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We found Alie, a Yellow Labrador Retriever,  when she darted across a remote stretch of highway near Alamosa, Colorado. She was covered with mud and malnourished. We took her home, cleaned her up, and brought her to the vet to see if she had a micro-chip. After making every effort to determine whether she had been maliciously dumped or just lost, we came to the conclusion she had been abandoned. We decided to adopt her and haven’t regretted the decision for a moment. The vet said she was about twelve weeks old.

Every member of the family has developed a unique, special bond with Alie. She is very tolerant and fun-loving — despite our skewed notion of what constitutes fun.

Alie is very smart and needs to be challenged. To accommodate, I began training her for upland bird hunting and waterfowl hunting. She’s turning out to be a fine bird dog.

She is now about ten months old and is very sensitive to our daily rhythms. When I’m ready for a nap, so is Alie.

It’s true that a dog is man’s best friend (with the exception, of course, of his wife). But it’s especially true if you’re talking about his bird dog.