A tribute to Austin

Austin on impact...

When I was just a little pup
You picked me out, you held me up

  
Mrs. Phillips in Austin, TX (at the time) picked Austin out for Joie

As time went on, we worked as one
Our life together had just begun
Mallards, pintails, greenwings, the luck!
Nothing was better than getting a duck

  
Kristie and Austin on a Georgia Goose Hunt, Dr. and Michael Phillips with Austin on a duck hunt in Katy, TX

But that wasn’t all, there were dove and geese too
My favorite was pheasant, to mark and pursue

As I became wise, judges gave me a test
I earned us a title when I showed them my best
You called me a champion and knew in your heart
That the title was simply just one tiny part
Of a much bigger dog with a much bigger soul
And so many more things that made up the whole
Retrieving was not all that we did together
My life was not all the pursuit of the feather

        
Joie and Austin on stage, Joie and Austin at two hunt tests, and Austin poses in his birthplace (Austin, TX)

At schools, we showed kids how much dogs can do
To help the disabled get up, over, through
My favorite part was always the penny
You had me pick up who knows how many

   
Austin meets Allie (he fell in love with her and she was always his favorite), Austin helps Joie teach Woodie to swim

Back at home I was patriarch of the place
As new brothers and sisters invaded my space
I was gentle and loving, patient and kind
A better big brother, they’d be hard-pressed to find
I taught them the ropes, to swim and to play
Fun and adventure we had day by day
Other than that, we spent time on the bed
Making Austin sammiches and patting my head

    
Austin posing in the sunflowers at Mitch & Margot Brown's old place in Monticello, GA and Austin relaxes after training

But like all good things, this must end too
And God quickly stole me from all of you
I want you to know every day til the end
The best part of my life was being your best friend

Austin and a duck on one of his final days

I know you’ll miss my smile and the good times we shared
And know that I know just how much you cared
When I left on that day too soon and too fast
The heartache you shared I know has not passed
It was my time to go, I was ready you see
God wanted a great dog and He called for me
So please don’t think of me and be sad
Just think of me as a great blessing you had
And know that I’ll be here waiting just for you
Thinking of all the good times we had, too.

Austin's final resting place...