A long long thyme ago.

Actually it really wasn't THAT long ago, 10 years, 3 months, 14 days, some minutes and a few seconds.  She was born.

 

Thyme. 

Not exactly a photo of her the day she was born, but I believe about 16 weeks later.  This is one of my favorite photos of her because my first Vizsla was gunshy (hello novice owner) and I was certain of one thing with Thyme (actually several things..but one of big importance) was that SHE would NOT be gunshy.

This was her first bird.  I think she could have stood there until the sun totally went down. I know I could have.  Who had any idea the day this photo was taken, what this girl and this moment would get me into...the memories we'd make together..the people we'd meet, the miles we'd travel, the sights we'd see, and the legacy she'd create.

It was a helluva long drive to bring her home (about 665 miles...11 hours...one way) but we took some good stops along the route and there have been THOUSANDS of miles traveled since.  She may have been born an East Coast girl, but Thyme has Kentucky roots and she fit right in from the get-go. 

Her first year was "interesting".  I made my inaugural step into the show ring handling my OWN dog, trained her quite easily (NOT gunshy) and handled her to her Junior Hunter title (not so easily), she severed a tendon in her front leg the night before my set of exams in pharmacy school, and she sat quietly and patiently by as I struggled with the heartbreaking loss of my first Vizsla.

She was a trooper!  Maybe I should rephrase that...she IS a trooper!  She HAD to be to deal with a two-left-footed show handler, field handler who stands in the middle of the field yelling her blooming head off to a dog who's OBVIOUSLY turned her ears off (I'm not sure she even brought them to the field quite frankly), and have the biggest heart to wipe away all the tears from the loss of Czardas.  Through the trenches, she has made me into a much more confident show handler and a better team player in the field...however I find I still need her heart, to wipe away tears and to this day, she has never failed.


There's some things a dog is just GOOD at.  For Thyme...those are just way more than I have fingers and toes to count.

Here she is 8 years at the same place the photo above was taken.

She could have carried that bird around ALL day.

And I could have stood there and watched her.

 

Some things a dog is just GOOD at!

 

 

Song of the day:  Katy Perry "Firework"