09/06/2026
On August 30, we lost our beloved Teal bug. I’ve tried to find the words to explain how much she is missed and how badly this hurts, but I can’t think of any that are enough for a loss like this. I can’t say her name or even think about her without crying.
I searched for over a year for a puppy with the qualities I wanted to begin our journey into the hunt test world, and Teal ended up being more than I ever could have hoped for. She exceeded every expectation I had for her. She was incredibly talented and driven. Her trainer talked about her on his podcast and fondly referred to her as “the little brown dog.” She had an incredible natural marking ability, and if there were bumpers or ducks to retrieve, Teal never wanted to stop.
She absolutely loved duck season. Duck camp was one of her favorite places, and she quickly became everyone’s favorite there because she was so well mannered and such a joy to have around. I was told she wasn’t too spoiled, but pictures showed otherwise.
As proud as I was of everything she could do in the field, that was only a small part of what made her so special. She loved playing with the kids and being part of whatever we were doing. She wasn’t just the dog I had searched so long for—she was part of our family.
There were so many things I still wanted to do with her and so many years I thought we still had ahead of us. That may be one of the hardest parts—knowing how much life we thought we still had left to share with her. She still had half her life to live.
I would give anything for one more day with our little brown dog. One more retrieve. One more time watching her play with the kids. One more ordinary day with her here. Just one more.
We were so lucky she was ours, even though we didn’t get nearly enough time with her. 🤎
