That heart stopping event

[Tracy A.]

Last week I dropped Amos and Walter off to be neutered. Steve volunteered to pick them up so I didn’t have to take off work.  Because Steve is disabled with osteoarthritis in his knees, I asked the vet staff to assist him out to the car with the dogs. I was worried he’d loose his balance with two leashes and his cane. Steve’s mobility is declining.

they didn’t help him.

Walter pulled loose and ran like furry land rocket towards the road and into oncoming traffic. 4 cars stopped and the drivers got out to help corral him. Apparently one of the vet techs stood by and watched the train wreck without offering help. In the chaos Amos got loose, his harnesses wasn’t on right and he pulled out. Steve wasn’t aware Amos was loose until one of the vets finally came out to help Steve.  Amos in the chaos went to the front door of the vet office and stayed there.  
steve told me about all of this when he got home. I saw to uninjured dogs, so I knew the outcome was OK, but I’m so upset. I keep thinking about that tech just standing there and no offering to at least take Amos, or pick him up if he was by the door.

we’ve used this vet for 17 yeasts, it’s run by a father and son, and I would never go back, except they are the only ones who can handle our Staffordshire terrier who has growled at too many vets fearing pain. 
 

The soonest place I could start training was at Petsmart, we start tomorrow Walter and I. The canine obedience center I also signed up for doesn’t start until October with their next start dates. Walter is now reactive to loud noises like traffic, and wants to charge towards it.  I can only hope that we can modify his behavior with traffic and movement 
 

Edited August 23, 2022 by Tracy A.

[bradl]

Holy crap. I'm sorry Steve had that experience   Puppies can be so wild; any loose dog and traffic is a nightmare (and emergency) of the first order.  

I imagine that with the generalized building of confidence that comes with regular training Walter will settle down over time. 

[pkcrossley]

how dispiriting. yes, top-notch training is critical. what could be going on with the tech is impossible to say. i was once at a pet supply store when in came an elderly lady with her golden--with no leash. all good until the dog saw the from doors open from the back of the store and strode determinedly for doors. the owner was trying her best to call to him and try to recall. the store workers, including the manager, just watched with apparent boredom as the the door strode all the way through the store and out the front doors, with the owner trying her best to run behind and calling, and they all just watched. the dog ran through the doors and out  to the parking lot, and then then panicking owner after. the staff were so disgusting, since they could easily have caught the dog or at least helped the woman retrieve it, and they did nothing. some of use went out with the woman to search the parking lot but by the end of the afternoon we had not found the dog. all the people not being paid to deal with customers and their dogs were just standing around, all the people getting paid nothing were trying to help. explain it. 

[Eliz222]

Tracy, I just want to give you, and Steve, a great big hug! What a nightmare! How is Walter doing? I can't imagine that his stitches felt great after running right after surgery! I'm glad you are getting Walter into training right away, which will help a lot.

[Dogcoat lady]

In the woulda, coulda department….I would give the clinic a piece of my mind.   They need some training.  My expectation is the clinic treats the 2 footed  and the four footed.  This was a failure on many levels.

[Hillscreek]

Shocked. Thankful all home alive.

Definitely need to talk to clinic about offering help and not giving it. 

[Kathryn]

HUGE sigh of relief that this ended up okay.  I think I would not be able to use that clinic again either -- you had asked them for assistance even before your Steve got there to pick up the dogs. What were they thinking?  And yes, I think it is worth letting them know of your disappointment --  to say nothing of sheer terror -- that the clinic staff did not help, even after being reminded that the pet owner needed assistance. The clinic owners might not be aware of the incident -- they need to train their staff to work with human customers as well as dogs, and they failed miserably in this instance.

With two over 70 at our house, we are more mindful of keeping dogs in control both in the house and on leashed walks. Last year, when I had a broken vertebra and wore a plastic vest from shoulders to hip for 3 1/2 months, I had one of the dogs run around me at the door when the postal carrier delivered a package, and shoot out to chase a squirrel across the street. Luckily a neighbor saw Oban take off and retrieved him for me. I would not have been able to chase him, or to bend over the pick him up.  This spring we added a nice ornamental iron fence around our entire front and side yard (we live on a corner). The back yard is already fenced with a cedar 6 foot privacy fence. If the dogs escape into the back and get out, they will still be stumped by the additional fence.  And if they try to run when people come to the front door, they are confined to the front and side yards.  I get a real sense of security with this fence, and it is soooo worth it. 

The prey instinct in these little monsters is so strong that I have never been able to get either dog to stay when a squirrel is within sight, off leash in the yard or on leash on walks.  It doesn't help that my DH Steve will occasionally let them chase a squirrel up a tree when they all go on walks together (leashed, of course). 

Really really glad that this ended with dogs safe and at home.  Sending virtual pats to Walter and Amos...

[Tracy A.]

Walter and I had our first training session last night. I wasn’t expecting much, maybe an absolute train wreck. Turns out a blue tick coonhound named hauss was the train wreck. Walter did fairly well for a cairn puppy surrounded by dogs larger than him. His limit is about 45 minutes.  He didn’t pee on anyone or thing, and I did get him to stop barking 

Edited August 26, 2022 by Tracy A.

[CloverDragons]

On 8/23/2022 at 2:34 PM, Tracy A. said:

I asked the vet staff to assist him out to the car with the dogs ... they didn’t help him.

You have my sympathy -- my husband also has some medical problems and can't manage our dog as well as I can.  If I were in your shoes, I'd do a couple things -- so this doesn't happen again: 

- Complain to the vet /owner.  They knew you anticipated a problem, they promised to help, and they didn't.  Unacceptable.  

- If your husband ever ends up in this situation again, he could transport one dog to the car, then return for the second one.  I don't approve of leaving dogs in cars, of course, but we're talking about a matter of minutes.

- Off-topic, but do you have leashes that lock the dogs into the seat belts?  I adore mine -- it's seriously been a life-changer with my puppy; the leash clicks into the back seat seat belt, and she cannot climb into the front while I'm driving (she once knocked my car into neutral while I was at a stoplight -- so glad I wasn't driving).  This seat belt means she gets to go to the bark park more often!   I added a handle from Lupine Pets, making it an ideal car accessory.  

https://www.amazon.com/Mogoko-Stainless-Vehicle-Restraint-Attachment-25/dp/B07HL621CQ/ref=sr_1_42?crid=1CYSJMV7GKQ85&keywords=dog+leash+for+car&qid=1666145848&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI1LjIyIiwicXNhIjoiNS4yMiIsInFzcCI6IjQuOTMifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=dog+leash+for+car%2Caps%2C120&sr=8-42  

On 8/23/2022 at 4:20 PM, pkcrossley said:

how dispiriting. yes, top-notch training is critical. what could be going on with the tech is impossible to say. i was once at a pet supply store when in came an elderly lady with her golden--with no leash. 

That was a bad story, but the woman never should've brought her dog into a store without a leash.  

On 8/23/2022 at 10:00 PM, Eliz222 said:

Tracy, I just want to give you, and Steve, a great big hug! What a nightmare! How is Walter doing? I can't imagine that his stitches felt great after running right after surgery! I'm glad you are getting Walter into training right away, which will help a lot.

On the positive side, he seems to have come through the surgery quite well. 

On 8/25/2022 at 9:41 PM, Tracy A. said:

Walter and I had our first training session last night. I wasn’t expecting much, maybe an absolute train wreck. Turns out a blue tick coonhound named hauss was the train wreck. Walter did fairly well for a cairn puppy surrounded by dogs larger than him. His limit is about 45 minutes.  He didn’t pee on anyone or thing, and I did get him to stop barking 

I loved taking my pups to training!  But be forewarned, they take turns being the train wreck -- your Walter might show his bad side next week!  

[Catalyzt]

So sorry you had this experience!  Agree that you should speak your mind to the vet-- the techs may have just frozen as an instinctive response if it was an unfamiliar situation, but they can do better-- a lot better!  Most folks who are a bit older have had the experience of having to stop traffic by gesturing and making eye contact with drivers, and once you've done it a few times, or been instructed how to do it, it's usually not too hard or dangerous.  Most of us have seen bystanders do this when traffic lights were out, or at accident scenes, without incident-- assuming it's not a dark freeway, people aren't intoxicated, etc.

Just as I'd blame the guardian not the dog, I'm more inclined to blame the vet than the tech.  It's a training failure on their part.  Glad you are stepping up with training for your cairns!  Often you don't know you need it until you have an incident like this.

Apparently, while I was out of town, Spike did slip his leash one night when my wife was picking up poop or something.  She said he got about half a block away, and was happily exploring-- didn't bolt, thank God, but was just like, "Hey, this is cool!"   When she called to him-- firmly, but calmly-- he stopped, and then returned to her.  Much praise was given, and the treat bag was put to good use!

Very interesting about the seat belt restraint device.  What I have to do in the MX5:  First, put an extra seat on the cushion to disable the sensor in the automatic air-bag activation device, so that it will NOT deploy in an accident, which could break Spike or Bartleby's neck.  Then I fasten the seat belt, take an extra harness strap, and run it through their harnesses and the seatbelt, because there's nothing else to anchor it to.  I'm assuming the belt would catch-- and not extend-- in an accident with 16 pounds strapped to it, but I don't actually know that for sure.  So not perfect.

[pkcrossley]

"That was a bad story, but the woman never should've brought her dog into a store without a leash.  " totally agree. the problem was the manager just watching the dog go out the door, knowing the distraught elderly owner was trying to run from behind to   stop the dog. the dog was literally within arm's length of the guy. he saw the whole thing and just turned back to whatever he was looking at. didn't see him shrug physically, but the attitude was all over him. disgusting. his customers from all over the store running into the parking lot looking for the dog when all he has to do was stand in front of it or even speak to it. everybody else was trying, and the manager was the only one who was right there. the total indifference to an old woman losing her pet was unbelievable. a pet supply store manager. i never went back and i hope nobody else there that day did either. 

[CloverDragons]

On 10/19/2022 at 9:31 PM, Catalyzt said:

Very interesting about the seat belt restraint device.  What I have to do in the MX5:  First, put an extra seat on the cushion to disable the sensor in the automatic air-bag activation device, so that it will NOT deploy in an accident, which could break Spike or Bartleby's neck.  Then I fasten the seat belt, take an extra harness strap, and run it through their harnesses and the seatbelt, because there's nothing else to anchor it to.  I'm assuming the belt would catch-- and not extend-- in an accident with 16 pounds strapped to it, but I don't actually know that for sure.  So not perfect.

You're right that an airbag could kill a dog.  My brother-in-law, who is a big man, was in a wreck recently, and the air bag tore him up.  I mean, he lived, so all is well in the long run, but he was covered with bruises and scrapes.  It gave me a new appreciation for what an air bag can do.

I put my dog in the back seat /locked into the seat belt.