A day on the water with friends turned into a full-blown mission to rescue 38 dogs.
Bob Gist, 61, a State Farm agent in Arkansas, decided to go on a fishing trip with a friend he hadn't seen in a while, Brad Carlisle, a State Farm agent in Tennessee, Gist told Fox News Digital.
The two headed to Grenada Lake in Mississippi and contacted local fishing guide Jordan Chrestman, who got them out on the water.
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After an early morning fishing trip and not catching much, the group moved on to another spot.
Bob Gist (pictured right) and his friend Brad Carlisle (pictured left) were in the midst of a massive dog rescue led by Jordan Chrestman (pictured right) when they came across 38 dogs paddling along the Mississippi River nearly a mile from the shore. (Bob Gist)
“We went to another spot about a half mile away from where we were and started fishing there and soon we started hearing dogs barking,” Gist said.
“Soon we saw several dogs in the water on the horizon.”
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Gist said he learned after the encounter that the dogs had been taking part in an annual fox hunt in the area.
A total of 38 dogs were rescued from Mississippi's Grenada Lake after fishermen heard the dogs barking while out fishing. (Bob Gist)
Chrestman noticed a deer in the water and a pack of dogs were trying to chase the animal.
“We continued fishing for another 10 or 15 minutes. Jordan [Chrestman] “I said, 'Hey guys, if you don't mind, those dogs are in the water and we need to go check them out,'” Gist said.
Gist and Carlisle let Chrestman lead them to the puppies.
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When the boat arrived on the scene, the three men were stunned.
“We're just amazed. There were dogs everywhere and they all went in different directions because you couldn't see the riverbank on either side,” Gist said.
“And they're all hunting dogs – they're wearing expensive GPS radio collars, so that's pretty obvious.”
Without hesitation, the men put the dogs in the boat to save them from drowning.
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“We immediately called the dog on board and grabbed it by its collar. [bass] “A boat,” Gist said.
The dogs had been taking part in an annual fox hunt in the Grenada area when they apparently jumped into the water to chase a deer. (Bob Gist)
The three fishermen caught as many dogs as they could and brought them on board before there was no space left.
Chrestman managed to round up 25 to 27 dogs, being careful to make sure the pups didn't try to jump back into the water.
Gist said the men returned the dogs to the riverbank and found their owners in a panic and calling for help.
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After rescuing the second pack of dogs, a man on shore told Gist and the others he had a GPS tracker for the dogs and asked if they could join in the rescue.
Chrestman, with the help of Gist and Carlisle, made three trips to retrieve all 38 dogs and return them to their owners on the lakeshore. (Bob Gist)
Gist said the tracker led the other men to a pack of three or four dogs that they estimated was more than a mile from shore.
“They were close to drowning. They had been standing in the water for an hour,” Gist said.
“We returned to the ramp with the last batch of dogs… [and] “We had to drag them out of the boat because they didn't want to get out. They were scared they would go back in the water. It was a terrible situation.”
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The dog's owner tried to pay Chrestman the reward, but he refused to accept it, Gist said.
The small bass boat could only hold a few dogs at a time. (iStock)
Gist called Chrestman a true dog rescue hero.
“If Brad and I had been out there alone on the boat, I wouldn't have thought anything was wrong, but this young man in his 20s — I call him a young man because I'm 61 — knew he had to do something,” Gist said.
“He had the presence of mind to realize, 'If we don't do something, 38 dogs are going to die here,' and he saved them. We all pulled them down, but he's the hero here.”
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Gist called Chrestman the hero of the day for quickly assessing the situation and directing the rescue of the animals. (Bob Gist)
Gist said he has the utmost confidence in Chrestman and is grateful to have helped with the mission of getting the animals to safety.
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Sydney Borchers is a Lifestyle Production Assistant for Fox News Digital.