Gladly return your money!

-----Original Message-----
From: Gareth Cook

To: Bill Young
Sent: Mon, 17 Nov 2008 7:38 pm
Subject: Annie

I need to find out to whom our warranty on Annie runs. While she is a very good bird-finder, we think we have a warranty claim based on the fact that she is just too smart. I know that sounds like a favorable attribute, but in her case it may not be. Some time ago, she was tearing up something expensive in the house, so Janie decided to give her a chew bone and put her outside. Not being familiar with dog training, Janie did not realize that the dog would connect the destruction with getting a chew bone. Not good. Now you may see her running through the house with some prized possession of ours, glancing at us to see when the chew bone will appear. I have had sleep-depriving dreams in which Annie has commandered a whole cup of pens and is splintering them on the rug in hopes to draw our attention. It usually does, but too late to avoid major destruction.

Were I not a putative quail hunter (and I trust that the second life will free me from this bondage), I would make the warranty claim and rid myself from this creature that by sheer force of personality can make one think this behavior is cute and endearing. Alas, she is saved by being the best quail worker I have ever hunted with. If a person had 6 of her, he could hunt all day anywhere with anyone in any conditions or cover and be nothing but covered in glory. Ed Small said the other day that he thought (when we first hunted with Annie together) that she would never run big enough. I pointed out that Annie was then 4 months old and that I never had any such qualms As you predicted, she will "run to the cover" and if the cover is far away, you better get on your horse. Ed is now duly impressed. Our 4 year old grandson, Nathaniel, who knows that I go quail hunting, informs anyone who asks, if I am not in attendance, that I am probably out "searching for quail." My searches would probably not continue without Annie.

Since you are among the few that would understand this dog admiration (though conditional as it is), and since Annie and I owe all of her abilities (I'm not charging you with her criminal tendencies around the house) to you and your breeding program, I knew you would not object overmuch to this rant about a fine, fine dog. By the way, I think Annie is in the best shape, body-wise, I've ever seen her. I don't know exactly why.

Your demented bird-chasing friend,

Gareth
_____________________________________________________________________________________
From: Bill Young
To: Gareth Cook
Sent: Mon, 17 Nov 2008 8:16 pm
Subject: Horrible Annie

Gareth, I feel horrible about the terrible problems you are having with this animal from our breeding that is obviously creating major havok within your home environment . I fully understand your dilemma and want to assure you that the Lamont guarantee of "full return of the purchase price" remains well within the stated time limits ("so long as she is alive") ... so please ship her back to us ASAP and the return payment will be in the mail immediately. Incidentally, I am headed for my first hunt at Dos Jefes next week so please be sure she arrives before Sunday. If this is a problem ... I will be glad to charter a flight for her! Whatever it takes to make you happy, and see that she is here in time for that first hunt. Actually, I can go ahead and send you the refund now, in advance, if that will make it easier for you. Or, I can actually wait til monday to leave if that is better......whatever it takes to make me (sorry) ...to make YOU happy! Do I get the Garmin GPS also? I know she's accustomed to it! It might make her feel more at home. Sorry my friend ....(whee)!

---

A New Season!

The Texas Parks & Wildlife folks are forecasting a 'less than average" year in South Texas. Using 20 mile roadside survey lines, the Commission forecasts a mean rating of 6.58 for 2008 ... compared to last years 7.03 (which actually started out to be a blockbuster). Richard Solomon -- our 'man on the ground' at Dos Jefes reports the cover in good shape with lots of goat weed and ample sunflower (thankfully more huntable than last year's oppressive crop!) He reports seeing some large covies so we will find out for sure soon!

In North Texas ... Bunny Brown obviously has her 'High Point Blazen Lamont"' ready for the season as shown in this great photo from this past weekend! Click on the photo to enlarge ... what a great Dog shot!

The Loss of a Leading Lady

(Assosiated Press)

Anne Armstrong, one of the most prominent ranchers in South Texas, passed away July 30, 2008 in a Houston Hospice. Mrs. Armstrong was educated at the Foxcroft School in Middleberg, Virginia, where she was president of the student body and valedictorian, class of 1945. She received her bachelor's degree from Vassar College in 1949 and accepted an editorial position at Harper's Bazarre. Before reporting to work however, she visited her classmate, Helenita Kleberg, at her family's King Ranch where she met Tobin Armstrong, owner of an ajoining S.Texas ranch. They were married four months later. She moved to South Texas where she became a mother, respected rancher and quail hunter, but also served as an advisor to three Presidents, Ambassador to England, winner of the 1987 Presidental Medal of Honor (the country's highest civilian award), the first woman to deliver a keynote address at a Republican Natl. Convention, Co-chair of the Republican Natl. Committee, a champion of women's rights, and an avid hunter who loved her Brittany hunting dogs.

One night, my phone rang and Mrs. Armstrong introduced herself, saying she understood that I owned a top Brittany stud dog named 'Bo" that she had heard good things about. After some conversations, the arrangments were made. Beauregard De Lamont http://www.lamontbrittany.com/OurHistory.aspx?id=3
and her Brit female got together and produced what she later informed me were tremendous hunting dogs.

I only spoke to her on two or three occassions, but am proud to have had a brief contact with a truly great lady. Anne Armstrong will be missed.

Picking a Pup!

Call this week from a friend's grown son who was looking for a Brittany pup ('just like Gareth Cook's "Annie De Lamont"). We should all be that lucky choosing our first hunting dog! Everyone has their own ideas about that subject, but it did give me a chance to write down my thoughts in an email to him...

"I am a true believer in what a friend of mine used to say....'you' need to teach your dog 'english'. Gareth's dog is exceptional, but I happen to believe that, in addition to Annie's strong bloodline, that Gareth and his wife Janie were the difference. They 'lived' with that dog, talked 'english' to her and Gareth began with a strong knowledge of what a good bird dog should 'be' (even tho he did not profess to know anything about 'training') and Janie gave the pup love and security.

The key is 'exposure'....dogs are always learning something, good things, bad things. As long as you, and the other members of the family are consistent about what is expected of them, I believe that you can teach a dog virtually anything. I saw a dog once that would retrieve birds and then stand up on it's hind legs to put the bird in the owner's 'pouch' because he had a back problem and could not bend over. I spent time with a male that learned to retrieve a 'dime' that I would pitch out in the dark yard at night, even taught my pointer to retrieve ducks for me. It took time, but I gave them that time and talked to them in 'English'.

What you want to look for most in a pup is intelligence, desire and curiosity. I once read that Seeing Eye dogs are chosen for the job before training using a variety of tests, including searching for the source of a sound. Oh, one more thing, find a good training book and mentor.

Have fun....

Bill

More Spring Training

HighPoint Blazin' Lamont & Lady De Lamont

Some wonderful photos in the 'in box' this morning of Bunny Brown and Robert Barksdale's 9 month old Lamont pups out of Dolly De Lamont and Natl. Ch Bean's Blaze. They spent some time this weekend with these two young dogs and some pen raised quail. WOW! (may I have them back please?)

Amazing to see the amount of 'style' these juveniles have on point. A tribute to Bunny's very smart training techniques and good bloodlines.

Enjoy... (click on photos for larger view)

"Blaze"

"Lady"

SAY AMEN!

Finally....close to an inch of rain last night at Dos Jefes. From a lush stand of cover in October, we have experienced a brutal lack of moisture for the past few months. Last night's rain is not enough to call it a trend...but we will take what we can get.

Bill

Lamont Pups Update

Email today from Bunny Brown, Professional trainer and owner of High Point Kennels in Granbury, Tx with a report on "Highpoint Blazin' Lamont." "Blaze" was the only male from our most recent breeding of Hello Dolly De Lamont x NC/HOF Bean's Blaze (frozen semen). Until Bunny picked him up, Blaze was dominated by the two females in the litter and I was a bit concerned that he would have the agressiveness that would make him a winner. But after just 3 months at Bunny's? Stand Back!!!

"Mr. Blaze is doing well. Even though he handles great naturally I want to make sure he does it every time. Also every bird I kill for him I want to make sure he retrieves close to hand.

I lost him to the front this morning and figured he had birds somewhere and about that time here came 4 birds flying my way and Blaze chasing one across the next hill over. I will start work him with pen birds again tomorrow. I just love this dog. He is so gentle and loving. He even is gentle holding live or dead birds with never a hard mouth.

Take Care,

Bunny

http://www.highpointkennels.com/

Blaze had an exciting finish to the recent Quail season, both in South and North Texas and is now undergoing Bunny's wonderful development program... Bunny Brown is a professional. I trialed with her dad, a 1995 inductee into the "Brittany Hall of Fame" and she knows how to finish a dog, without taking away their style and enthusiasm. She lost a great one last year who was a very successful stud dog for the breed...

Tejas Iron Mike

4X American FC and FC/AFC RU-National All-Age Champion,

Winner of the U.S. Open Brittany Championship for 2003, and 2005

Also a surprise email from a friend of 28 years ago...Tommy Negrete, now living in New Mexico. Tommy owned and handled his 'self trained' winning bitch "HYDIE DE LAMONT" out of our first and founding stud dog, AFC Buck De Lamont x Jim' Royal Brandy. Back in 1980, Hydie was an incredibly exciting young derby with awesome speed and range. I remember watching her at Plantersville, Tx on the Houston Pointer/Setter grounds and she 'chewed the country up!". They could have run dogs for a week and not beat her! In fact, at a recent get together of Brittany owners, Hydie's exciting, but too short, career became the subject of conversation. Tommy lost Hydie at an early age but her memory is still alive...and Tommy says he still has one dog from the "Lamont" line and he is an active hunter. Thanks for the memories Tommy!

Winding Down

"I CAN HEAR HIM LOADING THE TRUCK!!!"

Quail Season 2008 is winding down and spotty late season reports are coming in from around Texas. Austin Annie De Lamont owner Gareth Cook called yesterday on his way back to Austin from South Texas, reporting that they had found the bird crop had taken a major hit so they wound up working the dogs on pen raised quail. Good news is that Annie adjusted to the change and stayed steady, even when the 'homeboys' were running around in front of her. Interestingly, we had driven over to San Antonio yesterday to attend the funeral of a dear friend and were having lunch in San Antonio at the time of Gareth's call with fellow hunter Jim Brown and his wife Judy. We talked for an hour or more, only to look up and see Gareth and his hunting partner exiting the same restaurant! Small world! Thanks to Gareth's wife Janie for the pix of Annie waiting to leave for the weekend!

Also two straight weekends of exciting calls from Robert Barksdale, with another report from his 'soon to be 6 month old' Lady De Lamont. Multiple finds and retrieves again. WOW!

Robert, and Gareth, are shining example's of how to develop great birdogs...take them hunting a lot and develop a line of communication...praise and correction. Both of these gentlemen (and I use that word in the truest sense) treat these dogs as true hunting partners, talking to them as if they are human and, in so doing, build trust and a strong communications link with these dogs. As the fine old-time trainer Ed Brown used to say....'you gotta teach 'em english!"



Meanwhile, Boogie Bear De Lamont was a touch less enthusiastic about his weekend, but sends along his congratulations to sister 'Annie' and niece 'Lady'!

Whoops! What happened?

After proudly posting about the amount of birds we have been finding at Dos Jefes this year...nature seems to be full of surprises. As more and more rumors surface of a bird 'dieoff' in areas of the state, and particularly South Texas...DJ partner Dick Nelson and guests had a tough time getting birds pointed this past weekend. Covies were there, but much smaller and the birds, in some cases, were not as large as just a few weeks ago.


Meanwhile, reports from Robert Barksdale, who's Lamont Brittany pup "Lady DeLamont" is just over five months old (YES!), had a tremendous weekend at a ranch midway between Falfurrias and Hebronville. Robert was full of excitement as he called on his way back to Dallas today, telling of Lady's many solid points and multiple retrieves. It is exciting to see such a talented young dog develop and I am excited that Robert is able to get her into a lot of birds during this important development period. Lady was the most aggressive of the pups out of Dolly DeLamont and Natl Champion Bean's Blaze and from the start, established her dominance over her siblings from the feeding pan to mom's faucets! I cautioned him that she would be a real 'handful', but she has developed into a very enthusiastic but responsive bird dog and at such an early stage!!! Congratulations Robert!

What a year!

I hear rumors of some quail ranches already closing down hunting this year for various reasons, including lack of birds....but we are having a banner year! You just need a Sherman Tank to get to the birds because of the cover!

The week of January 10-13 was an opportunity to join with some special friends, Pro Trainer Bunny Brown of HighPoint Kennels in Grandbury, Tx http://www.highpointkennels.com/ and one of Bunny's clients Robert Barksdale of Dallas, plus friends Gareth Cook and Ed Small from Austin. All of these are outstanding wingshots and they brought along some class Brittanys, including the other two pups from our most recent breeding of Hello Dolly De Lamont x Natl Ch Bean's Blaze. Plus, Ed had his outstanding Black Lab that was an amazing joy to watch. The weather was in the 50s and the wind was a factor much of the time, but we found an ample number of birds in spite of the cover. Ed repeatedly commented on the size of the coveys. He swears that two of them were over 30 (!) birds!

The real fun came in watching the 3 month reunion of Dolly's pups.....we 'gang' ran them on Jackrabbit Flats and it was off to the races. I was very proud of our Daisy, but Bunny's male, "Blaze" had the fastest and most impressive ground speed and drive for a large pup I have ever seen. Robert's "Lady" had matured a great deal since we watched she and Robert drive away in September and she shows a lot of class and desire.

Update: I'm posting this on Jan 21, sitting in Sugar Land with a lingering cough as I had to cancel my trip down this week with Gareth and John Murchison but the report was 12 covies found yesterday afternoon and 18 (!) finds this morning. A call a few minutes ago said there were another 12 covies found this afternoon! WOW! Plus, the good news was about Daisy, our 5 months old pup that sleeps at the foot of our bed every night. She was really running wide and had knocked a few covies in previous trips but according to Gareth, she found 4 covies this afternoon, with two of the finds that she held long enough for John and Gareth to down birds in front of her, and her to retrieve! DOUBLE WOW! There is nothing like seeing a young dog "get it"! Thanks guys...I am glad you were there with her.