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| Stevie warming up to me after bringing her home |
Yesterday, the mother of the first two Muse Pointers litters passed away unexpectedly. We are not sure at this point what happened to Stevie, but she is no longer with us.
Stevie was added to the clan in 2011. There was ad for her on Southern Airboat. I called the owner and he said they had tried to make a hog dog out of her, but she wouldn't hunt. He ended up giving Stevie to me. Stevie's real name was Ann Marie Von Heidbrink and her original trainer nicknamed her "PV" (said peevee) because he said she was full of piss and vinegar. The original owner didn't like this nickname and began calling here Stevie. Stevie had an original owner who was an older gentleman that passed away when Stevie was just a pup. She was bounced around from home to home until the gentleman that I got her from ended up with her. He had a small yard, much too small for Stevie to stretch her legs in, and when she wouldn't hunt, he wanted to get her to a good home.
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| Getting some rope training, learning how to come when called. |
So Stevie came home with me, but you could instantly tell she was traumatized by some of the earlier events in her life. She was super-shy, and didn't want to come at first. She quickly became adjusted to life with the other bird dogs, but she was always a bit "odd" compared to the other bird dogs. I got Stevie for one reason and one reason only, to use her for breeding purposes. The owner had said she was gun shy and wouldn't hunt, but that the old man loved her and kept her around. He had told me that the old man would take her for rides in his golf cart and that she absoluetly loved it and was very close with the old man. I would take her out so often and load her up in my Polaris Ranger and take her for rides. She would snuggle right up next to you and put her paw on your leg. You could tell she had done it before.
Stevie became a mother at the age of three. I didn't know how she would react with her past as far as being a mother. Her background including some quality dogs, as her parents were both grand champions in the German Short-haired Pointer (GSP) class. She was outstanding in her role as a mother. She gave birth to two litters that we kept a puppy from each, Maggie from the first and Ruger from the second. Stevie was very good with her pups, but was also good with us handling them. She understood her place in the food chain all too well.
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| Stevie's 1st litter |
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| Stevie getting used to her whelping box for her second litter |
In recent years Stevie had sort of been "put to pasture" as I felt she had reached an age too old to breed, but she had earned her retirement, despite her inability to hunt. She was a bit stubborn at times and did not always care for her daughter Maggie. She would be overly aggressive with Maggie at times, but I simply think it was a domination thing, and she was letting Maggie know who was boss.
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| Stevie in her whelping box |
Anyhow, yesterday I came upon her in her pen, dead. I'm not sure if it was a heart attack or stroke or what, but she had been perfectly fine the day before when I fed them. My wife and I were completely taken by surprise. I buried her on my hunting lease yesterday afternoon. I've done this with most of my dogs, as I feel it's where they need to be laid. She didn't hunt, but we did take her out there and let her run and she loved it. The ol' girl I affectionately nicknamed "Mama San" is gone. Stevie, you will be missed. R.I.P. Stevie.
Muse Pointers
