Re: [RC] Trail incident- why I love riding with my dog - Elizabeth Walker
Good for Zander. What a great dog!
On Sep 15, 2009, at 8:46 PM, Nancy Reed wrote:
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!
