I had hunted quail in GA with my Grandfather's English Pointers all my life till the time I was married and in law school, living in a small apartment...and we bought a Cocker from a pet shop. No doubt an inbred show-type dog with no hope of becoming a bird dog, but suitable for sharing a small apartment.
But a bird dog he became. I knew the location of all 20 or so coveys on the farm already, so my Cocker and I would make the same 'rounds' I had always made with Grand-daddy and his pointers. Allen, the improbable bird dog would communicate the proximity of the birds with his body (and stub-tail) language and I would move in for the flush just as if he had pointed, the dog would pounce and up would go the birds. I had about the same luck, and ended up the days with about the same bag with Allen the Cocker as I did with the pointers.
No dove would go unfound around that dog and cold water didn't faze him when a wood duck was down.
After graduation, some service in the Infantry, and the beginning of my practice, we had our first child. Allen, my old huntin' buddy became insanely competitive with the George, Jr. and would exhibit aggressive behavior which, of course was not acceptable. Banished to the yard, Allen began disappearing for weeks at at time. He became wilder each time he returned, got to biting, and eventually was too aggresive to put up with. I was about to have him put away when he ran off one last time never to return.
I hope Allen found a new home and a new hunting buddy. I still miss that old dog...thats why I asked about 'Springer Rage'...Geo
