Yesterday was spent scouting some old covers west of our Bird Camp.The day started like any other, dogs where hunted around the old farmsteads and the dogs and myself where enjoying the walks and the points.Spot and Dot are two exciting dogs to watch work,they run great together.Spot who I have owned since he was 3 months old is all business he covers the ground fast, rolling out out at 400 yards casting thru the wheat fields, he slows when he hits cover nose up and always into the wind he is a joy to watch.I ran Spot and his running mate Dot yesterday around a couple of farmsteads and some sloughs that where surrounded by cattails.Like they always do, both worked the cover well and swept the stubble in between as we began to circle back towards the rig Spot ran into some Cattails and disappeared I heard a splash and thought nothing of it ..if there is water around he will go into it to cool off.Spot was in there for a while so I called him then hit the locate on the beeper caller ..it sounded close then far I waited and hit it again this time it sounded close but I still could not see him so I hit it again it was muffled and he barked I figured he was out looking for me so I blew the whistle and called ..nothing which is unlike Spot.I waited then hit the beeper locate and he barked I knew then he was in trouble.
I dropped my vest and gun and headed into the cattails calling for him and there he was.Spot had gone into a well -like hole and could not get out I figured he had been in there for 5 minutes and given the fact that he had little room to tread water or swim I had to get him out NOW ,the problem was it is a 3 foot straight and muddy drop into the water which I did not know how deep it was, a concern you think of after the fact.I laid down on my stomach yelled at Dot to get away and stretched my arm out ,i began to slip but was able to grab Spot’s collar and with adrenaline pumping effortlessly pulled the white dog that was now covered in gray mud out .
Technically I put my life on the line to rescue Spot ,as he was drowning.The low tone on the locate collar was when he was under the water,when his head was up the tone was louder. After losing five dogs in the last 16 or so months I was not going to lose another or I would die trying.Spot seemed to sense that as he was rather “clingy” as we headed back to the truck, we both where rattled by the episode that unfolded but where relieved by the outcome, he even gave me a lick which is an unusual act for Spot to do.
