A young MayBelle once retrieved a double-banded mallard that Davis had counted as lost . " She was a heckuva good girl ," he said .
MICK DAVIS ( 2 )
MayBelle retrieved three banded birds that day . It was the finale of a fantastic duck dog career . After the hunt , they motored back to the truck , and eased out of the boat . She couldn ’ t see well enough to jump out . On the ride home , she fell asleep in his lap . Years of memories came rushing back . It was a hard ride home .
“ Of all the hunts I ’ ve been on , it was the hardest ,” Davis said . “ You ’ re just a broken man when you see your dog going through something like that .”
Another week passed , and Davis couldn ’ t bear to see her go through it anymore . He took her back to the vet . He sat on the office floor with MayBelle and said his goodbyes . The vet staff knew her well , and gave her some food and pets .
“ I finally mustered enough strength to take her collar off ,” Davis said . “ When I took it off , I was crying so hard I couldn ’ t even see her . The vet came in , gave me a hug and told me he was sorry .”
After it was over , he took her home and went to a place where they had always hunted together . He dug a grave for her , made a sign and finished her final resting place . It was still duck season and very cold . Davis laid her in the grave and covered her up with soil and rocks . As the final stone rolled into place , two geese flew over — a fitting salute to a historic duck dog .
“ She was a heckuva good girl ,” Davis said . “ It ’ s easy to enjoy a dog while it ’ s there . It ’ s hard to lose one . And when they ’ re gone , you must do a lot of soul searching . They ’ re the best part of the hunt . When you know it ’ s the last hunt , that ’ s the toughest . She knew how to play every heartstring . There wasn ’ t a soul in the blind or boat that didn ’ t love her .”
Now , MayBelle is buried next to her favorite duck hole and forever faces the sunrise .
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