The Dog Fisher
How did it all begin?
In 2001 we thought our family was complete with our two beautiful daughters and our two Cats, life was good. But it felt like something else was missing…… a Dog!
So off we all went to Last Chance Rescue Centre in Edenbridge Kent to search for our new family member. That is how we got Max our Jack Russell Terrier. We never did know his real age but I guess he was about 7 years old when we first got him.
Max loved balls and chasing them but he was not so keen on retrieving them! Having the curse of an inventive mind and being a keen fisherman I came up with an idea.
My daughters kindly donated a small soft toy from a McDonald’s happy meal in the form of an Ostrich who we named Archie.
I tied Archie to a fishing rod and cast it out for Max. He immediately ran after it and when he almost got to the toy I whipped it away from him in a different direction. Max could not believe the toy had moved on its own and I will never forget the sheer excitement on his face as he chased it round the garden. The Dog Fisher was born! Although it is now called The Dog Fisher we have always called it Archie and still do to this day!
Max chased those McDonald’s soft toys round the garden for years and he was so intrigued with the fishing rod and toys. He loved it so much that on several occasions he would drag the toy and fishing rod out of the shed and into the garden when I was at work thinking that it would work on its own!
Sadly as with all our beloved pets they get older and we have to say goodbye to them and I still miss Max that cheeky little chap to this day.
After a year had passed we got Sarge a 7 month old English Bull Terrier and he took to Archie instantly! Another year passed and we got Bella another English Bull Terrier who adored Archie as well. This is when I encountered a problem. When the Bull Terriers grabbed hold of the toy and ran off it was like playing a massive fish that you could never get in! Although it was fun I soon realised that it was a bit dangerous! That is when I knew that the toy had to release from the fishing line somehow.
I developed a quick release clip but was never really happy with it. Time went by and Fostering took over our lives and I put Archie on the Backburner
After Sarge & Bella sadly passed away I gave up any hope of taking Archie any further. That was until the end of 2023 when we retired from Fostering and we got Pidge our very active Cockapoo. What could we do though to entertain such an energetic beast! You guessed it, out came the telescopic fishing rod and I quickly tied a soft toy to the end of the line, but would Pidge chase it? Of course she did and The Dog Fisher was reborn, a new quick release clip was designed and here we are today!
If your dog chases after a ball they will undoubtedly love The Dog Fisher but remember that without you it is just a toy and a fishing rod. You have to make it come alive and I am sure that you will enjoy using The Dog Fisher as much as your dog loves playing with it!
I would like to dedicate The Dog Fisher to Max, Sarge and Bella for without them I would never have got this far!
Thanks for taking the time to read my story it has been very emotional writing this and reliving those old memories of lost furry friends and the joy they have given us over the years.
Jason
