Almost Lost Havoc Today!

We got up early today and took a nice long walk along the gravel trails that run along the Columbia. These trails are part of the Lewis and Clark trail system. There are a lot of side trails that go right up to the river and the large lakes formed by the dam. There is also a lot of dead fall wood, tree limbs, rocks and sage brush along the river. I know these trails well as I walk here fairly often. Even so, I always have kept a long line on Havoc. At 13 months his adolescent recall is sometimes not as reliable as I would like - getting better again as his brain is coming back but still not where I am comfortable.

So Havoc is trailing a 40 foot long line behind him when he sees a nice stretch of beach that he would like to run along. I had not been down to that stretch before but it looked okay so we went down. Bless him he waited to be released before he took off with Kayos behind him. They run and play in the very sandy area and are covered in sand and having a ball. It was so sandy and steep I decided to stay on solid ground and watch them romp. When I was ready to leave I called them both and started to climb back up. I did not wait to see if they were following as that is their "job" to be where they need to be. Kayos fell in with me and I assumed Havoc was right behind her. We walk another 100 yards or so and I look back and there is no Havoc.

I called and called and no response. I swore under my breath and went back down. As I come around a curve, Kayos ran ahead of me to him and I see he is laying in the sand. I called him again and he started to struggle to get up and then I realized he was stuck! The long line was wrapped around dead fall and timber and the more he struggled the worse it got and the farther he slid down in the sandy, very steep slope to the drop off I had not seen. I was able to get to him and grab the lose skin around his neck to get the line off him. I encouraged him and we had a cheer leading session and he was able to struggle enough for me to pull him up the rest of the way. I could not go down much further or I would not have gotten either one of us up to safety. I had my cell phone but help would have been a long way off.

Thankfully he had enough sense to quit struggled to obey the recall when he heard us coming back down. Had he continued he either would have slid down and been hung or he would have choked where he was at. Bless his little heart he was sure trying to come to me.

I have used long lines on dogs for years and never had this happen before. It would not have happened if I had stayed on the trails I knew.

Use caution with long lines on dogs!!!!!

That line is still out there but my dog is safe. Tired but safe.

My arms, legs and back hurt like **** but I was not giving up.


--------------------