Tuffie

By Greg “Pecos” Suits

It all started one night in late summer, in the suburbs of Wills Point, TX. My partners, Chris Williams and Bud Harding, and myself started on a weeknight hunt. We had been in the woods about thirty minutes, when my strike dog Tuffie let out his familiar bark. My dog Bandito was close to us, and took off toward Tuffie. It wasn’t long until Bandito got there and man, were they baying. July and Bam-bam came flying by and were in hot pursuit, when all of the sudden everything got quiet. My first thought was that the hog would stop in a minute, but then July (being Redtick/ Catahoula and barks a little on track) was leaving fast and letting us know about it. So, I suggested that Bud track his dog (July) and then track Tuffie. Well, July was still in the direction that he had left out, which was to our right. Tuffie, however, was to our left and wasn’t moving. I thought it was a little strange that Tuffie wasn’t with July and needless to say, I was concerned at this point. I told Bud and Chris that I needed to find him and make sure he was not cut. This was a strange statement for me to make because Tuffie is the kind of dog has a lot of heart, but also a lot of smarts. He is the type of dog that judges a hog pretty well, and if the hog is pretty scrappy, he will back off some.

So, we commence to search for him when I suddenly see his eyes reflecting as I walked into an open pasture. I call his name…he doesn’t move. So, I start to get a little more concerned. I then get a little closer only to discover that his insides were now on the outside. This was the result of a 10-1/2 inch cut starting at his belly and ending up at his back-bone.

Now, there is a time in everyone’s life where things appear to be sooo bad that you begin to, well, PANIC! And at the sight of Tuffie in his condition…I’M THERE!!! So, needless to say, I start flipping out. Bud and Chris arrive and begin to calm me back down. Then, Chris starts on a 1-1/2 mile run for the four-wheeler as Bud calmly starts putting the insides back in. During this process we realize that things come apart much easier that they go back together. This realization results in taking my shirt off to wrap around him keeping things together. Meanwhile, Chris makes it back with the four-wheeler in record time, and has already called our vet on my cell phone.

Once at the vet’s office, 11:30 P.M., we start on a three-hour journey through surgery, which took a while to start because I had to make a decision. A 25%chance to live at roughly $1000.00. It took me a while to decide what to do. But with the help and support of my friends, I finally made the right decision. Let’s try to save him! The main reason I decided to try and save him was because he ALWAYS gave me 110% in the woods, so I felt that it was my obligation to give him the same in return.

The next ten days were hairy. We first had to get over the surgery itself. Then we had to fight fluid and infection in his abdomen and his chest cavity. But after these ten long days, he finally came home! My friends and I were glad to see his recovery and in a couple months, that 10-1/2 in. cut will be a conversation piece. And then, my buddy will be able to do what he loves to do, HUNT HOGS.

During these recovery months, Bud, Chris, and Bill conspired to help me. They sold three hogs from the Full Boar Bay Pen to help pay for my vet bill. Do you want to talk about FRIENDSHIP? They are the definition of friends! After finding out on the phone about the plan, I got teary eyed and had to pull over for a minute. We always give each other a hard time about their dogs and everything else, but when it comes to one of the team getting hurt, we all pull together. And that my friends, is what hunting is about!

It is now October and Tuffie can’t wait to get in the woods. But I have to follow Docs directions. He will be able to hunt in December, but I am not going to push him.

I now would like to thank three of the best hunting partners a man could ask for: Chris Williams, Bud Harding, and Bill Huff. I appreciate everything that you have done for me. I would also like to thank our veterinarian, Dr. Casey Risinger in Terrell, TX for doing everything he could to save my dog. Well I guess I have gotten a little mushy, but friendship is something some people take for granted. I hope someone learns something from this story, because I have learned a lot from my friends in the last year.