Radicott Delilah

In Memoriam

Radicott Delilah

I am going to open this tribute to Sheba by saying that “She taught me all I know”, as Sheba for the first IWS I tried to train as a gundog was no way easy! At the time it was hard work as Sheba knew far more than our gundog trainer and definitely more than her very green handler.

Sheba was bred by Jill McAree of the Radicott Kennels, out of her bitch Witch, who from what Jill has said, Sheba had many of Witch’s talents?

Going back to the training it was an education for both Jack (gundog trainer) and me. When we were discussing what to do for the next retrieve, when we did it was as though Sheba had understood what we were talking about, and when she was sent out she did exactly what we had planned including

Sheba (left) with daughter Teasel

stopping, at the point when I was to blow the stop whistle, looking at me and then back to the dummy and bring it back to me. This carried on in the weeks to come, including jumping fences going in to the rabbit pen on blinds!! She always knew what we had planned, so we started trying to change what we did, including not talking in front of her, I would blow a stop whistle to direct her else where, and the look she gave me was unreal she would toss those brown curls as much as to say “you can swallow that whistle, because I am going this way!!.

We did manage to compete in some gundogs tests; she won some and was placed in others. She could always think of something different to do, like on one of the test’s she did, we were stood on one side of a fairly steep bank, which ran down to a ditch then up the other side of the bank it went up on to a track, this is where the blind (the dog has not seen this dummy) was under a tree. Also on that far bank was a man with a gun who was to point the gun and shoot at the dummy. So under judges orders Sheba was directed to wards the tree, off she went on a lovely line towards the dummy, Dummy collected, she stood just for a few moments and looked across at the spectators, Judges and myself, just to make sure everyone was looking at her, she then made her way back down the bank towards the man with the gun, she came straight through his legs, still with the dummy., back over the ditch to give me the retrieve, much to the amusement of the crowd and judges. We also did a field trial, unfortunately the trial had to be abandoned later in the day due to very bad weather and not enough birds, but fortunately not before Sheba had her first retrieve. We were taken up a track in the wood to where a bird had been shot earlier, we were asked to stay on the track and told that a bird had come down on the left hand side about 60yards up the track, the land dropped down from the track quite sharply, I was told to send Sheba by one of the judges and when she went away the other Judge followed her, I stopped her on the whistle and directed her down the bank, I could not see her now and knew it was all left up to her, the judge who had followed her, was looking down to see if he could see her, when up she came bird in mouth behind him, she stopped and looked at him, he turned to see her, she tossed her head as much as to say I am here, she then came towards me, only stopping briefly so the man from the Shooting Times magazine could take her photo, me, well I was just bursting with pride when Sheba handed over the hen pheasant. If we had never done any more after that it would not have bothered me, and I can still feel the feeling now as I write this.

Sheba and I were very fortunate to be able to go picking up on the Earl of Scarborough’s Estate, Sandbeck, she had a great 6years on there, at first it was not easy fitting in, me being a woman and this unknown curly brown dog, but in that first season we had proved our selves in the eyes of the most experienced men who were the picking up team, they looked after me like I was a daughter and they had respect for Sheba as a picking up dog.

The area that we pick up on is called Roach Abbey and only the ruins are there now but it is a beautiful place, a little bit eerie late afternoon when the mist is coming down. The entrance to it is all down hill and it is all cobble stones and the banks going down are walled, fantastic workman ship from the monks all those years ago. At the bottom is a track to the monastery at the side of the river. Now on one of the days picking up it was decided to do one of the drives differently, and Sheba and I stood on the track near the river at the bottom of the cobbled lane, with the stone walls at the back of us. During the drive a bird landed on the top of the stone wall about a good 30 foot high from the track. I worked Sheba back up to the top of the wall from the track I was on, I knew she had found the bird as I could see her tail wagging, then she came to the edge of the wall to look down at me, so I just said “come on bring it” and she looked at me at the bottom of the wall, “come on” I said, just starting to wonder what she was on with now, she went out of view, then I saw her looking at me again, then I could see her and the bird at the edge of the wall, then the next minute Sheba has nudged the bird forward and its falling down the wall and I’m catching it at the bottom. Sheba just made her way down as she had gone up, looking quite smug with her self when she got to me. I would not have believed that if I had not seen it. That girl has brains!!

Sheba also made a very good Mum after having a caesarean, she brought up two girls and two boys, of course Teasel being one of them, we are still in touch with the others, and they were 9yrs old this April.

Sheba was named ‘The Manageress’ at home, after a visit by Lois Ferrans, as she was always in charge of every thing. But I have to say that Sheba has never ever had a fight, she would just bring her self up to full height and give a look with those eyes and that was enough for any dog or bitch, every one respected her and her judgement, and never in those twelve and a half years did any body challenge her.

Sheba being my first working IWS, I can only say THANKYOU Sheba for everything you have taught me, and the love and loyalty we have shared.

Radicott Delilah

(Sheba) (Sheba in art)

sire – Killountain Trader x dam - Radicott White Witch

Date of birth 16/03/94

Pedigree of Radicott Delilah at Kirkmarsh

Hips – 7/7

Eyes – Clear

Offspring

Cuboglach Northern Rustic x Radicott Delilah

Born 23/04/99

Kirkmarsh Valley Mist, Kirkmarsh Finola. Kirkmarsh Shanti,

Kirkmarsh Dubhran