Magnum 1

Years ago I had a black Labrador Retriever named Magnum.

The name was loaded with double meanings. Nothing off color mind you, but rather a tribute to my first shotgun and our favorite television show. Specifically, for our first Christmas, she bought me a shotgun that accepted magnum shells, and our favorite TV program at the time was Magnum PI. The name was an acknowledgment of how much we enjoyed both.

Its sad to say, she now says that she hates dogs. Even so, I can attest to the clear fact that she loved Magnum. When he was a puppy, she played with him every day. She taught him how to sit patiently with a dog treat balanced on his nose. He would quiver and shudder and go cross-eyed looking at the treat until she said "Okay." At the sound of that command he would flip the treat high into the air and catch it in his mouth. He never missed, and she showed off that trick to everyone that visited our home.

Later, I taught him skills more useful for duck and dove hunting, and he was my constant companion in the field. As well trained as he was in the treat-on-the-nose department, in the early days, he did have a tendency to wander if unrestrained and sometimes got a wild idea and run off into the fields and not return for hours. When he finally returned, his tongue was hanging out and his tail was drooping even though his eyes were bright with happiness. Eventually, he stopped running away, but it was maddening when he would break and then run through the trees where the dove were roosting, scaring them away from me.

I'm sure we have picture of him, but it was before the digital days. Even so, he looked alot like Monica, another lab that is part of our family. I couldn't find a picture of Monica so I inserted another one I like above just to get your attention.

©2006 David R. Childress. All Rights Reserved.