Labs or spangles?

Which breed of gundog would you have by your side? Robin Scott, former Sportinggun editor-at-large

If the editor had asked this question 10 or 12 years ago I would have said spaniels, no hesitation.

Back then, I had a brilliant springer called Skye. She edged Sooty, the big strong Labrador that followed on, in almost every department. He didn’t dive and swim head down for pricked duck in the way she did, nor pull off such impossibly long-distance retrieves in the gathering dark of evening flight, or under the moon. She was incredible to watch.

But it wasn’t just wildfowl she excelled at. When Skye went to work on any ‘normal’ game day, things buzzed. Something always happened when she hit cover and started hunting. Sparks flew. And some.

But that was the problem; I’d come home from a day’s shooting utterly exhausted at the speed she worked. From the first whistle pip of the day to the last, I had to focus all my attention on her. It took its toll. At times I needed eyes in the back of my head to check on what she was up to. We were both hyper.

Losing Skye to a vicious cancer in her glorious prime was a devastating blow, but when Sooty took over I slowly rediscovered the very special pleasures of working with a steady-away Labrador.

For starters, my blood pressure returned to normal.

The big boy didn’t flush as much game as Skye on our wanders, but by working close in front, or walking steadfastly to heel, I could now relax… and enjoy my shooting at long last.

Wildfowl? The little spaniel would have resolutely dragged back a fallen goose across field or marsh, but Sooty lifted them as easily as a snipe and would clear a five-bar gate in his rush to get back. Another party trick was retrieving up to three pheasants at a time. And he loved salmon fishing. He twice retrieved fish that had thrown the hook at the net, and whenever I took a nap on a sunny bank he’d settle in alongside and wait until I awoke. Skye, on the other hand, would’ve gone rabbiting.

Sooty’s gone now but his son, (laughing) Sam, has taken up where he left off. Like dad, he’s a big dog, powerful and totally devoted. Because of this, I’m chilled.

What more could I ask?