From the Field: Why Hunting Dogs are Wearing Eye Protection

Early mornings in the blind, the adrenaline rush of a flush - nothing comes close to the bond built between a hunter and his loyal companion. Keen instincts are key to a successful hunt, but when drive outweighs preservation, keeping our canine partners protected in the field is just as important. We caught up with members of the Rex Specs community to find out why their dogs stay protected in the fields, from dense brush to beaks.

Why Final Flight Gears Up

Built with a love for the hunt and passion for the outdoors, Final Flight Guide Services set a goal to provide top notch waterfowl hunts in West Texas. An integral part of making every Final Flight hunt remarkable? Three labrador retrievers. 

Zachary Goodwin, Nathan Goodwin, and Cory Mauldin 

Meet the team from Final Flight Guide Services in Lubbock, TX.

What breed of dogs do you own, and what are their names? 

We have a black, yellow, and red lab. Jolene, Lucy, and Duece are their names.

What game do you hunt? 

We guide Sandhill Crane and Goose hunts.

Why do your dogs wear eye protection in the fields?

We rely on Rex Specs to protect our dogs' vision, especially while hunting Sandhill Cranes. These cranes have long, sharp beaks and will attempt to peck the dog's eyes out, so it is crucial for us to keep our dogs protected with goggles. 

We hunt in all weather conditions amongst different crops; the goggles can be helpful when having our dogs retrieve in taller grasses and crops that haven’t been harvested yet. 

We 100% recommend Rex Specs to other hunting dog owners. These goggles give us peace of mind that our dogs will be safe.

What is your favorite part about hunting with dogs and guiding hunts?

Hunting with our dogs in the field makes the experience ten times better. These dogs have such a passion for retrieving birds and it’s incredibly fun to sit back and watch. It’s  extremely rewarding to see all of the work you and your partner have put in together come to fruition in the field. 

Follow Final Flight Guide Services: @final_flight_ 

Protection from Kansas to Canada

As a seasoned Rex Specs user and waterfowl/upland hunting guide, Ben Webster is no stranger to keeping his crew safe in the field. 

Meet the Pack

Ben guides upland and waterfowl hunts for Big Kansas Outdoors in Kansas and Prairie Limits Outfitters in Saskatchewan, Canada. Along for the ride are his Labrador Retrievers and German Shorthaired Pointers, Harli, Aspen, Kai, Roux, and Luka.

What game do you hunt?

Waterfowl and upland birds in Kansas, Texas, South Dakota, Montana, Michigan, and Saskatchewan. 

Why do your dogs wear eye protection in the fields?

My dogs wear RexSpecs to keep them safe in any environment.  Safe from sticks, barbwire, seeds, and other debris. My past dog Otis was a super hard charging Labrador Retriever, and on multiple instances he blew through brush to retrieve a bird and would come back with all kinds of scratches on the lenses.  

Has eye protection made a noticeable difference for your hunting dogs?

 Before Rex Specs, my dogs were taken to the vet for eye abrasions. I would definitely recommend them to anyone that uses their dogs in the outdoors. Great investment! 

Follow the team at BKO and Prairie Limits Outfitters: @bigkansasoutfitters , @prairielimitsoutfitters

 

Do It For the Dog

As a 3rd generation waterfowl and upland hunter, Bill Doms knows the importance of preserving the tradition that was passed down from his grandfather and father. He also knows the importance of protecting the most crucial element of the hunt - the dog. 

Meet Bill and Izzy

Bill’s current sidekick and full time hunting buddy is North Fork Izzy, a 7 year old female black Labrador retriever. 

What game do you hunt?

For 5 months out of the year starting in early September, we crisscross Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota chasing ducks, geese, grouse, but mainly pheasants.

Why do you choose eye protection for Izzy in the fields?
We are in the field about 80-90 days per season. Her drive, instincts, and intelligence make her the single most important part of our hunting success. Her health and well being is always at the forefront when we step into a field or slough.

Being she is primarily an upland hunter, she has to battle through some brutally thick cover in search of wild roosters. Most of the time that cover is cattails. Anyone who has spent time hunting in those knows how hard they are on dogs and hunters. 

When Izzy was 13 months old in 2018, she wore the hair almost completely off around her eyes hunting cattails day after day. She has one speed when hunting thick cover and that speed isn’t slow. Her eyelids had small cuts and I also discovered she had an abrasion on one eye. That was an expensive trip to the vet as we discovered the abrasion was close to becoming an ulcer. That injury resulted in an early end to her first season and a lengthy healing process. I swore that was never happening again so I began the process of researching eye protection for her. That is when I discovered Rex Specs in 2019.

How have Rex Specs kept Izzy protected on the hunt?

I quickly discovered how much wear and tear Izzy was incurring as the frames and lenses showed it after just a couple of hunts. I was absolutely sold on them. She was upgraded to the V2’s in 2022. Rex Specs have saved Izzy twice when running into old barbed wire fences covered by tall grass that left deep scratches in the lens and a gouge in the frame. I’m positive both instances would have resulted in significant injury to her had she not been wearing the V2’s. Not to mention there are no more abrasions around her eyes for the entire season and no trips to the vet to get some type of nasty seed removed. My veterinarian is very aware that I use Rex Specs. I gave her a couple of battle worn lenses to show other clients when they bring their hunting dog in with eye injury and educate them on protecting them. 

Would you recommend eye protection to other hunting dog owners? 

In the field I run into other hunters and often they have questions about the goggles when they see Izzy. I always give them the same pitch about protecting the dogs and their health always comes first and how Rex Specs is the first line of defense against eye and facial injuries.

I always close with “do it for the dog.”

Follow Bill and Izzy: @billdoms 

Level up your dog’s protection in the field this season with Rex Specs Dog Goggles. Make sure to check out our Fitting Guide and Training Tips to set your dog up for success and hunt like the pros.

Got questions? Send us an email at info@rexspecs.com.