1.  in the spring of 1997 the boys (two grandchildren) needed a dog and I'm thinkin' maybe it
       might hunt, it's been almost fifteen years since I last hunted and had a dog
   2. local feed-store has a "nice" female Lab (soon to have a litter)
   3. great disposition, genetically questionable, never hunted, but sire supposedly does a lot
       and he is AKC (at least, they said he was)
   4. pup will have no papers or health clearances - living on the edge!
   5. pups arrive, pick of the litter for $75 - Do I feel lucky?
   6. small, slick coated female is the only one awake and she licks my grandson's face - logical
       pick
   7. my adult son was home (for an extended stay), he takes care of her, luckily the concept of
       crate training was in place, he spoils her (excellent job) and bonds with her for five months
       She still goes "nuts" when he shows the up.
   8. OB fair, daily Frisbee (son's concept of training) turns her into a retrieving maniac with a
       great mouth (go figure), a week of "hold" in late October and she went hunting for
       pheasants at seven months  
   9. first bird (EVER) for her is a crippled rooster, spurred nose brings a yelp and a running
       rooster, a couple minutes later back comes Lick with a bloody nose and the rooster.  She
       and I have died and gone to heaven. Hunting becomes a passion in one day (new for her,
       "re-newed" for me). She likes me! She really likes me!
 10. not being steady to flush was a pain, but she hunted close and got birds up in range - Did I
       feel lucky? You bet!
 11. Maybe I need to get serious about learning how to train a dog? So I buy an electric collar
      (after all, she chases flushed birds I miss and loves to run deer when we jump one).
 12. Lick and I learn how to use the Flyway Special. The only negative is the collar-wise issue.
      Three hunting seasons and 100's of birds later find us doing quite well (relatively speaking).
 13. I'm sitting in a brake shop waiting for my car, and I read something called "The Retriever
      Journal". It was intriguing. The owner really trains Labs, and tells me about HRC.
 14. I attended my first HRC training session in the summer of 1999. Things have changed
      drastically since then. The little black feed-store puppy was the only one out of the litter to
      hunt, and she has made a huge difference in my life.
 15. HRC has a program where a dog can get a "Limited Privilege" card and run in hunt tests.
      Technically she is not a UKC papered dog, but because of this special consideration we ran
      our first HRC Hunting Retriever test.  My grandson got a Started ribbon with her, also.  She
      has a total of six passes, and in our hearts will always be SHR Kwick Licorice.
 16. I tried to teach her to line a pile and even worked on single T some. However, she was an
       true upland dog and straight did not compute. If there were such a skill as "quarter to a
       pile", she certainly would excel at that. 
 17. When Lick was five she developed a large fatty tumor on her chest and was diagnosed
       with a mild heart murmur. These didn't seem to slow her down a bit....as she continued 
       to make things "impossible" for pheasants and became a terrific tower shoot retriever.
 18. The first Kwick Lab was definitely a keeper.

                     This is a test. How many "things" did I NOT do with my next pup? 

       "Fast forward" through a lot of upland hunting and Lick is now nine. It became clear
       that fall, Lick's body needed to be retired. Therefore, to give her more personal time
       she moved in with her original bonded human.....my son. She continued to absolutely
       worship him. They went everywhere together....to the park for walks, short jogs beside
       his mountain bike and many boat rides on the Rock River.
 
       In the summer of 2007 her liver needed daily medication.......to which it responded.
       There were several unsightly (but harmless) fatty tumors and her heart murmur was
       not an issue (yet). She was getting very grey around the muzzle and content.  
 
       In the fall, my son and Lick moved to New Orleans. A few weeks ago her terrific nose
       started a chain of fatal events. She somehow found and ate a full block of peanut butter
       flavored rat poison. It appeared the vet got her past that with some quick treatments.
       Then a few days later she contracted a serious dog "flu" that was infecting many dogs
       in the area.  At first there was some hope that too would not take her. However, with
       the heart murmur and weak liver functions, those two "attacks" close together proved
       to be just too much for her.

       Lick was my first hunt test dog. The day Lick became a 1st Place-Amateur NBDA Upland
       Dog (after starting out as a $75 feed store pup) was the story of her life.......unique.  My
       son has lost his wonderful companion and first hunting dog dog, but the slick coated,
       little black feed store puppy that licked my grandson's cheek lived a full life of
       hunting. Whatever you wanted to do, she was always right there ready to go. 

       SHR Kwick Lick the "Pheasant Machine" (May, 1997 - September, 2007) will always
       be quick in our hearts.