When Shaun decided to breed Freckles (Lagopus Tracy) for him at any rate there was only one dog, Jump, Ir.F.T.Ch.Sugarloaf Bold. It had already been decided that Freckles wasn’t going to make a competition dog but while Jump had already shown some inclination to compete I thought he still had a bit to prove. Shaun never really considered Prince of Darkness, Freckles’ father but I did. Freckles pups to Jump were whelped on 14th October 2000.
I didn’t need the pup I would keep to be any particular sex so I decided to keep one of each. Judy was the bitch I kept and Zico was the dog. The idea was that I would keep only one long term but had plenty of time to make my mind up. Unusually the dog was miles ahead of the bitch. In Yorkshire with Shaun he was taking grouse properly a good bit before his sister and was capable of doing the whole job, in some style at that, well in advance of Judy. However the idea was to make a decision by the end of the 2003 season and it was always going to be Zico, or rather it seemed that way.
As he found his feet in 2003 he bogged off occasionally but it wasn’t anything to worry about (no fool like an old fool). Just as this was beginning to worry me slightly he managed a good third place at the Strabane club’s open stake, thus qualifying for opens. Then the next week in absolutely horrendous conditions he was fourth in an I.K.C. licenced event at Scotstown. That day he did work in general and bird work in particular that would have won a Champion Stake let alone an Open Stake and we were harshly judges to be only fourth. The next couple of events he bogged off again.
I rang Will and talked to him about Zico’s problem. After a long discussion that resolved nothing Will asked, in exasperation, if there was any common factor, about the days he ran off. None in particular I thought. Well what about the days he does well was next asked. There was a answer to this one. The days he stayed close and handled well were all in awful weather.
Will had a theory that if Zico could see the horizon, the horizon was where he would go, and it proved to be right. This sealed Zico’s fate and he was sold. When I watched him closely on a good day if he got half a chance he was off.
This was a pity. As you can see from the pictures Zico was a compact wee dog who became very powerful and muscular. He had great pace and intensity on point but in the end Judy got the nod and it deffinately was the right decision. I was very fond of Zico and missed him when the left.
