Page 116 - K9 News - Issue 15 - March2021
P. 116
Ch Enryb Singles Party (Frank) Photo by Ema Healy-Wilcock
www.thepopupphotographer.co.uk
HOW GOING GREY FULFILLED MY DREAMS!
ENRYB GUNDOGS
(Est. 1979)
by Jean Byrne
When I woke to the 6.00 am alarm on that sunny I relished the sight too, how my dog worked
October morning back in 2001, I was excited the land, using the wind, scenting and going on
and anxious, in equal measure, to embark on a staunch point when he came upon birds. “Hold
new adventure. I had for the previous five years that line,” the gamekeeper shouted. Suddenly
or so got involved in gundog training, attended one of the spaniels charged ahead and put up
some shot-over days and was constantly all the birds. I overheard lots of groaning and
learning what made my weimaraners tick. The cursing as the gamekeeper threw his cap on the
training, building and reinforcing the dog’s ground and stamped on it! My ‘grey pointing’
confidence, I hoped, would come to fruition. dog was sat still, looking up at me, waiting for
I was delighted to accept the invitation of a his next command. He hadn’t let the side down.
local gamekeeper to his recently set up shoot. He had an air of “We’ve got this, Mum,” about
I looked the part togged out in my new green him. I was delighted when we were asked to
gear, game bag and Le Chameaus. I couldn’t let assist with picking up and to search for runners.
the dog down. Our partnership was to be tested. After several retrieves, including a long swim
across a river I turned to a chorus of: “Not a
The shoot yard was milling with the old hands bad dog there, love, where did you buy him and
and their Labradors and Spaniels. They peered who trained him?” I told them, proudly,” I bred
in the back of my truck and I overheard one “Tommy’ and trained him myself.” My credentials
of them mutter: “Today should be fun lads, were beyond reproach and my acceptance by
we’ve a blonde and one of those grey pointing the group was secured. We spent many an
dogs for company.” I climbed into the beating enjoyable shoot day in their company. “Tommy’
wagon and off we went. We worked across became Ch and Irish Ch Enryb Christmas
stubble fields for the first two drives and then Party JW and won 15 CCs including two at
through crops, as the morning progressed, I Crufts, 2004 and 2005. The dual purpose
was aware the gamekeeper had observed my gundog became a firm fixture for Enryb from that
dog pointing pheasants, flushing and sitting on day.
command and sending the birds over the guns.
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K9 NEWS DIGITAL / MARCH 2021
