Who Is Gus?
Gus is a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and one of my most favorite dogs. I have had Gus since he was 49 days old and we are almost inseparable to this day. When Gus was young I figured out that he had quite the intellect and it was not anything I was responsible for, it was pure natural but it took me a while to respond and put it too work for me. All the while making it seem like it was all his idea. Any time I was doing chores or any type of work and Gus was with me I noticed him always looking at my eyes to respond to a “are you going to help me with this?” All it took was for me to ask and give some elementary instruction and I had a helper. It started one morning with delivering papers with my daughter while she was in High School. I missed a porch and let out a grunt of disgust and noticed that Gus was looking at me with this look of , I can go put it on the porch for you if you will take the lead off of me, and so I did and he started his new career as assistant paper carrier. He fetched the paper and knew it went by the door on the porch and that is where it was placed. After some more freedom of taking the paper from me and putting it on the porch, I started letting him daily deliver certain houses and it became his passion to take and put on the porch and then it started to see how fast we could do this. After a while on Sunday’s it was like having the kids back at home cause all the rolled up papers in the back of the pickup with Gus, he would deliver 38 papers by himself. I would drive down the street and he would take papers to the porches one at a time of course and return to the pickup and get back in and we were off to the next house.
Anytime I would be cooking on the back yard smoker Gus and my older Chessie Sandy were always assisting. Sandy was just there to pick up scraps, but Gus on the other hand was there to make sure I had enough wood to get the job done. All he was waiting for was the “Uh Oh I’m out of wood” and the job was done he would fetch wood one log a time and bring it to the firebox side and start his own pile until I said “ok that’s enough for now.”
So after some considering names for our Barbeque business we came across the name “Gus’s Gourmet” barbeque and catering. Gus probably knows more about the BBQ than I do, or anyway if I forget a step he would be sure to tell me! I’ll bet when he took on the little jobs he volunteered for, he never knew that he was going to have a Barbeque restaurant named after him, but if you knew Gus as I do you would understand.
Born December 25, 2002 passed on August 21, 2015!
Anytime I would be cooking on the back yard smoker Gus and my older Chessie Sandy were always assisting. Sandy was just there to pick up scraps, but Gus on the other hand was there to make sure I had enough wood to get the job done. All he was waiting for was the “Uh Oh I’m out of wood” and the job was done he would fetch wood one log a time and bring it to the firebox side and start his own pile until I said “ok that’s enough for now.”
So after some considering names for our Barbeque business we came across the name “Gus’s Gourmet” barbeque and catering. Gus probably knows more about the BBQ than I do, or anyway if I forget a step he would be sure to tell me! I’ll bet when he took on the little jobs he volunteered for, he never knew that he was going to have a Barbeque restaurant named after him, but if you knew Gus as I do you would understand.
Born December 25, 2002 passed on August 21, 2015!
The Breed
Chesapeake Bay Retievers
Gus is the fouth Chessie I have owned and the only one started from a puppy. The other three were adopted from others that didn’t understand chessies and the breed as I found out I didn’t either. After reading the Richard Wolters books on retrievers and dogs in general my eyes were opened to most of the mistakes I had made with my other dogs. I was under the impression that a dog was an outside creature and that is where they belong. Well yes most of time during the day that is where he is. But if one is to have a family dog that you can call a “pet” or friend then you cannot leave them alone outside if you are inside. I write this especially with this breed in particular because these dogs don’t want to be just pets they are desiring to be your companions. Thus I have just revealed my mistakes with other Chessies that I owned because I wasn’t a very good companion to them like they desired.
If you are thinking you want to take on a Chessie don’t get one unless you want a life long companion and a dog that will do almost anything you want him or her to do. Chessies are rugged dog’s and are as strong as any with a no nonsense attitude when it comes to doing things especially when retrieving and playing or working. They make wonderful family dogs but would recommend that only serious people take on this breed and only those willing to adhere to the instructions found in all of Richard Wolters books Water Dog, Gun Dog, Family Dog and any others he has written. They focus on the “Labs” but I think this guy could actually train and work a Chihuahua to retrieve and obey commands, these are great books and good reading.
All this said to say that I will own more Chessies as long as I’m able to train and be with one on a full time basis and maybe I’ll be lucky enough to have another Gus but I doubt it, and all the time enjoy the Gus I now have.
For more information about Chesapeake Bay Retrievers go to http://www.akc.org/breeds/chesapeake_bay_retriever/
Chesapeake Bay Retievers
Gus is the fouth Chessie I have owned and the only one started from a puppy. The other three were adopted from others that didn’t understand chessies and the breed as I found out I didn’t either. After reading the Richard Wolters books on retrievers and dogs in general my eyes were opened to most of the mistakes I had made with my other dogs. I was under the impression that a dog was an outside creature and that is where they belong. Well yes most of time during the day that is where he is. But if one is to have a family dog that you can call a “pet” or friend then you cannot leave them alone outside if you are inside. I write this especially with this breed in particular because these dogs don’t want to be just pets they are desiring to be your companions. Thus I have just revealed my mistakes with other Chessies that I owned because I wasn’t a very good companion to them like they desired.
If you are thinking you want to take on a Chessie don’t get one unless you want a life long companion and a dog that will do almost anything you want him or her to do. Chessies are rugged dog’s and are as strong as any with a no nonsense attitude when it comes to doing things especially when retrieving and playing or working. They make wonderful family dogs but would recommend that only serious people take on this breed and only those willing to adhere to the instructions found in all of Richard Wolters books Water Dog, Gun Dog, Family Dog and any others he has written. They focus on the “Labs” but I think this guy could actually train and work a Chihuahua to retrieve and obey commands, these are great books and good reading.
All this said to say that I will own more Chessies as long as I’m able to train and be with one on a full time basis and maybe I’ll be lucky enough to have another Gus but I doubt it, and all the time enjoy the Gus I now have.
For more information about Chesapeake Bay Retrievers go to http://www.akc.org/breeds/chesapeake_bay_retriever/