Matt Liere: Manning up for the dog
Dear Cousin Cole,
Sounds like you’re having a fairly rough go, and I wish I had better advice to give. Life is funny that way – placing challenges and opportunities right in front of us when we least expect them. Sometimes welcome, other times not – but it’s how we handle those events and play the game that matters.
It’s really no different than hunting or fishing, Cole. You might get lucky and bag that trophy buck, or limit out on walleye every time you hit the river, but those results are far from certain despite the best planning, readying of gear, and compilation of hopes and dreams.
You might come home with legendary stories, or maybe only disappointment, but those aren’t any less valuable than the initial goal, and I think you understand that.
That’s the difference between you and others, Cole. Great men and women before you have faced such adversity, too. Shackleton in the ice. Amelia in the air. Hugh Glass against everything else. The challenges lying ahead of you will be equally substantial, both mentally and physically, but you’ll persevere. You always do.
Your current situation reminds me of your Grandpa Lyle and his old bird dog, Jake. That hound presented a lot of problems from the get-go, including several bouts of sprung-tail, as well as a penchant for pestering porcupines.
But none were ever cause enough for Grandpa to consider giving up on him.
When that “purebred” turned out to be more mutt than lab, better suited to harboring fleas than retrieving, he never considered upgrading. He’d set out to have a pointing lab and was bound and determined that was what he’d end up with, despite obvious deficiencies in the lineage.
He later discovered his dog was also gun shy, and could’ve quit then, too, as many others might have. Instead, he and his wife devised a homegrown training program to help their dog face this latest obstacle and overcome its disability.
Some told him it wasn’t worth the time, but Lyle wouldn’t hear it. He stuck by that old cur’s side, coaching and coaxing and loving him every step of the way until he was flushing and retrieving like the best of them. He may have never ended up with the pointing lab he’d originally dreamed of, but he did end up with a fine hunting dog, and more importantly, gained a lifelong partner.
When Grandpa’s wife died unexpectedly, no one comforted Lyle better than old Jake, who took it upon himself to heal from the outside in, curling up against the strong, burly man whom suddenly found himself alone one night after decades of companionship.
I suspect you are going to find yourself in a similar situation soon, one that requires standing up to find solutions and opportunities among potential obstacles. It’s up to you to be both the burly man and the bird dog, Cuz. It’s up to you to play the game the best you can. It’s something great men like you make look so easy.
Love you, Cuz.
Matt