Jairkingsly Labradors

During the chilly autumn and winter months, Poppy and Jason discovered a new hobby that was all theirs, giving Poppy some quality time with Jason away from the rest of the gang. Living in the Cheshire countryside, pheasant, pigeon, partridge and duck shoots can be as common as a cuppa, they involve beaters, usually with spaniels. These dogs and their owner walk through woods and fields, flushing out hidden birds like pheasant and ducks. Then there are the “pickers-up”, a team of handlers with highly trained dogs who collect the shot birds. They stand behind the guns, watching where the birds fall, while their dogs retrieve the game. Now, I use the term “highly trained dogs “ loosely when it comes to Poppy. She had never bee trained to pick up or retrieve, so Jason saw these outings as more of a scenic stroll. If Poppy stumbled upon a bird and brought it back, it was a bonus! Turns out, she was quite the pro at finding birds other dogs missed, usually up a treee, though she also bought back the occasional dead rat or squirrel. One day she proudly trotted back to Jason with a pigeon, only for another picker to comments that pigeons can be a no go for some dogs as they do not like the feel of the feathers in their mouths. On another occasion she walked off to another dog who had retrieved a number of birds and proceeded to to pick one up and very proudly bring it back to Jason which was not embarrassing at all, the idea was there just not the correct execution!

Amidst all this fun, Poppy made a new friend, another black Labrador named Fred. Fred was a retrieval whiz, and I think Poppy picked up a few tricks from him. Fred’s owner Phil, loved to tease Poppy by hiding behind a treee and shouting her name, leaving her puzzled and searching for the sauce of he noise😂. Nothing was safe at home, she would pick things up, come close enough for you to see her, but not close enough for us to snatch it back, her tail wagging with glee and happy she had shown us her new skills.

While Poppy was out having the time of her life, Tilly and Lottie were holding the fort down. At home. Tilly was in her element, lounging on the sofa and occasionally keeping an eye out for Lottie. Lottie, on the other hand had taken the roll of my sous chef! With October being a but nippy in England I often found myself making a hearty chilli or stew, knowing they always taste better later. As I chopped and stirred, my little sous chef was right there front paws on the worktop, sniffing and gobbling up any peelings that hit the floor. Once our culinary adventure was complete she’d head to her bed and snooze like she had just completed an 8 hour shift! In later years letting her “help” wasn’t always the best idea, even when she couldn’t stand against the worktop she’d be there waiting for anything to drop, If it wasn’t something she shouldn’t have it was a race against time – everyone knows the 3 second rule right?

And so, we spent out Autumn and Winter months, usually around 4 months, in the mix of fun and games. Little did we know, nothing could prepare us for what was about to happen next!