Essay 1 (Cause Essay)

KA-Splash!! A beautiful, blockheaded lab bounces through the cat tails and into the lake. His coat glimmers in the sunny fall afternoon as he retrieves the fallen mallards. To a duck hunter, there is nothing better than watching the lab he trained from a pup, hard at work. People have been training Labrador retrievers as hunting dogs for centuries. Of course they make wonderful family pets and absolutely love children but their one true purpose in life is to retrieve game. I have had the honor of raising Cash, my two year old chocolate lab, since he was five weeks old. Although he has proven himself as a fantastic grouse dog in the woods of Maine, he is ready for another challenge. I believe Cash will make a superb duck retriever for the following reasons: he can swim like a fish, he is extremely intelligent, and his physical attributes suit the sport perfectly.
It is obvious to most people that a good duck dog, has to be a great swimmer. Cash has this area down for sure. Of course labs are a breed well known for their aquatic skills, but my lab is above average. Since he could barely walk on land, he has been in the water as well. From a simple public boat landing on Pushaw Lake, to the rocky oceanfront found at Lamoine state park, Cash will not be kept from the water. He will retrieve anything I throw and even dive (which is somewhat rare) for objects below the surface. Of course sometimes he does get a little distracted and ends up coming back with a mound of green, slimy seaweed hanging from his jowls but for him that’s just too much fun to pass up. During the training for his new endeavor, his prowess in the water will prove to be a huge advantage.
Intelligence in a dog can be viewed in different ways. To me, the intelligence of a dog is shown by his listening capabilities and his ability to contain excitement. Of course like any dog, Cash has moments when he wants to do his own thing but for the most part he listens well. When told to sit and stay, he’ll watch his toys bounce across the ground and birds fall from the sky without moving a muscle. It’s pretty impressive to see his self control since I know the only thing he wants to do is bolt after whatever is out there waiting for him. Another sign of his intelligence is what hunters refer to as, “a soft-mouth.” This means that he knows the difference between play and work. While he doesn’t shy away from ripping a tennis ball to shreds, he will retrieve a bird without harming a single feather, every time. No tug of war, no thrashing around, just the prize dropped at my feet like an offering. I believe that his level of intelligence will make the entire training process go much more smoothly.
The lab has some natural advantages when it comes to retrieving, especially in water. One major feature is their webbed paws. These paws act as flippers, displacing lots of water, making labs powerful swimmers. Another, often overlooked tool labs use for swimming is their tail. Throughout history it has often been referred to as an otter tail and helps the dog steer itself through the water quickly and gracefully. A third physical advantage these amazing animals have is very light bone density. This allows them to stay afloat much easier than other dogs and save on valuable energy. The Labrador retriever is an all around unstoppable hunting machine!
Looking at the sport of duck hunting and what it involves, I feel it would be an injustice to Cash to not let him experience what his ancestors have been doing forever. Not only will it be an interesting challenge for me to train him but the memories created will be priceless. During the past couple of years, not only do I feel that I have taught him countless ways to be a respectable dog but at the same time he has taught me things I didn’t see coming. He helped me with ongoing lessons of responsibility and what it means to have man’s best friend! I’m sure throughout this training we will continue to teach each other.