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FT Ch Alderbrook Hayleigh 29/3/84
– 1/12/91 Sire: FT Ch Pointriever Smokin Joe Dam: RT Ch Walallan Sarah Breeder: R & S Benson
Hayleigh
was obtained from Russell Benson and was my first serious attempt at field training - as
her breeding suggested, she may be a suitable type. Consequently
many, many hours were spent following this small liver pup around many acres of the
country, shooting hundreds of birds and rabbits. Being a
novice myself, I was forever hopeful she may be special, but I was not in a position to
foresee the future. I spent many hours after dark, talking to people like Gus Stephens,
Ian Ramsdell, Mal Park and Laurie Phelan, and then, the next time shooting, putting into
practice information received By the
time Hayleigh was two years old she-had been to two duck Openings, and had literally had
hundreds of rabbits and a thousand quail shot over her. Something that had become very
clear by everyone that had shot over her, more than anything else, was her fierce desire
to find game. She was a relentless pursuer of
quarry, even when the paddocks were sparse of cover and scare of game, she would work
relentlessly to bring the game to gun. Her
ability to bring the game to flush was quite incredible - both in the speed and accuracy
of locating the game. Hayleigh
had three of the necessary ingredients needed for success as a field dog - desire,
temperament and the opportunity. Hayleigh
took me to four States, introducing me to many people who would become good friends,
obsessed by the some common denominator - birds, dogs and birds. Along
the way Hayleigh obtained her Field Trial Title, won a National Field Trial Championship,
two State Championships, was runner-up in four State Championships, and won many other
Club trials. She was awarded the GSP Club of
Victoria Field Trial Dog of the Year for five consecutive years, and won the Jack Thompson
Dunfrui Nicholas Award for the Best Retrieving and Field Dog on one occasion. You
can't buy them and you can't breed them, and they don't just happen. I believe they occur through a chain of events
assisted by their trainers, and as Charlie Ball once said 'you can't put in what nature
left out'. No doubt
there will be dogs better, and dogs not as good, but one thing is for sure - there will
never be one exact/y the some! In April
1990 Hayleigh had her one and only litter of pups to Tri Ch Fallohide Loki. And so
the process starts all over again .... Hayleigh
died on 1st December 1991 doing the very thing she lived for - retrieving ducks in the
rice fields of New South Wales - the victim of a snakebite.
A real danger for hunting and retrieving type dogs, which is unavoidable if they
are to be given the opportunity to prove their heritage. A very hard act to follow, Steve
Burke
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