Man's best friend

As the March breeze blew a single goose feather across the winter-brown yard, the wing remnant became her temporary fixation. Two-year old Abbie, a chocolate Lab, lurched forward and nipped at the primary feather, twisting her head at the same time. She grasped it behind her canines, popped open her mouth and tossed it into the air, all in one fluid motion. The sunbathed black feather twirled once, muzzle high. She nipped at it twice more, trying to snatch it from the gentle air. She clutched it again before letting it fall to the ground. Wedged in the prickly grass, the feather twitched in the breeze. With the inspiration fallen, Abbie bounded toward a cedar tree to sniff out a roosting sparrow. After all, she is a bird dog.

The scene lasted only seconds, but the near-transcendental moment drew out time as if it were a slow-motion reel. It was one of those snippets when life seemingly stops and becomes firmly etched in my memory. It's times like those that make this single guy forget he's single, still searching for Ms. Right; makes him forget the home chores, the bills and life's other diversions.

Abbie will never be a field trial dog. She'll never fetch 300 ducks in a season, nor will she ever learn to drive my four-wheeler (though she tries when I take her for a ride). Her place in my life is one of an outdoor companion providing friendship no human friend could. Yes, I have friends -- Joe, Jody, Travis and others -- but Abbie's different. She once sniffed out a bobcat that ran away with my trap, leading me right to its hideout. For 10 minutes we'd played "cat and dog" in those woods, and it was a thrill to watch Abbie hunt for the wild animal. We soon recovered both the bobcat and my trap, putting an end to a heart-pounding chase.

Last winter Abbie and I bagged some Canada geese at a local subdivision pond. She plunged into the cold water and fetched the birds, demonstrating why her breed earns its retriever name. Little did we know that one remnant goose feather would months later bring another moment of excitement to two outdoor companions. Surely dogs are man's best friend.

Email Steven at sbender@showme.net