Rich Myer vividly remembers his family’s introduction to Ogie, their Lab.
‘‘We got him at eight weeks, and my intention was to hunt him,’’ Myer said. ‘‘But he never turned out to be that dog. He just didn’t have it in him, genetically didn’t have it.’’
Instead, Ogie weaved himself into the family, the kind of dog who loves his way into memories and stories. If you had an Ogie, you know. If you didn’t, pray you do someday.
Now Ogie rests in a duck-decoy urn.
‘‘Ogie was such an important part of our lives,’’ Myer said. ‘‘He was a wonderful companion. When we got him, the kids were 9 and 7. They would ride him like a horse.’’
But Ogie wasn’t a hunter. Rabbits gave birth in Myer’s backyard in Des Plaines, and Ogie would keep an eye on them.
That gentleness is remarkable, considering the background of his name.
‘‘My daughter named our first dog, a cockapoo, Bella,’’ Myer emailed. ‘‘My son was able to name our second dog, which he named Ogie. At the time, my son was playing hockey and was somewhat rough when he played. Another parent made a joke during one of his games to tell Ogilthorpe there’s a puck out there. He was referring to a character in the movie ‘Slap Shot’ called Ogie Ogilthorpe, who was a tough guy. The nickname stuck for a while with my son, which he then passed on to the dog.’’
Ogie died April 29 at 12, but he needed to be properly remembered.
Myer had Ogie individually cremated and waited about a week to get the remains back. Then he sent them to David Ludington.
After I wrote about carver Pat Gregory making urns for his dogs, Myer reached out and was pointed to Ludington.
‘‘What a custodian,’’ Myer said.
As Ludington did the work, he sent photos of the progress. After about three weeks, the work was complete.
The only change Myer made was to take the keel — which held the name and birth and death dates — off the mallard decoy, so it would sit level on Ogie’s proper resting place on the mantel over the fireplace.
‘‘He still sits in our family and watches over us,’’ Myer said.
Not surprisingly, Myer volunteers with Gundogz Rescue (gundogzrescue.org), a nonprofit organization that specializes in hunting-dog rescue and rehoming.
‘‘Our focus is not just on rescuing hunting breeds but also dogs that have been actively used for hunting,’’ Myer emailed. ‘‘These dogs will only be placed in the home of active hunting families.’’
In memory
Visitation for Dr. Kenneth Brock, the great birding expert of northern Indiana (‘‘Birds of the Indiana Dunes’’ among other works), will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday at White-Love Funeral Home in Chesterton, Indiana. I was blessed to tap into his knowledge over the years.
Illinois hunting
Pheasant, quail and rabbit seasons open Saturday. . . . Youth hunters harvested 4,057 deer during the youth deer-hunting season Oct. 12-14.
Youth fishing
Carter Pjesky of Sugar Grove was one of 47 to receive honorable mention in the 2024 Bassmaster High School All-State Fishing Team.
Stray cast
Mel Johnson is to bowhunting what Shohei Ohtani is to baseball.