My whippet ran at breakneck speed into my leg.

[Whinpin]

My whippet Rosie and I were out walking very early yesterday morning and I was able to let her free run. She is trained to come back to the whistle which she is very good at. Only thing is I blow the whistle to bring her back and I stepped to the side to let her runs pass me. This was so she could run pass me turn and come back but she must have seen me move to the side and was running at breakneck speed and ran straight into my right leg and popped something in the back of my knee. Has anyone else had this with a whippet. This is the second time that she has run into my legs. I am in pain and very bruised so no walk today I'm afraid. She was so excited bless her to run free she loves it. Is it because they can not put the breaks on?

 

[JudyN]

Ouch, I hope your leg mends soon. One thing I've learned is never to sidestep to avoid an incoming sighthound - stand your ground, brace your knees, keep your elbows in, and pray... They usually know exactly where you are, and miss you by a whisker (though they might not notice elbows or bags). I have had two lurchers belting towards me side by side, intent on each other, who managed to part at the last moment and flow past me on either side like airflow past a plane's wing.

The only exception is when they're being chased by another dog and looking back over their shoulder as they run towards you. Even then, though, you're more likely to get damaged by the other dog who probably has less spatial awareness than them. Particularly if it's something like a Staffie...

Having said that, I have heard cases of sighthounds running at full speed into trees, doing themselves an awful lot of damage

 

[Inka]

Yes dogs heads seem to be made of steel...not had a dog run into me for years...my GSD was a devil for it and knocked me down several times, but I learned with her that she had a route to run and I had to move otherwise she kept on her route and I ended up on my backside.... two years ago while out walking with several friends and their dogs we all had a 'laugh' when my friends BC ran into her and my friend complained the rest of the walk, everyone was teasing her saying she was a wimp and think about the poor dog........ the next week my friends leg was black and blue and it hurt for weeks, told her to go and get it checked out and she had a hairline fracture.... so rest, take pain killers and if it continues to hurt after a day or two get it checked out, don't suffer....my guess is Rosie is fine!

 

[Whinpin]

She was completely fine a quick shake of her head and she was ready to go again. It happen so fast I think it was her shoulder that hit me. I should have called her bullet

 

[Inka]

She was completely fine a quick shake of her head and she was ready to go again. It happen so fast I think it was her shoulder that hit me. I should have called her bullet

sounds about right! Dogs........ what would we do without them!

 

[niamh123]

Sally our EBT did this to me and also injured my Knee I ended up in a cast for several weeks

 

[Hemlock]

As JudyN says, if you hold your position, most will whisker past you. If in pursuit of something though, they may not see obstacles - I've had one run full tilt into a perfectly obvious oak tree when chasing a rabbit (rabbit dived into a hole between the roots) and another ran into the base of a pylon. I thought both were dead at the time, but luckily not. Other breeds will body-slam you, and so this only applies to sighthounds and lurchers.

I'm sorry about your knee, and if you can get it looked at/X rayed, it would be a good idea.

 

[Biker John]

One time a group of Whippet owners were talking, all agreed that staying still when they run towards you is the best. But one lady that had a deerhound as well commented 'if you think it takes courage staying still with a Whippet heading towards you imagine it with a Deerhound at full speed straight on to you'. But yes she agreed that though it's hard to do staying is the best.