WILDROSE ABIGAIL REGINA

By Emily Preece

13 AUGUST 2010 – 4 MARCH 2024

After reading an article in Forbes Magazine about Mike Stewart’s successful business of importing and breeding English and Irish Labrador retrievers here to the US, my husband contacted Wildrose Kennels in Oxford, MS early in 2010 to learn more.  We subsequently put our name on the waiting list and were notified in late summer of that year that we would be able to select a puppy from a Molly X Ruff litter that had whelped on August 13^th. The appointed delivery date would be October 1^st.

We’ll never forget  ‘Puppy Picking Day’ at Wildrose Kennels!  Our selection was a pudgy little black female with freckles on her tummy, that we named WR Abigail Regina.  The first thing Abby did right then and there was put her paw print on our hearts.  Later that afternoon, we departed Oxford and made the non-stop flight in our Cessna back to Abby’s new home in Kerrville, Texas to start what would be over 13 years of adventures.

Abby adapted quickly to our lifestyle, which included summertime motor home trips, and yearly winter visits to our home in Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. The topography and climate in southern Sonora, Mexico make it very suitable for bird hunting; and migrating white-wing, mourning, and Asian ring-neck doves frequent the many local ranches where sorghum and ‘maiz’ are the main crops. Water retention ponds and naturally growing mesquite provide the perfect field conditions for lots of world-class bird action. The dove season generously allows hunting from late October into early March. Local organizers do provide all-inclusive “destination” bird hunts for visitors, but Bill’s Mexican visa status allows him the privilege of securing a permit for both gun transport and hunting, so he and Abby had the luxury of enjoying a couple of outings per week south of town.

On those mornings there was a noticeable change in Abby’s demeanor. Once the hunting boots, gun, and gear came out from the ‘bodega’, and her initial tail-wagging excitement had subsided, Abby put on her “business” face and was ready for the drive to the fields. She always stood up in the rear (folded down seats) of the truck; paws on the console, scanning the early morning skies for the early fliers. Without any formal training, Abby still knew well enough what her job was. It was always extra thrilling to watch her run down a “cripple”, or bring back a “double shot”. Her nose did all the work, and it seemed her eyes never left the tip of Bill’s shotgun. The “bird boy” that would accompany them always had an easy work day with Abby doing all the retrieves.   

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When the day’s limit had been bagged, and the gun had been returned to its case, Abby knew her job was finished, and she could relax at Bill’s feet while he enjoyed a cold refreshment and light conversation with the rancher and his family. The 25-minute drive back to Alamos gave Abby some well-deserved rest time, and she would curl up in the rear seat and dream of the birds that had gotten away that day.

This was Bill and Abby’s routine for the past 12 years.  Abby “retired” on March 7^th, 2023; with 5,724 retrieves to her credit! The remainder of her days were spent in the comfort of our company, where we made sure she still had opportunities to indulge her senses. On March 4^th, 2024, Abby, Bill, and I made one last visit to her favorite ranch to place her in the shade of a grand old mesquite tree where she and Bill had watched thousands of birds fly. Her paw print is now tattooed on our souls, and we will always be grateful to Wildrose Kennels for the opportunity to enjoy such a faithful adventure dog!