Blind Lake’s Brazen Brooksy
3/30/05 – 8/30/05
by
Aaron Dominguez

            Sometime around last Christmas I decided that I was finally ready to purchase and train my first hunting dog.  Over the next months I educated myself in every way possible on purchasing and raising a puppy and eventually found a suitable litter in my price range.  The puppies, out of Hawkeye’s Viking x Landry’s Stars and Stripes, would be due in late May and I could hardly wait. 

The big day finally rolled around and my girlfriend, Elizabeth, her chocolate lab, Kenai, and myself were just giddy as we drove to Francis Landry’s place in order to pick out our new baby.  We already knew what her name would be…Brooksy…in honor of our most favorite place to fly fish and camp, The Brook’s River, Alaska.  Brooksy was one of ten puppies we saw that day all bouncing around inside their kennel.  We gathered up the puppies and took them out onto the lawn in order to have a better look.  This was my first time to pick a puppy, but I was well read and loaded with advice from Mary Hillman of Hawkeye Labradors on how to choose the right pup.  However, when those puppies hit the ground it all seemed to escape me.  Amongst them was one that immediately caught my attention.  She showed no fear as she tore the pigeon wings from the mouths of her brothers and sisters and romped all over them in play.  She was as cute as she could be and before I knew it she was asleep on my lap in the car as we rode back to Houston from Caldwell. 

            Over the next few months Brooksy continued to grow into a wonderful puppy.  She showed vigor, fearlessness, and an incredible desire to retrieve almost immediately.  I was delighted!  My first try at training a retriever was going very well and I was actually quite proud of myself as we breezed through every task I tried to teach her.  It wasn’t long before I realized that our success was due mostly to Brooksy…and little to me.  I specifically remember taking her to retrieve in water for the very first time.  I threw the bumper in and she ran after it with all she had leaping out as far as her little legs would push her.  She hit the water with her all and her little paws, powered by a heart meant for a dog at least twice her size, pumped her through the water. 

I fell in love with that sweet little puppy and so did everyone that met her.  She was one heck of a retriever for a five month old pup and just a pleasure to be around.   The night before I lost her she walked into my room, slowly made her way to my bed, placed her sweet little muzzle right on the edge, and stared straight into my eyes.  I crumbled and before I knew it she was asleep nuzzled up against me.