Little Blue, gone but not forgotten

[Mike Leonard]

I lost an old friend this morning, Little Blue.
Blue was born June 3, 2000 in my barn at my town place. He was out of Jeff Allan's old Gunner dog, and my great redtick female Josie who mothered so many great lion hounds and made a record herself of catching some of the most difficult tracks I have ever encountered. Josie was a product of old time lion hunters from Arizona and British Colombia, and had the blood of the famous Big John running thru both sides of her pedigree.

Little Blue was on his first lion at 6 months. A giant 190 pound tom that was bayed in the bluffs, and when my son Scott and I arrived he and his father Gunner and mother Josie were holding the monster face to face, and Little Blue had a flap of hide hanging down off his chest that looked like an apron. It never slowed him it only developed the hatred he had for lions he carried with him the rest of his days.
Not perfect by far, he was far too cold nosed to be as silent as he was on a cold track. He could slip out on you and the other dogs and get a good ways off before he opened up and got to rolling it. Hard headed to a fault he most likely would have bumped and elk or coyote today if he had made another one, but tough? Oh Man!! Never sore footed, never quit, never regardless of how tired not drop his head and go again if he crossed a lion track.

He graced the covers of sporting magazines, he was the subject of fine painting, and even was the subject model for a fine hunting horn that was carved and painted for me by an artist out of Texas who came to hunt with us.

I turned down many offers for Little Blue over the years, not because he was irreplaceable but because of his spirit, he truly was a lion hound from the ground up.

He made a good long run for it, longer than any hound I have owned thus far, 17 years and 2 months.
He was up barking at one of the goats yesterday morning and barking for his breakfast. Around noon I checked on them and he was sleeping peacefully in the shade of the barn, but yesterday evening I noted trouble. He came out to say good evening but I noticed he was not himself, instead of barking for a treat he just sort of wandered around sniffing the ground. I went in and gave him a pat or two but he wanted none of it. I turned in, but after being around hounds for so many years, I knew it was his last night.

I found him this morning curled up in the arena as close as he could get to the horses, because he always wanted to be close so if I threw a saddle on one and it was time to hunt, he wasn't going to miss out.

Good bye old friend, you always did your part.


Hope you all have a chance to own Little Blue someday.

Excuse me, I think Blue just opened up over the ridge..........

[TomJr]

Sorry to hear that but sounds like a good long run for a hound.

[david]

Thank you for the story of Little Blue.
You were blessed for a long time!

[john porter]

Little blue sounded like a hound we all would love to have around. Sorry for your loss buddy...

[Wrapwrench]

That sounds like a great dog. He had a good long run. Thanks for sharing.

[Big N' Blue]

So sorry for your loss Mike!

[Mike Leonard]

Thanks all!

I can't really be selfish and mourn much over old Blue's passing, good grief at times I wondered if he would ever pass. LOL!

I remember the last lion tree old Blue went too. It was the spring before last and he was already getting pretty deaf, and he never took anybody else's word for anything anyway he just followed his nose.
We started the lion's track about 7:30 in the morning and it was a pretty cold track and for a while they had a time getting it lined out. I had Big Ben who is a nephew of Blue's, Vicky Wayne who is Ben's daughter, Tom who was sired by a littermate to Blue named Tuck, and Little Red who was just about 4 months old. We finally got to grinding on the track and Ben as usual was swinging out ahead and sort of bouncing it along while the rest snuffed along with old Blue brining up the rear with that very determined look he always had.

Up and down the ridges, across sage expanses, and finally it hit a two track toad. Here the dogs just about lost it but it walked up to a solar well along the road and I guess got a drink of water. From there it hit the sage again and Ben picked it up and away we go again just at a walk, and Blue is still coming along behind, but steady. We crossed another trail and ended up in a series of bald clay hills, and all but lost the track. I tied up my horse and crawled around in there and I found the lion's track and it looked fresher to me. I called Benny over there and he dropped his head and let out a beller, and out of there he lit, with the other dogs following, all that is but Blue, he had to find it on his own. I called him and he never heard me so I climbed down there and leashed him and drug him up there and already I could hear the other dogs treed in the background. Well I stuck his nose in it and he came to life, and boy down off there he went like a mule hit in the butt with a pack saddle and he was off to the races. I couldn't help but laugh out loud. LOL! When I got to the tree you would have thought old Blue treed that lion single handed. He was up there just giving that lion the business so I gave him a good petting.
His eyes sort of failed him a bit after this and I was afraid to take him hunting anymore for fear he would get lost not hearing and fall off some bluff, but he probably would have rather gone that way, but you know how people are.

I am glad I have that last hunt of his on video. It wasn't his most glamorous hunt, but it showed at 15 he could still get there.

[tmalone]

sorry to hear about LITTLE BLUE , MIKE. but i enjoyed the stories!!!

[ethertonee]

Sorry for the loss of a good friend. Thank You for the storries

[call-me-ish]

I appreciate the stories and am so sorry for your loss.

[Gary Roberson]

Great story of no doubt a great dog. Seventeen years is a long time. I just hope to get one to 8.
Thanks, Mike.
Adios,
Gary

[Mike Leonard]

Thanks Gary!

Old Blue's sole purpose in life was to hunt. He never cared a great deal for affection and head patting. He was not the kind of dog that would wag his tail and run up to you for a lot of approval and such, he was just matter of fact. even out in the back yard when all the hounds are lounging around chewing on a cow hoof are sleeping in the shade, he would be sniffing around looing for something to trail. He would slip up on me and I would look over and he would just be standing there and I would tell him hello and give him a pat or two, and that was goof enough for him. Even when you loaded to go hunting he just trotted out and jumped in the box or the horse trailer and showed no expression about it. But cut a lion's track and he was a different dog! He would be doing hand stands jumping flipping and tearing your arm off, and he was not coming back until he caught the lion or he starved out.

He was not the best lion hound I have owned, but he was steady, and always did his part, and he was so tuff you could hunt him everyday. His feet were like iron, and his constitution the same, just like that pink rabbit he kept on going. His littermates also made some great dogs and hunted from the snows of Idaho to the tropics of Tampico, Mexico. I know of 3 of them that stayed in Arizona and made excellent lion dogs and contributed to breeding programs.

All in all I think Blue had a pretty good life, and he enriched mine for coming along...

[Nicole Stark]

It was a true pleasure reading this thread. I am glad to read that such a dog would be lucky enough to have 17 good years to enjoy his time with you.

[chilcotin hillbilly]

Sad to hear Mike, but a nice tribute you wrote for an old friend.

[bluedog4]

Yes, yes Mike a wonderful tribute to your old friend. Brings back many memories of hounds that I have had and hunted with that have gone to the other side.
Mike could you post a picture or two of Little Blue?
Best Regards
Bluedog