Dog called Buddy's incredible act of loyalty after his master suffered horrific accident while hunting
Jacob Schmitt, 34, was deer hunting with his six-year-old dog named Buddy in Utah 's Uinta Mountains on July 20 when his side-by-side utility vehicle lost control and rolled off a cliff.
'Immediately I realized it was going over like a capsizing ship,' Schmitt said told KSTU.
'The machine flipped probably 15-20 times by the end of it, but I would say best of my recollection, probably the second or third flip is when it kind of sort of rag-dolled me out.'
Buddy was safely secured in a kennel in the back of the utility vehicle, but Schmitt sustained a broken leg, fractured ankles and broken ribs from the crash.
'When I came to and stuff and started to do kind of damage control, [Buddy] was sort of just there staring at me without a scratch, which almost makes me emotional, but it's unreal,' Schmitt said.
After assessing his injuries, the lifelong outdoorsman realized he lost his cell phone and radio in the crash.
'When you see your other leg is hanging there, I'm not going to be looking around for stuff,' he said.
Schmitt decided to splint his own leg using a small roll of duct tape, a belt and stick, according to WIVB.
Then he was able use the light on Buddy's collar to guide him while he crawled down the mountain for 11 hours.
'I would catch up to him, and then I would nudge him with my face, and he would get up and he would take another break,' he said.
'And now I kind of realized it wasn't really him falling asleep, it was him kind of just giving me, giving me a place to go.'
Once he made it through the treacherous journey crawling down the mountain and found his car, he drove to Oakley Diner and asked the woman working outside to call for help.
'He was like, "Can you call 911 please?"' And my heart kind of dropped,' that worker, Yenni Saiz told the local news station.
'I knew something was bad because of the scratches, and I can just tell he was in pain.
'He was the most respectful person I've ever met. I mean, he was being really respectful. Even though he was through all this pain and everything.'
Schmitt was rushed to Park City Hospital and the Oakley Fire Station took care of Buddy and his truck until his family could be contacted, according to his GoFundMe.
'A couple broken ribs on this side, a broken right ankle, I believe, left ankle, and then left tibia and fibula, and then about a bruise everywhere you can have it,' said Schmitt.
Buddy was able to visit Schmitt in the hospital where the two had an emotional reunion.
'The thing that loves you unconditionally is just there, essentially. And he keeps checking on you. It's like the biggest spirit jump,' Schmitt said. 'I had my best friend to crawl out with me, essentially, so it was unreal.'
Loved ones of Schmitt, who is originally from Buffalo, New York and now lives in Utah, launched a fundraiser to help support him while he recovers.
'If you know Jake, you know he would never ask for help. But community means showing up for one another when life takes an unexpected turn,' the GoFundMe said.
'Jake is the guy who's always there when you need him — whether helping a fellow hunter, welding something back together for a neighbor, or lending a hand with zero hesitation.'
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