This is Maya. Shortly after she jumped in the river, wrapped around my leader, and thus caused me to lose what I thought was at least a 16-inch brown trout that I had hooked on a dry fly.
Maya obviously feels no remorse whatsoever. I’m still kinda mad. But not really.
For the record, Maya is a Pudelpointer, which is not to be confused with all the designer “doodle” mixes of late. Pudelpointers were established in the 1800s, crossing pointers with German hunting poodles… they’re kind of cousins to the German shorthair… or wirehair. They don’t shed, they hunt like machines, but they are also the ultimate lap-dog lovers.
And Maya is, hands-down the best hunting dog I have ever had. She earned a perfect score in her North American Versatile Hunting Dog trial, and that girl has pointed and fetched more pheasants, chukars and quail in her four years than all the other dogs (springers, Lab, Vizsla) combined.
She’s an absolute rock star.
But she is awful on the river. Cannot contain the retrieve instinct, and I’m not sure I want to!
Maybe you’ve had a hunting buddy who was also a fishing buddy, and you’re lucky if you did (or do). I won’t stop fishing with her. I’m never gonna take the hunting instinct out of a great gun dog, just to catch fish. But maybe you feel different, or you are lucky enough to have a four-legged companion that does both with effect. I’m not so lucky… but I’m really lucky to have a once-in-a-lifetime bird dog (who will sleep at the foot of my bed tonight).
Wouldn’t trade her for a million bucks.