feigning injury

We entered field trials only once, when Starbuck was fairly young. It was a whole day event and it was difficult to keep him occupied until his turn to run as the smell of birds was in the air the entire time.

The event was not a competitive one, more just for the fun of it and to get the dogs (and hunters) ready for the upcoming season. A cart would take the judges upslope to the trial area and they would plant birds if necessary. They would radio down to the starter when ready. Two dogs and their handlers were sent out in each heat.

Starbuck was paired with a large Weimaraner and they both got out of the gate fast but the Weimaraner shot out ahead with its longer stride. He turned off and may have scented something not too far from the judges. The Buckster kept going and after a while, I wondered if he was going to come back, kind of like the scene in Chevy Chase's Funny Farm (3:20 into the clip).

The Weimaraner's find turned out to be the judge's cart, as the planted birds were formerly in it. Starbuck was out of the judges' sight but just as I caught up to him, he put up a covey of quail. He watched them sail off in a multitude of directions. He looked back at me and then toward the judge's cart but unfortunately, they weren't watching him. If I can anthropomorphize, he had a look of disbelief that no one (other than me) saw his prowess.

As we headed back downslope to where the judges were, Starbuck started to limp a bit and then more vigorously right as we got to the cart. I stopped to take a look at his affected leg and paw but couldn't see anything. The judges said to put him in the cart for the ride back to the starting line. I rode along to watch over him.

As soon as I took him out, he ran back to the truck, drank water from his bowl and started to play around the truck. I looked at his leg and paw once more and, again, there was nothing, nor any signs of a lingering limp. I began to wonder if he was actually feigning injury because of a) getting a free ride back, b) not wanting to participate, seeing as his find went unrewarded (he did get a biscuit) or c) there would be no implied shame for the majority perception of him not finding anything if he was injured in the process.

I guess I shouldn't complain, I got a free ride too.