# Sticky  10 minutes from retrieving to "should be dead"



## Matt G

It is my understanding that traumatic events are often dealt with by talking about them to friends and strangers alike. No opinions, agenda, or B.S. here...just an account of what has been one of the toughest days of my life thus far.

The pain and grief I'm burdening my conscience with is more that anyone could possibly throw at me, so please save the "reply" button for support of my dog and not reiteration of what I now understand was terribly poor judgement on my (and only my) behalf. This morning I laid on the edge of a field in Jackson county Arkansas asking God and whoever else was listening why it had to end this way. On the week that Ace will age out of the Derby, I watched the life quickly slip from his eyes as I stripped my waders and clothes off trying to warm him while my hunting partner was running for the Argo.

We've been after the ducks pretty hard so far this season, and this morning was no different than normal. Picking up birds until about 8:30 when the "faucet" seems to shut off. Except, the faucet opened up on a buckbrush hole around 9:00 and two of us headed over to slip in and get in on the action. Even being his first season to hunt, 30 something days into it, he's really added "duck dawg" to his short, but respectable resume', dotted with some derby points and Q placements. While most of our spots have platforms or at least logs to get the dogs out of the water, this "makeshift" hunt had no decent place for a dog to stand. Seeing the sheer number of birds and knowing that we only needed a few, I figured 30 minutes tops...surely he can stand in knee deep water for that long. About 45 minutes into it he had just made a retrieve and I noticed a strange grunt/moan on the return that I've never heard before. As he came to heel, and another group was making a pass, he continued to make the sound. As he's not a "whiner" when birds are working, I gave a "quiet-nick". Continues to make the sound. Now I'm scratching my head. Knowing that he'll air even in swimming water, I rule that out. I chalk it up to "he's cold" and say "let's call it, my dog's getting chilly". As we're easing out, he becomes disoriented and begins to just tread water. I walk over and ease on his collar to pull him along. When his legs floated up to the sides, I knew we were in deep kim shi. Hypothermia was rapidly draining his time with us, as his core body temp continued to plummet. When I let go of his collar to pick him up, he sunk (head and all). Now I've heard of people doing amazing things in times of extreme duress (single person flips over car that is trapping someone, etc.), but I have never made it through 250 yards of beaver-run, smart-weed filled stump hole filled buck brush in under 20 minutes with my shotgun and blind bag. This morning I did that plus a 67 pound lab in 5. By the time I got to dry ground he was limp and unable to support his own head. I stripped my jacket, outershirt, and fleece to wrap and then curled up next to him while my partner (75 yards behind me without carrying a dog) was making to to shore to get the Argo. He had his first seizure on the edge of the field, gasping for breath, foaming at the mouth, and contracting every muscle in his body. As his eyes rolled back I pleaded with him "I'm so sorry buddy, I never meant for it to end this way"..."I never would have done this to you on purpose"....this was 10 minutes from the time he picked up the last bird. And I prayed for the first time in a long time. The selfish grief that burned from the fact that I was losing my first "real" dog and best friend was sickly overshadowed by the anguish that I felt from seeing the pain in Ace's eyes. That image raises the hair on my neck as I type this and will likely haunt me for many years to come. Argo pulls up and I hop in, with him in my lap, wrapped in my jacket, and I take the longest 1/2 mile ride to the truck that I'll ever take. Get to the truck, start engine, petal to the floor trying to get warmed up so that the heat kicks in. Lay Ace in the passenger floorboard and use everything dry that I had (handlers jackets, frogg toggs, gloves, etc) to get the water off. Then pile on my bibs, coat, and fleece to keep him warm. Second seizure hits as my buddy climbs into the driver's seat for the 45 minute ride to Jonesboro, where we have no clue how to find a vet on Sunday morning. Was going to give him some Coke to provide a shot of glucose, only to find out that his jaws were locked shut, front teeth piercing through his bottom lip from the seizures. Totally immobile and unresponsive, I pinch, pull, and pat to keep him from shutting those eyes. Notice that his gums are solid white. A few times he takes "his dying breath" and I jackleg attempt canine CPR. 10 minutes from Jonesboro and we get a call from the vet who responded to a page from his answering service. He's 15 minutes away, so I wait out another of the 5 longest minutes of my life in the parking lot. He pulls up, unlocks the doors, and I carry Ace in with the gut feeling that this would be his last vet visit. I prayed again for the second time in a long time. What happened in the next 4 hours is nothing short of a sho' nuff' miracle. I usually don't buy that cheesy crap, but I "seen it with my own eyes". With a core body temp of 84 degrees at the vet (so we'll call it close to 80 before the 100 mph heater wide open truck ride), a blur of heated tables, blankets, heating pads, warm saline solution through an IV began. 2 hours into it, we got to 90 degrees. He began to shiver (which was a good sign), and opened his eyes. At 2.5 hours, he picked up his head and took a drunken look around. At 3 hours, we were at 94 and and eased outside to relieve the bladder (another good sign that the kidneys were functioning). At 3.5 hours he ate a high-protein tube of some honey-substance. At 4 hours he was at 97 and I was hauling to Memphis with him asleep in the back seat, destined for the emergency clinic. Out of the back seat in Memphis he's got pep in his step to air and meet the awaiting staff with vet chart faxes in hand. He leveled out a 101.5 for tonight and is resting while fluids are administered. And while this seems to be the happy ending, I'm fully aware that he's not out of the woods yet. A condition known as D.I.C. (can't give you the true acronym, but the slang is Death Is Coming) were clotting ability is reduced is a definite possibility, along with a string of other ailments, including kidney, heart, lung failure, and the potential for his "internal temp regulators" to spike and throw him into HYPERthermia in the near future are all very real threats. But that's tomorrow. For tonight, my dog is alive. And in better condition than he was on the edge of that field this morning. 

What did I learn? 
-You cannot leave a dog in the water, even for a short amount of time. They need a place to get out and shake the excess water. 
-I've always been a critic of dog vests...not no mo'. After the ass-chewing I got from the vet, I got a good list of reasons to use a vest. 
-You've got to listen to your dog. Generally, they'll show/tell you that something's wrong. 
-There could easily be more than coincidence relating the request for divine intervention and the honest-to-goodness miracle that I witnessed today.

The deepest and most sincere Thank You from the bottom of my heart (and Ace's) goes out to everyone that has played a role in today and the upcoming days (you know who you are).


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## Rick_C

Wow.

That made the hair on the back of MY neck stand up!

Sending up prayers for Ace, and you, that he continues to pull through this and goes on to retrieve on another hunt with you.

All the best and please keep us up to date on his progress.


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## Russellm454

Matt, Thank God. Sometimes in the worst of times all we have is faith. Your prayers carried you and others through the actions to save Ace's life today and that same faith will carry you and Ace through what ever is ahead.

God Bless,


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## KwickLabs

I had to skip to the end. Whew! My heart goes out to you. That must have been.....well, I can't begin to imagine. Good luck with an uncomplicated, total recovery.


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## Shannon M Calvert

This thread needs to become a "STICKY", IMHO


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## Last Frontier Labs

Oh Matt...my eyes welled up with tears. How awful an experience and yet how wonderful that Ace is alive!
God bless y'all.


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## Andy Carlson

Prayers sent for Ace to make a full recovery.

Andy


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## Chris Atkinson

Matt,

I'm praying for Ace buddy!

I can relate to many of the things you felt today. Our dogs would run off a cliff for us. They'd jump into fire for us. They love what they do. It can go from complete love of the game to disaster in a heartbeat...literally.

It is so easy to beat ourselves up over something like this. 

I'm thankful that you, your friends, and the vets were able to get Ace warmed up and stable.

I was discussing on a hunt today, around some gun safety stuff, that an emergency trip to the vet from a hunt with a dying dog is something none of us never want. 

I hope nobody tries to pound on you for this on any internet board. What you've done with your wade-in hunt, many of us have done...for decades. This is an opportunity for all of us to learn something. 

Here's to Ace running some marks and having a ball next week. One cool thing about our dogs is how quickly they can bounce back from near death. They don't hold a grudge, they don't feel sorry for themselves. They love to be at your side getting "just one more bird".

You hang in there buddy...Ace will do the same. 

...praying for Ace....

Chris


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## honkin

So sad, hope all goes well. For everyone's info, what was the air temp and what do you guess the water temp was?


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## Miriam Wade

I had to scroll down too and I am so relieved that he pulled through. You didn't endanger him on purpose. It's not your fault, so don't beat yourself up. When you realized he was in trouble you came through for him and that's all that matters. All the future ribbons & accolades aside-I just hope you have your dog back.

Man-this makes me want to hug my dog!

Praying Hard & Crossing Fingers & Toes-

M


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## Goldenboy

Matt,

I'm hoping for a complete recovery for Ace. Thank you for sharing this unfortunate occurance, it makes me wonder how many dogs have been lost or suffered in similar circumstances.

My very best regards to you,

Mark


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## Tim West

Mat:

I'm glad you had the guts to post this. 

I hope all turns out well. 

We can al learn from your experience and pay more attention to what our dogs tell us when hunting.

Tim


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## K G

The fact that the dog is alive is proof enough to me that you've been forgiven.

Thanks for sharing, so that the majority of us will never have to go through what you did. Give him an extra cookie for me today......;-)

kg


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## Ricky Elston

Matt,

After almost losing my dog to an alligator this year, I know how sick of a feeling it is to almost lose your dog. Glad everything worked out.

Ricky


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## Hew

Thanks for sharing your story. That must have been harrowing. Here's to his speedy and full recovery.


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## Lady Duck Hunter

I have sent a prayer for Ace's recovery and your ability for forgive yourself. As it was said, as soon as you realized there was a problem you acted with heroic efforts and much of what you did helped to turn the tide toward's Ace's recovery.

Thank you for posting in such fine detail all of your actions and feelings as the story unfolded. I think your story will go a long way to helping others. First showing them how not to take our dog's endurance for granted and second what to do if something goes wrong.

Again, I am very glad your story turned out the way it did and I am keeping fingers crossed and saying a prayer for Ace's complete comeback.


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## JusticeDog

If your story helps to save one dog from a similar plight, your post will well be worth it. I'm sorry for the trauma that you and Ace are going through.

My prayers for both dog and hunter.


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## RemsBPJasper

Prayers for a full recovery for Ace. You certainly have the right outlook on this situation and glad you posted for others to learn. No one can say anything that would make you feel worse than you feel right now anyways. But don't be too hard on yourself. Keep us posted on how the boy is doing. 

Kourtney


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## Jason E.

Matt called me last nite after leaving the animal hospital. I was shocked when he first started the story and thought he was gonna tell me something bad at the end. I am glad he is still around he is a very nice dog and i had a litter mate to him and another of us chris C had one they r all very special . Matt i hope Ace make a full recovery and is able to compete next spring and u guys have another good FT seasn. Keep me updated.


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## DEDEYE

That took alot of heart to tell us that. You might have saved another dogs life here. Don't feel guilty. You didn't know.... Prayers from Alaska...


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## caglatz

I had a lump in my throat reading that story. There but for the grace of God could be anyone of us who hunt in the winter. Thank God he pulled through. I don't know what I would do if that happened to me.

Thank you for sharing and reminding us to watch over our best friends.


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## Buster Brown

This story brought a lump to my throat.

I prayed for Ace to have a speedy recovery!

Please keep us up to date on his progress.


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## Kris Hunt

Prayers coming to Ace from MT and the Blacktail Boys! Please keep us posted on how he's doing. 

Kris


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## moscowitz

Thank you for your post. I agree but for the grace of god that could be me and my dogs. Wishing a speedy recovery for you and dog.


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## AmiableLabs

Wow.... Wow. :shock:


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## Roger Perry

What a story, I'm praying Ace will be alright. What a lesson to learn for all who reads about Ace. Thank you.


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## pupaloo

Wow. Things happen-even when you think you're careful, even when you think you know. Thanks for sharing. I bet he'd be ready to head out duck hunting again tomorrow if you'd take him-dogs are amazing creatures. Best of luck to you both!


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## thunderdan

Wow, what a story and thank you for posting it. Hopefully you sharing the story has brought awareness to someone who will benefit from it. Good luck on a speedy recovery for Ace.


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## Don Smith

I am so happy that he has pulled through. Like others, I had tears welling up, too. Thank God that he is alive, with you and I pray that he has a full recovery and that the two of you will have many joyous days together again. Give him a hug for me.


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## mjh345

WOW!! 
Thanks for sharing
Matt you are lucky to have Ace for a dog.
Ace is also lucky to have Matt for an owner


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## Troy B

Holy smokes, I can't even begin to imagine. I'm glad he's doing well and hope his full recovery is quick.


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## Jason E.

Talked to Matt a little bit ago and ACE is doing great. He has eatin this morning and should be going home today . Blood work and urine tests all look good.


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## johnp

Glad to hear that Ace is doing well. It took a lot of guts to post that and it reminds us all that even when we think everything is alright sometimes we need to listen to our dogs. Hoping for a complete recovery of Ace, and sending prayers your way.

John


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## Scott Adams

Matt,
I don't think you should be faulted at all for what happened. When the dogs situation became obvious, you responded.
You deserve credit for what happened afterward. You saved Aces' life.
Your response was impressive.
Hope all is well.

Scott


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## Eric Fryer

Thanks for sharing the incident with us, what an eye opener!! I am thrilled that he is on the rebound. 

This past weekend we were hunting on a frozen lake for geese and mallards. Jax marked a winged greenhead that went down 4-500 yards out and broke. It was all I could do to get her to stop. The ice was not good out there and it would have been fatal had she kept going another 80 yards or so. There was a high wind and she could not hear the whistle and the remote on my collar was not holding a charge. Luckily she heard one last ditch effort sit whistle and I called her in. It did not look good at all there for a couple of minutes though... 

Thanks again for sharing, I know I learned something from it.


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## thunderdan

Matt,

How is your pup doing today?


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## DUCK DGS

Thanks, Jason, for the update from Matt! So happy to hear that Ace is on the mend. Positive thoughts and prayers are sent from Maine for a continued and full recovery!

Sue


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## Bustin'

The fact that you posted this is greatly appreciated. I hope it is ok for me to print it off for all my hunting buddies? I am not sure about temps in TN but North Dakota gets pretty cold and icy in late October. Hope all is well, and good luck!


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## Finn McCool

Matt, I can't imagine the rollercoaster of emotions you must have gone through in the last few days. I also have been criticized for using a vest, but i could not care less. The devotion we get from our dogs is worth every measure of safety. Good wishes to you and Ace, and please send some of those ducks to South Louisiana. My poor boy's got nothing to retrieve!


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## Guest

Wow, what a story... I'm so sorry you had to endure this, Matt.

I think the BIGGEST lesson here, more than anything, is that our dogs will push and plod through the worst conditions to retrieve. It's just like we normally don't know they have cancer until they're eaten up with it... They are just so happy to work and live, they don't let us know when they're in pain or sick. And by the time they do... As in Ace's case, it's close to the end.

It's a great story and I hope one with a 100% happy ending. Thanks for having the guts to post it on here, Matt, as a lesson to everyone and as heartwarming miracle that we can all appreciate for many reasons...

I will pray for a full and healthful recovery. I would think if he had DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulation -- Joie had it when he got sick in 1993 and lost his legs as a result), he would have had it by now? Or at least I hope he's out of the woods for it...

Thanks again for sharing. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Here's to healthy dogs and safe hunting!

-Kristie


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## Judy Chute

Thanks for sharing....a reminder as to just how fast things can go wrong. Thank goodness you did all the right things and did not give up !!! 

Lots and lots of good wishes to "Ace"... the update sounds good!  

Judy


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## Scrat

Prayers sent!!!!


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## Connie Swanson

Prayers do get answered.... I'm sure you'll be checking in w/ your vet, but I know that when I got hypothermia, I was never able to regulate body temp in cold as well as before the incident. As well, dogs w/ heat stroke need to be monitored for the same reason; I suspect you will have to be VERY careful hunting in the cold w/ Ace from now on. As we all know, his desire will keep him going way beyond the safe zone!!


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## okvet

i'm glad everything worked out for Ace. That is scary for sure.


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## Becky Mills

Matt,
So very very grateful your boy is improving. Please keep us posted. And please, please don't beat yourself up. Thank you for warning the rest of us.
Take Care,
Becky


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## Mike Walker

Prayers sent and any updates?


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## Guest

Matt don't beat yourself up too bad. I rarely ever post anything on these BBs but after reading your story I felt that I should.

I did a similar but the opposite to my dog who is an FC-AFC. I "cooked" him in the heat. Of course it wasn't intentional but it did happen. Fortunately, after almost $2K in vet fees, sleepless nights and carrying a lot of guilt he was OK with no long term permanent damage. Quick response by me and my training partners saved my dogs life.

I know what your going through inside. Just learn from the experience. 
Forgive yourself and move on. I'm sure Ace has already forgiven you. We all make mistakes.


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## Paula H

I grew up in Jackson County Arkansas (no, really), and my first thought was WHEW, I'm glad he's okay! Second was - why didn't he call the local vet (assuming he's still there - I've had to use him before and I knew his parents and he's pretty good)? Note to self - 1) Buy dog vest, and 2) look up local vet info when i travel. 

Thanks for sharing with us - prayers for a continued recovery. This is scary stuff - I think of all the times I could have been in your situation and wasn't by the grace of God.


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## Warren Flynt

My dog's first hunt is on Wednesday.

expected temp- around 20*F

vest and dry towels- check, check, and check!


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## spaightlabs

glad everything worked out ok. hunting wet, even when it doesn't seem very cold can definiteley drain them quick. Hope you both have a great new year!


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## Janet Kimbrough

What an amazing ending to such a tragic story. The power of prayer is a miracle. Ace is in my prayers for a complete recovery.

Janet


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## Steve Amrein

I hope everything is OK. We will send prayers.

I have never thought about vet locations while traveling.

Please keep us posted.


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## MDbaydog

Best wishes for a speedy recovery and Thanks for sharing and helping others learn from your unfortunate experience.


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## Waterdogs

WoW. I know i worry about the dogs like other people worry about their kids. Im so glad your story turned ok. Looks like someone was looking out for you and your buddy.


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## larrynogaj

Matt, I'm shivering just from reading this. When you knew you had to take action, you did. I hope his recovery is full and lasting.


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## dreamer2385

wow , what a experience, thoughts and prayers that all is going well.. maria


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## Guest

Matt
Mike W is a friend of mine and put this up on our website and I just wanted to let you know My prayers and thoughts go out to you and Ace. I believe in the power of prayer.


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## res

What a story. Like you I hate making a decision that hurts my dog. In my opinion your reaction to the situation is a real credit to your commitment to your dog. Your response was great. Prayers sent for a continued recovery for both you and the dog. Rick


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## Guest

Matt you did a awsome job.I am just glad you used your head and did not lose your mind or thouht.Really happy ace is ok.My prayer's and thought's are with you and Ace.


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## Matt G

And the miracles just keep on coming on this, the first day of a new year. As I type this, Ace is resting comfortably in front of the fire back at home! He was given the "clearance to go home" yesterday evening and granted all of my New Year's wishes a little early. The vet who has been monitoring his case felt that he was stable and alert enough to rest and re-coup in the comfort of his home, under the caveat that any alterations in behavior or temp (which I'm watching) are cause for the 5 minute trip back to the emergency clinic. He has slept in the deepest slumber I can ever recall observing, but I'm not complaining. We're alive....and kickin' (at least Ace is in his dreams, which I assume involves chasing cripples through the flooded woods of NE Arkansas). 

Ace and I want to Thank each and every one of you from the deepest bottom of our hearts for your support and Prayers. I am convinced that this miracle was continually fueled by the tremendous amount of thoughts and prayers offered up by friends and strangers (who are far from strangers, rather family who are merely separated by spatial distance). We will make it. And we're stronger for this. Under advisement from several people whose opinion I greatly respect, Ace will likely sit the remainder of this duck season on the sidelines. Then in February we'll ease back into our training regiment and see where we stand. I must admit that I felt extremely guilty loading up this morning to head to the timber while leaving him in the warmth of his dogbed, and even worse after we lit our first big group of birds...but deep inside I know that Ace would want it that way, as he's just as "eat up wid' it" as I am. And we'll have plenty of time in our long journey ahead to go after just "one more bird".

Thanks again,

Matt and Ace


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## D Osborn

I am so glad he is doing well, and thanks for sharing. you may save another dog.
I think we all feel guilty leaving the old or injured dogs behind, I just make up for it by taking them on a ride to the bank or coffee shopas they get treats. It is all in the moment.
I hope he continues to do as well!


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## Guest

Wonderful news. Thanks for the update... Good idea to give him a nice, long break.


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## Dave Burton

What an awesome story and recovery! As I read it I could imagine running thru a swamp with waders and dog. I bet you didn't touch bottom to many times. How cold was the water that day? I might have missed it but I was wondering what the temp was. I have done the same thing a time or two. One time my dog was not liking it very much so I pulled some grass and sticks together and put my blind bag on them then sat the dog on my bag. she was ok after that but now I'm wondering what would have happened if I hadn't done that. Thanks for sharing and good lesson for the rest of us. Good luck


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## 2tall

Matt, I just read your miraculous story last night as we had been gone for New Years. I can not thank you enough for posting, as it was a good solid wake up call for all of us that tend to push just a little longer, or take a "slight" risk when in the midst of excitement, be it hunting, testing or trialing. On Monday morning we were dove hunting in a field not even a 1/4 mile from the house where we were staying. It was cool, (50 ish) but my dog was the only one working. I noticed his tongue hanging out quite a bit, and went to the truck to get him some water and realized we had left the bottle at the house. Normally I would have just stopped and run back and gotten it, but one of the guys hit a few birds right then so I let him pick them up. Fortunately, he was fine and I discovered a bucket full of rain water out in the field and was able to let him drink. After getting home and reading your post, I realize how utterly careless it was of me to allow that "one more retrieve". Its the same risk when I let someone tell me, "there are no gators in this pond" anywhere here in gator country. From now on, because of your post, I will hold my ground and make my own decisions based on what is best for the dog, not what looks "ok" at the moment. My husband and I had a two hour discussion last night regarding your story and what we learned from it. I am sure everyone here on RTF feels the same way. Again, I am so happy for Ace's good outcome, and for you. I know how I would feel if I were in your shoes.


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## DuckManiac

I have watched icicles form on my dogs head and ears while sitting and waiting for ducks. Both of us shivering not only from the cold but from the excitement of the hunt. Both of our eyes scanning the sky anxiously awaiting for just one more flight of ducks to arrive. It is during these times that it’s easy to forget that our hunting buddies do have a limit to the cold and that we must pay close attention to them.

Reading your story has brought back the memory of several hunts and made me wonder how close I may have been to the same situation. Thank God for your dogs recovery and thank you for the story I wish you and your hunting buddy many more hunts.


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## FetchExpress

Matt

I have been out of town and just got home. I am elated that things turned out. 

KC


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## Kevin WI

I delayed reading this thread, because I don't like to be reminded of what bad things can happen to our dogs, however I am now glad I did and I'm glad that everything came out good in the end...with the exception of the entire traumatic experience for you and Ace.
Thanks for sharing. We're all the better educated for it.


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## Captain Mike D

Matt,

So glad I did not read an terrible ending to what you and Ace endured. Thanks for posting it up so we all can learn, and best wishes for his continued progress.

Mike


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## Gwen Jones

Matt,

I have not looked at the forum for a few days and was stunned to see your story! I have copied and pasted it and have it printing right now. Milton is off this afternoon to hunting camp. I have asked him to take this with him as a reminder to all that pass through.
You have a wonderful way with words and I feel comfortable knowing that you and ACE have a lot of years ahead of you.


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## LavenderLabs

I'm glad Ace is ok,


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## MoJo

Matt and Ace,

Many thanks for having the courage to be instrumental in saving your dog and more importantly, for posting this to educate others who might someday be in a similar situation.

While reading this, I kept telling myself, "Stop now! This dog is not going to make it and you know you don't want to hear that." I did not listen to such faulty reason and am thrilled that Ace is doing well.

You did nothing wrong, knowing what you did at the time; and you did everything right by letting others know what you gleaned from this traumatic lesson.

Prayers to you both,
Moira


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## Bud Bass

Thank you deeply for taking the time and caring enough to post your accounting of the days events. We in Alaska hunt a lot of cold water, and hopefully we can learn from your experience. I'm sure I'm not the only one with tears in my eyes as I read of the events of the day assuming only the worse would be the outcome. I wish your dog a long and healthy life and believe fully that you deserve a dog like that, you knew what to do and acted quickly without hesitating. Bud Bass, Wasilla, AK
________
Shower sex


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## xqwerty13x

wow .. that brought a tear to my eye !

hope he makes a 100% man !


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## Steve Bean

Whewww.....man that was close and I'm extremely happy that it is all going well now. Thanks for letting us all know the dangers of the cold and that our 4-legged hunting partners are not immune to it.


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## Mike Walker

Gald to hear everything is going good.


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## Janice Gunn

Holy cow.....didn't think I was going to be shedding tears in my cup o' coffee this
morning.
What a wonderful ending to a terrifying story.

We can all learn something from this, thank you for posting.
It wasn't that long ago we were reading about the dangers of heat stroke. 
Either way it is never intentional but having the knowledge of what to do in these
situations could be life saving.

I hope Ace will have a successful and full recovery.
Could you heat him up some chicken noodle soup and say it was from me ;-)


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## Joel Thorstad

Matt,

I'm pullin for Ace in a full recovery, sounds like he's doing good. Thanks for being a brave guy and posting the full story so that we all can learn from your experience. I'm training my first pup right now and next fall I'll remember Ace's story when that water starts getting cold.


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## DH

Wow, I can only imagine what that was like. I learned a lesson from your story.

DH


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## Peggy Snyder

I read your message and needless to say I was first suffering with you--tears rolling down--then relieved to hear Ace is doing well. During the short time in reading your story I was thinking about the how quickly something like this can happen through no fault of your own. It goes to show how faithful your hunting companion is and how you saved his life because of that devotion. From our Ace and us to you and your Ace good luck in recovery and good hunting next year


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## Guest

How is Ace doing now?


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## T-Pines

Thank-you for posting,that was a tear jerker.
AS others have wished, I hope that Ace makes a full recovery.
WE will be thinking about you.
Colleen


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## Blklab

Matt I am glad that everything is going better. Believe me this reminded me of a very close call last year with my dog. 4 surgeries later after the hunt she is doing well. I still think often about that day. I hope your dog continues to get better and you continue to create good memories hunting with him.


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## Guest

Matt,
What a story, and indeed, a miraculous recovery. I'm glad you're both OK now.

I'm a Moderator at another site and took the liberty of C&Ping your story and making a "Sticky" out of it.
I feel in doing so, it will save the life of many Dawgs.

...again,,, glad you're both doing well.

..............................Brydawg


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## Matt G

Thought I'd give a quick update on Ace. It's been about 45 days since the day that we are still trying to put behind us, and I couldn't be happier with his progress. I have no reservations when I say that he's back to 100% in health, heart, and heathen. Thus far, I've seen nothing in his attitude or actions that indicates long-term effects from the hypothermia. We did deal with some "spells" were he went into a "trance" and was very spooky for several weeks after coming home from the hospital. Our best guess was just post-traumatic stress (hell I know I wouldn't be right for a while after that happened to me). But that's all behind us now and we're looking forward to trial season. We would both like to Thank each and every one of you who extended support and prayed to get us through this miraculous adventure. I am still so Thankful for the many blessings in which we received.

On a related note, the first-class people at Avery Outdoors heard about our story and stepped up to the plate to ensure that Ace is protected from the elements next duck season. David Carrington (one of our own here on the RTF), made arrangements to ship me a new Avery Boater's Parka, fitted to Ace, at no cost! Yet another testament to Avery's commitment to their customers and the sporting dog community.

Thought I'd post a couple of pics of Ace from the first half of the season, prior to the incident which benched him for the remainder.


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## FOM

Thanks for the update - good on Avery - very happy to hear Ace is doing better!

I have to say I absolutely adore how Ace does the head tilt thing, brought a smile to my face and gave me a good chuckle! Sure he doesn't need a neck brace?  

Did you an avatar.....he is a good looking boy....

FOM


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## Goldenboy

Glad to hear that Ace is doing so well. Hope his neck straightens out . Great pictures!


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## Danno

Greatness across the board.

Glad it all worked out.


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## Illinois Bob

How do you get Ace to cock his head for the camera like that all the time?


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## Bud

Thanks for the update and the pics. And heres' to Avery and their donation.


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## Jeff Kolanski

Tonite is the first time I read your story, Matt. Holy Cow, your story is truely an act of something greater than we are here on this planet!! I was so happy to hear that Ace recovered and is doing well. Very nice pics of him. He has that head tilt thing going on as if to say, "yeah, I'm cool!!" Happy for both of you and good luck to you, and Ace!! Thanks for opening all of our eyes, a duck is not worth our best friend!!!!!


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## Matt G

Yeah that head tilt thing cracks everyone up. He's done it ever since he was a pup. In fact, it ran in several of his littermates as well. Chris Christopher's Diesel and Jason Escalara's Nitro both would cock their head a little (not to his extent), especially when they saw the marks go off good. I just whistle a little when I'm taking a pic of him, and he gives the "erra?" head tilt. 

Lainee, thanks for the avatar...I need to read up on how to make it appear.


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## FOM

click on the picture in my thread, it will open in a new window, right mouse click on the picture and save it to your computer.....then come back to RTF and select User CP (top menu bar) and then click on Edit Avatar (on the left side) and upload it.

FOM


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## Dick Jennings

Matt,

Good news that Ace is doing so well. It looks like he is very good at his job! Four legged hammer pilot! Great pics, good luck for the upcoming trial season.


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## Chris Atkinson

That may just be my new favorite avatar pic in all of RTF.

Chris


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## Guest

Just want to say that I'm happy that everything worked out.I am also glad that you did write this story for I had no idea that this could happen so fast.Take care of that wonderful dog


Matt G said:


> It is my understanding that traumatic events are often dealt with by talking about them to friends and strangers alike. No opinions, agenda, or B.S. here...just an account of what has been one of the toughest days of my life thus far.
> 
> The pain and grief I'm burdening my conscience with is more that anyone could possibly throw at me, so please save the "reply" button for support of my dog and not reiteration of what I now understand was terribly poor judgement on my (and only my) behalf. This morning I laid on the edge of a field in Jackson county Arkansas asking God and whoever else was listening why it had to end this way. On the week that Ace will age out of the Derby, I watched the life quickly slip from his eyes as I stripped my waders and clothes off trying to warm him while my hunting partner was running for the Argo.
> 
> We've been after the ducks pretty hard so far this season, and this morning was no different than normal. Picking up birds until about 8:30 when the "faucet" seems to shut off. Except, the faucet opened up on a buckbrush hole around 9:00 and two of us headed over to slip in and get in on the action. Even being his first season to hunt, 30 something days into it, he's really added "duck dawg" to his short, but respectable resume', dotted with some derby points and Q placements. While most of our spots have platforms or at least logs to get the dogs out of the water, this "makeshift" hunt had no decent place for a dog to stand. Seeing the sheer number of birds and knowing that we only needed a few, I figured 30 minutes tops...surely he can stand in knee deep water for that long. About 45 minutes into it he had just made a retrieve and I noticed a strange grunt/moan on the return that I've never heard before. As he came to heel, and another group was making a pass, he continued to make the sound. As he's not a "whiner" when birds are working, I gave a "quiet-nick". Continues to make the sound. Now I'm scratching my head. Knowing that he'll air even in swimming water, I rule that out. I chalk it up to "he's cold" and say "let's call it, my dog's getting chilly". As we're easing out, he becomes disoriented and begins to just tread water. I walk over and ease on his collar to pull him along. When his legs floated up to the sides, I knew we were in deep kim shi. Hypothermia was rapidly draining his time with us, as his core body temp continued to plummet. When I let go of his collar to pick him up, he sunk (head and all). Now I've heard of people doing amazing things in times of extreme duress (single person flips over car that is trapping someone, etc.), but I have never made it through 250 yards of beaver-run, smart-weed filled stump hole filled buck brush in under 20 minutes with my shotgun and blind bag. This morning I did that plus a 67 pound lab in 5. By the time I got to dry ground he was limp and unable to support his own head. I stripped my jacket, outershirt, and fleece to wrap and then curled up next to him while my partner (75 yards behind me without carrying a dog) was making to to shore to get the Argo. He had his first seizure on the edge of the field, gasping for breath, foaming at the mouth, and contracting every muscle in his body. As his eyes rolled back I pleaded with him "I'm so sorry buddy, I never meant for it to end this way"..."I never would have done this to you on purpose"....this was 10 minutes from the time he picked up the last bird. And I prayed for the first time in a long time. The selfish grief that burned from the fact that I was losing my first "real" dog and best friend was sickly overshadowed by the anguish that I felt from seeing the pain in Ace's eyes. That image raises the hair on my neck as I type this and will likely haunt me for many years to come. Argo pulls up and I hop in, with him in my lap, wrapped in my jacket, and I take the longest 1/2 mile ride to the truck that I'll ever take. Get to the truck, start engine, petal to the floor trying to get warmed up so that the heat kicks in. Lay Ace in the passenger floorboard and use everything dry that I had (handlers jackets, frogg toggs, gloves, etc) to get the water off. Then pile on my bibs, coat, and fleece to keep him warm. Second seizure hits as my buddy climbs into the driver's seat for the 45 minute ride to Jonesboro, where we have no clue how to find a vet on Sunday morning. Was going to give him some Coke to provide a shot of glucose, only to find out that his jaws were locked shut, front teeth piercing through his bottom lip from the seizures. Totally immobile and unresponsive, I pinch, pull, and pat to keep him from shutting those eyes. Notice that his gums are solid white. A few times he takes "his dying breath" and I jackleg attempt canine CPR. 10 minutes from Jonesboro and we get a call from the vet who responded to a page from his answering service. He's 15 minutes away, so I wait out another of the 5 longest minutes of my life in the parking lot. He pulls up, unlocks the doors, and I carry Ace in with the gut feeling that this would be his last vet visit. I prayed again for the second time in a long time. What happened in the next 4 hours is nothing short of a sho' nuff' miracle. I usually don't buy that cheesy crap, but I "seen it with my own eyes". With a core body temp of 84 degrees at the vet (so we'll call it close to 80 before the 100 mph heater wide open truck ride), a blur of heated tables, blankets, heating pads, warm saline solution through an IV began. 2 hours into it, we got to 90 degrees. He began to shiver (which was a good sign), and opened his eyes. At 2.5 hours, he picked up his head and took a drunken look around. At 3 hours, we were at 94 and and eased outside to relieve the bladder (another good sign that the kidneys were functioning). At 3.5 hours he ate a high-protein tube of some honey-substance. At 4 hours he was at 97 and I was hauling to Memphis with him asleep in the back seat, destined for the emergency clinic. Out of the back seat in Memphis he's got pep in his step to air and meet the awaiting staff with vet chart faxes in hand. He leveled out a 101.5 for tonight and is resting while fluids are administered. And while this seems to be the happy ending, I'm fully aware that he's not out of the woods yet. A condition known as D.I.C. (can't give you the true acronym, but the slang is Death Is Coming) were clotting ability is reduced is a definite possibility, along with a string of other ailments, including kidney, heart, lung failure, and the potential for his "internal temp regulators" to spike and throw him into HYPERthermia in the near future are all very real threats. But that's tomorrow. For tonight, my dog is alive. And in better condition than he was on the edge of that field this morning.
> 
> What did I learn?
> -You cannot leave a dog in the water, even for a short amount of time. They need a place to get out and shake the excess water.
> -I've always been a critic of dog vests...not no mo'. After the ass-chewing I got from the vet, I got a good list of reasons to use a vest.
> -You've got to listen to your dog. Generally, they'll show/tell you that something's wrong.
> -There could easily be more than coincidence relating the request for divine intervention and the honest-to-goodness miracle that I witnessed today.
> 
> The deepest and most sincere Thank You from the bottom of my heart (and Ace's) goes out to everyone that has played a role in today and the upcoming days (you know who you are).


----------



## Guest

i know what its like to loose your partner even though yours pulled through it was a close call.loosing a great friend is very hard .i had to put down my 4year old yellow lab down for med reasons.it took me an hour sitting in the corner of the vet office crying like a little boy just to get the words out of my mouth(put him down)he was my hunting buddy and my best friend.He was a very special lab.At 4 months old he was doing 300 yard blind retrieves. he was a natural.i now have a little chocklate and to be honest i think he will be better yet!well enough of that my prayers are with you and your dog good luck with your next hunting season................


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## lizard55033

Matt, I'm glad to hear the Ace is doing good, and you, yourself are healing from the incident. 

Great Looking dog, looks like he has alot of personality.


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## Matt G

With the opening of duck season just around the corner and the arrival of cooler temps, I'd like to bump this back to the main page to serve as a reminder of how quickly things can happen.

As an update to this story, Ace became Qualified All-Age this weekend, 10 months after our near-tragedy . What a cool journey it has been that all started as a guy wanting a nice hunting dog, joined a great training group, and has had a blast along the way playing in this great sport. I am thankful to everyone in this group that offered thoughts and prayers for his safe and complete recovery. 

Sincerely,
Matt Geater (and Ace).


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## LabLady

Good idea to bump this thread! Congrats on QAA.

Vikki


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## ErinsEdge

Congratulations on the QAA and what a story Ace has.


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## SMITTYSSGTUSMC

Matt,

Thank you very much for posting this,

I was not a member when this went down so after reading this post I will be sure to keep my boy high and dry during the hunting season as all who know me know I am a rookie 

Thanks again and glad to see that ace is doing good.

Smitty


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## jgrammer

Thank you for pushing this up to the top. I will be making sure the friend who is taking my girl duck hunting reads it! 

Jean


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## Pepper Dawg

Matt, I just read your story and I want to thank you for posting it. I am so happy that Ace is OK and recovering. Ace is blessed to have you as his partner. You saved his life! I am just now getting back into duck hunting and will be taking my blf "Hannah" with me in a couple of weeks to eastern Oregon for a duck...goose hunt. I will defintely do the following thanks to your post:
1. Take the neoprene vest
2. Take phone #'s of local vet/ emergency clinic
3. Make sure she has a dry place to sit or lay
4. Keep a close eye on her for any signs of discomfort.

Thanks again for your post and I'm praying for you both! I too believe in 
miracles and the power of prayer! Les


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## Fowl Play WA

We tend to think they're tough water dogs, and this is a good reminder. They sure will go to the ends of the earth for us, and it's important to remember not to ask too much. Thanks for bumping this.


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## 1st retriever

I wasn't a member when this came out and I just read it. All I can say is WOW! Good job and fast thinking saved his life! Lots of us can take a page from your book on how to stay "collected" when something serious happens. Glad Ace is back to his old self and I love his head tilt!


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## Jeff Kolanski

Congrats!! Good to hear Ace is doing fine.


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## Vicky Trainor

Bumping up for new members to view.


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## brandywinelabs

So very sorry for your loss.

greg


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## trapper1

Hi WHAT A ORDEAL TO GO THROUGH . ALL THE BEST TO YOU AND ACE. and buy Him a coat. Trapper1


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## Chris Atkinson

brandywinelabs said:


> So very sorry for your loss.
> 
> greg


Ace lived!


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## lablover

After reading the first couple of sentences, I was afraid of the ending. I'm so happy that everything worked out for you and your dog. I hope he continues to improve.

I copied your post and forwarded to to my duck hunting buddies, both those with and without dogs, so that all will benefit.
If this story saves 1 dogs life, we'll all be happy! 

Give Ace a hug and a dog yummie from all of us!


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## Jason E.

Chris Atkinson said:


> Ace lived!


Ace lived and was also able to compete in FT's this fall and became QAA. Good for you and Ace Matt.


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## Carver

Matt,
An incredible story that ended in a way that I did not expect. Hypothermia is a killer, and it is important that all owners, especially those of us who work retrievers under conditions that lend themself to it, recognize and act on the symptoms observed, and even more importantly, on prevention. Please give Ace a pat on the head and an extra dog treat for me.

Carver


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## threerivers

Just goes to show how resilient they are and lucky to see ace alive n well. Anyone hunting jackson county in arkansas should have joe david smiths (newport veterinarian) number......


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## ErinsEdge

> Yeah that head tilt thing cracks everyone up. He's done it ever since he was a pup. In fact, it ran in several of his littermates as well.


I think it's a mannerism that starts as a pup. Rizzo did it on long retired guns or flyers or whatever, but you knew he saw that throw-it was kind of neat. The little guy in my avatar is out of his sister and he already started doing it but I haven't gotten a picture of it yet because as soon as he does it he tries to get the camera.


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## jbauer

Wow. Really an eye opener.


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## Matt G

Chris Atkinson said:


> Ace lived!


He sure did...and is having a blast in this year's duck season! 10 days into the Arkansas season, Ace has picked up right where he left off last year, and we are "madder at em' " than ever. I was a little nervous on opening weekend when we had record cold temps in the upper teens, but we played smart and had no issues. Thought I'd post some pics from the first split...anyone notice additional apparel? Thanks again to everyone who supported us. There are some truly awesome people on the RTF.


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## Montview

Matt G said:


>



Now THAT is an awesome sight!!!  

I'm so glad that you posted your experiences...and that everything turned out okay because of your quick thinking and response. Hopefully, all of us who shared your story learned a lot- the world definitely wouldn't be the same without Ace in it!


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## torrey

Matt G said:


> He sure did...and is having a blast in this year's duck season! 10 days into the Arkansas season, Ace has picked up right where he left off last year, and we are "madder at em' " than ever. I was a little nervous on opening weekend when we had record cold temps in the upper teens, but we played smart and had no issues. Thought I'd post some pics from the first split...anyone notice additional apparel? Thanks again to everyone who supported us. There are some truly awesome people on the RTF.
> QUOTE]
> 
> 
> Matt -
> How do my dog and I accompany you and yours on a week of duck hunting next year?  What a spread!


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## RodneyB46

your experince brought tears to my eyes as i read it. i prayed for you and ace.what an amazing story,god brought into our lives today.god took ace and used him as a tool to touch your heart.in a story of redemtion,that is wonderful.how god desires to be in commucation with us,his children,and you did that today!god used ace to send a phone call to your heart. you picked up the phone,and talked to god,exactly what he was trying to achive i am sure.i thanked him for this story,you brought to us,to have the courage to share it,to have the faith to call on his name,to respond in the most approiate way, for present the evidence that god can use aniamls to work in our hearts and on our relationship with him.i hope one day you can look at this story and say that was the day god lead me back to him.that it would be a point in your life,that you could say,thats the day when it happened.i hope ace recovers into the wonderful retriever you took into the field that morning.
god bless you,
rodney


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## gary

oh man, im sorry you had to go threw that, i had to skip toward the end cause my wife said i had a tear coming out. i do know how you feel though, i just recently lost to great dogs. my prayers are out to you and your dog.


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## Birdbogie

My heart goes out to you and your companion. I'm glad your both OK.


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## jgdavis123

wow im so glad you are both okay. I know how much my lab means to me so i can only imagine having to go through that.


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## Blond Dawgz

Saying a prayer thanking God for taking you and Ace in his arms and taking care of you both. God is the great healer. Thank you for sharing. Ace is a beautiful boy!


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## huntnlabs

I sure hope things are still going well for Ace and you. I couldn't get through your post without my eyes watering either. We're all bound by the love we share for our dogs and the true unselfish desire they have to please us. Thanks for sharing your experience, I'm sure it wasn't easy to write and express things so vividly. You will have probably helped prevent others from unknowingly putting their dogs into the same type situation.


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## etfremd

*Tears where streaming down my face from under my glasses* and landing all over my key board...All the while I tried to be quiet and maintain composure here at work in my cubical...

It was great to read this thread so late...so I get the complete story at one time...What a *GREAT ENDING!* or should I say a new beginning...Hope you get many, many years with that wonderful dog!

I did a little cold weather hunting on a trip to WA this year...My girl wore an old classic dog vest and did not seam to mind the cold...The air temp was about 10 and the water was bit warmer...


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## Matt G

Bumping to the top as a reminder with the coming of duck season and cooler temps.

Hope everyone has a great duck season. Run it to the plug!


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## Jeff Kolanski

Hey Matt, I remember this story when you first posted it!! It really brought tears to my eyes and opened up quite a bit of common sense for me. No hunt or bird is worth putting our dogs in jeopardy for. I'd imagine that your bad experience has also opened up every readers minds also. I'm so happy for you and Ace that everything came through for you guys. He's lookin' great in the picture above, and still has that cool head tilt going on for pictures, that's great!! I'm curious, it has been a couple of years since hypothermia set in on Ace, do you notice any effects from that today? I'm glad that he is still here to retrieve birds for you. Have a safe and successful duck season, Matt!! By the way, you have some awesome pictures, keep them coming!!


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## NateB

I did not specifically remember this story but the effect it had on me was profound. 2 Weeks ago I was hunting in N. Dakota with my older dog Diamond. She is near 11 yr old but still raring to go. However, I am beginning to see her limits better than she does. We were hunting a pothole that was very shallow, had partially froze over overnight but had open spots and lots of birds. We had to hunt the edge and were able to pull over a few birds. After a some dismal shooting by me this week, had a mallard swing by, finally took my time standing, mounting and swinging thru and appeared to stone the bird. Made a good splash just inside the thin ice past our decoys, but vision was obscured but some cattails. Sent the dog, feeling really good about my shot for once. But that feeling quickly went away after I realized that she was hunting and the bird was moving. She was breaking ice following the bird but could not keep up. I lost sight of her but could hear her as I got the lightweight boat over to go help. As i got to the area, I saw the bird sneaking into the wind thru cattails. BUT I could no longer hear my dog. Not knowing where the dog was I was not going to try to shoot the bird again and my first priority was getting the dog into the boat. I was beginning to get nervous as I had not heard her for a while and had to yell several time before she got out of the cattails and came over to get to the boat. We lost the bird, which bothers me as it appeared to be a good shot. However, I do not regret my choice. If she was 3 yrs old I would not have been so concerned, but she is almost 11.

Later I wondered why I got SO concerned, then I came here and re-read this story. So even though I did not remember, it had a strong effect on how I handled my dog in those icy conditions. Next afternoon we hunted that same pothole from inside boats, completely ice free and 65 degrees. Funny how quick it can change.


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## terrycuyler

Lots of good thoughts sent Ace's way! Snakes in Florida, cold water in your area. Always something to take away our fur friends.....Give Ace a belly scratch from me when you see him.

tlc


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## jmaher

Glad your dog will be ok and I am glad you learned before it was too late. So many never do. I knew someone that was a critic and said the dog did not need a vest, I pointed out that they did not need a jacket either, but it was much smarter with one. They did not get a vest and I did not hunt with them any more.


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## 30 caliber

Thanks for bumping this to the top again. This is the first time I have seen it. I hope you and Ace are still doing well. Let's all be careful out there.


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## Sunshine-WI

Thanks for bumping this up, great information to know....Thank God for a happy ending.


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## foresterpoole

OK, how much shivering is normal? My dog wears a vest and he still shivers....


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## JLModin24

I have been there with a dog that didnt make it...ole Chase, about 5 minutes after my 7th bird. Glad to know Ace has a fighting chance and now your bond will be stronger than ever.


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## Jay Dufour

I have a client that is hunting his quite small bitch in upper twenties,and retrieving ducks for up to five people in the blind.She has a vest on that is kinda loose,and the birds are fast and furious.He says after twenty five birds or so she starts petering out ....and starts to go slow or no go on blinds.She is in a dog box on the side of a tank blind.I told him that these conditions are pushing the envelope,and he must be aware of hypothermia.She stays in the home year round.My question to you all is what should I advise him to do? I mean he has a great hunting lodge in Arkansas where these conditions bring tons of ducks and geese.....this is why he has a retriever....She starts out every day rairing to go....but I am worried for her.How many hours should I tell him to hunt her? Dry her after retrieves? Any advise would help.He is concerned and is receptive to advise,yet I cant say I would hunt any of my dogs to this extent....we dont hardly ever have that many ducks,and my main objective would be regarding the dogs saftey,rather than shooting ducks.Thanks


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## rmilner

For the present, he should give her plenty of time (10 minutes) between retrieves to build her body heat back up. Also some high carbohydrate snacks. As for time limits, the dog determines that and it will vary from day to day. When she quits retrieving, she is telling you something. If you don't listen, you will end up with a dead dog. 

The long term solution for those conditions is to hunt two dogs and alternate the retrieves between them.

(Also encourage bank running when possible)


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## 43x

http://www.goosehuntingchat.com/for...ermia-and-treating-hypothermic-dog-10120.html

IMO... This should be the sticky !


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## jackdaw

I had to skip to the end too. We are human and sometimes we get things wrong, very sadly. I lost a dog too once because I got it wrong. I hope you find peace with yourself for a tragic error of judgement


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## jackdaw

We all live and learn. Thanks for sharing, so that hopefully someone else doesn't learn the real hard way


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## LucyTudeOn4Feet

Jay Dufour said:


> I have a client that is hunting his quite small bitch in upper twenties,and retrieving ducks for up to five people in the blind.
> 
> I told him that these conditions are pushing the envelope,and he must be aware of hypothermia.She stays in the home year round.
> 
> My question to you all is what should I advise him to do?


I would print off page one - the original post - for him to read. 
How could one not err on the side of caution on behalf of their dog after reading this story?


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## muddin

glad to hear hes doing great. (teary eyed) lesson learned for all. ive watched my buddys dog where a vest and when its super cold outside he uses his decoy bag for a dog blind to help hold the heat in. his dog actually gets in the bag. It keeps the wind off of him when its freezing out and keeps him a little warmer. not that you could of done that in your situation just a little field info. that might help someone.


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## Rocketman88

I am new to hunting with a dog... That question has always been in the back of my head... I always use a vest! Glad to hear he is doin great!


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## Wetlands Warrior80

The Lord loves em dawgs too brother,keep your head up and your heart open,praying for the Ace man,i just know he's gonna pull through!

God Bless ya man!

Josh


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## Chris S.

just wanted to bump it up because here in North Texas we have had 2 nice days in a row. Me like most of you are ready to do water work. Be careful the water temp is still in the upper 40's or low 50's.

http://www.goosehuntingchat.com/viewtopic.php?p=46387


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## 43x

Chris S. said:


> just wanted to bump it up because here in North Texas we have had 2 nice days in a row. Me like most of you are ready to do water work. Be careful the water temp is still in the upper 40's or low 50's.
> 
> http://www.goosehuntingchat.com/viewtopic.php?p=46387


I've said it once I'll say it again, the above link should be make ito a sticky. Knowledge and prevention is the key


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## DAISYISMYDOG

Russellm454 said:


> Matt, Thank God. Sometimes in the worst of times all we have is faith. Your prayers carried you and others through the actions to save Ace's life today and that same faith will carry you and Ace through what ever is ahead.
> 
> God Bless,


That is the truth. Prayers go out to you and Ace!


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## [email protected]

I sincerely hope all goes well for Ace, we sometimes take our dogs for granted.
They are our buddies first, hunting comes second. I cannot image the distress you have through. It sure has opened my eyes. On behalf of the British Labrador Retriever Association (Canada) our prayers and thoughts are with you and for Ace to a speedy and full recovery. Keep us posted.
Rev. James Lindsay


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## JustinS

I am glad that the lesson was learned but sorry it had to be that way I don't know what I would do if I lost maggie that way!


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## davewolfe

Glad to hear ace is doing fine
It' s hard to belive how fast things can go wrong. When I was younger man starting my duck hunting career, a friend and I bought a 18ft john boat (an old fish boat). We could only come up with 10hp motor for our big boat.
Which was fine we thought, we hunted where a creek mouth went into a very large reservoir lake. The temp dropped to zero over nite. It took 2 hours to break out a trail to go 400 yasrd to your spot. We had a great hunt, I had a big yellow lab (100lbs) ODIE. I shot a duck, Odie went to get it. When Odie got to the duck it start to fly, but it could only get up a couple feet off ice. Odie was able to jump on ice. He chased the duck another 400 yrds. on the ice, the ice wasn't that thick and get thinner on the main part of lake. The ice was poping and craking as I watched my dog run across it. All I could think of was how long it took us to get where we were, so it would take at least that long to get him. If he fell thru could he last that long? Fortunately he made it to the duck and made it back to us. This day has played thru my mind over the years, it could have turn out alot different.



> experance is what you get , when you didn't get what you really wanted


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## BWCA Labs Margo Penke

Thank you for sharing your story...it's good for us all, to be reminded or to learn by. Glad your dog pulled through and hoping for the best in the future.


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## mollyfetch

Prayers for you and Ace - what a terrible experience. Labs are so resilient - hoping for the best for you all.


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## marsh deacon

You are both in my prayers. I just lost my best buddy this Sept, and I still think of him every day. Don't waste a minute feeling guilty, just love on him each day you are blessed to have him.


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## Sue

Matt you were hunting with your best buddy!! Thank god you had a friend there to help you out and you were able to get him help so quickly!! My heart goes out to you and Ace and I will be praying for his full recovery!!


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## ShaneComeBack

We will pray for you and Ace!!


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## mudd

WOW what a story.


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## muddin

With how many of these stories that are on this site why does this keep happening. Vests vests vests 30 and 90% of this goes away. My heart is with ur dog. I know you been through alot and have learned a valuable lesson but there's no reason for it. Sorry


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## Rtyler4616

Wow that was one of the more intense things I believe I've read. Hope he's back happy and working again soon.


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## Bamaboy

Saw the other hypothermia posts and remembered thnis from last season.


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## Byron Musick

Thanks Matt G. 

I can't help but think of how many first time hunter's with dog's benifited from reading this thread. I would have not known how easy one could get into trouble, so glad I read this, I stay very aware now thanks to this read....

Thank you so much!!


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## Peter G Lippert

Matt, thank you for sharing that. I am sincerely glad to here ace is doing well. This story serves as a great lesson in reading your dog and responding appropriately and unfortunately what not to do. Which will become increasingly important in the upcoming months. Thanks again for sharing.


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## Navybowhunter

Thank you for sharing this.

I will heed your advice. 

Ace is in my prayers.

Respectfully,

Chris


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## 54111

My prayers go out to you and Ace. The post brought tears to my eyes.


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## MSDOGS1976

I'm just now reading this thread. Incredible story with a happy ending. Lot's of good pics too.


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## shooter45

hope everything turns out good prayers are with you


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## Daniel J Simoens

FYI: This thread was started in 2007. not that it changes the message at all, just saying


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## Pupknuckle

A special thanks to posting this. I have waterfowl hunted for 25 plus years w/chessies and never knew that dogs got cold weather hypo. About 2 weeks after reading this, I was hunting my field bred lab in 25 degree weather with about 2 inches of ice on the river. We had broken open a sizable hole to hunt over. On Blou's first water retrieve he came back Limping and whining. I thought he had sprained something. After a few minutes in the duck blind next to the heater he was his normal self. We then had a cripple doown in about 8 inches of water. After searching for it for about 5 minutes, he started to whine and would not leave my side. As we were making our way back to the blind, he collapsed. I was fortunate that he made a full recovery without a vet trip. Had I not read this post I would not have known what was wrong with my dog.


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## Tdog1973

Thanks for keeping this posted. I had read this a while back and had it hit home last weekend. I almost lost my BLM after he made a long retrieve. I had him up out of the water for most of the morning, but he made a long trek just before we headed out. Ended up packing him for a ways. He made a full recovery, but was a little scary.


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## Lets Hunt

I made a mistake like that yeras ago. My mistake was to take my 6 year old lab to a lkae, the day after we had been spent several hours in South Texas hunting doves. She had a great day picking up and finding birds, and she as always loved being in the field.

The next day, after work I took her to a small lake for a short swim to loosen her up. It was hot (September in Texas) so I thought a swim would help her sore muscles form the day before. I let her walk around in the water for a few minutes before I pitched an orange bumper about 25 feet form shore. As soon as I released her, she hit the water swimming and as she approached the bumper, the sun was in her face and she swam past it by a half foot. She must have sen it out of the corner of her eye, or smeeled it, but she stopped swimming turned her head and grabbed the bumper in her mouth. 

When she did, her back egsdropped, she fell off plane, and then she just sat there dog paddling with just her fornt quarters above water. I called to her and encouraged her,but she was floundering, and about to go under. I kicked off my feet, and jumped in to try to save her, as I got near her, she wass just aout out of gas, and only her head and an occasional paw was above water. I got to her just a she started to go under, and she did the only thing she could think to do, and she crawled on to the top of my head. 


We were in about 10' of water, and I being 6'2", could not touch the bottom, all I could do was to grab her and shove her forward as hard as I could, to save myself. By the Grace of God, it worked. The forward motion enable her back legs to come up, she was back on plane, and headed to shore.

I was in dire straits though.I had taken a mouth full of water, and was trying to breathe, exhale, and throw up at the same time. Somehow, I manged to get close enough to shore to stand on the bottom as i desperately tried to clear my air path of water. I crawled out of the lake and up onto the bank, where my best friend was shaking the water out of her coat. I was laying on the ground still not breathing when a woman walking with her daughter came around the corner and found me. She screamed for help, and a man that lived across the street from the lake came over and turned me over and started raisning my arms above my head trying to pump water out of my airway. It worked, a large volume of water came rushing out of my mouth, and i got the first breath of air in about 3 minutes, maybe a little longer. Within another minute I was sitting up, breathing fine while my la licked me in the face, and wagged her tail.

Too danm close for comfort for both of us.

What did I learn ?

1. Give her a day or two after a strenuous hunt for the sore muscles in her body to heal on their own, before I take her to swim.

2. Put a swim vest on her every time I let her near the water

3. Make sure she is always in perfect shape, before, during and after hunting season.

That dog is almost 14, and if I took her today, she would try to hunt with me. That event took place some 8 years ago, and I would have had a hard time forgiving myself if I had let her down. I was lucky.

I will say a prayer for you and your dog tonight. By the way, there is a God, and he loves you.


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## Lets Hunt

I made a mistake like that yeras ago. My mistake was to take my 6 year old lab to a lake, the day after we had been spent several hours in South Texas hunting doves. She had a great day picking up and finding birds, and she as always loved being in the field.

The next day, after work I took her to a small lake for a short swim to loosen her up. It was hot (September in Texas) so I thought a swim would help her sore muscles form the day before. I let her walk around in the water for a few minutes before I pitched an orange bumper about 25 feet form shore. As soon as I released her, she hit the water swimming and as she approached the bumper, the sun was in her face and she swam past it by a half foot. She must have seen it out of the corner of her eye, or smelled it, but she stopped swimming turned her head and grabbed the bumper in her mouth. 

When she did, her back legs dropped, she fell off plane, and then she just sat there dog paddling with just her fornt quarters above water. I called to her and encouraged her,but she was floundering, and about to go under. I kicked off my shoes, and jumped in to try to save her, as I got near her, she was just aout out of gas, and only her head and an occasional paw was above water. I got to her just a she started to go under, and she did the only thing she could think to do, and she crawled on to the top of my head. 


We were in about 10' of water, and I being 6'2", could not touch the bottom, all I could do was to grab her and shove her forward as hard as I could, to save myself. By the Grace of God, it worked. The forward motion enable her back legs to come up, she was back on plane, and headed to shore.

I was in dire straits though.I had taken a mouth full of water, and was trying to breathe, exhale, and throw up at the same time. Somehow, I manged to get close enough to shore to stand on the bottom as I desperately tried to clear my air path of water. I crawled out of the lake and up onto the bank, where my best friend was shaking the water out of her coat. I was laying on the ground still not breathing when a woman walking with her daughter came around the corner and found me. She screamed for help, and a man that lived across the street from the lake came over and turned me over and started raisning my arms above my head trying to pump water out of my airway. It worked, a large volume of water came rushing out of my mouth, and I got the first breath of air in about 3 minutes, maybe a little longer. Within another minute I was sitting up, breathing fine while my lab licked me in the face, and wagged her tail.

Too danm close for comfort for both of us.

What did I learn ?

1. Give her a day or two after a strenuous hunt for the sore muscles in her body to heal on their own, before I take her to swim.

2. Put a swim vest on her every time I let her near the water

3. Make sure she is always in perfect shape, before, during and after hunting season.

That dog is almost 14, and if I took her today, she would try to hunt with me. That event took place some 8 years ago, and I would have had a hard time forgiving myself if I had let her down. I was lucky.

I will say a prayer for you and your dog tonight. By the way, there is a God, and he loves you.


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## LabFan

Wow. Lessons to learn by mistakes we unintentionally make! Thanks for sharing. I am glad they all turned out ok.


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## tripsteer1

what a great story,remember what you said about not praying for some time,the good lord blessed you and ace for sure by answering your prayers,give him the glory. good huntin...I own a 10 month old BLM named ACE,and plan to hunt some ducks this Veterans Day. I am on my way to Sportsmans warehouse in the morning to buy him a VEST.


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## eazy89

My heart and prayers go out to both of you. Lesson learned for all of us.


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## Jango

God to admire the bravery of the animal.


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## boone11

Great story, glad you made this a sticky.


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## Brokengunz

what a great story and out come. a good eye opener and remonder about cold and the other post about heat. I was in oregon last week end to breed my dog. had some time to kill so did some Christmas shopping. Bought the dog a vest for Christmas present, glad I read your post.

THANKS


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## goldendevil

My best to you and to your amazing dog. Thank you so much for posting your story. I am new to this and wasn't sure about getting a vest but you can bet that I'll be getting one now!


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## Im_with_Brandy

I am glad your dog is alive. Very scary I am sure.

I use a vest on my pup when it is cold, I use a rough stand too, and I also use one of these to get the cold water off after retrieves.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Microtex-Aqua-Dry-Towel/16817433


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## zeekster

Glad to see this post has stayed close to the top as I have mentioned it to more than one dog owner who thought they had a dog that was to tough to need a coat. They could also see no reason that there dogs shouldn't sit in 45 f or colder water for extended periods of time.

Again thanks and all the best to you and your dog and hopefully the many people and dogs that have benefited from the original post.


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## DuckNasty

thats really tragic hope the best for you and ace


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## canrio

Wow! Thanks for sharing.


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## rider

man i just read your story. so moving as there is a god !!!!!!! good luck to ace and you. thanks for sharing.


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## okduckboy

It's amazing how close to home your story hits me. I lived it almost to a t the exact same scenario as a 15 year old with my stepdad and his/our lab. It taught me that our dogs will literally kill themselves for us and it's our job to be aware. It has caused me to make sure I always have some sort of snacks or treats around should such a scenario arise again. Hope he has recovered 100%.


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## bluedevil99

That was a really good read.


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## Julie Rihn

Oh my goodness. God Bless you both. I will keep him in my prayers. I do the web site for our hunt club. Do I have your permission to post your story? It may save a life. Take care. Hope he continues to do well


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## Labaddiction

Wow that's some story there and should make people think this situation on extremly cold mornings.


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## Chris Atkinson

It is that time of year again.

Guys and gals, our dogs are not bullet-proof, propeller-proof or cold-proof. 

Please remember safety, including that of your dog.

Chris


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## archer66

Had a very similar experience myself a couple years back with my Golden. He also pulled through but it was close.


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## Saxxx011

Thanks for sharing. As the new owner of my first pup, I will always remember 3 things I took away from this story. 

1- Always take into consider your dogs well being 
2- No duck, goose or hunt is worth risking a life over, weather its yours or your dogs or anyone else. 
3- Listen to what your dog is telling you


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## dgengr

Matt,

Thank you for having the guts to post this. We all need a reminder from time to time what these dogs will do to please us...

You have me crying like a baby right now, I lost my pup of 11 years on Oct 26 of this year. "lung cancer"... Ace's story drug up some of those feelings.... Again thank you for posting this, and best of luck hope all goes well......


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## vanbrigg

So glad to hear he made it through. You are both in my prayers.
Elaine


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## Pupknuckle

Thanks for this post Matt. I had never experienced cold weather hypothermia until a couple of years ago. Similar story shortly after I had read this post in 2011. Dog went lethargic on me and then I remembered this post. Dragged his ass into the blind and was fortunate enough too have a heater in there. He was fine after about 20 minutes. Always use a vest on my dogs now and pay attention to the little signs.


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## powellvs1

I hope Ace recovered without any serious organ (internal) damage. Neoprene vests help in this situation somewhat.


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## RookieTrainer

Thanks for this post. 

Having read this, I was able to see the beginning signs in my dog in training last weekend and get him out of the water. Very thankful I was able to ID what was starting to happen and get him out and warmed up before I too was headed to the vet.


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## Duckme

How is Ace doing? Keep us posted. Best of luck WOW


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## jacklace

too bad. good luck to you


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## Tonto

Prayers for you and Ace! Please keep us posted on his progress.


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## motor-vater

One more person grateful for your story. This was a lesson I could have easily learned the hard way had it not been for now reading this. Thank you brother and God bless!


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## JB23

Best of luck


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## Sundance Retrievers

I am glad it ended well! I had to skip to the end too


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## 480/277

Sundance Retrievers said:


> I am glad it ended well! I had to skip to the end too


Yeah me too. House must be dusty , got something in my eye....


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## 1goodog

Matt--thanks for this post. Busting yourself for sake of saving another dog is a 100% good-guy action. 
This is a cautionary tale worthy of repeating. A "man-up" moment that's a good one for all dogs.


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## Wayne Nissen

This has happened previously to my dog Alley approximately seven years ago when hunting Ashdown ark area in wrp (wetlands). Our portable blind which we had left the week before in a "hot" spot was flooded. The dog stand was 8'to ten" below water. The water temp was around 35 to 40 degrees. After a number of retrieves Alley became lethargic . We carried her out to an island. She became comatose and curled into a fetal position. I could not detect heartbeat or respiration. I peeled off my clothes and covered her, briskly rubbing. Finally after desperation, gave mouth to snout and quickly loaded her up on the four wheeler for a two mile trip to my rv trailer. Once inside, turned the heat up and crawled inside a bed roll with her. She recovered, although never quite the same. No, I did not have a vest on her. NOW when I train in cold weather my dogs wear a vest. Matter of fact I have a selection of vests for any given day.


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## Brett Van Haaften

Glad to hear she is better


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## Jim Spagna

I couldn't read this whole thing because it brought back a VERY BAD similar memory! I had a similar...almost identical...situation several years ago. I gave the dog's well being very little or no consideration and almost lost him. With some good help from a great vet, the dog made it through. We retired him from hunting and I've NEVER hunted another dog without proper consideration for it's health. Thanks for sharing!


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## Chris Atkinson

Bump....it is that time of year again. 

This thread is back as a sticky.

Chris


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## tom

You must have read our weather report!



> KSL Weather
> ______________________________
> 
> Here's another way to look at the coming week of storms.
> In the immortal words of Samuel L. Jackson in "Jurassic Park": "Hold on to your butts".


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## OK Shooter

Nice info. Thanks.


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## Tobias

A gentle reminder with a good luck story...

In many places in the north country, ice is going out or getting soft....and while my story hasn't got anything to do with soft ice, it can certainly be paralleled to it...

I know lots of folks utilize overflow puddles for training - which can lead to inexperienced dogs making decisions to test out 'other waters' they might like to investigate... perhaps openings in lakes, ponds....

I had a bit of a scare yesterday with Toby - we have a pond with a windmill which pumps air into the water (helps keep the water less weedy). Well, this winter has been so warm that the air bubbles made by the windmill have kept a hole in the ice open most of the winter. I have always made sure Toby didn't go down to the pond - spending most of our time on the backside of the house away from the frozen pond...and he never showed any interest in going there - until yesterday. 

Lately with spring snow melt off accumulating in the fields we train in, 9 month old Toby has taken quite a liking to water. If he spies a water puddle, he will run right in. At home yesterday he apparently he thought the water he saw in the ice was a big puddle - because he ran right in .. Amazingly he did not need help because he pulled himself out before I could take 3 steps toward him. I think the edge of the ice was about 2 feet deep and he was able to lever himself on ice that was below the water. 
Scared the living daylights out of me though. Toby seemed quite proud of himself, however - giddy and happy as always.


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## KLopez24

Good info and a crazy story.


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## .hoekma.

I would like to posit a similar story on the opposite time of year. I lived on a lake on Minnesota and we were out on the pontoon boat with my two labs. Typical hot Saturday afternoon and we were out with some friends alternating between sipping cold ones and taking a dip to cool off. My labs had learned how to climb up the ladder on their own so I could throw bumpers out into the lake and they retrieved them right back into the boat. After mindlessly throwing the bumper for quite a while the older dog, Maddie gave up and hung out on the boat. The younger dog Roxie kept going and so did I. Then she came up and pooped on the deck of the boat. I grabbed her by the collar to bring her up to the front of the boat (the little deck in front of where the people are) so she didn't mess the people space on the boat any more than necessary. Well, when I let her go she fell over and almost rolled back into the lake. I grabbed her to keep her from falling into the lake, but something wasn't right. She wasn't looking at me right - eyes were unfocused and she was not able to sit. It was like she had had a stroke. We pulled anchor and b-lined it for the house. I carried her half way to the house, put her down and same thing. We brought her to the weekend emergency vet and after I told the doc what we had been doing before the event, she told us she probably had water poisoning. The young lab would cack on water while swimming with a dummy and had been taking on a lot of water. This causes electrolyte imbalance which affects the brain. Fortunately after an overnight observation she made a full recovery, but this can be fatal or cause irreversible brain damage. SO if your dog tends to choke on water when retrieving, BE CAUTIOUS about over-working them without a break to allow them to process the water. These days Maddie's gone to doggie heaven after a full 14-year life of rooster rousting. Roxie's 9 and a great pheasant dog who is showing Dixie (5 mos) the ropes now.


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## WilliamMStone

Sending prayers for Ace. May god help him recover faster such that you and Ace could go out once again for hunting together.


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## Jenson82

Congrats!! Good to hear Ace is doing fine.


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## NYSureShot

It sounds as if Ace is doing well now.
Thank you for sharing this with us.


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## Bodinbw12

Thank you for sharing. Its a valuable lesson everyone in waterfowl world with dogs should take to heart. Hope yours and your dogs recovery has been well


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## linanguyen92

Many thanks for having the courage to be instrumental in saving your dog and more importantly, for posting this to educate others who might someday be in a similar situation.


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## david0912

Dogs are very sensitive, you need to take care them as you care your child.


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## serene_banks

Good news that he's fine!


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## denvershelby

i believe FV River swift is not a problem anymore


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## aaronhooker

I know how you were feeling when this happened. I can feel your pain. I have got tears in my eyes. I don't know if you have moved on or not but stay calm and pray for him


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## Hanker85

Matt, Thank God. Sometimes in the worst of times all we have is faith. Your prayers carried you and others through the actions to save Ace's life today and that same faith will carry you and Ace through what ever is ahead.


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## Hanker85

Matt, Thank God. Sometimes in the worst of times all we have is faith. Your prayers carried you and others through the actions to save Ace's life today and that same faith will carry you and Ace through what ever is ahead.


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## Jerryd56

Matt G said:


> It is my understanding that traumatic events are often dealt with by talking about them to friends and strangers alike. No opinions, agenda, or B.S. here...just an account of what has been one of the toughest days of my life thus far.
> 
> The pain and grief I'm burdening my conscience with is more that anyone could possibly throw at me, so please save the "reply" button for support of my dog and not reiteration of what I now understand was terribly poor judgement on my (and only my) behalf. This morning I laid on the edge of a field in Jackson county Arkansas asking God and whoever else was listening why it had to end this way. On the week that Ace will age out of the Derby, I watched the life quickly slip from his eyes as I stripped my waders and clothes off trying to warm him while my hunting partner was running for the Argo.
> 
> We've been after the ducks pretty hard so far this season, and this morning was no different than normal. Picking up birds until about 8:30 when the "faucet" seems to shut off. Except, the faucet opened up on a buckbrush hole around 9:00 and two of us headed over to slip in and get in on the action. Even being his first season to hunt, 30 something days into it, he's really added "duck dawg" to his short, but respectable resume', dotted with some derby points and Q placements. While most of our spots have platforms or at least logs to get the dogs out of the water, this "makeshift" hunt had no decent place for a dog to stand. Seeing the sheer number of birds and knowing that we only needed a few, I figured 30 minutes tops...surely he can stand in knee deep water for that long. About 45 minutes into it he had just made a retrieve and I noticed a strange grunt/moan on the return that I've never heard before. As he came to heel, and another group was making a pass, he continued to make the sound. As he's not a "whiner" when birds are working, I gave a "quiet-nick". Continues to make the sound. Now I'm scratching my head. Knowing that he'll air even in swimming water, I rule that out. I chalk it up to "he's cold" and say "let's call it, my dog's getting chilly". As we're easing out, he becomes disoriented and begins to just tread water. I walk over and ease on his collar to pull him along. When his legs floated up to the sides, I knew we were in deep kim shi. Hypothermia was rapidly draining his time with us, as his core body temp continued to plummet. When I let go of his collar to pick him up, he sunk (head and all). Now I've heard of people doing amazing things in times of extreme duress (single person flips over car that is trapping someone, etc.), but I have never made it through 250 yards of beaver-run, smart-weed filled stump hole filled buck brush in under 20 minutes with my shotgun and blind bag. This morning I did that plus a 67 pound lab in 5. By the time I got to dry ground he was limp and unable to support his own head. I stripped my jacket, outershirt, and fleece to wrap and then curled up next to him while my partner (75 yards behind me without carrying a dog) was making to to shore to get the Argo. He had his first seizure on the edge of the field, gasping for breath, foaming at the mouth, and contracting every muscle in his body. As his eyes rolled back I pleaded with him "I'm so sorry buddy, I never meant for it to end this way"..."I never would have done this to you on purpose"....this was 10 minutes from the time he picked up the last bird. And I prayed for the first time in a long time. The selfish grief that burned from the fact that I was losing my first "real" dog and best friend was sickly overshadowed by the anguish that I felt from seeing the pain in Ace's eyes. That image raises the hair on my neck as I type this and will likely haunt me for many years to come. Argo pulls up and I hop in, with him in my lap, wrapped in my jacket, and I take the longest 1/2 mile ride to the truck that I'll ever take. Get to the truck, start engine, petal to the floor trying to get warmed up so that the heat kicks in. Lay Ace in the passenger floorboard and use everything dry that I had (handlers jackets, frogg toggs, gloves, etc) to get the water off. Then pile on my bibs, coat, and fleece to keep him warm. Second seizure hits as my buddy climbs into the driver's seat for the 45 minute ride to Jonesboro, where we have no clue how to find a vet on Sunday morning. Was going to give him some Coke to provide a shot of glucose, only to find out that his jaws were locked shut, front teeth piercing through his bottom lip from the seizures. Totally immobile and unresponsive, I pinch, pull, and pat to keep him from shutting those eyes. Notice that his gums are solid white. A few times he takes "his dying breath" and I jackleg attempt canine CPR. 10 minutes from Jonesboro and we get a call from the vet who responded to a page from his answering service. He's 15 minutes away, so I wait out another of the 5 longest minutes of my life in the parking lot. He pulls up, unlocks the doors, and I carry Ace in with the gut feeling that this would be his last vet visit. I prayed again for the second time in a long time. What happened in the next 4 hours is nothing short of a sho' nuff' miracle. I usually don't buy that cheesy crap, but I "seen it with my own eyes". With a core body temp of 84 degrees at the vet (so we'll call it close to 80 before the 100 mph heater wide open truck ride), a blur of heated tables, blankets, heating pads, warm saline solution through an IV began. 2 hours into it, we got to 90 degrees. He began to shiver (which was a good sign), and opened his eyes. At 2.5 hours, he picked up his head and took a drunken look around. At 3 hours, we were at 94 and and eased outside to relieve the bladder (another good sign that the kidneys were functioning). At 3.5 hours he ate a high-protein tube of some honey-substance. At 4 hours he was at 97 and I was hauling to Memphis with him asleep in the back seat, destined for the emergency clinic. Out of the back seat in Memphis he's got pep in his step to air and meet the awaiting staff with vet chart faxes in hand. He leveled out a 101.5 for tonight and is resting while fluids are administered. And while this seems to be the happy ending, I'm fully aware that he's not out of the woods yet. A condition known as D.I.C. (can't give you the true acronym, but the slang is Death Is Coming) were clotting ability is reduced is a definite possibility, along with a string of other ailments, including kidney, heart, lung failure, and the potential for his "internal temp regulators" to spike and throw him into HYPERthermia in the near future are all very real threats. But that's tomorrow. For tonight, my dog is alive. And in better condition than he was on the edge of that field this morning.
> 
> What did I learn?
> -You cannot leave a dog in the water, even for a short amount of time. They need a place to get out and shake the excess water.
> -I've always been a critic of dog vests...not no mo'. After the ass-chewing I got from the vet, I got a good list of reasons to use a vest.
> -You've got to listen to your dog. Generally, they'll show/tell you that something's wrong.
> -There could easily be more than coincidence relating the request for divine intervention and the honest-to-goodness miracle that I witnessed today.
> 
> The deepest and most sincere Thank You from the bottom of my heart (and Ace's) goes out to everyone that has played a role in today and the upcoming days (you know who you are).


Sorry to hear about this However I am happy to hear you buddy is on the road to recovery. God Bless You, Your Buddy and Family!!!


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## Mike W.

Glad he made it. I’ve had rattler bites to the face and sudden death due to water intoxication. It’s all brutall.

but nowadays if mydog in in medium/cold to cold water, he/she will be wearing a 5mm vest .


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