Doing her big loop in an area that we call Valhalla, she was going to cut it short and head back, but felt that as long as she was out and about she might as well take the slightly longer loop through the trail in the field and then back – give the boys a little longer walk since she had not been out as often with the sore foot.

Bodi and Oliver, unlike Tucker, will try to go after anything that moves, seeing a lizard on the trail is dangerous as they will turn on a dime and lunge into the brush, certain that they will catch the critter – and actually never even coming close. Due to this, Nancy always keeps them on a short leash and works hard to keep them out of the brush – smart girl there. I, as men do, let them off leash and deal with the consequences.

Because we take the boys out on the trails so often, and we have seen Rattle Snakes, we chose to get both of the boys hooked up with the Rattle Snake Vaccine. Unlike what most people think – the vaccine doesn’t mean you don’t have to worry if they get bitten, but it does give you more time before the major damage hits, which gives you a better chance to get to the doctor before your dog is very badly messed up. We can’t tell you for certain that the vaccine made a difference – Tucker never had the vaccine, and never got bitten, but if it made this even 1/1000th easier on Bodi by having it – it was well worth it, many times over.

So, back to the walk… Coming down the trail Bodi spots something and dives into the brush – Nancy pulls him back and instructs “LEAVE IT”, Oliver, now at the edge of the brush while Bodi is being reprimanded, starts batting at something with his paws – doing his best cat imitation. Nancy looks at what he is swatting at and sees the tail end of a rattle snake, “beating feet” as they say, leaving the scene.

Nancy pulls the pups close and starts to check them out, all looks well, and due to the fact that neither dog yelped, she feels like she has dodged a big one and things are OK. Taking one more quick look, she notices what looks like a small amount of blood on Bodi’s cheek, and two puncture wounds. Bodi still hasn’t given any reaction that he has been bitten, and is still ready to walk.

Nancy heads back and has to walk the 2 – 3 hundred yards back to the Jeep, her first reaction is that she should carry Bodi – but walking 2 dogs kind of rules that out – and Bodi, at just under 60 lbs. is still a bit of a carry for 300 yards up and down hills, over the trails. Within a short distance, Bodi starts to slow – and by the time he is about 50 yards away, is very slow, and salivating uncontrollably.

Nancy calls me shortly after the bite and lets me know what has happened, I call the nearest Vet and am informed that there are no doctor’s there at the moment – and gives instructions to go to the Animal Hospital. I call our good friend, and Bodi and Oliver’s normal doctor, Dr. Berry and he instructs me that we should head straight to his clinic, Agoura Animal Clinic – he would notify same and since he was off that day, they would be ready when Nancy got there. We would normally head straight to Agoura Animal Clinic, but since they are about 3 times as far away as the nearest clinic – we tried the nearest first.

I was at the clinic waiting for Nancy when she pulled up, and I got Bodi out of the Jeep. He was quite out of it by this time, with drool running out of his mouth. I carried him straight into the clinic and Dr Kane had Bodi on an IV, had anti venom into him, and checked everything out on Oliver as well, just to be sure that he hadn’t gotten nicked at the same time.

At this time Bodi’s face was starting to swell slightly, but they were surprised that he didn’t look worse. Since Nancy got him there so quickly he was just at the very beginning of the swelling that we would see over the next couple of days.

Once they were certain Bodi had stabalized, they gave us the rundown on Bodi, informed us that since we would be watching Bodi closer then anyone else throughout the night, sent us home with Bodi hooked up to a portable IV unit.

Unbelievably, throughout this entire ordeal, Bodi has not yelped, has not growled, has not whimpered – he went through it like a real trooper, and the only time we heard even the slightest whimper from him was when we would nudge his face while working on the IV – or when he had to go out to go to the bathroom and was trying to let us know.

Bodi was placed on the bed hooked up to the machine, drugs running through his system, and he pretty much stayed that way all night, while I stayed up and watched him to make sure that he got his antibiotics and pain killers at the prescribed times. It was a very long night for me – and I am sure, twice as long for Bodi.

The swelling was going strong throughout the night, and as of now – 2 days later, it still hasn’t stopped, it has slowed a bit – but hasn’t stopped. The swelling has moved down his face, throughout his chest, down his front leg, has bruised throughout the chest and leg area, it’s unbelievable how it has taken him. As of now, 2 days later he has trouble even walking from the swelling, and still, not a peep out of him from the pain. His face swelling has come down a bit, but he still can’t eat regularly due to the pain and swelling.

Oliver has been as careful as can be, he hasn’t tried to play with Bodi, has stepped aside when Bodi comes through and has spent a lot of time sniffing his wounds, and licking his face and body. The toughest part was when Bodi was at the clinic and laying on the blanket while they attended to him, Oliver kept trying to slide over to sit and/or lay down next to him, always trying to be a part of everything Bodi is going through.

So now – it’s just a matter of letting the toxins run their course, letting his little body fight what is going on – and spoiling him rotten with our caring and love.

Weather was perfect, sun was low – good time to detox from the stressful week.

Slipped on the iPod and hit shuffle… The iPod seemed to know the mood and what was needed at the time – slipped into some Diana Krall, Van Morrison (from the Mystic Years), Jonny Lang and even tossed in a thoughtful “Tears” from Rush, 2112. The trails were empty, the music enjoyable without being too much – the detox worked, and the mind seems to be in a slightly better place.

Bodi, as he is growing more and more a part of our life, has learned to be a little less frantic back and forth across the trails and settles in a little closer to the hip, sliding back and forth, front to back as he checks things out, but always paying attention to where we are and getting stern corrections at a lot less.

Tonight he was perfect, kept close, stuck to the trail and even though I had the earphones in he kept the drain on my attention to a minimum… exactly what was needed on this walk. Bodi now knows our rhythm on the walks, whether it is a power walk or a thoughtful stroll, he picks up on the energy and melds into a good walking buddy, it really is the perfect tonic.

Anyone who has a sporting dog and doesn’t take the time to get away from it all and let the dog be himself (after teaching them the guidelines) is really missing out on one of the truly beautiful things in life. To watch one of these dogs in its element, muscles tensing and releasing as they pick up a scent, bodies moving effortlessly through the brush and over the rises, this really is a great gift to have and to enjoy, and I plan to never be without a “V” for as long as I possibly can.

Bodi was very lost the first couple of weeks after the loss, he really didn’t know how to act, didn’t pick up any toys, was always waiting for Tucker to be there and do his part so that Bodi could do the “second dog” thing, he still looks for Tucker when he comes in from the back yard. As the time has gone by, Bodi has opened up more and more every day. It is really strange, but I think Bodi must have spent a lot of the time that he had with Tucker just observing his interaction with us and storing it for future use.

Bodi is, and has been, since we were lucky enough to bring him home, an incredible little “V”, he is different then Tucker, not worse in any way, just different, and we have loved every bit of that difference.

Where Tucker was all about us, always paying attention to our every move and our energy, Bodi is a little more independent – always on the hunt, a little more aloof. When we raised our voices, even if by chance we were watching a sporting event on TV, Tuck would get worried, would leave the room and go hide in the bathroom – of course when we called him he would come running, his tail wagging, a toy in his mouth and talking up a storm in the Vizsla “Roo, Roo” kind of way. Bodi, in the same situations, will just open an eye, look at us to make sure all is well, and go right back to sleep, not in an “I don’t care” way, just in an “I’m really not going to worry, or get involved” kind of way.

But the really funny thing is, ever since Tucker passed on to that “Rainbow Bridge”, Bodi has been picking up more and more of Tucker’s traits, nudging our arms when he wants attention, getting in between Nancy and I if we try to get a little romantic, getting down off of the sofa when we are eating dinner to make sure he has the best view of any food that may come his way – all things that Tucker had mastered, and Bodi never was concerned with when Tuck was here.

Friends that knew Tucker for many years are commenting on how much Bodi is starting to act like he always did, in my office they say that if they look away and then back they swear that Tucker is sitting in his chair (yes. my boys have their own chairs in the office, and if I go into the edit bay I bring their blanket in so that they can be comfortable – although my partner thinks it is to save the leather sofa), when it is Bodi. Bodi is acting different when we take him to the park or around other dogs as well, whereas he was a little aggressive in his playing, especially around smaller breeds, he is much more mellow now, playing and running, but not nearly the “I’m a baddass” sound as usual, all things that Tucker always brought to the table… and now Bodi seems to be bringing forth as well.

I’m sure that a lot of it comes from the fact that all of the attention has swung his way, so we are acting different around him as well, different energy, but I also believe that Bodi was not looking to step on Tucker’s toes when they were together, he understood Tucker’s place in the family and choose to view it, not to overstep his place. Now that he has moved into that place in our lives, Bodi has assumed a lot of the characteristics that were obviously so important to us and Tucker throughout his life.

Don’t get this post wrong… Bodi can still be a BUTT-HEAD, but he is an incredibly loving, sweet souled, soft tempered, and smart, strong willed, BUTT-HEAD, that just seems to bring a little more “Tuckerness” to the party every day. May god bless all the “V”‘s of the world (and all the other great dogs as well) and may the loving soul of Tucker run through Bodi every day of his (hopefully very) long life.

Nancy and Bodi, bonding

Luckily we live in a slightly less populated area then most in SoCal, and this affords us the unique ability to just leave our door and be in the hills, away from people, and able to stretch our legs a little bit.

Bodi loves getting out and up into the hills, smelling all of the new smells, looking for new friends, or old friendships that need to be renewed.

Bodi is a hunting dog true to his breed, and down to the core, he thinks the most special thing in the world is leading us on little excursions into the brush as he sees a lizard dart off the trail, jumping at the chance to chase a bird, or a birds shadow at times, making sure that all in the immediate vicinity knows that this great hunter has entered their space and they should be fearful.

Bodi Terrorizing a Lizard

We, of course, try to reel him in when he goes off the deep end, we actually baby him to no end, worry that he will get into something he shouldn’t, work diligently to make him pay attention to us, all of the things a “Pack Leader” should do (at least in our minds).

One of our favorite hunting grounds is a water tank trail that is near our home, Bodi loves to get out there, criss-crossing the trail looking for critters, running back and forth, ahead of, and behind us… waiting for us to call him before he breaks off of the hunt. As we get higher on the trail, we get a great view of our little corner of the world and we can watch the sunrise or sunset from our viewpoint. The air is clean and cool in the morning, we can stop and give Bodi a little water and when he isn’t paying attention we can squirt him with the water from our water bottle.

Walking out here never fails to bring joy to all of us, working out, breathing the fresh air, we are all lucky to be here, be safe, and enjoy the good company of friends and friendly puppies that we run into up here.

Bodi, mugging it up for the camera

And Bodi, well he is off chasing something down, standing proudly on the rocks, letting all who pass know that he is the master of his domain, and the hunter extraordinaire…  at least until we call him back to reality and put him back on leash.

Bodi (in front) and Tucker out for walk

Bodi has been thrown for another loop, started a new family 6 months ago, now having his new best friend disappear from out of his life, then having to take the role of our canine emotional saviour.

Bodi is doing his very best, he normally is the happy-go-lucky boy that we are always trying to calm down just a bit, now he is much calmer, always stopping to look for what our next move is, looking for Tucker throughout the house and backyard frequently.

The toughest thing is when we feed him.

We had taught him right from the beginning that Tucker gets his food first and on his food stand, then Bodi would get his dinner in the kitchen – they eat at the same time, but even with Tucker starting first Bodi would always finish first and then stand by to clean anything out of Tuckers bowl that may be left (which usually was nothing).

Bodi sleeping in my office

Now we feed him at Tucker’s old food stand, and when we put the food down he runs back to the kitchen as he had been taught, and waits for Tucker to come in and start eating so he can get his food. It takes us a little while to coax him back to the food stand and convince him that it is his and he can start eating, he keeps stopping and looking around, sure that Tucker just hasn’t gotten there yet, and convinced that if he starts eating he will surely be in deep trouble – it is really quite touching, and slightly heart breaking.

Bodi is now the “man”, and we are laying a lot of love on him to help us to get through the pain… The wounds are still fresh and deep, the tears flow freely whenever we think or speak of Tucker, and I’m sure his little heart is feeling pangs of sorrow that his new-found brother has slipped out of his life and doesn’t seem to be there for him anymore.

We love Bodi with all of our hearts and we don’t plan on bringing another puppy into our lives for quite a while, we want more than anything to take the time to bond even more with Bodi, to not split our love with another dog, and to allow Bodi to become the very best Bodi that he can possibly be, we don’t want him to be another Tucker, that would be totally unfair to Bodi, and to Tucker’s memories, but we are excited to bring Bodi along to be his very best.

We took Tucker out on a hunting trial when he was but a wee young lad, and he found 2 Chuckers within… ohhh… 45 seconds, and the judge failed him, because he wasn’t crazy enough about hunting the birds, he actually paid attention to where we were in the field, he tried to stay within eyesight, all the things that we had worked so hard with him on, all the things that made him a great walking dog at the time, and an incredible walking dog now – those were the things that they failed him on, the judge stated “Whenever I let my Vizsla out of his crate he is frantic to go after the birds, he doesn’t think of anything else!”, what a wonderful way to make sure that your dog is only allowed in your life when you are hunting in the field, and choose to use him for hunting on that day.

Tucker is a fantastic hunter – if you roast up some fowl – he’s all over it, can pick it up from 100 yards away and is frantic, but still under control, otherwise, he will be laying out chewing on his toy and birds will land all around him, no reaction – unless it is a game bird, then he’s up and pointing, but still not frantic.

Now Bodi, oh man, he has a sniffer too die for, has hunting instinct that blows you away, and is always ready to hunt bird or bunny, night or day, whether you are ready or not. Taking Bodi out to the trails and letting him off leash is an exercise in frustration as he bolts off and goes after some creature…

AND I WOULDN’T HAVE HIM ANY OTHER WAY!

The beauty of watching him pick up a scent and lock into point, seeing him shaking with excitement at the thought of going after something new, watching him breath in all of the scents while trying to decipher the location, watching in horror as he dives head first into a bush without knowing what exactly is on the other side, how could anyone not love that, how could anyone not be fascinated by the idea that this is all in his blood, part of his DNA.

Bodi is getting better all of the time in dialing things down just a notch, he is trying to listen when we call him… he waits until the very last second, and then comes when he know that the next call is going to get him in trouble. Bodi is Beauty and the Beast all rolled up in one little bundle of excitement.

Tucker is, as we always like to say… Ferdinand the Bull, he knows what hunting is, he knows which birds are the ones that he is supposed to point at, he understands the excitement of finding a game bird, and he would rather stop and smell the flowers, chew on some grass, and hunt down any piece of cheese within 100 yards, and kill it good.

The Hunting Gene runs fast and deep in both Tucker and Bodi and just hits the surface in incredibly different ways, it’s funny, fascinating and beautiful to watch them both, and Nancy and I wouldn’t change either one of them for anything.

So all you birds, and beasts… Watch out for Bodi, and all you Tillamook and treats… Watch out for Tucker, they are both out hunting, and you are in danger of being caught at any moment.