On his final hunt with Wettish , Chase retrieved a goose a third of a mile . Chase had a " beast mode " drive that stemmed from top bloodlines .
MATT WETTISH ( 3 )
Chase ' s registered name was Rebel Ridge is Quick to Chase Feathers .
seemed to recover , and then started acting ill again . Wettish rushed to the vet . “ How did this dog walk in ?” the vet asked . “ What do you mean ?” Wettish replied . “ Did you carry him ?” the vet responded . “ No . He walked in .” “ I can ’ t hear his heart ,” the vet said . His heart was so surrounded by blood that it muffled the heartbeat . Wettish asked the vet if it could be solved . He said it could be drained , but it would come right back . It couldn ’ t be stopped .
“ That ’ s no life for a dog ,” Wettish said . “ It wasn ’ t about me . Anyone who prolongs something like that for their own well-being is doing it for the wrong reasons . We need to think about these animals .”
In Wettish ’ s own words , he sat there with his head on Chase ’ s forehead and cried like a 4-year-old who had all his Christmas presents stolen from him . He thought about the 13 years of memories and knew it was time .
“ He was a goose-hunting beast ,” Wettish said . “ And he was my best friend . He would do anything . A relationship with a field dog is just different . I could stand at the edge of a 100-foot cliff , bring my dog to heel , put him on mark , tell him back , and that dog would jump — trusting me to tell him what to do is OK . That ’ s trust and drive . He was beast mode 24 / 7 .”
Of course , these dogs are what they are . We mourn the loss of one , and then start the process all over again . But as Wettish noted , we ’ re blessed to have them for the short time that we do .
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