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F&S Classic: And I Do Not Walk Alone
And I Do Not Walk Alone
Bill Tarrant, Gun Dogs editor at Field & Stream from 1974 until his death in 1998, possessed a rare understanding of the canine mind and often wrote about the complex and curious relationship between man and dog. His total dedication to this animal led him to his most important mission—to end brutality in training—and his relentless assault on those who would beat or otherwise terrorize Pup has changed the face of dog training. Bill was so passionate on the subject that he often said, “People who train with brutality just don’t have much fertilizer in their plot.”
But Tarrant was no grim reformer. He delighted in the special world of dogs, dog trainers, and hunters, and for nearly a quarter of a century he entertained and informed the readers of Field & Stream with a “country-simple” approach that became a hallmark of his writing. It was a deceptively simple style that bore the touch of a master hand.
Bill Tarrant was truly dogdom’s poet laureate, and this article, his first, set the tone for all that followed.
W.C. Fields said, "I never met a drink I didn't like." Will Rogers said the same thing about men. I say the same thing about dogs. The way I feel, God proved His love of man when He gave him a dog.
I've been spun around by my fellow man, forsaken by loved ones, used and discarded by my friends. Man has a way of playing a game called "You play ball with me and I'll ram the bat up your left nostril." I've never met a dog similarly disposed.
I've walked cross-country in deep snow—late at night—and had the companionship of a dog that I didn't need to ask to come along.
I've sat alone in a sad house and cursed my fortune while the dog curled at my feet had a faith in tomorrow I could not find.
I've been hours late getting out a dog's feed pan and never heard a complaint.
I've yelled in rage to clear a room of man and beast only to see a few minutes later one black nose and two bright eyes poke around the doorjamb to scent the spell of the room. I but shifted in my chair and the rascal was in my lap. The men who cleared the room? They may never come back.
I've picked up dogs with broken bones and taken them to a vet. No pain could make a dog cry out to his benefactor.
I've seen children calmed at night with a dog on their pillow. There could be no better pacifier, no finer protector. I might sleep through whatever befell the child, or shy from an intruder. The dog would do neither.
I've seen dogs break ice to retrieve a duck, stand on point with a thorn in the pad, go down a 70 percent grade to corral sheep, chase a car cross-town to be part of a family outing, sniff out a warehouse while policemen crouched outside with pistols drawn, lick a sick man's feet, kiss a crying child's cheek, stare beseechingly at a mother's worried face, raise an arm of a dead-tired man who'd worked too hard to make ends meet.
I've seen men bury their dogs and not be able to stand up to leave the grave. And I've seldom known a man to mention a dog's parting.
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Comments (24)
keep the retros coming. as good as the current crop of writers are, the guys that came before left a legacy that is very hard to follow. tarrant is another of the greats. his stories always bring back memories of the wonderful dogs that have shared my blinds, game fields, home and meals. i've always thought that i liked dogs much better than most people and little has happened throughout the years to change my opinion. the only thing wrong with dogs is : they don't live as long as humans.
This writer is a bit before my time, and I can not speak for all his writing but this story is wonderful especaiily the last page describing the east slope vs. west slope hikers. This should be read in grade schools and evrywhere else because it is what so many have lost in there lives.
We like stories about hunting dawgz!
great story, but i thought it was hard to read- through the tears.
And who says grown men don’t cry....... PLEASE keep these stories coming, I’ve read them before but they never get old, it’s good to be reminded and put in our place about the things that truly matter
though i do not have a canine companion i thought this was a quite touching story
I remember Bill's stories back in the 70's and 80's...he knew dogs inside and out. And he knew how to appeal to us dog lovers. Keep these classics coming !
I remember that last day, Riffraff was 14 years old way past His expectancy for a large for his breed 70 pound German Shorthair Pointer. Born in Alaska and it was the norm to see him riding on the back of my ATV everyplace I went around Base and in the tundra, we were inseparable! But on that last and final night, I pulled his bed next to my bed until his final breath. On the way to the grave site, I carefully placed him on back of my ATV and drove slowly around the property for his final ride. My best friend, this tear is for you!
Hi,
isn't this story great?
it's at the beginning of Tarrant's book
Hey Pup Fetch It Up: A complete guide to retriever training.
This book tells how to train a gun dog and has great training and puppy photos. You can get it c/o Dog Lovers Bookshop at
New York City, http://www.dogbooks.com. They have some other Tarrant books.
I like that Tarrant loves his own dogs but knows everybody else loves their dog too, for other reasons.
Happy Trails,
Pat
When someone says you look like someone shot your best friend, I wonder if this saying refers to that bright eyed tail wagging ray of sunshine in the darkest day of your life
This is not a great story
It's actually about what we are really made of and how something someone has taken for granted can affect the way you live, feel and react
Before you say this is a great story again, pause and reflect on how and when something could be so insignificant to some has and can move you as much as loosing even a Child, Spouse or even a Parent
It's not a great story
It's a God thing!
This morning got thinking of Phil's (Blind)Hunting Buddy
Hi,
you are right, it is not exactly a story.
Tarrant knew so many dogs and saw all the things they do for us. He showed us little pictures of Rene and the other dogs that changed his life.
Pat
Pat
I just can't put it into words; but it's like painting a mental picture in words the essence of what Sportsmen are truly made up of
Let my German Shorthair tag around with me today even at work,just like a kid not being to bad, just enough to be a small pain with the Wife wanting some loving while she was working. Got home this evening and She hit her bed early tonight, SPOILED!
A few years ago we lost our German Shepard/Chow mix. Never seen another dog like him. And I probably never will. He was always gentle with children and would even let our kittens sleep on top of him. But when he saw a coon all that changed. Yep he killed his fair share of coons. He also brought home an 8-point buck one day, so we never knew what he was going drag in the yard next. His last few years were the hardest. He was blind, deaf, and had arthritis. One day he went into the woods and didn't come back. One of the worst days of my life. We found him and buried him properly.
R.I.P. Bud. I'll never forget you.
Great read. Love the retro stuff. I've never read any of it.
This reminds me of my first dog and how it hurt for him to go and how much it will hurt when my one year old go's.
AMAZING story.
Makes me remember all the dogs that have blessed my life.
Great story. Remember all the dogs that we have had. RIP Benzene and Cooper. Cisco is now blind and deaf, but no way we are getting rid of her until she is ready to go. Casey is getting up there in age too. We have loved all our dogs.
thats the most amazing story i think ive ever read. that hits the heart...hard.
This is the best story in this series so far. Dogs are #1!
thank you f & s for reprinting. it was roughly 35 years ago when I first met bill tarrant in the pages of your magazine. this story set me on a course for who i am and finding it here reunites me with a place i have not been in quite some time. i never forgot this article and the tears came just as easy tonite as they did so many years ago as a kid reading himself to sleep. the classic authors such a bill tarrant and gene hill have shaped so many boys to men with their writing that it is great to have these reprinted so that my kids can now enjoy them. Please keep them coming !
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keep the retros coming. as good as the current crop of writers are, the guys that came before left a legacy that is very hard to follow. tarrant is another of the greats. his stories always bring back memories of the wonderful dogs that have shared my blinds, game fields, home and meals. i've always thought that i liked dogs much better than most people and little has happened throughout the years to change my opinion. the only thing wrong with dogs is : they don't live as long as humans.
This writer is a bit before my time, and I can not speak for all his writing but this story is wonderful especaiily the last page describing the east slope vs. west slope hikers. This should be read in grade schools and evrywhere else because it is what so many have lost in there lives.
We like stories about hunting dawgz!
great story, but i thought it was hard to read- through the tears.
And who says grown men don’t cry....... PLEASE keep these stories coming, I’ve read them before but they never get old, it’s good to be reminded and put in our place about the things that truly matter
I remember that last day, Riffraff was 14 years old way past His expectancy for a large for his breed 70 pound German Shorthair Pointer. Born in Alaska and it was the norm to see him riding on the back of my ATV everyplace I went around Base and in the tundra, we were inseparable! But on that last and final night, I pulled his bed next to my bed until his final breath. On the way to the grave site, I carefully placed him on back of my ATV and drove slowly around the property for his final ride. My best friend, this tear is for you!
Makes me remember all the dogs that have blessed my life.
Great story. Remember all the dogs that we have had. RIP Benzene and Cooper. Cisco is now blind and deaf, but no way we are getting rid of her until she is ready to go. Casey is getting up there in age too. We have loved all our dogs.
though i do not have a canine companion i thought this was a quite touching story
I remember Bill's stories back in the 70's and 80's...he knew dogs inside and out. And he knew how to appeal to us dog lovers. Keep these classics coming !
Hi,
isn't this story great?
it's at the beginning of Tarrant's book
Hey Pup Fetch It Up: A complete guide to retriever training.
This book tells how to train a gun dog and has great training and puppy photos. You can get it c/o Dog Lovers Bookshop at
New York City, http://www.dogbooks.com. They have some other Tarrant books.
I like that Tarrant loves his own dogs but knows everybody else loves their dog too, for other reasons.
Happy Trails,
Pat
When someone says you look like someone shot your best friend, I wonder if this saying refers to that bright eyed tail wagging ray of sunshine in the darkest day of your life
This is not a great story
It's actually about what we are really made of and how something someone has taken for granted can affect the way you live, feel and react
Before you say this is a great story again, pause and reflect on how and when something could be so insignificant to some has and can move you as much as loosing even a Child, Spouse or even a Parent
It's not a great story
It's a God thing!
This morning got thinking of Phil's (Blind)Hunting Buddy
Hi,
you are right, it is not exactly a story.
Tarrant knew so many dogs and saw all the things they do for us. He showed us little pictures of Rene and the other dogs that changed his life.
Pat
Pat
I just can't put it into words; but it's like painting a mental picture in words the essence of what Sportsmen are truly made up of
Let my German Shorthair tag around with me today even at work,just like a kid not being to bad, just enough to be a small pain with the Wife wanting some loving while she was working. Got home this evening and She hit her bed early tonight, SPOILED!
A few years ago we lost our German Shepard/Chow mix. Never seen another dog like him. And I probably never will. He was always gentle with children and would even let our kittens sleep on top of him. But when he saw a coon all that changed. Yep he killed his fair share of coons. He also brought home an 8-point buck one day, so we never knew what he was going drag in the yard next. His last few years were the hardest. He was blind, deaf, and had arthritis. One day he went into the woods and didn't come back. One of the worst days of my life. We found him and buried him properly.
R.I.P. Bud. I'll never forget you.
Great read. Love the retro stuff. I've never read any of it.
This reminds me of my first dog and how it hurt for him to go and how much it will hurt when my one year old go's.
AMAZING story.
thats the most amazing story i think ive ever read. that hits the heart...hard.
thank you f & s for reprinting. it was roughly 35 years ago when I first met bill tarrant in the pages of your magazine. this story set me on a course for who i am and finding it here reunites me with a place i have not been in quite some time. i never forgot this article and the tears came just as easy tonite as they did so many years ago as a kid reading himself to sleep. the classic authors such a bill tarrant and gene hill have shaped so many boys to men with their writing that it is great to have these reprinted so that my kids can now enjoy them. Please keep them coming !
This is the best story in this series so far. Dogs are #1!
Post a Comment