Tooth & Nail: When they said ‘that dog will hunt,’ did they mean Milo the dachshund?
The holidays bring out the modern-day equivalent of carnival barkers, in this case electronically selling a miracle tool that will replace your whole toolbox.
Those that have read my writing over the years know that wonder tools are a pet peeve. Regarding hunting dog breeds, is there a single breed one can get such that you don’t need a whole kennel of specialist breeds?
Consider breeds specifically bred to hunt certain species. The Rhodesian ridgeback has a reputation for hunting African lions in a pack. English and German pointers locate upland birds, set on point, and wait and watch for the shot to locate for a retrieval.
Labrador retrievers are probably the best multi-purpose hunting breed although waterfowl hunting was where they originated. People now hunt labs on any number of species very successfully.
Beagles were bred for small game. The terrier breeds were sort of the nuisance species sanitation workers. If one has ever seen “ratters” at work, their speed and agility are only surpassed by their courage.
Imagine my surprise when a truly admired friend sent me an article about a guy who hunts upland gamebirds with — wait for it — a dachshund. The story of Joey Yeager and his dog, Milo, was first written by outdoor writer Michael Pierce and was published in the fall 2023 Kansas Wildlife & Parks magazine.
Got to be a joke, right? No, Milo is the real thing. “In three seasons of hunting most weekends, and holidays, as well as over some lunch breaks … Milo has not failed to find any dropped pheasant or quail,” Pierce wrote.
On the negative side, Yeager admits it takes longer for Milo’s 3-inch legs and 9-pound weight to bring gamebirds back that are so big he has to drag them.
Milo was purchased to be a family pet in 2021. He meets those needs, too. But at only a few months old though, Yeager was walking Milo during his lunch. Their path took them by some ground Yeager manages near Dodge City, Kan., and soon a pheasant flushed. Later it was quail. Milo’s reaction was astonishing and impressed on Yeager he needed to be given a chance. Milo got that chance in November 2021 in the late afternoon. Other members of the hunting party had left before Yeager took Milo out of the truck.
Yeager soon knocked down a pheasant and Milo took off like a shot through the underbrush. “He pounced on the bird and soon started dragging it back to me,” Yeager said, as quoted by Pierce. Milo’s legacy continues with tales of other successful hunts, too.
Consider that dog domestication probably started with human food scraps tossed to wolves. It’s hard to imagine that once those “wolves,” started following people as the humans hunted and sought food, that they would tack on an additional value and help them find food.
Soon, relatively speaking, targeted breeding started producing dog breeds as we know them. Up to 12,000 years ago, there’s evidence of dogs being bred and used for hunting, guarding, and as pack animals. In fact, it is difficult to find a culture in which dogs have not played an important role contributing to survival and prosperity.
In 1570, the first book known that details hunting dogs was written in Great Britain by Dr. John Caius titled, “Of Englishe Dogges, the Diversities, the Names, the Natures, and the Properties.”
Thankfully, a copy of this book is available through the Internet Archive. Know, though, it was written in Latin and was translated in the 1600s. One can purchase English translations online for less than $30 or view it free here:bit.ly/47Gn2CS .
Powell is the retired public information officer for Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. This column reflects his thoughts and no longer represents WSU. For questions or concerns about animals you’d like to read about, email charliepowell74@gmail.com.
