Maggie's Farm

A well-loved, loving, well-trained (but overly-exuberant as a hunter-retriever - could never train that excess out of him as some of my bird-hunting pals know) dog, dead at 13 after enriching our family life in countless ways. From a line of hunting Standard Poodles. Sad for the Bird Dog clan, leaves a hole. Many dogs in my life, and each one was the best pal. I train the heck out of them, and they repay it in all ways. Never needed a leash until he got half-blind and entirely deaf in the past year - responded to me, at least, promptly to voice, whistle, and hand commands until then, even if there was a rabbit to chase. 

That is Paco sitting watch over a napping Mrs. BD at the Farm a few years ago after a swim in our trout stream. Kept watch over all of us, I guess. Loved to swim with us at the Farm and on Cape Cod. Like all of us, a Cape Cod-lover who was invigorated by the salty air.