A new reason to find faith in man's best friend

Posted January 07, 2009 10:00 pm

Mike Jackson

Aside from my family, there are only a handful of things that always turn my light switch on.

One, of course, is catching big tarpon or heavy smallmouth bass. Another is working and playing with dogs.

Before you jump on the keyboard and send me a sizzling retort, I will explain up front that I do not like the vicious breeds. I'm talking about the kind that have that genetic breeding that forces them to take chunks out of the hindquarters of a human being.

When I was just learning how to walk, our family's house (apartment) pet was some kind of shaggy, white, lovable mutt that followed me all over the place and stood guard over my bed at night.

My introduction to the exotic breeds came when my parents took me to their friend's home in Niles and directed me to pick out a German shepherd pup that was around 8 weeks old.

Looking back, raising a potentially large animal like Skipper in a one-bedroom apartment was both an adventure and a foolhardy task, but we did it nevertheless.

Skipper quickly grew to become a family treasure. My father eventually took Skipper to reside in the family business in Chicago.

Skipper never forgot me, especially when I took him for long walks through treacherous neighborhoods. He easily put five young toughs up against a brick wall when they threatened my life.

We lost Skipper when fire ravaged the business early one summer morning.

We then had a steady succession of hunting dogs that became our companions in and away from the hunting grounds of far northern Illinois.

But it all ended there when I became a married man.

For the past 30 years or so, I have been vicariously living my love affair with dogs through my friends and oldest daughter.

The late Buck Sqauncho had two wonderful Brittany Spaniels that romped through the tall grass of central Illinois on our pheasant hunting forays. I cried with him when he had to put one of those beauties down at the veterinarian's office.

Buck then acquired Wrigley, a black Labrador puppy that looked more like a ball of yarn than a dog. From Day One, I bonded with Wrigley like glue.

Buck passed away while hunting geese in a nearby field, and that wonderful, loving hunk of fur never seemed to be same.

"Wrig" joined her master not too many years after Buck left us.

There was a great void in my life. I had to travel 2,000 miles to bond with my oldest daughter's Portuguese water dog.

And then photographer Mike Seeling decided to get another Chesapeake retriever pup, and thankfully the cycle started up again.

Ally was a Hurricane Katrina survivor that was rescued by some truly good Samaritans and brought north to Chicago. Seeling was doing an Internet search for "Chessies" when he saw the listing for Ally. The people who had the pup even drove to Seeling's home to initiate the link between man and dog.

It was a match made in heaven.

From the first moment I was introduced to Ally, I knew we would be pals. Ally went with us on numerous fishing trips on the Chain and into southern Wisconsin. She hunted pheasants with us and performed like a champ, under Seeling's tutelage of course.

And when I show up at the front door, Ally is there with that strong tail wagging back and forth like a windshield wiper on high speed.

The only problem with having a wonderful dog in your home is that sooner or later that close-to-the-heart pal will decide to go outside and then move on to the great beyond.

For me, it seems like these magnificent companions don't want us humans to see them take their last breath, so they go outside and spare us the agony.

One thing for sure, though, is that my life has been enriched by the animals we once raised.

What other of God's creatures offer unconditional love both night and day?

Just watching Ally retrieve downed ducks or sniffing her way through the brush on a hot trail of a pheasant is all part of a relationship that is pure and simple.

angler@mikejacksonoutdoors.com

Outdoors notes and fishing report Following in the steps of Pure Fishing, Shimano American Corporation is all set to close its deal to bring Innovative Textiles into its fold. Innovative makes the popular super-braided line known as Power Pro. Save the wetlands: Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever (QF) are urging members to sign the Petition to Save America's Wetlands that is part of the "We Are Wetlands" campaign of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP), a campaign intended to raise awareness for the importance of wetlands and clean water in our daily lives and show why this resource is now more at risk than ever. Fishing report Where's that traditional January thaw, you ask? The local bite has improved. Fox Chain: There has been excellent walleye fishing during evening hours on Lake Marie. Jigging Rapalas tipped with minnow pieces as well as straight minnow tip-ups are doing the job. Bluegill fishing is the best it's been this ice season, especially on Channel Lake right on the outside weed edges. Pistakee Lake yellow and white bass are very active in shallow water. Shabbona Lake: Look for decent crappie action in 8-10 feet of water. Small minnows, wax worms and white Mini-Mites are working well. Lake Michigan: If you want to try for perch, you may have to elbow your way to a spot at Montrose since the bite has considerably picked up. Wisconsin: The northern lakes in the Hayward area are prime for excellent crappie and bluegill action. Chetek-area lakes are decent for panfish. Closer to us, the harbors around Milwaukee are giving up decent brown trout on spawn sacks. Keep and eye on cable television Versus Channel for a new show with Babe Winkelman fishing one of those harbors and catching jumbo browns. • Mike Jackson's radio program can be heard Sunday from 6-7 a.m. on WSBC 1240-AM.

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