My brother , Mark,  and my dogs, Turk and Ky, will be accompanying me to Kansas at the end of the month for the opening day of pheasant season. There will be something missing this year. My bother's dog, Grit, will stay home for the first time in 10 years.

It is another passing of the baton between dogs. My old German Wirehaired Pointer, Ren, was our primary hunting dog for 5 years until Mark brought home Grit. Grit was an unusually large English Setter pup and turned into a large dog. He sometimes wanted to fight with Ren but they hunted Kansas and Iowa for 6 years together before Ren retired.

In the years that Ren and Grit hunted together they figured out a way to pin running pheasants for a point. Grit would run wide about 150 yards ahead. Ren would quarter tight about 20 yards in front of us as we hunted. Birds that ran from Ren would see Grit and hunker down. We usually got several close flushes and great pointing and backing from the dogs at the end of each field. The dogs seemed to know this was the best way to hunt the fast running birds.

Grit always has had the good nose and the big range. He is a pretty , white ghost on a gray field when he casts about hunting. His tail circles in a "o" pattern when he gets birdy. The tighter he circle the closer, or larger, the bird. Quail and rabbit illicit a large circle. Pheasant a tight circle.

Ren would always honor Grit's points and help him with a retrieve of a shot bird. Grit was usually on the hunt for the next bird. Grit loved bird hunting . I talk in the past tense but we still take Grit out for released bird runs. At 13 years old he still loves to hunt but his body wears out after a hour.

Just as it hurt me to leave Ren and take Ky with me hunting, I will be sad to leave Grit behind this season. He has seen 60 pheasant rises and I know he probably dreams of those times.

The new Wirehaired Vizsla pup, Turk, will have to learn to work with Ky, the Pudelpointer, much as Ky had to earn hunt with Grit 6 years ago. It will be great to see both of my dogs in the 150 acre fields with the cackling **** pheasants. At least all three dogs get to run together n the fields around home.

I sincerely hope that my old dogs Comanche, the Irish Setter; Rebel, the yellow Lab; and Ren the GWP are hunting with my father in heaven. He knew them all but was too busy to hunt much before his untimely death in 1992. I also hope that Grit will be able to join his kennel when it becomes his time to go.

What's with these new regulations that cities are trying to pass to restrict ownership of non-spayed dogs? I personally have not encountered an overabundance of stray dogs in my area. My dogs have always been male and have always remained intact till they passed. Of course they were not allowed to roam the neighborhood. Any responsible pet owner would not subject their pets to the dangers of cars, poison, and mean-spirited humans while running loose.

Am I to guess that all dog owners are to be penalized for the irresponsible minority of dog owners that should not own pets in the first place. My dogs are rare breed hunting dogs that could be valuable for breeding stock. I have not bred them and do not plan to but I would like to keep my options open.

My Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla pup is on his way to becoming a champion show dog and hunting retriever. If he does attain those titles, I would wnt to share his genes with the breed. It is not about money but about the pride in sharing your life with a dog that becomes your friend and your hunting buddy. The fact that your dog's training and testing becomes an integral part of your enjoyment of travel and networking with other like minded individuals is an added benefit of dog ownership.