Parkers/Setters--Trajedy to miraculous recovery

[Harold Lee Pickens]

It stopped raining at noon yesterday as I finished my last patient. I changed clothes, the setters were already in the truck and I headed out to Jefferson County , Ohio, to a 3000 acre private tract to hunt grouse.
Betty pointed the first grouse, backed by her sire ,Shiner. I did not even try to shoot as grouse are so scarce now. By the third productive point, I decided that I would shoot. Twelve year old Shiner had the point, backed by Betty. At the shot, the bird dropped and I sent the dogs to fetch, but both bells went silent once more. I dropped down into the ravine and found both dogs pointing a blowdown. I walked up and picked up a wing-tipped grouse by hand. After some picture taking, the day turned into disaster.
We were walking back to the truck when Betty disappeared into the blue. Betty, is a moderately close working setter with a full choke nose. I had 2 bells on her neck because of the snow cover, but I had turned her beeper collar off. This area is an old abandoned strip mine area with high walls spoil banks, stip ponds every where. I hollered, blew the whistle, and walked until pitch dark, then went back to the truck. I have a key to the gates in this area, so I drove back down in 2 miles and waited until 9:00pm and then drove back home. I left a blanket and some dog food.
There was little sleep in the Picken's household that night. My wife was very upset. I got up at 5:00am and drove the 25 miles back out to the cover on roads treacherous with black ice. No, Betty was not waiting for me where I had left the blanket and food, and I honestly felt she was probably dead. I drovve back down into the cover and in the area where I saw her last, I thought I heard a dog yip thru my open window. I turned off the truck and heard the tinkling of her bells coming down out of the strip pits. She came out into the beams of my truck looking dazed and confused. She didnt seem to recognize me, but finally the look of confusion left her face, and she rushed into me. Not ashamed to admit that I was crying. Betty, like her mother Speck, who died last summer at age 14, has been a blessing and a wonderful dog to hunt with. Everybody always wants to hunt with Betty. Betty is the dog in my avatar. I am posting the pictures from yesterdays hunt. Betty is the blue belton setter on the left---the gun, my old faithful Parker VH 16, 1 frame, 28" now choked IC/IC.
Thank you Lord for another day with my dogs.
.

[Dean Romig]

Phew! All's well that ends well I guess, but I'm sure it was a scary night!

[Christopher Piercey]

I'm glad to hear everything's okay

[Tom Carter]

Harold, I've wondered if I was stranded on a lonely island who would I want for a companion, a beautiful woman or a faithful dog. I've closen the dog . Dogs are the best people in the world! Very glad everything turned out good. Cheers, Tom

[Fred Preston]

Harold, I know the feeling and the relief when it turns out not so bad. Ten or fifteen years ago my neighbor, Roger, and his Wiemer, Midas, was hunting with me and my Pointer, Ringo, on the B&L coal lands in Noble County. Midas went over the edge of a "high wall" and we feared the worst. We went around and down to the pit and found him pretty well beat up and carried him out. He went on to hunt many more seasons and succeed in several trials. Both of those fine old dogs are gone now.

[Dave Suponski]

Harold, That story made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Glad it all worked out okay. Years ago a hunting buddy and I were chasing grouse in mid-Vermont and one of his Brittanies bolted out of the cover and hit a electric fence around a pasture. She bolted and it took us until the next morning to find here. As you said it was a long sleepless night. Any idea what happened to Betty?

[Gary Laudermilch]

Harold, as others have said, I'm glad it all turned out so well. I cannot help but wonder if you can speculate on what may have happened. There is so much that can befall a hard running dog in grouse cover that I am forever looking for pitfalls to avoid.

Nice bird, great gun, and beautiful setters. Next time out skip the drama.

[Harold Lee Pickens]

I actually do have a theory as to what may have occurred. This may be another case of Exercise Induced Hunting Dog Hypoglycemia. Yes, this is a real syndrome and occurs after blood glucose levels drop sharply--we have all heard of people in "diabetic shock">. A similar incident ocurred several years ago with another dog, and I always had to carry snacks for him to keep his blood glucose up . This is the science behind all of those canine endurance products using maltodextran. It doesnt mean the dog is diabetic, but I will have her checked out. Google the syndrome to find out more. I will call my brother tonight, he is a veternarian, but he is in Ashville, NC.
My wife says Betty is very subdued at home today, but you can bet she will get lots of loving when I get home.

[George M. Purtill]

I am happy it ended well. I too have lost a dog all night and you don't sleep at all. what a feeling when you find them.

[Russ Jackson]

Harold ,Glad to hear the GOOD NEWS ! That had to be a long night ,Our Maggie and her Pup, Annie went missing a number of years ago ,we never knew what happened to them but always suspected foul play ,I thought they may have been picked up along the road while we were hunting ,they just sort of vanished ! Nearly two weeks later after we had advertised all over town about them a young neighbor Lady on her way to Church happened to see the PUP running in a local field and gave me a call ! Naturally ,I went right away and found the two of them , they were about five miles from home ,the PUP looked as if it never missed a meal or lost a minutes sleep and my Older Dog Maggie could barely walk ,her pads were worn down to raw stubs and her handsome Frame work of a normal 60 pounds was down to about 20 and she was stumbling along ! It appeared someone was taking rather good care of the Pup and was hoping the Mother would succumb to what appeared to be the inevitable ! If some one did take them ,they sure had it figured wrong ,Annie ,as nice as she is ,never turned out to be the Hunting Dog we had hoped and Maggie was that " Once in a Life Time " kind of Dog ,that could just seem to find Birds any where ! Well with that little story told ,I am sure Glad you got Betty back ,and it looks like that will always be quite a memorable hunt ! Russ

[ron belanger]

Glad she's home safe! I can imagine your feelings through that long night!

[Rick Losey]

glad to hear the happy ending- i have never been lost from one of my setters (the dog knew where he was) for more than about an hour. ONE GUT WRETCHING SOUL SEARCHING HOUR -

over night is unimaginable.

I bought locator collars just to prevent it. they will turn on from a long ways off and let me get to them.

[Robert Rambler]

Wow! A horror story with a happy ending! I can't imagine not bringing everyone home safe and sound at the end of a hunt. Can only imagine the emotions you felt that night. Glad the pack is all back together again. :)

[John Farrell]

I walk my dogs down in the river bottoms south of my house. The woods are a vast area and occasionally one of the dogs gets out of sight. For years I would call, blow the whistle, hit the e collar return buzzer signal. All to no avail. One of the dogs was also lost for a full night.

I happened upon a trick several years ago by accident. I was trying to locate a lost dog in thick cover and called repeatedly. I had a pretty bad cold and cough at the time. While calling I saw the dog in the distance and called just as I started to cough, for the thousandth time I think. My hand was near my mouth and I thought I muffled the dog's name. The dog heard me and spun around to face where I was standing. Thinking fast, I repeated the action of covering my face with a cupped hand and called again. The call is directed downward from the hand cover. The dog came to me like it was on a string.

Now, all of my dogs are trained to the voice command as I cup my hand between the lip and nose and call the dog. The call emanates from my position and not from 360 degrees where the dog cannot zone in on the sound. It works with a bare hand or a gloved hand. Try it sometime.

[Gary Laudermilch]

Harold and others,

I run a bell on my dogs as I just love listening to the melody while hunting. After many years chasing dogs I realized I was having difficulty discerning the direction of the bell in some instances. I decided it was time for some help so I added a beeper in point only mode. That piece of annoying gadgetry lasted one season. So, I decided to bite the bullet and spring for a Garmin Astro. I have been using it two seasons now and while I was forced into a technical solution for my hearing loss, I would highly recommend the unit for all dog people. It works great and you can use it as much or as little as you wish. However, when the dog is lost, as in your case Harold, it may save the day and prevent that sleepless night of anxiety. The Garmin Astro works as advertised and is amazingly accurate. What price piece of mind?

[Fred Verry]

Gary, I was somewhat skeptical of the collar/GPS units when they first came out. I was particularly concerned that with the weight factor and trying to keep the collar/shoulder harness transmitter/antenna upright, but the newer models have solved both those problems and just keep getting better. Garmin, SportDog, and others have even incorporated the GPS system with the training collar functions into one unit. I use them on both of the boys and they don't seem to notice them at all. I started using the GPS collars to try to avoid the situation that Harold experienced. I spent many days and nights in my younger years searching for lost hounds and don't care to relive those experiences.

At the end of a grouse hunt, I not only know where the dogs are, but with the topographic map data installed, I am able to find a route to return to the truck without having to cross 3 mountains and valleys, two streams and the great swamp. I also like the feature that allows me to set a boundary area for the dogs to work in and gives me an instant alarm if they cross out of the perimeter.

A lot of the farms and areas I hunt have become more developed with busy roads and highways nearby. I set the GPS hunt area with a generous buffer zone between it and such hazards. Both of my dogs are trained to recall with a single beep on their remote collars and this has worked well to bring them back inside the safe area. Nothing is perfect, but this system does reduce some of the worries.

Gary, I can't use the beeper collar either for two reasons, each time the GPS collar transmits the dog's position, the beeper collar "hawk calls" that the dog is on point and because each time the collar beeps, the dogs think they are being recalled. So for me it is GPS with the bell. Fred.

[Harold Lee Pickens]

Fred,
Beautiful Brittanies!! My first bird dog was a Brittany, and I had him for 15 years. He was a very popular stud dog in our area back in '80's, but I never kept a pup out of him. I often think about getting another one of those orange and white rascals, but I never seem to see any britts locally any more.
As for Betty, she was very quiet and subduded yesterday, but seemed much like her old self this morning. She wouldnt eat yesterday (and she is a chow hound) and seemed sick. Muzzleloading deer season had ended the day before I lost her and there were many gut piles seen that day (including one of mine from the buck I shot Sun. with my muzzleloader). I think she got into one of those gut piles that night--she sure smelled like it!!
I may get her out this weekend, but will probably hunt her alone because with 2 dogs and 2 bells, it sometimes gets a little hectic---can be alot of fun too, since both of my dogs back very well.

[Rich Anderson]

Harold I'm sure glad it worked out in a positive manner. When Tara a white GSP was just a pup she took off one night in a March snowstorm. The section was two miles long by a mile wide with no roads going through. We put up flyers and adds in the paper to no avail. After a week I figured the coyotes had a snack but one day when we came home from work she was on the deck a much thinner pooch.

I always use the point mode on the E-Collar. When Gunner started to lose his hearing (and mine isn't much better) he disapeared one opening day of Pheasant season which is October 20. The day warmed up into the 70's and I couldn't find him. The fact that the beeper collar was silent told me he was moveing somewhere and hadn't collapsed from heat exhaustion. It was a scary couple of hours but I found him and we went for a dip in a small pond to cool down.

[Daryl Corona]

Harold;
Glad you and your pup were reunited. I can just imagine what was going through your head. EIHDH is a reality and one of my best hunting buddies is a Veterinarian and informed me of it 20+ years ago. I've encountered it twice with my dogs over the years, once with an English Pointer and just recently with one of my labs. I always carry a small squirt bottle of honey in my vest and if I see any sign of it I heel them, give them a shot of honey, then let them chill for a few minutes. Most guys don't hydrate their dogs enough so if there is'nt a pond or stream nearby I make sure they get a drink every 30 minutes or so. One word of caution though- If you come upon a pond or ditch covered with green or blue algae DO NOT allow them to lap up water from it. It can be toxic to them. My Ex used to say to me that she thought I cared more for the dogs than I did for her. I guess she was right because I still sleep with the dogs every night and they never complain about my snoring.:)

[John Taddeo]

Harold ,I also use a Garmin astro on a pair of shorthairs and when coupled with the satelite imagery which Garmin offers as a download to the G.P.S. unit ( although untraditional) it sure gives you peace of mind to enjoy your time in cover. I have used the "on point" option as an alert and followed the screen right to a pointing dog. Nice

[calvin humburg]

If you loose a dog and have to give up throw down you coat were you lost him and go back in the morning good chance he will be on your coat.

Hope she is well. ch

[charlie cleveland]

calvin thats good advise my dad use to do this when we had to leave a coon dog in the woods. most of the time he would be piled up on that coat... charlie

[John Taddeo]

Honest to god ,last year while grouse hunting on public land in Pa I saw posters at several locations stating "lost garmin astro collar,Reward". I am guessing a dog had slipped it , I had to laugh a little and keep moving. I know its not funny, and I did keep an an eye out for it.

[Rick Losey]

OK John - that is funny - maybe it had a dead battery

[John Taddeo]

I am sure it did and I did keep an eye out . I know they aren't cheap, but it was just the ironic thought of it. I shouldn't poke fun because it will happen to me next.

[John Taddeo]

I did see several of these, so I assume if someone took the time they are serious (look at the contact) Naw... Could it really be.

[John Farrell]

Several years ago my transmitter, shown in the photo, dropped out of my holster. I found it when I spied the lime green reflective material. My collars, as can be seen, also are adorned with the material.

I discussed with a rep from TriTronics why the company made all of their collars in black plastic. I told him that because of the color they were difficult to find if dropped or lost in the grouse woods. It meant another complete set had to be purchased because the color made it impossible to find the lost unit.

The rep smiled and said nothing. An "AHA" moment had arrived.

[Matt Valinsky]

Glad you got her back, know exactly what you were feeling.

[Brent Francis]

I know the terrible feeling of a lost dog and the joy of reunion. I spent a very long night driving east texas roads yelling for a lost dog. Finally found her 3 miles from where we were seperated. She was peeking around a tree trying to see who was yelling her name. Like you it took a little while to convince her I was her dad. Dogs are weird.

[Harold Lee Pickens]

Thanks Brent for the reply--love your avatar. On our last grouse hunt of the season, Betty, the dog that got lost, pulled up into a hard point. My male dog instantly backed her. Imoved around them and finally spoted an opossum on the ground in front of her. She has always pointed 'possums.
I did buy a Dogtra 2500 remote beeper/training collar and it seems to work well.

[Brent Francis]

Harold, I took that picture of a little fella who was holding on trying to stay out of reach of my dog. Finally got him relocated out of the back yard to some place safe. Opossums are about the closest thing we've got to a ruffed grouse in the East Texas Woods.

[John Taddeo]

Mine like to point "Porcupine". Thank God the porkies will hold for a staunch point and I can get in to heel them away (the dog that is).

[Harold Lee Pickens]

yep, good to have a dog steady to wing and shot on porkies!

[John Taddeo]

Ha Ha Ha, amen to that Harold. They sure get a snoot full of sewing needles with every bite.

[edgarspencer]

Brent, when I was a kid, I watched a baby Opossum fall of her mother's back. She had a huge litter, and that little guy was just too much (looked like a bunch of people you see in pictures in Pakistan, hanging onto a train car.
I bottle fed the little guy, and raised it. It would sit in my lap and purr like a cat while I did my homework. She slept on my bed, and was litter box trained. I had her for 6 or 7 years till she wandered off. My mother kept trying to talk me into a cat or dog, but I wouldn't have one till the Possum left. I always was a little strange.
Shut up Stosh!

[Dave Suponski]

Will do Egger.....:rolleyes:

[Rich Anderson]

Daisy and Porkies go together like steel and a magnet. She hasn't met a Porky she didn't like....to grab a hold of and shake. The last one she got spoiled a great Woodcock place (the Porkies loved it to) as we wern't there 10 min when she got a nose full. I had to take her to a vet and have he sedated so they could pull them out. It took the rest of the day.