The Adventures of Zoey
Meet Zoey, a rescued middle aged mix of a short haired pointer, cattle dog, and pitbull who is now a fishing dog. It wasn't always that way. The first time Zoey saw a fly rod, she hid under the car and refused to come out. During one of her first time excursions out on the stream, she kept her distance with one eye always on the rods swaying back and forth and the other on any potential wildlife in the woods. That was, until we caught a trout. The commotion on the water caught her attention, the same way she goes berserk whenever a squirrel comes into view. Disregarding the nearby rods, she clamored over the rocks for a closer view and eventually a lick or two. With each subsequent fish, she became more interested and knowledgable about why we were outside and standing in the middle of a creek getting all wet and cold. Over the years, Zoey began to anticipate fish being caught, eagerly awaiting the next one while watching dry flies and indicators drift on or through the water column. She became less interested in her surroundings and more on what Katie and I were doing. Now, she recognizes fly rods not as a threat, but as a sign that we are heading fishing. She even watches rising fish and follows the river bank as if she is pointing them out to us. Zoey hardly ever leaves our side out on the water and is always there when netting and releasing a fish. She is officially a fly fishing dog.
