Dogs or cats?
🐾 Dogs or Cats?
It’s a question tossed around like small talk.
“Dogs or cats?”
As if the answer is just about preference — about fur on the couch or who greets you at the door.
But for some of us, the answer runs deeper.
I’ve been a hunter most of my life. My shotgun in hand, and a dog at my side — not just any dog, but a partner. A creature who learns the rhythm of the land, the scent of the wind, the silent language between man and beast. For me, the answer has always been dogs. Not because cats aren’t worthy — they are, in their own quiet way — but because dogs like Deek taught me what loyalty looks like in motion.
Deek was a black Lab. AKC registered, papered as “Owens Black Decoy,” but to me, he was simply Deek. He lived to be thirteen — thirteen years of hunts, of training, of watching him fall in love with the game. Not the kill, but the work. The chase. The purpose.
There’s a joy in watching a dog learn the field. It’s not just instinct — it’s devotion. And when they get it, when they truly understand, it’s like watching a soul awaken. Deek had that spark. He didn’t just follow commands — he anticipated them. He read the land like scripture.
When he passed, it wasn’t just the end of a life. It was the closing of a chapter written in paw prints and hoofbeats, in early mornings and quiet returns. One of the hardest moments of my life.
But the story didn’t end there.
Now, there’s Ella.
She’s young, full of energy, and learning the game in her own way. She doesn’t try to be Deek — and I wouldn’t want her to. She’s her own spirit, her own rhythm. But when I watch her nose to the ground, tail high, eyes locked in, I see the same fire. The same joy in the work. The same bond forming, step by step.
So when someone asks,
“Dogs or cats?”
I smile.
Because for me, it’s not a question.
It’s a memory.
It’s a black Lab named Deek.
It’s a new chapter with Ella.
It’s love, loyalty, and the echo of footsteps beside me in the field — past and present.
In memory of “Owens Black Decoy” — one friend that I’ll never replace.
5 responses to “One Friend I’ll Never Replace”
❤️Aww. I love everything about this share.
I have a 2 year old black lab. He’s the best. 🐾
They are the best. We’re both lucky to know just how they are.
Deek sounds wonderful. Their death hurts the heart as if it won’t heal again isn’t it. When my cats died I thought how do I live… now I have one cat and I hope he lives to his old age. Ella sounds like another joy.
In the days following Deek’s passing, it took some time for the reality to settle. I was outside tending to the animals when it truly hit me. Overwhelmed, I fell to my knees, consumed by emotion. It was at that moment I fully grasped that he was gone for good. I found myself sitting against the corral, tears streaming down my face for what felt like an eternity.
Oh I can just visualize that. That loss hits deep only after a while isn’t it. You never feel them initially then it comes in waves.