10/05/2022
BGK’s White Lighting “Smudge”
Sept 5 2015- October 5 2022
Words can’t express our pain. Smudge was a Champion to her very last day. The puppy that stood out in 3 litters. We tried not to keep her, she had white all over her face! We sold her to someone in TX as a hunting dog, at the last minute, a field trialer backed out on her puppy days before the puppies were to head home. I burst into tears as I realized, WE could KEEP Smudge. There was a twinkle to her that we couldn’t over look or let the white be the reason we sold her. Smudge began running as a broke dog just a little over the age of 2, and she was honest on her birds. We lost her, she went birdless, but if she got around with a bird, she placed. Also when she was 2, she gave us quite the surprise one day. We came home to fine BGK’s Big Surprise “Boom” very newly born in her kennel, carrying her for 63 days unbeknown to us, that in her tiny little 38lb body she hid a puppy from us.
Smudge began winning championships, the NVA Quail being her first coveted of win. It marked the begin of a wild 5 years of Smudge standing for her photo at nearly if not every single Championship she ran at. She and Jarrett had a telepathic communication on the course. They always knew what the other was thinking, at the end of her run, he would hold his foot out from the stirrup, Pat his leg, and Smudge would use his foot to leap up for him to grab her collar to ride back in, in the saddle. She won the NVA this spring, she was bred, and had the most amazing litter of puppies we have ever had, went back to exercise and the day after the puppies went home, we all went to SD where we trained and she ran for 90 minutes every other day, without fault. Never slowed, never weakened, always found the most birds for 4 magical glorious weeks.
We traveled to the Midwestern Shooting Dog, she ran, she pulled up short at 45 minutes. We both noted it odd, even commented, “that last 15 probably just costed the win”. She was named Runner Up Champion. With some pain in her back we assumed an injury kennel rested and pain meds for a week but she got worse. Took her to the vet, no fractures were seen, we were immediately sent to Mizzou (University). I left her there for the night, anticaping a phone call that her career was over and she had an expensive surgery upcoming and months of rehab. I never expected the call we got, and I have never so much wished for just a career ending injury. It was confirmed, Smudge had cancer on her spine in multiple places, she didn’t have long.
The hearts of a Champion thru and thru, Smudge, winning thru cancer. We are devastated, she was so young. We are grateful for the memories and for her 3
Very special puppies we have.
Run free Smudge, see Boots and Swagger over the rainbow, Bullet and Sig would love to run with you too, where there is no pain in bodies. Have the best Rainbow Championship like nothing else on earth.
Eat a bird, you can, it’s OK.