Selah, Wash. (AP) — Cruiser the Labrador retriever is one hard-charging canine. He loves running fast and crashing into scrub to bring game back for his favorite person, Mark Meyocks.

One such crash during a 2015 hunting trip required six staples to close the puncture wound in his chest. When Meyocks asked the vet if Cruiser could head back out so they could finish their bag limit, the vet said yes, providing the dog wore a neoprene vest for protection.

But the rubbery vest, designed to protect a dog from the shock of cold water, was too hot and it rubbed Cruiser's upper legs raw as he continu...