Customer Reviews

A Rough-Shooting Dog: Reflections from Thick and Uncivil Sorts of Places

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I found this one by accident in the local library. The title was the flash of motion; the cover confirmed that this book was, indeed, something I should have been seeking; and a few minutes' idling through the first chapter snared my full attention. Fergus is a rare combination of sophistication, rural woodsense, and honest observation (within and without). He's the "thoughtful action" sort of character, intelligent and very much at ease in his chosen home, who so puzzles and disquiets our urban cousins who simply have no frame of reference in which he fits. His springer spaniel Jenny sounds like a godsend as hunting dogs go, but with enough flaws to keep her off any pedestal, and enough love of the hunt to keep her in the field. My father's long-gone springer spaniel Maxie was the legend around our pheasant-oriented household in Nebraska, so for me, Fergus's essays about his relationship with Jenny provide insight into my father's character. Of course this book will be wrapped under my dad's tree this Christmas. Not to be missed--just don't read it in July, with grouse season several months away.

If you have owned a Springer, enhance your enjoyment & memories with this wonderful read. A great book.

This was a great purchase, and I am grateful for someone who suggested this book in a review of another of Charles Fergus's books, "A Hunter's Book of Days". It relates this hunter's first year with his Springer Spaniel, from finding a suitable litter of field-bred pups, training, and several hunts of game-birds including grouse, pheasants, and ducks. A very enlightening, moving, and entertaining read (I had to laugh or exclaim aloud at various points.) I already purchased another as a gift. This edition has a new Preface written in 2006; the original publication was 1991.

I have read other books by this author. Most of them are autobiographical (mixed with practical hints about dog training and bird hunting). All are well written. This one is the best, I think. That relationship with his springer transcends the usual mush. The dog obviously was a paragon, the dog of a lifetime.
The reciprocity between the two gives the lie to those who claim that dogs have learned how to con humans into doing their wont.
The book is well worth reading. It will enlighten and grab you.

I read this book to learn something about training English Springer Spaniels. I walked away with a deeper reflection on myself. The Author shares his experiences during the time when he acquired his first Springer. He also shared with you things that where happening in his life (like the passing of his father) and the deeper understanding of nature that blossomed during that same period. A wonderful book and a great read.

My husband just realized his dream of owning a Field English Springer Spaniel. I bought this book as a birthday gift - HE LOVES IT