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Heat stroke claims another

14K views 117 replies 41 participants last post by  fred 
#1 ·
I was informed late last night that heat stroke has claimed another of our beloved retrievers.

The dog, a fox red male, about 2.5 to 3 y/o and in shape, had been trained all summer and was somewhat acclimated to the heat.
The dog was dove hunting and had made 4 retrieves, and went down about 3-3:30. Dog was taken to a pond for cooling and failed to respond. Temps were in mid to high 80's.

Please keep this owner in your prayers today. Watch your own dogs very carefully.
 
#2 ·
Make that 2. I was on a public field sat. when a fella sent his dog for a bird, about TEN MINUTES LATER he started looking for his dog that hadn't come back yet. He was piled up out in the uncut section of corn. It bothered me that he was too busy talking to notice his dog didn't come back, but when he picked him up, through him in the back of his truck and went back hunting, :evil: :evil:
Luckily the game warden saw it and had a few choice words of "communication" for him.
 
#4 ·
Mine is staying home without a doubt this Saturday. There will be plenty more chances later when its cool, for now husband can go pick up his own birds :wink: BTW, he is ok with that, he also would not risk our pup for his game.

This has been a horrid, horrid weekend for RTF'ers. I think all of us need to go home and hug our dogs and appreciate every moment they have shared with us.

I can not believe the story from Smelllikeadog :?: about the dog dissappearing for 10 minutes. What were the other "hunters" doing? Standing around with their thumbs "hidden"??????

Carol
 
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#5 ·
smelllikeadog@stinky.com said:
Make that 2. I was on a public field sat. when a fella sent his dog for a bird, about TEN MINUTES LATER he started looking for his dog that hadn't come back yet. He was piled up out in the uncut section of corn. It bothered me that he was too busy talking to notice his dog didn't come back, but when he picked him up, through him in the back of his truck and went back hunting, :evil: :evil:
Luckily the game warden saw it and had a few choice words of "communication" for him.
I would have KILLED HIM. He's very lucky I wasn't there. HOW disgusting is that?

REMEMBER THIS WHEN YOU CONSIDER SELLING SOMEONE A PUPPY!!!!!

Another reason I typically don't sell to "just" hunters... Sorry, but it's true...

-K
 
#6 ·
Some of the best homes my pups have gone to have been "just hunters".
I would be more apt to say screen folks carefully and don't sell pups to folks who don't view their dog as a hunting partner.
 
#8 ·
Kristie,
Don't know if you've been following the Cletus saga, but Scotty is just a hunter. And Cletus is just a hunting dawg. But I'd say he's being looked after pretty good. And Scotty left Ruby Sue home this weekend for opening day of dove season cause he didn't want to take a chance on her getting overheated or getting snake bitten.
Not picking at you but there are exceptions to every rule.
Take Care,
Becky
 
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#9 ·
Illinois Bob said:
Kristie Wilder said:
Another reason I typically don't sell to "just" hunters... Sorry, but it's true...
C'mon Kristie,There are some "just"hunters that care for thier dogs as good as anyone.It just sounds like this guy was a jerk.Screen for jerks,not hunters.
Sorry, but in general, and no offense, they are not as educated regarding healthcare issues and general care, nutrition, etc. They might be the most wonderful folks in the world, but that doesn't make up for lack of knowledge and care -- and lack of trying to educate themselves to care best for their dog. It doesn't take that much work. Just look around here and read...

It's a broad brush, but I'd rather be safe than sorry IF it's someone that's not referred to me by someone I trust.

I would venture to say that 95% of people on this board understand the basic care and caution involved with owning, training and hunting a dog. I will limit my market to those folks because I care about the puppies I breed.

-K
 
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#10 ·
Becky Mills said:
Kristie,
Don't know if you've been following the Cletus saga, but Scotty is just a hunter. And Cletus is just a hunting dawg. But I'd say he's being looked after pretty good. And Scotty left Ruby Sue home this weekend for opening day of dove season cause he didn't want to take a chance on her getting overheated or getting snake bitten.
Not picking at you but there are exceptions to every rule.
Take Care,
Becky
I agree, but it's not a risk I'm willing to take with the puppies I breed. There are also exceptions in the HT and FT world and I will avoid them like the plague regardless of the amount of money in their pocketbooks.

I have friends that are just hunters. I'm not saying they are nasty, awful people. I have clients that are just hunters, and you know what? I spend as much time as they'll let me advising them about how to care for their dogs.

There are exceptions EVERYWHERE and if it's someone I know or someone referred by someone I trust, I will make an exception. Other than that, sorry... But i don't want one of my pups to suffer the fate of the jerk that left his dog to die... And sometimes you can't tell someone is like that prior to selling them a dog...

Again, it's no offense to anyone. I just don't want someone risking a dog's life because they don't understand the physiology of a hunting dog...

NOT to detract from the folks that lost their dogs, I feel badly for them... and their dogs.

-K
 
#11 ·
Well, all I can say is if you are a hunter and you see a litter that was bred by Kristie Wilder remember that this is the lens she views you through. I am sure you can get find a fine breeding elsewhere to meet your needs.

If you are a hunter and need your dog trained by a professional retriever trainer, I expect there are many that don’t hold you and your activity in distain and link it to lower education.

Kristie

Over the years you have ceased to amaze me.

Joe Miano – A hunter and a guy that cares about his dog.

BTW, I won’t paint you with the broad brush as a trainer that hangs dogs in your yard or beats them for not grasping concepts out of frustration or as a breeder of running a puppy mill. After all it may or may not be true. Michael Vick was training dogs. So isn’t Kristie Wilder. Broad Brush?

BTW 2, this post has nothing to do with the above dog dying, only Kristie Wilder’s response and assertion.
 
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#12 ·
subroc said:
Well, all I can say is if you are a hunter and you see a litter that was bred by Kristie Wilder remember that this is the lens she views you through. I am sure you can get find a fine breeding elsewhere to meet your needs.

If you are a hunter and need your dog trained by a professional retriever trainer, I expect there are many that don’t hold you and your activity in distain and link it to lower education.

Kristie

Over the years you have ceased to amaze me.

Joe Miano – A hunter and a guy that cares about his dog.

BTW, I won’t paint you with the broad brush as a trainer that hangs dogs in your yard or beats them for not grasping concepts out of frustration or as a breeder of running a puppy mill. After all it may or may not be true. Michael Vick was training dogs. So isn’t Kristie Wilder. Broad Brush?

BTW 2, this post has nothing to do with the above dog dying, only Kristie Wilder’s response and assertion.
Be VERY careful here... I NEVER said hunters weren't educated. I said they are often not educated about THE CARE OF THEIR DOGS.

Look at the news on opening day of dove season in the northern midwestern states. One year when we were in Wisconsin, TWO HUNDRED DOGS died on opening day in Minnesota.

Many hunters are doctors, lawyers, businessmen, HIGHLY EDUCATED, WELL RESPECTED and I would respect them also. But if they aren't interested in educating themselves in the care of their dogs, and I can understand the constraints on their time, then I don't want to subject a puppy to that.

This is my broad brush THROUGH EXPERIENCE, Joe. Through what I've seen, witnessed on my own IN THE FIELD HUNTING (and training) and through stories like the one that discussed two hundred dogs dying on opening day.

It's my opinion. It's not meant disrespectfully. You can make of it what you wish, but do not EVER say I sad that hunters are not educated individuals, as it is often quite the contrary.

There's a dog down the road, that we PICK UP OFF THE ROAD and TAKE TRAINING on an almost DAILY basis (OWNED by a hunter) because I refuse to see him get hit by a car.

I guess you don't run any hunt tests or field trials, Joe??? Because my husband, my friends are hunters, too... My point is that HT and FT folks tend to take more care with their dogs and prevent avoidable injuries and illnesses.

People who have called us on litters know where we stand. I hope I have always been respectful to everyone that has called. But we have our guidelines for puppy placement and I don't see them changing any time soon.

And, to reiterate, I am NOT bashing the original poster. I'm bashing the 2nd story about the buy putting his dead dog in the truck and carrying on.

-K
 
#13 ·
subroc said:
Well, all I can say is if you are a hunter and you see a litter that was bred by Kristie Wilder remember that this is the lens she views you through. I am sure you can get find a fine breeding elsewhere to meet your needs.

If you are a hunter and need your dog trained by a professional retriever trainer, I expect there are many that don’t hold you and your activity in distain and link it to lower education.

Kristie

Over the years you have ceased to amaze me.

Joe Miano – A hunter and a guy that cares about his dog.

BTW, I won’t paint you with the broad brush as a trainer that hangs dogs in your yard or beats them for not grasping concepts out of frustration or as a breeder of running a puppy mill. After all it may or may not be true. Michael Vick was training dogs. So isn’t Kristie Wilder. Broad Brush?

BTW 2, this post has nothing to do with the above dog dying, only Kristie Wilder’s response and assertion.
Well spoken subroc. Oh, and as "just a hunter" I would have killed the guy. Funny that the field trial guy I hunt with looked at me like I was a idiot when I showed up to hunt doves with a cooler full of Ice water. At least my dog doesn't spend most of the day crammed in a dog truck in his own excriment waiting for his "15 minutes"

Regards
 
#14 ·
Kristie Wilder said:
I will limit my market to those folks because I care about the puppies I breed.
I can't argue with that.I just feel bad for the people who hunt and do make an effort to learn,train and care for thier dogs to be avoided as dog owners.I hunt.I have yet to disappoint a breeder yet as to how thier dogs were cared for in my home.(Unless we start talking about Hunt Test succeses :oops: ) And ,even with the best care,sometimes things still happen.I feel bad for the first owner,the one Lablover posted about.That would be such a shock.The second one sounds like he just didn't give a s**t.Keep doing what you're doing Kristie to find pups good homes.I just feel bad that I can never have one.
 
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#15 ·
Illinois Bob said:
Kristie Wilder said:
I will limit my market to those folks because I care about the puppies I breed.
I can't argue with that.I just feel bad for the people who hunt and do make an effort to learn,train and care for thier dogs to be avoided as dog owners.I hunt.I have yet to disappoint a breeder yet as to how thier dogs were cared for in my home.(Unless we start talking about Hunt Test succeses :oops: ) And ,even with the best care,sometimes things still happen.I feel bad for the first owner,the one Lablover posted about.That would be such a shock.The second one sounds like he just didn't give a s**t.Keep doing what you're doing Kristie to find pups good homes.I just feel bad that I can never have one.
AHHHH, reread my post... I said if it was someone I know or who came referred by someone I trust there would be exceptions. I play puppy placement very conservatively. I breed almost NEVER so it's not a hard thing to do. I don't have 3-4+ litters a year, so I'm not scrambling to find buyers...

There are plenty of great folks out there. But when you don't KNOW someone, it's not worth the risk to me. That's all...

If anyone here wanted to buy a pup -- LOL now everyone hates me but hey -- it would take one to two phone calls to find a reference and someone that knows them. I've posted on here before looking for eferences (I keep it vague and say "if you're from the northwest, send me an email")... It doesn't take much effort to find someone that knows someone.

and it doesn't mean I hate all "just hunters"!!! It means I just want to know that they are familiar with overheating, acl tears, hip and eye issues, etc. Enough to know to watch for things and know when something needs care...

-K
 
#17 ·
Yes, it is good to make sure your pups go to good homes, but look at vet records at any clinic and see how many non-hunters spend hundreds/thousands of $ on vet treatment. How many ht/ft owners are "educated" on how to take care of the dog, or just send it to the vet. I don't know how to fix most of my vehicle, doesn't mean i shouldn't own one.
 
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#18 ·
duckpopper said:
Yes, it is good to make sure your pups go to good homes, but look at vet records at any clinic and see how many non-hunters spend hundreds/thousands of $ on vet treatment. How many ht/ft owners are "educated" on how to take care of the dog, or just send it to the vet. I don't know how to fix most of my vehicle, doesn't mean i shouldn't own one.
But you should know well before the engine blows or the wheels fall off and you should perform regular maintenance and make sure it's conditioned for the environment in which you drive it... Right? And, if you don't, your car doesn't "suffer" for your lack of care... But a dog does.

And THAT is where my problem lies...

-K
 
#19 ·
I prefer to sell to hunters because I find they not only take outstanding care of their dogs, they appreciate their dogs. People that say they want to compete aren't always the best homes IMHO, especially if they are more interested in the ribbons than the dogs.
 
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#20 ·
ErinsEdge said:
I prefer to sell to hunters because I find they not only take outstanding care of their dogs, they appreciate their dogs. People that say they want to compete aren't always the best homes IMHO, especially if are more interested in the ribbons than the dogs.
There are some FT and HT folks that I wouldn't want to sell a pup to, either, but it's a lot easier to find out about them with the small world we operate in...

-K
 
#21 ·
Wow.... :shock:

FOM
 
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#25 ·
As I said, I'm speaking from experience...

Watching a hunter slam his dog head first into the ground because he thought his dog had a "feather stuck in her throat" when she was actually overheating. He could have literally broken her neck while trying to save her from a feather and he was lucky we were there to know what was going on.

I'm thankful for the folks, hunters or not, that want to know what they need to do to take good care of their dogs. But the hunters on here are VERY VERY FEW in relation to the population in general. Look at other hunting boards and see what the discussions are. I'm NOT saying most folks don't love and care for their dogs. They just don't know what to do nor do they take the time to investigate what to do...

As a BREEDER, and BREEDER ONLY (not an individual, not a trainer, not anything else), I will stand by my choice. From MY experience, sounds like nobody else's and that's fine, I've seen enough to make my personal choice.

-K
 
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#26 ·
kdbauman said:
WOW Indeed

If this is the kind of generalization hunters get from informed folks in our sport, imagine what kind of generalizations the uninformed outside of our sport could imagine????????????
I wouldn't take me as "typical" of someone in the sport... So don't let my views be seen as the general population's views. Clearly they aren't.

I've become very involved in retriever rescue. And many of these dogs are field bred and were sold to "good homes"... I'm tired of it, to be honest. And I have a MAJOR breeding soap box that many breeder's don't have.

So there's no need for any hunters to be offended by anyone but me.

-K
 
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