Bird Dog or Mud Puppy?

Sydney and Mackenzie are 1/2 Brittany and 1/4 Springer Spaniel so they should be good bird dogs.

Syd likes to sit in the yard and watch birds in the bushes, but Mac seems to be more Beagle and usually has her nose to the ground.

Yesterday Sydney got her first bird. OK, it was already dead from flying into a window and breaking it's neck, but Syd found it on the ground, grabbed it and wasn't about to give it up. Rob had to lure her to him with treats and toys. She was going to keep her prize and take it apart to see how it was made. She also had no intention of sharing her prize with her sister.

When Rob had relieved her of the bird and brought her inside, she was all excited and jumped all around the place. We began to think she might actually be a bird dog afterall. Since we don't hunt and we discourage killing of the birds we lure to our feeders, she will not be getting much opportunity to practice her skills. Still it's nice to know that her genes are working.

This morning when we took them outside, most of the ice had been replaced with mud. They didn't seem to mind as they chased each other  around the yard. But when it was time to come back inside, we noticed that Mac was pretty muddy.

The problem with being a mostly white dog is that the mud shows much more than it does on the black long haired dogs. Syd  is showing off her new brown spots.

They both visited the garage doggy bathtub before rejoining us upstairs.

Fudge will get another chance for snow tomorrow night. He's still hoping.