Prickley balls!

 Shooting people will argue for hours about the merits of their dogs and the many ways in which Labradors are better than Spaniels and vice versa (there is even a sentiment - with which we obviously don't agree - which suggests that Labradors are born half-trained whereas spaniels - with luck - die half-trained!).

However, no-one would disagree that possibly the most prized attribute in any working dog is a soft mouth. Although both Labradors and Spaniels are equally blessed with the genetic and physical make-up which enables them to pick up and deliver their quarry without a hint of bruising, it is not a given that they always (or in some cases, ever) will. In the end it really boils down to what's going on the the dog's head - his attitude and character.

The Bestest Gundog in all the World has always been praised for his 'soft' mouth but even I was astounded with the 'surprise' he retrieved for me a couple of nights back.

The sun had already set when we went for our evening constitutional on Wednesday. Heading up the drive, as is our habit, I heard an odd yelping sound in the bushes and thought maybe the dog had bumped into the cat in the hedgerow. Moments later The BGiatW bounded up to me with something he'd found so I opened my hands to receive it from him and

"Ouch!" What the hell was it?

"Ouch" and "Ouch" again. The prickly ball just filled the palms of my hands - which were unfortunately gloveless. I wriggled my jacket sleeves down enough to take the creature off my skin. And took it home to show The Boss what the Dog had found. In a bit of a quandary - I didn't want to put it down on the ground because I knew it would just be retrieved - I decided to place it in a box of straw which I happened to have handy in the shed and put the box in the horse-trailer until we'd finished our walk -- when I thought I could release the baby hedgehog back to the hedgerow.

We resumed our walk up the drive.
Within a couple of minutes The Bestest Gundog appeared with another gift for me. Luckily I'd put my gloves on because it was another baby hedgehog. We turned back to the yard and I put it with its mate.
We resumed our walk again. We'd hardly gone 50 yards up the drive when yet another hedgehog was delivered to my hands - the Dog being truly delighted with himself by now. He ran panting alongside me as I took the third little creature back to the horse-trailer and put it with the others.
And off we went again. This time we managed a considerable distance before I heard another strange yelp; within moments a positively ecstatic young dog bounded up to me with a fourth baby hedgehog.  He was touchingly proud as he dropped it into my open palms, wagging his little tale as hard as he could and cocking his head from one side to the other as I marvelled at his skill in finding yet another prickly ball.
I haven't seen a hedgehog in the past 10 years and now I'd had four in my hands within a matter of minutes. I was totally amazed. I carried my prickly gift for the rest of our walk with my bouncy gundog alternately running beside me and dashing off into the hedgerow - presumably to see if he could find another.
Returning home we placed the 4th hedgehog in the box and, deciding to leave them all in safety for the night, I fetched them milk and cat-food. It was all gone the next morning. Three little balls had burrowed into the newpaper at the bottom of the box and the fourth was just having a little recce of his surroundings. Since they're nocturnal, I waited till after I'd walked the dogs the following evening before putting them, still in their box, back under the hedgerow.
Tonight, before our evening consitutional I went to check and, sure enough, all the hedgehogs had gone. But by the end of our walk I was carrying 3 hedgehogs! I'm sure it would have been 4 if I'd not stopped Gunner going off to find the last one.
It's no easy task to open a door when your hands are full of prickly balls but I put the Dog in the house and put the hedgehogs back under the hedge. And I hope that's the end of it. I've a feeling though that this could become a habit now that Gunner has the scent of them. If so, I'll have to take the little creatures away from their territory - and ours - to a place where they won't keep being retrieved!
The MOST remarkable thing about all this though is that Gunner has not a single mark on him from the hedgehog spines. He was carrying the prickly balls very, very gently indeed. Surely that must signify a truly soft mouth.