My buddy Zeke is my best friend. The most loyal friend a man can have, also one of the best pheasant dogs I've seen in my life. I've never seen him miss a bird nor have I seen him miss a downed bird. I once winged a pheasant and the bird was able to move and hide. Good old seek found the bird in what appeared to be a chuck hole. Zeke got that bird.
     Last month Zeke and I took a Nice trip to HIS hunting area. A 20 acre portion of private hunting grounds. A true mash up of golden rod, brush, open cut hay lot bordering a corn field with a funnel separating them and a small pond area. I describe the area vaguely for the reason that any true hunter already has the perfect image of what I'm talking about.
     Zeke pulled me many birds and a couple grouse. We filled our limit that day but by the end Zeke was sore and tired. My buddy has had a hip problem for about a year now.
     So I've come to the conclusion Zeke needs a hunting partner to help cut his work load in half. I plan to hunt still hunt Zeke due to the fact that its truly what he lives for. He loves the hunt from flushing to retrieving and everything in between. We'll be running short easy hunts next season until he retires.
     I'm contemplating the breed of the new pup, one that will be a great companion not only for myself but for Zeke. A team mate..
     Zeke is a Springer Spaniel. A flushing dog with a great temperament. I've been thinking of a pointer for a couple years now, however, with hunting one, or possibly two season together I'm thinking about what to get, another flusher possibly a Springer because I know Zeke will become a very useful teaching aid for the new pup.
     Any thoughts or opinions on this subject? Any advice would be quite helpful. Thank you so much for reading. Comments are welcomed and appreciated.