Happy Birthday!

"Flies!" I exclaimed

"What flies?"

"Well might you ask, young man" I said to The Bestest Gundog in all the World yesterday.

"Certainly, the pigs don't - yet."

"Pheasants do... and partridges do too" he said "and ducks and woodcock and snipe... " he continued, warming to his theme.

"But rabbits don't; nor do hares" he went on in a puzzled tone.

"I've got it!" he suddenly exclaimed.... "only 2-legged things fly"

Didn't I say he was smart?

But not that smart.

"Humans can't fly and they've got two legs" I said

"How do you explain that?"

"Well" he said in his best let-me-think-about-that-for-a-moment voice.

"I've got it?" he said in a happy tone a little while later....

'This is a bit like mental retrieving' I thought to myself.... set him a puzzle and he works it out and gives you the answer - just like finding a lost bird or hidden dummy.

"OK you clever thing" I said in my best 'praising' voice.

"Tell me what you think"

"Well.......... if humans could fly they might get shot out of the sky.... and I don't think I could carry a human back to you!"

Definitely smart!!

"What a clever dog" I replied... in the way I always say it when he'd done something extra good "But actually, what I was talking about was time"

"What's that?" he asked quizzically

"It's what's been passing whilst we've been talking" I said

"But I didn't see anything.... and I didn't smell anything" he said, slightly confused.

"That's the thing about time --- it's invisible and doesn't smell and we only know it's been when it's gone"

"Pardon?" he said

"Don't worry" I said, because he does when he doesn't understand something "I'll explain it when I understand it myself. Meanwhile, it has flown"

"How do you know if you can't see it or smell it?" He asked

"Because today you are suddenly three years old and it seems like only yesterday when you first arrived here!"

"Ohhhhh" he said "I think I know what you mean..... and I know what three is too 'cos you always carry three dummies when we go out and about every day".

Now that is really smart - but maybe it's only learning by association after all?

Anyway, fact of the matter is it was Gunner's 3rd birthday yesterday....... How time flies......

And by the time we had finished talking about it it was sunset and time for dinner..... next to hunting, probably one of Gunner's Most Favourite Things........ and there were lots of really yummy bits in his birthday bowl.........
Happy Birthday, Happy Dog......