They need us
We need them
Dogs and humans
Mutually depend
We bond for sure
And no types more
Than bird dogs
And bird dog folk
We bond because we share
When we go forth
To search for feathered game
We share pure joy
Share the beauty of God’s earth
Of a bird dog’s energy and grace
A human’s dedication
To another living being
Why, we wonder
Do bird dogs want to please us?
To show us appreciation
For our attention to their needs
But beyond that
Might it be
Because they and we
Share a need to hunt
As primal as the need for breath
II
We start the share
With seek and shoot
But some seek more
Seek to prove my dog is best
For that man invented
Trials
A hundred fifty years ago
Soon human and dog shared a love of them
My bird dog is better than yours
Oh yeah, prove it.
From that though sprung Trials
The rules for combat devised quickly
Devised well
Proved by being followed long unchanged
At all levels
From all-age open horseback to on-foot amateur breed specific
III
Trials have often been threatened
By depression, war, recession
Loss of land and game and interest
But the bond of dogs and man have always saved Trials
That bond grows ever stronger
As proved by the pandemic
So, I implore you, fellow Trialers
Don’t give up on field trial culture
Whether you be a one dog on foot beginner
Or a wealthy quail plantation owner
Stay behind trials and trial bred puppies
We owe it to our canine friends to continue to improve them
Improve them by breeding only
Best to best each generation
It’s the proven way
To repay our canine friends for their devotion
And to preserve interest
The essential ingredient
For Trials survival
Support Youth Trials