I am Jack — Are You Chicken?

I have to say, this place where we are living is totally cool and I am so glad to be my humans boy.  I love it here.  I get to run and run and run with no fences for as long as I want.  She takes me on amazing walks through the palm trees and the swamp grass, and I find all sorts of critters to point out to her.  I am very good at my job and find all sorts of things that are important to point.

But she never wants to go get my discoveries…..and says “no bird!” over and over and over and over again!   What in the world is her problem?

I find these creepy brown lizards, and long squiggly snakes, and giant black bugs with 6 legs, and various little tweetie birds, and more lizards, and yet she is always telling me “no”.

I admit it’s discouraging.

Then the big day happened.

My human and I were out walking the horses to their pasture one morning.  I am a big helper in the morning.  Those horses rely on me to run ahead and make sure everything is safe, and come back and let them know everything is ok.  I am a good boy and a great scout, and I do my job well!  The two boy horses are particularly nervous in the morning, so I try to show them they should not be scared.  I ran back and forth, and back and forth, monitoring the whole way, and saw no threats.  We brought the horses to their day time place safely once again.

As she was locking the horse pasture  gate, the head humans truck arrived, and she stopped to talk to her.  I stood around waiting, but that was boring.  So I left, and went exploring.  I found many fresh, interesting smells, and lots of great new places to pee!  Then I ran all the way back up to the picnic area where she ties me up.  Every day after we are done bringing the horses out, we stop and give the pig a treat, then walk up to the big building.  There, she ties my leash up to the picnic table before going to get the chickens out of the little building.

Well guess what?

I was there, but she wasn’t.

Therefore, I was not getting tied up.

And those chickens were already out!

This must have been a surprise she planned just for me!

I was thrilled!

I ran to the chicken building where several birds were still sitting up high on sticks.  They started squawking and flapping their wings and making a big scene at me.  They just weren’t very interesting, so I turned around to see where the rest were.

Chickens were scattering every which way!  Big ones and little ones, white ones and brown ones, all screaming and racing in all directions and getting under things that I would not be able to fit under.

“Ah HA!  There is the one I need!  Right there!”  And I sneaky creeped over towards the big fluffy brightly colored bird with the spurs, and firmly pointed to it.

“This is the one she will want.  I know it!”  I thought, as I held my most impressive Pointer pose ever.

The big bird was crouched down into some grass and brush, and did not move.

So I inched closer, then closer, held my position and got a little closer, got right up to the frozen bird, and held my impressive Point position.

And I held it.

 

And I held it.

 

And it was such a very long time.  Maybe forever.

 

But I am pointing that bird.

For her.

And I am wondering where is my human to come and make it fly and then shoot it?

Finally that big bird started to make a strange gurgling noise at me, and it tipped its colorful bird head sideways at me, and then it started to stand up and do some sort of dance at me, and it flapped its wings against its body.

Oh yes, I am excellent hunter, but….

That bird looks kind of crazy.  I think he might be mad.

Where is my human, anyway?

That bird got closer with its gurgling, wing flapping dance, and I thought it was going to hit my nose.

I can’t be having any of that!

So, I took a step towards it, still holding my most impressive point.  That sent the bird into a fit of noise and flapping that I just had to stop.  My human isn’t here to shoot the bird, so I have to take matters into my own paws!

I went for that big bird.

It charged me.  It kicked me with its sharp claw foot.  Then it ran off toward the big building with me hot on its tail feathers.

I am an excellent hunter.  I will fetch that bird!

I chased it and chased it and chased it around the building and yard until I finally got ahold of it while it squawked and slapped at my face.

Finally my human comes around the corner and sees me with our prize.  I am so proud!  I got the bird!

But she is screaming at me “no, Jack nooooo! “  as she runs over to us.

Well……..WHAT?

What does she mean “no”?

I am not giving up this bird, I got it for her.  I am an excellent hunter, and a good boy!  I worked hard and waited months for this chance!  I got her this great big colorful bird!

But the look on her face makes me sad for what I’ve done.  As I am looking in her eyes with confusion that bird whaps me in the face again and again, and stings my eyes, and I lose my grip.  She is still screaming “no” as the bird pulls away from me and slides behind some bushes against the deck.  I am right behind him and I will get him again!  I get ahold of him again, this time by the back end, and he is squawking hard and flapping around and feathers are flying all over the place.

If he would just hold still this would go much smoother for all of us.

She is crying out “no!” and tries to get into the bushes with us, but it’s all too much action and I back out with the big bird in my mouth.  She is crying “give, give me the bird!”  And I am not sure I should let go since it is still so very much alive.

“Jack, GIVE!”  she commands, and I begrudgingly let the bird go.

It escapes her grasp and runs to the deck, and before I could get out from the bushes to go after it she grabs me by my collar and hugs me hard, crying “oh what am I going to do with you baby?”  I know, she loves me!  She is hugging me!  I am a Pointer and an excellent hunter!  But then she walks me to the picnic table and hooks me up to my leash.

Huh? But…but….

Game over.

I don’t know if she is happy or sad, but she walks over to where that big bird is hiding under a table, shaking tip to tail from his near death experience, and grabs it into her arms.

She is cuddling the bird and telling it she is sorry. She is saying, “Oh Big Boy, I am so sorry.”

Again, I say….”huh?”

It twists away from her and starts running again, and she calls out to other humans for help, and well, after that, she disappeared with them and that bird, and all I know is what I heard her saying much later afterwards.

She said things like:

“Thank God he has a soft mouth, or it would have been punctured to death.”  I’m not sure what that means, but I guess it’s a good thing.

She scolded another human, telling her to never, ever open the chicken house when I am loose, and that I can never ever be trusted around the chickens, ever.  Well, that’s entirely not true, I can always be trusted to point the bird, and even get it for her!

And finally, she said, “at least I don’t have to wonder how he will be in the field this fall.”  Oh goodness, did she have doubts?  I must work much harder to make sure she knows I am her good boy and I will point and fetch the birds for her.  All she has to do is shoot them.  Or…… not….actually……because,

 

I am Jack, and I am an excellent hunter!  Are you chicken?

 

You can read all about the adventures me and my new human PR are having together in the outdoors… I will write lots of stories under “I AM JACK” in her blog category, “Words From The Wild”.   I will be careful not to have many typos.  I am a good boy!  Please feel free to share with others who may find meaning and value in our journey together, and PR Brady AdVentures.