People need to be fair and acknowledge the traits of their dogs, because, remember — they are man’s best friend.

In my adult years, my preferences had switched from a Pointer preference, because that was the one available, to that of English Setters, which in my opinion are among the most loving breeds of animals on this earth.

As for my dog Sport, I never did know exactly where he came from. To the best of my memory, my dad brought him home after finding him running loose in the country. He was a big dog and supposedly was to be a pet to accompany me on walks over our acreage located just off First Street, now an apartment development.

His favorite spot was right behind the barn that stood on the place and was planted in grapes, although they never did amount to much. They did harbor a lot of rabbits, which Sport dearly loved to flush out of their hiding places, after he had rested himself in his frequent naps.

Above the house, that has since been razed, stood a good grove of large trees that afforded a good place for Sport and me, plus a frequent friend, to hold our picnics. It was on one of those trips that I learned that Ben Salyer wouldn’t eat Pork and Beans out of a can. Something about the container tainting the contents once they had been opened.

Overnighter

During one of our trips to Cottner Ford on White River, there was a chance for rain that evening, so Dad and Ralph Hawk rigged up a used grain truck on the lot at Hailey Motors, complete with tarp, just in case the weather turned wet.

That evening our meal included beans on the menu and there was about half a can left over that no one had any thoughts of enjoying for breakfast the next morning. So, I thought perhaps Sport might enjoy them. He lapped them up out of a plate in short order.

During the night, it did begin the rain and the tarp being in place, I crawled down out of the straw bed, untied Sport from his stakeout and took him under the cover of the truck bed. A short time later, I was awaked with Sport having a hard time with the beans. He never again got any of those leftovers for his evening meal.

Sport also enjoyed a soda or Coke once in a while. Those were the days that J. J. Miller owned the drug store on the East Side of the Square and was a dog lover. So long as I didn’t abuse the trip, he would give me a bottle of my favorite, providing Sport got to finish about a third of the treat for an audience that was always assembled by Miller.

Trouble

The thought crossed my mind once as we were leaving the drug store, a car parked at the curb was obviously an out-of-towner. A window on the sidewalk side was partly open and a small dog spotted Sport and barked at him. That was the wrong thing for him to have done.

Sport put his front paws on the car, reached in the window, grabbed the dog, drug him out of the car, shook him about twice and turned him loose. The incident caused enough excitement that the people who owned the dog came running out of Walker’s Department Store and admonished both Sport and me. Mr. Miller saved our day, to the best of my memory by offering the people a cold fountain drink to salve their feelings. The little dog got nothing.

Hunter

This was about the time that my first shotgun was purchased, a Model 42 Winchester .410. The gun and a box of shells were mine for $25, the price that a Jersey bull calf brought me. That gun today, in good condition, brings just under one grand.

With some instruction trips to the Rube Fuquay place, later owned by Jim Fohn, between Cassville and Exeter, Sport and I would make the round of the place. Fuquay wouldn’t let anyone else hunt on the place, so the bob whites were plentiful in those days.

To my amazement, Sport knew exactly what to do around quail. He was about as staunch as any Pointer that had ever found birds for me. He wasn’t gun shy and would retrieve with a soft mouth. The trips there were highly enjoyable, with Dad dropping me off and then returning in a few hours after Sport and I had made our way around the acreage.

Moved

We moved for a short time to Kansas City where my Dad worked for a while, and Sport was given to a longtime friend, Bill Barber. He hunted the dog some and then one day he just disappeared and was never seen again.

Sport had a good trainer as a bird dog and a pet.

Bob Mitchell is the former editor and publisher of the Cassville Democrat. He is a 2017 inductee to both the Missouri Press Association Hall of Fame and Missouri Southern State University’s Regional Media Hall of Fame.