Booty Blevins – Tom Word

The Lucky Trade

July 26, 2026 | Booty Blevins, Short Stories | Comments

Truck tires were still rationed and mostly unavailable. The War was over in Europe but not yet in the Pacific. The first breakaway was at seven tomorrow morning at Pinehurst. Jess and Booty figured they could just make it if they drove all night. They did not know if they had a dog in the first brace but with six entered of a draw of about thirty Jess figured there was a pretty good chance they did. Read more

A Pup From Kentucky, Part I

June 1, 2026 | Booty Blevins, Short Stories | Comments

There is a long tradition of father-son apprenticeship in the pointing dog trainer-handler trade. Jake and Bobby were part of that tradition. Jake had been a for-the-public trainer-handler four decades, taught his son Bobby who scouted for him. Jake had turned his string and owners over to Bobby five years ago. Now Jake, age seventy, assisted Bobby with puppies and derbies, gave advice occasionally, sometimes welcomed, more often not. Read more

“Helpin’ Each Other”

September 4, 2024 | Booty Blevins, Short Stories | Comments

It was 1957, in the era before “Helpin’ Each Other,” when pro bird dog handlers scouted for one another out of economic necessity. It was in the era when pro handlers traveled in stake-bed trucks instead of dually pickup trucks pulling goose neck trailers, and in the era when scouts were mostly black men employed year around as assistant trainers by the white handler they scouted for. Those scouts were a band of brothers, low paid but loving their work and the dogs they scouted and helped train. Read more

A Dread Problem and a Solution

July 22, 2024 | Booty Blevins, Short Stories | Comments

Sam Teel and Booty Blevins had been partners ten years, never had a fight. They argued some about how to fix a problem, but each knew that was healthy. They didn’t make much money, but loved what they did for a living, training and handling pointing dogs on the field trial circuit. In their day there was just one circuit, for shooting dogs were yet to be a separate circuit, formally. Sure, there were wide dogs and short dogs, big country and less big, major trials and weekend trials. Read more