In Memory of Augie's Autumn Flight SH
AKC Senior Hunter
August 29,1994 - December 06, 2005
There is a reason they are called "Man's Best Friend".

It is with great sadness that I have to write this about a long time friend and companion. Augie, a dog who has been at my side for over 11 years has passed on. It grieves me to think I won't have him around each morning waking me up by licking my face or following me around the house during the day just so he could sneak an ear scratch or two. He was definitely one of the most loyal and friendly dogs I have ever been around. He was soft and gentle and happy to meet all the strangers that have crossed paths with unique and very special dog.

He was a very accomplished hunting dog. Sired by an AKC master hunter, Augie quickly became a skilled retriever and finished both his junior hunter and senior hunter titles before turning 2 in a very short year and a half. Although he was a skilled retriever and ran several master hunt tests before he was retired from the program, Augie's best hunting skill was upland game hunting, particularly for pheasants. He was a master at tracking and flushing roosters in all sorts of terrain and cover. He has hunted all sorts of game, including waterfowl, chuckars, hungarian partridge, sage grouse, forest grouse, and pheasants. He and his longtime hunting companion, Sprig, have traveled extensively throughout Utah, Idaho, and Montana for hunt tests and hunting opportunities, logging thousands of miles and potentially thousands of birds flushed. Anybody that has had the opportunity to hunt behind Augie knows his tracking ability for roosters was second to none.

As a dog trainer, I learned a lot from Augie and he was very instrumental with much of the success I have had with dogs since then. He was a big part of what I have learned as a dog trainer. I have trained countless dogs over the years but very few that were as smart and easily trained as he was. Augie was definitely as close to being human as a dog could get as his personality was not that of an ordinary dog. He was intelligent and he understood what I wanted. I didn't have to talk to him like a dog. He had an understanding that very few dogs have. I was able to communicate with Augie on a much higher level than almost any other dog I have trained or even been around. I am a firm believer there is a difference in the intelligence level of different dogs and I know Augie's intelligence was way beyond what most people think of when they think of dogs. I know I only scratched the surface of his abilities and intelligence.

Sprig and Augie were inseparable. They were never apart for more than a couple of hours their entire lives. They have protected each other from many hair raising altercations with raccoons and other dangerous critters and was always there for the other one in such dangerous situations. They always hunted side by side, including the very last day when they hunted grouse together with 2 of Sprig's sons. Augie was flushing pheasants in the yard on many occasions up to just a few days before his untimely passing. In fact, just weeks before he died, Augie flushed his last rooster from the backyard and had the opportunity to make his last retrieve on his favorite game bird just a few yards from where he has been laid to rest.

Augie will be greatly missed, but not just for his unmatched hunting ability but more for the gentle and friendly way he always greeted people. He will be missed for the way he gently nudged your hand wanting to be scratched. He will be missed for the way he was always at the door when I came home. He will be missed for how he always knew when I was opening the bag of dog biscuits. He will be missed for many things but most of all, he will be missed because he was a very close and important part of the home. He was family. He was more than just an ordinary hunting dog, he was a member of the household as he lived inside for most of his life, including the last 6 years where he earned more than my respect but my love. The house is a little emptier now and will never be the same without him. Me and Sprig miss him very much. Thank you Augie. The sadness of your passing will be erased by all of the wonderful times we shared and the memories I have of you. Until we meet again, goodbye.

Post comments about Augie or your dearly departed hunting dogs here.