally point, retrieve, back have been proven. Now it is time to polish the rough edges and graduate from kindergarten!

Once I saw the 'run' in Revere I consulted someone who I consider to be the best bird dog trainer. This trainer is more into hunting dog training than training focused on trials. Even so, he's a field trial judge and knows what to look for.  He's handled his own bird dog to a 4 pt major in gundog stakes and has 4 other adult placements with her as well as placements with other dogs he bred. (With dogs 'we' bred. Yes I'm talking about my awesome husband!) John agreed with me that we should give it a try with Revere. 

We brought Revere to grounds used for trialing for a serious run. With a tracking collar on and my heart pounding in my chest we set off.  Revere covered a lot of ground, ranged out and came back in nicely.  He made wide sweeps of open areas while seeking objectives and working the edge. Revere worked nice in the woods.  At one point he was out of sight which was briefly hair raising for me but the GPS showed us he was responding to my call. 

Physically speaking I have my own set of challenges and issues and I am not always up to handling. But I made a decision that day and entered Revere in not only two field trials but also in an upcoming NAVHDA Natural Ability test.  And I'm so glad I did. 

In the Central Maine Brittany Club spring trial Revere did so well.  I handled in two 20 minute puppy stakes both days and John handled him in two 30 minute derby stakes.  He came home with first place in both Open Puppy and Open Derby. Also a second place Amateur Derby.  (Holly also garnered a 2nd place Open Gun Dog that weekend.) Revere earned all his juvenille points towards an AKC Field Championship that weekend! 

The following weekend we left at 4 a.m. in the morning to be at the Sebasticook NAVHDA chapter's Natural Ability Test. (The prior day Revere's cousin Monroe earned his NA title and came to visit us on Sunday to cheer Revere on.) The only other time I'd been at anything NAVHDA was when Revere's mother Toph won a Prize 1 NA title, handled by our daughter. I've never attended any training clinic. So as the testing is based on natural abilities and instincts, I was confident Revere could do what was expected. He did not disappoint.  I handled him in each of the categories that were judged.  In the field he did run a little bigger than I think the judge liked so we were dinged slightly in cooperation and search.  But Revere found and pointed 4 birds and successfuly found a 5th one that was put out just for him.  He had to track a pheasant trail into the woods which he did perfectly.  Swimming is also tested and since he's naturally just loved jumping into our small farm pond that part of the test was perfect too! He jumped off the side and retrieved the two bumpers I sent out.  On the day of the test it was pouring rain on and off. It was quite a workout for me physically and I was grateful for a friend in the chapter giving me a ride down to the water on an ATV!

But I did it myself!

Next up, we will be testing for the AKC Canine Good Citizen Title and AKC Trick Dog Novice title.  I have also entered him in an upcoming dog show and plan on handling him.  I know that he'd do great in the hands of a professional handler but he's stuck with me and I will do my best to make him shine. Which really isn't too hard. Conformation wise, I like what I see in my boy!  I just have to do my best not to embarrass Revere.

Life has changed since John's heart attack and also since our son's house fire.  It's a time of reflection as I try to understand more about what really matters.  Above all it's a time of focusing on the things of the Lord. It's been a few years since experiencing a "refiner's fire" and it's not especially pleasant.  Seasons come and seasons go. I have always felt it was important especially for a woman to be aware of what season she is in in her life. Lately, as I wrestle with heart issues of a spiritual nature, I am nudged by Holy Spirit to remember my focus should be upon "whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Phillippians 4:8

Most of our beloved Brittanys are senior dogs.  I joke about having a geriatric ward but it's true.  Often it has been a sort of hospice here with certain dogs. That is a side we keep very private and

J&A's Ever Ready Rose of Acton - 14+

rightfully so.  I know that soon we're going to be saying goodbye to at least one special Brittany. All for the love of the dog, both given and received.  I am thankful for the 5 generations of Brittanys we have bred and I will always strive to perfect that which we have been responsible to create, by the Grace of God. As we know the inevitable awaits us, so too we consider all the special ATB families whose Brittanys have lived their lives, those that they have said goodbye to, and those who are (like Rosie) nearing the time of walking over the Rainbow Bridge.

Guess that's enough rambling for now.  Thank you as always for your interest and do stay tuned, check back! Take care and God bless you and yours, John, Ann, and All Things Brittany