Hunt 'Em Up Pete

You may recall a handsome foster dog we had the privilege of housing by the name of Pete. This boy came from rural Iowa and lived in an unheated barn in the dead of winter for a time while waiting to get into rescue. From rural Iowa he made it to urban Omaha and then landed in the Big Apple, New York City. That was a pretty big hop, skip and jump he made.

Pete lives a charmed life. From the hustle bustle of the city, door men, elevators and being treated to lamb chops on his birthday he wants for nothing. Well, except for a little hunting. He is a pointer after all. Living in the city just means he has to be more creative that's all.

He sees pigeons on his daily walks. To a huntin dawg a bird is a bird is a bird and Pete is a hunter. One must, city or no city, point at the birds when you see them. Pete's owner indulges him.

Imagine the scene, handsome pointer in the thick of city life. People hurrying by, buses, cars and cabs, noise and activity. People rushing, and yet, in that moment Pete is alone with the bird he is pointing at. Everything fades away except for his instinct and the bird.

For years he hunts and points the pigeons. Someone told him they taste like chicken. He wants to know for sure. Quietly, in the noisy city, he points and hunts. Until he realizes he must seize the moment. Now I want to know how many times he thought dangit...I shoulda....it was right there. I could almost taste feathers.

Until the day comes that the urge to seize the bird was greater than the joy of just the hunt. And seize it he does. Much to the shock of his owner, to the surprise of the passers by, and to the very dismay of the pigeon! Hold crap he caught one. And he was not about to relinquish it. Chicken, it's gonna taste like chicken!!!! Oh such a great day in Pete's life. Doing what he was born to do despite the unlikely hunting odds in the city.

I am certain there was quite a ruckus. Not to mention people going to work and saying, man, guess what I saw on the street today! Pete scored one for the Gipper, for pointers everywhere. And in the end he released it. The bird lived, the owner cheered and Pete beamed. Life is good in the Big Apple.