IF YOU HUNT or run dogs long enough, you are certain to have a similar story: A hunter kicks up a bird and takes a bad shot, resulting in wing-tipping or pulling feathers from a bird that sets its wings and glides nearly to the horizon. The dog, inconsiderate of whistle blasts, shouted commands, and the increasing frustration of the handler, takes off to chase. After a long enough period that the hunter/handler has grown convinced that both bird and dog are long gone and lost causes, the dog comes back, tired and battered, with a dead bird in its mouth. Had the dog obeyed a bit better, or had the demands of the handler held him off, there would be a bird out there still, possibly suffering, certainly resigning…
