ONE IN A MILLION

You see, I’d been hunting a cracking little stream on this particular farm for over 20 years and at certain times of the season it absolutely loads up with Mallards. Over the years I’ve been privileged to watch two other dogs of mine retrieve ducks from the exact same tangle of rubbish that Kiera was hunting. As her head emerged with a mouthful of Mallard, it brought back so many good memories of my other dogs, Nikko and Ripley.

This is an article I’ve often thought about writing but have never quite known where to start. How do you sum up years of hunting adventures, loyalty and companionship with one dog – let alone two? Bear with me as I take a walk down memory lane.

I grew up in a hunting and fishing family that spent lots of time outdoors and dogs were always a big part of our lives. My Uncle Phillip had a Lab that we idolised; we would literally follow her wherever she went, despite the fact that some of those places were not suitable for small boys.

One day Dad came home with Kizzy, a Lab/Springer