17/07/2024
We are heartbroken to inform everyone that Nash has unexpectedly passed away and is no longer with us. Last week I was working him in the creek behind our house and letting him retrieve some bumpers when an alligator fatally attacked Nash and pulled him under. I was standing just 20 feet away when it happened and there was nothing I could do. From the time I heard him yelp to the time he disappeared was 2-3 seconds and he was gone. He has been swimming and hunting in this creek his entire 7.5 years of life and we had no idea this alligator was hanging around so close to our home. He didn’t deserve to go out the way he did but he did go out doing what he loved.
Nash was one of the most loving dogs you would ever meet. He had no understanding of personal space and never met a stranger. If you were close by, he was going to come brush himself into you and get some sort of attention. You could shoo him away a thousands times and he would come right back for more petting a thousand and one. Nash was always happy and having a great time unless you were another male dog trying to come around his Stella.
It didn’t matter how early we left out in the morning or how late we came home in the evening, he would always greet us with excitement.
We can honestly say he had one of the best lives possible. From tons of memories with me and buddies in the duck blind, spending countless hours with all of his family always getting all the attention, miles and miles of buggy rides, all the treats he could ever want with an occasional cheeseburger slipped in every now and then. He got to see Kate and me bring our first son into the world. The day before the accident Clay was throwing tennis balls for Nash in the yard and sharing crackers together.
Retrieving a duck on the water was definitely his favorite thing in this world to do, but there was more to it than just that. Nash enjoyed every aspect of hunting. From riding 8 hours in the cab of the truck with the guys, sleeping in the bunk houses with us, getting up at 2 am to race to the hole, sharing honey buns and doughnuts waiting on the sun to come up, and the exciting boat ride back in after a great hunt. Even on slow mornings Nash could be found standing on the back of the boat to staring out through the blind and waiting for some ducks to fly in. He would be so worn out from three hours of walking through chest deep mud but still wanted more. He just had it in him.
One thing that really hurts is knowing our two sons will never get to witness Nash’s awesome work in the field and on the water. But, we truly feel he saved someone’s life, maybe not that day but he very well could have prevented a tragedy from happening in the future. I grew up fishing that creek and roaming the swamp for hours on end with friends and cousins. Had this incident not have happened then I’m sure our children would have done the same with their friends too. But, that will in fact not be the case and we have a whole new outlook on the area.
We kept a female, Delta, from our last litter. So we do have a small piece of Nash still with us and are excited to see the great things she will do. It brings us joy to know Nash’s legacy lives on with his puppies scattered all across the country from the east coast all the way to the California.
Nash truly was a great dog and there will never be another one that could ever replace him. His life was cut way too short but it was such a honor to be loved by a dog so true to his people. We miss him dearly and will hold tight to all the great memories together.
