Remember when your kids were young and you dragged a bag full of stuff everywhere? Bottles, diapers, blankets … the list was only limited by the size of the bag. If you’d do that for rug rats that never found and retrieved birds, why not pack a little bag for your dog, too? This one is smaller but just as helpful – to both of you.

Duct tape makes a great boot or bandage, even an emergency leash. High-fat energy goo or snacks keeps his metabolism firing on all eight cylinders.

A cotton swab gets most gunk out of eyes, and a hemostat pulls porcupine quills. A multi-tool with scissors solves a multitude of problems big and small for both of you. A small squeeze bottle of distilled water washes away dirt in eyes or wounds.

My little bag also holds that newfangled gauze that will stop bleeding, EMT Gel for the same reason (I’m a pants-and-suspenders kinda guy) and antihistamine to minimize throat tissue swelling from rattlesnake bites.

You may never need it, but you’ll hunt with more confidence knowing you could take care of your dog in the field. It’s the least you can do for him.

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