Could Matches or Belle ever be replaced?

Before my present dog, Hershey, I had  two other hunting dogs, Matches and Belle. Matches  was a GSP and Belle was a French Brittany. Both were fine dogs that didn't  need to be on e-collars when out in the field. They hunted with me as one pack and cooperated beautifully.

Belle pointing a wild pheasant and Matches backing her.

We would hunt anything with feathers. Matches was a natural retriever, fetching birds at nine weeks. He would never give up on a retrieve. Sometimes he would swim so far out for a duck or a goose, I thought he wouldn't make it back, but he  always did - with the bird.

Matches had to swim a long way to bring back this winged honker.

We hunted in California, Oregon, Nevada, and Idaho.

Chukar hunting in Nevada. 

Most of  the time, we hunted pheasants, both  wild and raised birds out  at the preserve.

Three wild pheasants back in November, 2005

Eventually the inevitable happened. First, Matches passed away at the age of 13 and Belle passed away a year later at 14. Both dogs had a full and happy life. I got Matches from a good breeder up  in Oregon when he  was eight weeks old.  My wife and I rescued Belle from a family back in Ohio when they wanted to get rid of her at four months. I loved both of them and hated to see them get old and die. 

I hope Matches and Belle come to me when I call them in the after life.

After they died, I  said I would never hunt again and they would be my last dogs. I didn't think another dog could  fill their place. About two years later my wife, Jeannine, got after me to get another dog. She kept showing me pictures of dogs that needed a home. After about three months she finally wore me down and I  said, " Alright, but it has to be a German Shorthair and it has to  live in the house." I didn't want one that looked like Matches, liver roan. I wanted one that would be different, so I started looking for a female pup that was preferably black and white.

I had a special relationship with Matches. He was a true friend.