Richard Henry (Dick) Doolan, A Typical Kerry Blue

Reprinted from The Kerry Blue Terrier Club of England Handbook 1995 with sincere gratitude

Doolan had been a great winner in the show ring in his day, a superb ratter and rabbiter. But as a retriever, well, he had never been asked to do the work of a Labrador. These stories show the brains and initiative of a good Kerry.

I called on a local farmer friend who had shot a couple of ducks. They had fallen in the middle of a large pond, and he was unable to reach them. He asked if I had a dog in the car for him to try. Doolan came with us, and I pointed out into the pond. "Hi--look--good dog--fetch it." He had no idea what he was expected to fetch, but leapt straight in and found the ducks, swam round them, and returned, clearly saying, "I don't touch ducks, they are poultry." "Good dog--fetch 'em." Doolan swam back and got one, and brought it to me. I took the duck from his mouth. "Good dog--well done--go fetch the other." He plunged in again and brought the other duck out. He could not have done a better job if he had been a fully trained gun dog. He did not see the birds fall, which a gun dog expects, and marks. The farmer said, "That is a dog really worth having. I thought they were just pets and show dogs--not useful dogs as well." I was a very proud Kerry owner.

One day I heard the hunting horn, showing the fox had gone to ground. The fox had done a lot of damage to local poultry and the huntsman asked if I had a terrier. Doolan was with me and knew what was wanted. After very little digging he was in, and that fox did not like him. He was not stopping to argue. When he bolted our job was done. Doolan eventually emerged thoroughly pleased with himself and that proud twinkle in his eye--a job well done. The huntsman came back later and gave us a couple of the pads of the big old dog fox. "A useful dog you have got there, bet he has done this sort of work before." "Never been asked to go to ground for fox before." "Well, he knew what he was about." We were duly thanked, and again I was a very proud Kerry owner.

Doolan was nine years old when both these incidents took place.

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