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this year hasn't started off too well for me, one way and another I'm suffering with this horrible cold virus that's going round, my daughter has earache, my lovely black rescue boy Monty has a nasty graze on his leg - and I nearly lost Josie on Saturday
For anyone who remembers, she's the born hunter who had great recall till we moved to the country and she discovered deer.
After several mishaps, and being torn on barbed wire in 2006, I went right back to basics with her training and kept her on the lead in 'deer danger areas'. She had a really good year in 2007, and since we got Monty seems to have clicked with recall and knows she's part of a pack - and returns to the pack when called. She is still on the lead in danger areas though.... or was! Over Christmas, complacency set in a bit and I started letting her off more freely. She was great - no running off, alert to my calls, staying with the pack. Until Saturday :blink: when I threw a ball, all three dogs ran for it... Monty came back... but Josie and Lola just kept running, and running, and running. They disappeared across two fields and into the woods.
Lola was missing for 20 minutes and came back unharmed but soaking wet and knackered. Josie didn't come back. It got dark. I was frantic and felt so responsible. I know I shouldn't have let her off. It nearly cost her her life.
To cut a long story short, Josie tried to go home and cross a busy road (blue dog nearly invisible in the dark) caused a transit van to do an emergency stop, went under its bumper, came out untouched (had an angel on her shoulder at that moment for sure!). I saw it all happen and my scream had several people running out of their houses :unsure: I thought she was finished - and couldn't believe it when she made it to me in one piece. The van driver could have been (rightly) really angry but he was lovely, just really concerned to make sure she was alright.
At home I discovered nasty tears in her chest and shoulder (clean, so probably from barbed wire) and she ended up with a GA and lots of sutures, some antibiotics, and two days of almost toal shock. She just lay there for 48 hours, staring into space.
She's back to her old self now and alternate stitches will come out Monday, but I keep thinking how lucky she was and how nearly I lost her
Things can change so quickly, can't they? One minute you're playing with your dogs, the next - wham, fate has the potential to deal you a slap round the face. Needless to say, Josie will be a lead-prisoner in future...!
