[RC] Trail incident- why I love riding with my dog - Nancy Reed
Trail story of the week:
I had a very frightening episode yesterday on the single track just west of
the Elfin Forest Reserve parking lot. I was on Jazzi who had already
done 12 hard miles carrying my butt all over the reserve. I also had my
big lab, Zander with me. As we crossed the creek going west towards
home I could hear some sort of noise, but is was too far away to make out
what it was. As we rounded the corner in the willows I could hear two male
voices yelling,"Shadow, come boy." Jazzi started turning into a giraffe
her stress sign and Zander went into alert mode. As we came closer to the
beginning of the tree covered uphill section (with drop offs into the rocky
creek bed) I started to think that perhaps it was a good idea to wait and see if
Shadow would show up. I could hear something in the brush to the
right of me near the creek. The voices continued but with more urgency
calling for the dog.
I was also thinking that maybe I would be safer on the ground as Jazzi had
spun a 180 at the top of the Way Up Trail when a little dog thought about
lunging at her. Before I could finish this thought a huge black
Shepherd with gold points came out of the bushes about 20 feet ahead of
me. The dog stopped dead in his tracks when he spied Jazzi and in a split
second came full speed at us. The dog was under Jazzi's belly so fast
I didn't have time to react. In a nano second Zander body
slammed the shepherd, knocking him out from underneath us. All the
while Jazzi was still; she knew Zander would protect her! It was only
after Zander had pushed the shephard out from under us did Jazzi dance.
But no spins, no bucking; just a sweet little in place two step.
The two male voices were two twenty-something's panicking as Zander kept
the black dog away from Jazzi and I. In what seamed like an hour the black
dog was collared and on a leash. I was so shocked by the events all I
could say was, "I hope you keep that dog on a leash and this never happens
again." Looking back that sure seams lame now! The moral of the
story...Zander is my hero and Jazzi is the best horse ever!
I hope my GPSing will be less eventful tomorrow. Zander goes with, no
matter what. Blessed again!
