Say Au Revoir to Language Barriers!

Americans who travel abroad for the first time are often shocked to discover that, 

despite all the progress that has been made in the last 30 years, 

many foreign people still speak in foreign languages. 

‒Dave Barry

I recently set up a Facebook group to help hunters outside of France find out more about the French pointing breeds. And that means there may be a language barrier between members that don't speak each other's language. Fortunately, there are some great tools available to help us overcome language barriers online.

Un homme qui parle trois langues est trilingue. Un homme qui parle deux langues est bilingue. Un homme qui ne parle qu'une langue est anglais. - Claude Gagnière

1. Use Facebook's 'translate' option. At the bottom of a post or comment, look for a blue 'see translation' link. When you click it, the post or comment is automatically translated. Keep in mind that the translation is computer generated so may only give you the overall gist, but it's better than nothing. If the 'see translation' link is missing, don't worry. For some reason, Facebook drops the service from time to time. One day it's there, the next it's not.

Quand on voyage sans connaître l'anglais, on a l'impression d'être sourd-muet et idiot de naissance. - Philippe Bouvard

2. Use Google translate. Here's how: 1. Copy the text of the post or comment. 2. Visit the Google Translate page 3. At the top of the page, choose the languages to translate between. If you aren't sure what language you want to use, click Detect language. 4. Paste the text and Google will automatically translate it for you.

Not only does the English Language borrow words  from other languages,it sometimes chases them down dark alleys, hits them over the head, and goes through their pockets. - Eddy Peters

3. Install a translation plugin or app. Browsers like Chrome, Firefox and others offer plugins or apps that translate facebook posts and comments. I've never used one, but I've heard good things about this one and this one.

The limits of my language are the limits of my world. ‒Ludwig Wittgenstein

4.  Learn! It's never too late to learn another language. I was a unilingual anglophone until my mid 20s. Now I also speak French and Italian and can read Spanish, Portuguese and (if I've had enough schnapps) a bit of German. So don't look at posts or comments in other languages as obstacles, think of them as opportunities to learn a new word or two.

Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going. ‒Rita Mae Brown

In upcoming posts, I will take a look at some French words that non-French speakers who are interested in pointing dogs should learn. In the meantime, here is a post I wrote a while back about the the word "Braque".



Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals

French Pointing Breeds in North America and Beyond

Did you know that France has produced the largest number and widest variety of pointing dog breeds? It's true. French hunters developed close to twenty different pointing breeds, and while some of them went extinct or never really got off the drawing board, 12 of them are still with us today.

Yet despite the large number of breeds created by French hunters, only two became well known outside of France. The Épagneul Breton (Brittany) is one of the most popular pointing breeds in the world, and the Korthals Griffon (wirehaired pointing griffon), is popular in some areas of North America and Europe.

Some of the other French pointing breeds have gained small but loyal followings outside of France. The Épagneul Français (French Spaniel) for example is relatively popular in Québec. There is an official breed club there and a small but dynamic group of enthusiasts have been producing solid hunting dogs, and achieving excellent results in hunt tests since the late 1970s. The Braque du Burbonnais has also been in North American for several decades and there is now a club for the breed.

But some breeds remain almost completely unknown outside of France. And that is a shame. I believe that the French produce some of the very best pointing dogs in the world and that dogs from their native breeds would be perfect matches for a lot of North American hunters. So in order to get the word out and help North Americans and others find out more about the French pointing breeds, I set up a Facebook group called French Pointing Breeds in North America and Beyond.

The group's goals are:

• To engage in an open, honest, and respectful exchange of information, expertise and resources.
• To promote the French pointing breeds as versatile, upland hunting dogs in North America and beyond. 
• To assist hunters seeking a hunting companion from one of the French pointing breeds find well-bred pups from proven stock.
• To provide information about the French pointing breeds, their history, clubs, current situations, availability etc.
• To facilitate the exchange of information between breeders, club members and hunters with French pointing breeds in France and North America...and beyond!

The French pointing breeds are:
Épagneul Breton (French Brittany)
Épagneul Picard (Picardy Spaniel)
Épagneul bleu de Picardie (Blue Picardy Spaniel)
Épagneul de Pont-Audemer (Pont Audemer Spaniel)
Épagneul Français (French Spaniel)
Épagneul de Saint Usuge (Saint Usuge Spaniel)

Braque d'Auvergne
Braque Francais (Gascony type and Pyrenees type)
Braque du Burbonnais
Braque Saint Germain
Braque de l'Ariege

Griffon Korthals (Wirehaired Pointing Griffon)

Extinct French pointing breeds and/or breeds that never really got off the ground:
Griffon Boulet (Boulet Griffon)
Griffon Guerlain (Guerlain Griffon)
Braque Dupuy
Épagneul de Larzac
Braque de Mirepoix
Braque Charles X

Notes: Posts to the group may be made in English or in French. Translation services beyond those offered by Google and Facebook are available upon request.

South Dakota Dogs!

A few weeks before my birthday, my wife asked me how I would like to celebrate it. We could have a big party at home, or we could travel to South Dakota to hang around with great people and great dogs. I chose the latter. Because I am a dog nut.

Midwest Tristate NAVHDA by Craig Koshyk on Exposure

Pure Copper Shot.

UPDATED 

In my previous post, I took a look at the various non-tox options available for hunters looking to go lead free. And one type of shot really stood out for me: pure copper. 

I discovered that French ammo maker FOB has been marketing an entire line of copper loaded shells called Sweet Copper since 2013 and another French company, Vouzelaud just announced similar shells loaded with copper shot and a bio-degradable wad. In Germany, Rottweil is now selling a shell called  "Copper Unlimited". 

In Italy, reloading website Siarm lists a product called "Real Copper". It is said to be made of 99.97840 % pure copper and is currently available in #3 and # 6 shot sizes for reloading. I also found a recipe on the same site for a 12 gauge test load composed of 28 grams of pure copper shot and 2 grams of B&P's MBx36 powder. Test results indicated that it produced a peak pressure of 750 bar and a velocity of 450m/s (about 1475 f/s). 

So I wasn't suprised to see that Italian ammo giant Baschieri & Pellargi are also getting into the pure copper shot game now.  Here's a company rep at an outdoor/hunting fair in Germany announcing their new 'Dual Shock' shells that contain a half-and-half mix of pure copper #6 shot and zinc-coated copper #4 shot. 

And here is a video of Dual Shock shells being tested in the fields of Argentina and the UK:

Naturally, with all the buzz around copper shot in Europe, I have to wonder if it will ever make its way over to this side of the ocean. But that brings up a whole slew of other questions. Here are a few I can think of, and my best guesses as to what the answers might be. 

Is copper shot approved for use in North America? 

I don't really know. But if I had to guess, I would say that copper shot should be perfectly fine to shoot wherever lead can be shot. But pellets made of pure copper are not on the list of approved non-tox lead alternatives. However, as an ingredient in shells combining different elements, copper gets the green light. Here are the percentages currently allowed in approved non-tox shot types.

• Copper-clad iron: copper cladding can be up to 44.1% of the shot mass
• Tungsten-bronze: can contain up to 44.4% copper
• Tungsten-iron-copper-nickel: can be 9–16% copper

Is pure copper shot toxic? There is no such thing as a completely non-toxic metal suitable for use in shotgun shells. So it comes down to figuring out which is the least toxic. And copper seems to have relatively low toxicity, especially when compared to lead. When copper is just one ingredient mixed with other things like tungsten, studies indicate that "the rate of copper release from tungsten bronze shot was 30 to 50 times lower than that from the copper shot, depending on pH".  And other studies indicate that the "mortality among mallards fed iron, copper, zinc-coated iron or molybdenum-coated iron shot was significantly less than in birds fed lead shot, and was not significantly greater than the controls."

I am sure there are many more studies out there, all of which undoubtedly reveal at least some level of toxicity, but what is important to note is that regulators in Europe, where environmental regulations tend to be far stricter than in the US or Canada, have determined that pure copper shot can be used where lead is banned. And that means they've chosen it (and other metals like bismuth and tungsten) as the 'least bad' alternatives to lead. 

Can it be shot out of a gun that is not approved for steel? I think so. But don't quote me on that. In terms of hardness, copper actually looks like it might fit the bill. It is harder than lead and bismuth, but it is softer than most of the others, including ITX (original) and Tungsten polymer, both of which were specifically designed for use in guns not approved for steel.

Copper is harder than lead, but softer than ITX and Tungsten Matrix shot

In terms of density, here is how it stacks up to some of the other options.

Copper shot is nearly15% denser than steel shot

And finally, what about price? Pure copper shot is more expensive than lead or steel shot, but, surprisingly, it can be as much as 3 times cheaper than other options. Here's how it compares on a dollars-per-pound basis (#6 shot).

Copper is more expensive than lead and steel, but way cheaper than all the other lead alternatives

I will leave it up to the reloading experts to figure out what a decent 20 gauge upland load would cost on a per shot basis since I have no idea what hulls, wads, powder and primers cost or how much shot you'd need of each type for a decent upland load. But if all the other components remain more or less the same, it seems to me that copper shot would be a relatively inexpensive choice for reloading.

So, will we ever see pure copper shot loads over here? Only time will tell.

UPDATE, December 17, 2015


An article with test results of 8 different pure copper loads appeared in a French magazine called "Armes de Chasse" (Hunting Guns) recently. I finally had a chance to read it today and here are some of the results.

NOTE: tests were done with a 12 gauge Beretta A400 with a 28 inch barrel and modified choke. The results in the magazine were given in metric, I've made approx. conversions to imperial.

Re Patterns: They ranged from 79% to 87% in a 30 inch (76cm) circle at 40-ish yards (35 meters)

These two loads are said to be safe to shoot in any gun. See my previous article "After Lead" to read about CIP's specifications for loads specifically formulated to reduce (if not completely eliminate) the risks of shooting them in older guns not approved for steel shot.

Brand: FOB
Load: Sweet Copper
Pressure: 683 bars
Velocity: 1204 f/s

Brand: Vouzelaud
Load: 28
Pressure: 778 bars
Velocity: 1272 f/s



The loads below are designed to be shot only out of guns approved for steel shot and having a fleur de lys proof mark (ie: able to handle higher pressures).

Brand: Rottweil
Load: Ultimate 34 HP
Pressure: 767 bars,
Velocity: 1299

Brand FOB
Load Sweet Copper HP
Pressure: 914 bars 
Velocity: 1300

Brand B+P
Load: Dual Shock
Pressure 1043 bars
Velocity: 1400

Brand: FOB
Load: Sweet Copper Magnum
Pressure: 767 bars
Velocity: 1100

Brand: Rottweil
Load: Magnum
Pressure: 1050 bars
Velocity: 1265

Brand: B+P
Load: Magnum
PRessure: 957 bars
Velocity: 1368


And finally, I came across an interesing tidbit in the comment section of the B+P youtube video posted above. A viewer asked: "...Will that ammo be available in the States??" and the video poster relpied: "B&P assured me that in 2016 the three cartridges of the Dual Shock line will be available for US market."

So, once again....will we ever see pure copper shot loads over here? Only time will tell.



Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals

After Lead?

When I hunt waterfowl, I shoot non-tox ammo, usually Kent steel and tungsten matrix loads. When I hunt upland birds or whitetail deer, I shoot lead ammo. But not for long. I've decided to switch* to copper bullets for deer hunting and I am looking for a suitable non-tox alternative to shoot in the uplands.

North Dakota rooster taken with copper-plated lead shot. Steel shot does not play nice with my Darnes,  so I need to find an alternative non-tox ammo.

Copper bullets for deer won't be a problem. They are widely available, and their slightly higher price is not really an issue since a box of 20 rounds will probably last me several years. But finding a suitable non-tox load for upland hunting is going to be tough because my go-to guns for grouse, woodcock and pheasant are Darnes. And the steel loads available to me here just don't play well with those sweet, sweet side by sides. So if I want to go lead free, I have to crawl down the rabbit hole of non-tox, non-steel shotshells.

Currently, my options are:

Kent Cartridge's Tungsten Matrix: By far the best stuff you can throw down-range. Period.  Unfortunately, the only TM shells currently available are stout loads of larger shot designed mainly for waterfowl, not grouse and woodcock.  Kent used to make a shell called "TM Upland" with a somewhat lighter load of smaller shot, but it seems to be discontinued.

Bismuth shells: Less expensive than tungsten matrix cartridges, and if you load your own, you can come up with decent load for smaller upland birds. Unfortunately, stocks of bismuth come and go as fast as a 17-year-old farm boy with a bad case of the trots at the local bordello. One day you see bismuth shells listed on the WhizBangMart website and the next day they are listed as 'out of stock'... probably because the company that made them switched to making stomach remedies for 17 year old farm boys with the trots.

Nevertheless, I am hopeful that Rio Ammo's new facility in Texas will start cranking out decent, affordable bismuth loads before the season opens this year. If they do, and if my Darnes like them, Bismuth will be my upland go-to shot.

Niceshot: Pack an awesome punch and are highly rated. Unfortunately Niceshot shells have the same 'here today, gone later today' availability as bismuth and, when they are in stock, have nearly the same buzz-harshing price tag as tungsten matrix.

Hevi-Shot Classic Doubles: Surprisingly 'in stock' most of the time at various outlets. Unfortunately, at over four bucks a pop, they are even more expensive than tungsten matrix and niceshot shells. Even worse, when tested against the competition, Hevi-shot Classic Doubles always end up in last place. Randy Wakeman concluded that: Kent Tungsten-Matrix wins, beating the pants off of Hevi-Shot Classic Doubles every time by no small measure. Bottom line, if I'm paying close to a fiver each time I pull the trigger, the stuff coming out the end of my barrel better be the equivalent of a fine single malt scotch, not Bud Light Clamato.

So is there anything else out there? Anything on the horizon? Well if you live in Europe, the answer is yes. Several ammunition manufacturers in France, Italy, Germany and elsewhere have introduced brand new shells with some very interesting loads. Let's look at the options:

Steel loads that they can be used in older guns. Realizing that there are still huge numbers of hunters using shotguns that were never intended to shoot steel, the CIP, Europe's governing body for firearms safety standards has come up with an interesting solution: create guidelines for steel loads specifically formulated to reduce (if not completely eliminate) the risks of shooting steel guns not approved for steel shot. The standard includes limits for chamber pressure, velocity, momentum and shot size. The goal is to ensure that steel shot marketed in CIP countries does not compromise the safety of "...the most vulnerable guns, namely old, thin-walled, perhaps poor-condition guns." You can read about CIP standards and how they differ from the SAAMI standards used in the US in this excellent article here.

So that means that almost all of the major ammo makers in Europe such as FOB, Rottweil, Sellier-Bellot, Fiocchi and many of the smaller firms (there are dozens of them) sell 'Standard Pressure' steel shotshells that are supposed to be safe to shoot in older guns. The loads are lower in pressure than High Performance steel loads but also have the same thick plastic shot cups designed to minimize barrel damage.

Now I can practically see your eyes rolling at the thought of a low pressure, (low performance?) steel load. After all, even the best steel loads, when compared to similar lead loads, can be anemic. So why the heck would you want to water them down even more? Well, if you hunt snipe and woodcock, as I and millions of European hunters do, there is no problem. Most shots are in the 15 - 20 yard range and the birds are not 12-pound late-season honkers. So low pressure steel shells are probably just right for that sort of game.

Mary Arm's "Steel 24" shells are fairly typical standard pressure loads.  Their 20 gauge shells contain 24 grammes (about 7/8 of an ounce) of nickel-plated steel # 5 or # 6 shot in a specially-designed wad. They are said to be safe for all chokes and have a maximum effective range of about 35 yards.

Non-steel loads. Tungsten Matrix and Bismuth Loads are available throughout Europe. And yes, they cost and arm and a leg there too. But there are also other alternatives that are available there, but have not (yet?) made it to North America.

Zinc/Tin. Shells loaded with shot made from a combination of zinc and tin have been on the European market for a while now. Available from Clever Mirage in Italy, Mary Arm, Tunet in France, and Sellier-Bellot in the Czech Republic, they are apparently safe for all guns and chokes but are only recommended for close to medium distances, about 30 yards max. They are more expensive than steel or lead loads, but not as expensive as Tungsten matrix or Bismuth.

Copper. Bullets made from pure copper have been on the market for a while now and are becoming more popular among big game hunters. But pure copper shot has not been offered in shotshells, until now. FOB in France recently launched a new line of shells called Sweet Copper (for some reason, the French love giving English names to hunting related products). Vouzelaud also offers shells loaded with copper shot, but they add a proprietary ACP bio-degradable wad.

Not to be outdone, Germany ammo company Rottweil also announced shells containing copper shot called "Copper Unlimited" (yes, they love English names as well). Available (so far) only in 12 gauge it is said to be a "... high-performance lead-free cartridge that rivals lead shot cartridges. The cartridges contain shot made from pure copper - copper is both heavier and softer than soft iron shot. The advantages to the sportsman include increased effective ranges of up to 40 metres and up to 15% more energy delivered to the target. This improves one's chances of success since more pellets can be put into the cartridge than with the same load weight of steel. In addition, the softer copper shot makes forest and field shooting possible again since the danger from ricochets is greatly reduced."

Copper is a sort of 'in-between' option. It is softer and heavier than steel, and lighter, but harder than lead. It is less expensive than tungsten matrix, but substantially more than zinc/tin. It will be interesting to see how the European market responds to copper shot and if it will ever make its way over to this side of the Atlantic. After all, copper plated shot is allowed here, so why not solid copper shot?


Bottom line: After reviewing all my options, there are only a few solutions. Here they are and the chances they ever happen.

• Give up shooting my Darnes. Never. Ever. Sorry. Ain't gonna happen.
• Win the lottery. One chance in a gazillion. Ain't gonna happen...but I will still buy a ticket.
• Move to Europe. I would totally be down for that.... about 10 seconds after I win the lottery.
• Cross my fingers and hope that bismuth ammo finally sees the light of day...at a reasonable price.

* My decision to stop shooting lead is a personal one. I've written about lead shot before and it is becoming increasingly clear that as hunters and stewards of the environment, we really should look for alternatives. And yes, I understand that there are people who disagree with me on the lead ammo issue, and that's fine. I am not out to convince anyone to stop shooting lead. Do whatever pops your airbag.

UPDATE: I was asked for more information on why I choose to go lead free in the uplands even though lead is still OK to shoot in many areas I hunt. Here's my answer:

The reasons that I am currently looking into non-tox and non-steel shot options range from strictly regulatory to purely personal. I've thought a lot about the issues involved for quite a while, and no matter how I slice 'em, when added up, they all point to a non-lead future for me.

On the regulatory side, I live in Manitoba, Canada. The laws up here mandate that I use non-tox shot for all migratory birds. So, unlike other jurisdictions where non-tox shot is only required near or in wetlands, when I hunt ducks, geese or snipe, even in a field or forest, I cannot use lead. I am allowed to use lead for woodcock (for now) but I often encounter timberdoodles in areas that also hold snipe (my favourite bird to hunt) and ducks (my favourite bird to eat), so I feel that I should at least make an effort to find a suitable non-tox load that I can use no matter where I am, or what I am hunting.

I also hunt a lot in the Dakotas. And while much of the hunting we do there is on private land were lead is still OK, from time to time, we do hunt on public land where non-tox is required. Of course, the easy solution would be to leave my Darnes in the truck and shoot steel in my steel-approved guns. But I really, really love my Darnes and I shoot them far better than my other guns (I am a mediocre shot on a good day, but in 2013, I went 14 for 14 on wild ND roosters with my Darne 20 gauge and last year I got 15 birds in 21 shots with my 16 in South Dakota). So if I can find a way to use my favourite guns, no matter where I am, or what I am hunting, I would be a happy man.

And finally, one of the greatest pleasure I get from hunting is sharing the harvest with family and friends. Every year, I provide duck, goose, grouse, snipe, woodcock and deer meat to people close to me, including young children. And that motivates me, more than any law ever could, to do my best to get lead out of the equation. After all, wild meat is the healthiest, most organic, free-range food under the sun. But running the risk of contaminating it with the residues of toxic metals just doesn't sit right with me, especially when there are less toxic options available.

So those are the main reasons I've been spending waaaay too much time online trying to find non-steel alternatives to lead shot. But, as already stated above, I am not out to convince anyone else to stop shooting lead. Do whatever is legal where you are and shoot whatever loads you want.


UPDATE:
Owners of vintage guns rejoice! There are now TWO brands of bismuth ammo on the market, and they are very competitively priced. I mentioned Rio's bismuth ammo, and it seems that at least some loads are now listed as 'in stock' on the Natchez website, but remain 'backorderable' on the Cabela's site. The 20 gauge shells I'm interested in go for $18.99 for a box of 10, or 17.99 if you buy 10 boxes (100 rounds), so just under two bucks a pop.

But there is a new kid in town, with a better price! Kent Cartridge recently announced "the rebirth of an old favorite" by introducing their new Bismuth Premium Shotshells. According to their website they have "... taken everything that was great about bismuth and made it better. Kent’s proprietary manufacturing technique produces bismuth pellets of superior integrity and ballistic capability. This shot is safe for the environment and suitable for use in fixed choke and high grade shotgun barrels".

Even better, checking the listing on the Cabela's website shows that the 20 gauge shells I'm interested in go for $15.99 for a box of 10 (just over a buck and a half a pop).  Yesterday, I called the Kent Cartridge office in Canada and the nice lady on the phone told me that Kent Bismuth shot will begin shipping to my local dealer in 'late spring or early summer'. YES!!!! It looks like my trip down the rabbit hole of finding decent, affordable non-tox, non-steel shotshells for my Darnes may be paying off.

Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals

Gone Too Soon

Yesterday I posted a sad note to my Facebook account. Lisa and I wanted to let everyone know that we were nursing broken hearts after the passing of our dog Henri. Naturally, I couldn't resist including a photo tribute. If you'd like to see it, just click here.

My wish is that Henri be remembered as a freakin hunting machine in the field and a mama's boy on the couch. He was a goofy, fun-loving, stud muffin Weim, who enjoyed more than one roll in the hay with some very special females. He was Silvershot's Pocket Rocket, named after the legendary hockey player Henri Richard. He was not his disease. It took his life, but it will not define him.

In this blog post, I would like to share some information on the specific health issues and challenges that Henri faced so bravely, until the very end. But please keep in mind that I am only doing so in an effort to explain the circumstances that lead to such a young, healthy, vibrant dog leaving us so quickly and far too soon.

At the beginning of February, we noticed one slightly swollen lymph node (about the size of a walnut) under Henri's chin. The vet's first thought was infection, so we treated with antibiotics. The node responded, shrank to about the size of an olive by the end of the 14- day course.

Then, a few days after stopping the meds, the node blew up to about the size of an apple. So back to the vet. He removed a piece of the very swollen submandibular node to have biopsied, and took a fine-needle aspirate of one of the prescapular (front of the shoulder) nodes as well. We also decided to do another course of antibiotics.

14 days later, the huge node had gone back to about the size of an olive and the prescapular node was so small it was hard to find.  And when we got the biopsy results back, they were negative for lymphoma! All they saw was just a ton of reactive cells. So we popped the cork on a bottle of champagne and figured it was a done deal. No lymphoma, just an infection that the meds would eventually take care of.

Fast forward a couple of weeks, after Henri had been off all meds for about 10 days. I noticed a bit of swelling in the first node again, and in a node under the arm pit. So, back to the vet. This time, just to make sure, he took another aspirate of the node under the arm and sent it to the lab. We also decide to try another type of antibiotic. And again, within just a day or two of antibiotics, the nodes started to shrink.

BUT...when the newest aspirate result come back, it said 'positive for lymphoma'. Obviously it is not the sort of news we were hoping for. But it is also a very confusing diagnosis since almost nothing that had happened up to that point was how classic lymphoma cases present. For example, cancerous nodes, once they get big, stay big. And they don't respond to antibiotics;  they don't shrink until they are treated with chemo. And besides, the first tissue biopsy of the biggest node and the first apsirate was negative.

In any case, we were now basically back to square one. So we did another biopsy, this time of a complete node. We also decided to do some imaging to see what was going on in the chest/gut area. Our thought was that if he did in fact have lymphoma, it might be something like indolent lymphoma, which is a relatively uncommon, slow-moving form of the disease.

The good news was that he was 100% asymptomatic. He seemed perfectly fine! He was eating, pooping, running and trying his best to hump our ancient, spayed 'life partners', Uma and Souris, just like he always has. 

Then, about three weeks ago, we finally got a definitive diagnosis based on the biopsy of the full node and an aspirate of another. It was not good. In fact, it was about as bad as it could be. Henri had T-cell Lymphoma.

Shit.

Naturally, as all this was going on, Lisa and I had gone over various 'what if' scenarios. And every discussion ended with the same decision: we will always do what is best for Henri, not what is best for our credit card, or for our work schedule, or anything else. So when we were asked if we wanted to treat the disease, and give him a fighting chance for another hunting season, we said yes. And when we were asked if we wanted the throw-everything-at-it-except-the-kitchen-sink version of chemotherapy (Madison Wisconsin Protocol), we said yes as well.

And for a little while, it worked! Henri handled his treatments like a champ. He was basically his normal self most days. Once in a while he seemed a bit tired, but with Henri that just means running at subsonic speeds instead of at Mach 1. 

Unfortunately, last week either the meds, or the disease (probably both), seemed to catch up with him. On Wednesday he started vomiting. A lot. On Thursday, we got his stomach under control with more meds and he seemed to rally. On Friday he was actually pretty perky. He ran around the back yard trying to catch squirrels with Uma and Souris after supper and then headed to bed at his normal bed time.

Then, just after midnight, the wheels fell off.

He was restless. About every 1/2 hour, he needed to go out, NOW, to poop. And every time he came back in, he was a bit wobblier than the time before, and looked like he had aged a hundred years. Around 5 in the morning, his breathing became laboured. He trembled in pain.

It was time to get him to the vet ASAP.

On our way there, things went from bad — but still treatable — to full blown catastrophe. A 7-year-old dog who was a bit under the weather only 12 hours prior suddenly looked and acted as if he'd been stricken by e-freaking-bola. I'll spare the details. They're horrific. But it was crystal clear that it was no longer a question of treatment. It was time to say goodbye.

Fortunately, we were able to get him into a wonderful vet clinic that I'm pretty sure is staffed by angels. From the moment we arrived they all treated Henri, and us, with a graceful compassion that we will never forget. They supported us, consoled us and commiserated with us.

And when it was time, they helped us guide Henri to the happy hunting grounds.

The tears we shed for our dogs

are good tears. 

They are made of

the unconditional love we receive from our dogs

and the love we give them in return. 

That's why we never run out of them.