Joe

He was the best I ever owned
But in truth he owned me
A setter pup from Flash and Pat
From their first litter of a dozen more 

Joe Prince gave me Joe
A weanling gift for Christmas
I’d got Flash for him from Bill Anderson
And Pat for him from Arthur Bean
She a daughter of Alamance Pride
Runner-Up to Hilmar for Arthur in the Eastern Open ‘76

Flash was line bred Commander
Dam a daughter of Flaming Star
Sire a son of Facia
Went to Joe at weaning
Ran loose a year like all Joe pups

Flash became the ideal gun dog
All who hunted over him agreed
Bird finder, conformation, style and stamina
Natural backer
Retrieved soft mouthed 

Joe had a littermate named Sal
Red hot trial derby for Roy Manns
Beat all the futurity winners
Then lost her tail from a shot fired to break her
Proved by X-Ray without doubt
Paul Harkrader owned her gift from Joe 

Roy thought Joe too would make a trial dog
But alas it would not be
He loved butterflies too much
Would not stop chasing them in training 

So, luckily for me
Joe became my faithful gun dog
Like sire Flash without a fault
White with light orange ticks
Sixty pounds and a personality to please

For ten seasons he hunted for me
On foot across Virginia
Before a horse at Oakland Club in South Carolina
Grouse in West Virginia
Pheasants in South Dakota 

He taught sons Scott and David to hunt
Gave me joy each time I loosed him
Never more than in his last hunt in his twelfth year
With Trey Rector in Sussex County 

At day’s end we put him down
With Trey’s best
For a sunset hunt to end the season
On his last cast he faded
Out of sight to the front

Down rows of felled corn stalks
We came upon him pointed
A mile from where last seen
He had the day’s last covey
I shot a quail to fill my limit
Bless you Joe you were the best