Hunting dogs do what they do best: Hunt. In view of the letters by Kenneth Cassar and Joe Aquilina (March 11) one needs to stress the facts that prove the above statement.
Comparing dummies to game birds is just another gimmick which can blind those people who are not familiar with the subject. I believe that Mr Cassar especially, given his knowledge of animals, should know better. For example, he should know about the particular scent released by a migrating game bird, which is not even comparable to that of a bird raised in captivity, let alone to a dummy.
When saying that dogs hunt, it means they participate in full before, during and after the taking of the bird. Flushing dogs, such as Pointers are used to hunt quail and not just to fetch the dead bird. Quail is very hard to flush, especially in spring, because of the dense grass and high wheat stems, not to mention wasteland in which the quail blends in perfectly to an invisible level. Attempting to hunt quail without a well-trained dog is a non-starter, indicating the origin of the old Maltese proverb that "għas-summien kelb ta' mitt lira u senter ta' sold" (in the case of quail, [what you need] is a Lm100 dog and a one penny shotgun).
During quail hunting, the dog plays the most important role and, believe me, they would know what is happening and they feel satisfaction and pride after the job. The fetching part during quail hunting is the easy part as the bird would have lost its cover and the drop zone would be already identified.
On the other hand, turtle doves are very wary and dogs must remain almost motionless while the occasional dove is approaching.
This while keeping an eye on the whereabouts of the drop zone in order to obtain a quick fetch and earliest return to the hiding place.
A well-trained and experienced dog on many occasions is another pair of eyes for the hunter as a quick look at the sky by the dog would surely signify an approaching bird that might still be unnoticed by the hunter.
I trust that the little information shared above may enlighten readers that a dummy is just a dummy in whatever way you use it.