Watch for Steve's articles in these upcoming magazines Also,
listed below is Steve's weekly outdoor column featuring the
latest in hunting and fishing information.
Each
issue of CRAPPIE WORLD Magazine where Steve's regular column
"PRO's POINTERS" helps you find and catch crappie.
Catch Steve in each issue on national
newstands.
Weekly Outdoor Columns
Steve's weekly outdoor columns appear each
Friday in the Paris Post-Intelligencer newspaper in
Paris, TN. From special feature stories on the great outdoors
titled:
Tales and Scales to short tidbits of news and info in his
Shortcasts section.
- Log onto
www.parispi.net and
click on Sports icon and scroll down to Outdoors.
- You can subscribe to the Friday
edition only and have the publication mailed right to your
door.
- To subscribe call 731-642-1162 and
tell them you want Steve's Friday outdoor page mailed to you
each week!
Additional tidbits, fishing updates, and
articles from Steve are also posted at
www.parislanding.com.
Goodbye Not Easy...14-Year Old
Labrador was Family Member
by Steve McCadams
www.stevemccadams.com
January 7th, 2005
Words don’t come easy this week. Last
Friday night I had to say goodbye to an old friend and here at
the McCadams’ household we’re not quite over it yet.
After some 13-years of friendship, trust,
and unconditional love my old buddy Ace, a black Labrador
retriever, took his last breath and headed to the big duck blind
in the sky.
After more than a decade of faithful
service, time began to take its toll and the “old timer” fell
victim to the ravages of old age where diminishing eyesight,
hearing loss, and arthritis chipped away at this one-time
athlete. His husky frame still reflected the stamina and
physique of a veteran working dog but the years slowly robbed
him of his once near perfect appearance and toned body.
A graying muzzle chased away the jet black
while the bock head and hefty chest remained as a reminder of
what once was.
I retired my old pal some four years ago
after a great season full of memories and long retrieves. Many a
mallard was softly deposited in my hand after a jaunting swim in
bone chilling water.
Together we saw many sunrises and logged
countless hours in the great outdoors. It seemed all he wanted
to do was be with me and please me. Labradors are like that.
Four-legged, web-footed bundles of joy that come into your life
and command a place in your heart.
Ace traveled with me to the pheasant
country of South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska. Together we treaded
the gumbo mud of Arkansas’ rice fields for ducks after switching
over a few weeks prior from dove outings here in Tennessee.
The river islands of Kentucky Lake,where
I’ve hunted ducks for over 40-years, seemed to feel right at
home for us. Over the years he found many cripples that
attempted to get away in thick cover, only to fall victim to his
desire and keen sense of smell. Sometimes he even stopped dead
in his tracks and pointed, only to dive in after his prey with
the thrust of a full back trying to make a first down.
Thanks to his love and affection I have
many memories to choose from and often wrote about him in this
column and photographed him for several publications. He didn’t
have any fancy titles from field trials but he was a champion in
my book.
My wife Linda and I have been under the
spell of Labrador retrievers for many years. We’ve always
treated them like members of the family. Their disposition is
second to none and Ace was a gentle giant, looking deep into
your soul with big brown eyes the way only a Labrador can do.
A few years ago when I had a visit from an
uninvited guest called cancer, my first day home from the
hospital was spent pondering this hurdle in life. Helping me
make the best of a bad situation was my pal whose nudges of the
muzzle and wet tongues across the hand reminded me of how
fortunate I was to have had his friendship.
He seemed to sense something was wrong and
was there to help. Prior to the surgery and bad news I had
contemplated starting a pup, as he was a year or so past prime.
Suddenly, the reality of the moment silently screamed the
possibility that he was the one who might be there in the
seasons ahead instead of me.
Life has many sobering moments.
Now, some seven years later I won my
battle but the war goes on.
Letting go has been hard.
The next day after his death I was
searching some of the same islands and bushes for winged
mallards, just the way he and I had done for years. Every tree
or willow break seemed to shout a memory. A big goose here or a
pintail drake there.
In-between tears I could sometimes see my
old friend trotting toward me from the same spot, duck in mouth
and as proud of it as a kid with a new baseball glove. After
pausing on the island point and reliving some moments from
yesteryear it was time for me to get back to a blind full of
clients.
Some have been with me long enough to have
witnessed the old man and his feats, seeing first hand his
mischief and talents along the sandbars of his life. Often I’d
have customers call and ask about my canine companion. I suspect
they knew of our bond.
As breathing problems entered the picture
over the last few weeks I could tell my old friend was coming to
the end of life’s journey. Nothing I could do would stop the
aging process, although I cut no corners over the last few years
as to medications and medical attention.
After all, it was the least I could do for
a faithful friend. The last few years he knew when I headed out
in the wee hours of the morning, shotgun case in hand, what my
destination was. He often followed me to the truck door, the way
he had for so many years only to be gently turned away back in
the direction of his warm blanket of countless naps.
His soul was willing, but the flesh was
weak.
Time is the best healer and it is through
the young eyes of a young female black Labrador named Molly that
I face each yell of an alarm clock these last few mornings.
She’s a ball of joy and a chip off the old block.
One of Ace’s pups from five years back,
Molly has won our love and will carry the bloodline to another
generation. A fitting reminder of her dad whose love helped me
through good times and bad.
Each retrieve she makes has a little bit
of Ace there with her.
And, did I mention she had brown eyes?
Well, you know how it goes from here.
Steve McCadams is a professional hunting and fishing guide
here in the Paris Landing area. He has also contributed many
outdoor oriented articles to various national publications.
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