If you can read this and keep a dry eye, then you are not a bird dog person.

Old Tom
by
Gene Hill

“The vet told him that the old setter might live another day or so and that the humane thing to do would be to put him down. The old man brushed his mustache with the back of his hand so that his fingers would cover up his eyes and said he didn’t believe he was ready to do without Old Tom right now. Maybe in a day or so, but not right now.

So the two of them shuffled out to the car and drove off together. Now the old man had a problem. It was the middle of March and bird season was long since closed. But more than he had ever wanted anything in his life, he wanted the dog to hear one more shot and feel the whirr of one more flush.

March or no, the old man took a vigil near the swamp that night and marked down two or three birds as they came in to roost. And promptly at six the next morning, the two gentlemen marched down together through the morning mist, as they had done countless times before… and as one of them hoped they would do countless times again in some other fields.

The play was faultless. Old Tom drew himself up on point as proud as a puppy. The old man’s shot was as true as a youngster’s – and the deed was done!

At the vet’s a half-hour later, his last bird cradled between his front feet, his nostrils filled with the scent of what he had lived for, Old Tom went to sleep.

The old man lets him rest up on a hillside facing the western sun…old folks appreciated the late afternoon warmth. And on the slate that makes the spot he scratched “Old Tom: A Faithful Friend for 12 Fine Years.” On fair days when he thinks no one is watching, the old man goes up to the slate on the hillside and sits in the sun with a glass of whiskey and talks about times past with Tom.”

I, and so many of you have lived this story.

A good dog is a wonderful thing.

I hope I live long enough to get to be blessed with another one.

I had forgotten about Gene's writings. It brought a tear to my eye. Goat

Thanks for posting that.

I miss my 5 very good bird dogs...now gone to some place where the hunter never misses a shot and all the hunting is easy.

I also miss Gene Hill..!!

JUST THANKS FOR POSTING IT.

I,uhh, had to swallow hard a couple of times. Some of the finest days involve folks like you, shotguns and dogs.

Damn ya'll. I can't figure out why I read the sad stories that bring that knot into my throat... I guess that sadness is always accompanied with love and feeling that love of A Faithful Old Friend makes it worth the pain?

Very moving story.....I have a fantastic Gordon Setter and I really fear the day I have to bring him to final rest..

Amazing how attached one can get to a dog....or perhaps one is softened by age..?

I believe that may have come from Tears and Laughter. Gene Hill was one of the best writers ever to pen a story about dogs. He was also exactly the person you would have expected him to be from his writing. I had the privilege of meeting him and doing some work for him and he was a gentleman of the first order and he sure loved his dogs.

yeah

Yes, it did come from Tears and Laughter, but was originally published as one of his Tailfeathers columns in Sports Afield. (It was printed again in A Hunter's Fireside Book, which is where I printed the above copy from.)

I know Gene Hill's nephew, Steve, and his great nephew, Jason, is my son's best freind. They (the family) were excited when they found out that I knew of their uncle. I had to go to great lengths to explain that not only did I know who "Uncle Gene" was, I considered him the greatest American writer of outdoor-related, nonfiction of the last half of the 20th Century -- and that included "Papa" Hemingway!

Steve then made sure that when his dad, Gene Hill's brother, came to town for a visit, that I got to go meet him and talk about Gene. I got the impression that they really did not understand the stature that Gene Hill held among us "old time" outdoorsmen.

When I became owned by my first, I began reading The Retriever Journal. They had a column called "Looking Back" that featured Mr. Hill's writings. Upon his death, there was a tribute to him crediting him w/ one of the two greatest dog stories ever written.
"One" by Gene Hill.
The other, "The Road to Tinkhamtown" by Corey Ford. Both deep, extremely well written and probably only fully understood by Men who hunt with and truly love their dogs.
"One" is in the book Tears & Laughter
"The Road to Tinkhamtown" is in the book Cold Noses and Warm Hearts.
If you are a hunter that has ever been owned by a dog, you will understand and truly appreciate these stories.
P.S., Keep the Kleenex close by.

Life's interesting and intriguing if you pay attention ! After I posted earlier today I found the latest issue of the Retriever Journal in my mailbox. In this issue there is another reprint of the story I referenced by Mr. Hill. "One" . Great stories never fade or die. "One" IS far beyond great. Only true dog men will understand. Read it and you will understand, or not. This one is BLACK and white.

Thank you for the post. I lost my Mickey this year too but he too managed a final dove shoot. Amazing how they truelly are mans best friend...

Below are a bunch of not-so-random quotes from Gene Hill's writings about dogs. It's easy to see that Mr. Hill not only shared the connection we here do with our best friends, but possessed that rare gift of being able to express those feelings in print. Enjoy:

"Nobody can fully understand the meaning of love unless he's owned a dog. He can show you more honest affection with a flick of his tail than a man can gather through a lifetime of handshakes." GENE HILL, Tears and Laughter

"I can't think of anything that brings me closer to tears than when my old dog—completely exhausted after a hard day in the field—limps away from her nice spot in front of the fire and comes over to where I'm sitting and puts her head in my lap, a paw over my knee, and closes her eyes, and goes back to sleep. I don't know what I've done to deserve that kind of friend." GENE HILL

"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot little puppies. " GENE HILL

"It's not really important that Tip was a good dog to hunt over, but it is important to me that she was a good dog to be with. She was my pal. We enjoyed being with each other. I don't know that you can ask for much more." GENE HILL

"He is my other eyes that can see above the clouds; my other ears that hear above the winds. He is the part of me that can reach out into the sea. He has told me a thousand times over that I am his reason for being; by the way he rests against my leg; by the way he thumps his tail at my smallest smile; by the way he shows his hurt when I leave without taking him. (I think it makes him sick with worry when he is not along to care for me.)

When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive. When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile. When I am happy, he is joy unbounded. When I am a fool, he ignores it. When I succeed, he brags. Without him, I am only another man. With him, I am all-powerful. He is loyalty itself.

He has taught me the meaning of devotion. With him, I know a secret comfort and a private peace. He has brought me understanding where before I was ignorant.

His head on my knee can heal my human hurts. His presence by my side is protection against my fears of dark and unknown things. He has promised to wait for me… whenever… wherever — in case I need him. And I expect I will — as I always have. He is just my dog. " GENE HILL