RR: Almost lost Jagger the dog on the trail last night :(

Me and Jagger dog were doing our usual trail ride last night. Background, over the last 3 years, me and Jagger have been trail riding mid week during cool weather.


We've never had an incident doing this. The worst thing thats happened thus far was once, when his front pads peeled off during the early part of his trail conditioning. Ever since that ride, I always keep my descending speed capped at a moderate gallop for him. The slate rock up in the Santa Monica hills arent kind to dog pads at full sprint. Another situation was when he tried to hump another dog on the trail. It wasnt his fault. The bitch was asking for it.


But seriously, last night was the first time that had my heart jump. We were slowly climbing on a fire road when another rider passes to our left at high speed. No problem, Jagger's used to it. He knows what to do. Or so I thought.


I am close to the peak and I notice Jagger's not beside me. I look around, he's no where. I look further down the mountain and I see Jagger giving chase to the descending cyclist at full bore. The guy's hauling ass and my dogs keeping up right behind him. That's not normal? He never chases other people. Not even other dogs? WTF?


I start shouting his name, JAGGER! JAGGER! He's not even looking. 1/16th mile, I'm thinking, he's gonna stop. 1/8th mile, he's not stopping. I turn around and dive down the mountain. I can intermittently see him running like crazy. I'm gonna lose him. He's gonna get lost. Oh, lord!


It takes about 10 minutes before I find Jagger again. I totally lost sight of him through 2 hill climbs and 2 descents. A horrifyingly long time not knowing if he'd headed into the brush. I'm asking myself, what went wrong?


Rounding a corner was when I first caught sight of him again. The other rider is long gone. He's laying down trail side like he's dead. Oh, god! When he hears my tires pub-pub sound as it crushes gravel underneath, he lifts his head and looks, he's alive! I dump my bike and kneel down beside him. He's hyperventilating, exhausted and his inner ears are warmer than I 'm comfortable with. I put my finger in his mouth and check if his gums are dry. Its wet, he's not overheating. I let him rest, letting him drink water off my cupped hand as I squeeze it out of my Camelbak. He's drinking normally.


After a while, he starts standing again, walking around and sniffing the vegetation. I coax him to get off the mountain, but he's down to a slow walk. Our 30 minute descent turns into more than an hour. We get out of the trail and I load him into the car. We get home and I do a full inspection. A thumb nail patch on his left paw is raw. He's dead tired and lethargic. My daugher hand feeds him dinner and puts him to sleep. The next morning, he's still only 75% of usual, but is getting better fast. Im putting Neosporin on his paw to prevent infection and I have him on some baby aspirin for pain relief. It looks like he's going to be fine.


End game analysis - what happened? Here's what I think. Me and Jagger are climbing to the peak, the other rider passes close by and Jagger confuses him for me in the low light. He chases the rider down the mountain thinking it's still me and pushes himself to exhaustion. Labrador Retrievers are known to retrieve as much as you require, with some accidental deaths reported. Freak incident? I don't know. He's not going out for a month until that paw heals and is strong enough for more trail riding. Next time, I'm also going to check on him each time we pass another rider going the opposite direction.


THE END

 

So good to hear Jagger is recovering - that must have been terrifying!!

I take my lil guy (Yorkie/Poo) on some of my trail rides; descending isn't as much fun but he digs it!!

The worst thing he's picked up are ticks. I'm a lil concerned about coyotes so I wear a whistle around my neck just in case they want to nab him. I hope it never comes to that ...

 

Third day in, Jaggets back to normal!

Just like you do Rox with yer Yorker, I don't bomb down with my dog. Downhills isn't for dogs. He got a little bit too much of that the other day.

I use a tick rated monthly like frontline plus when I take him deep into brushy trails. I don't like to us it a lot though so I ride fire roads mostly with him.

Hes grounded for a month.

 

Glad this worked out. My friend Jeff in Kernville golden lab bonked on the trail and he had to wait most of the night so his friends could hike up and help carry the dog out. I wonder if a tail light would help him identify you from others.

Dean

 

Glad to hear he's ok. Seems like the paw issues have been common? Have you ever considered Ruffwear dog boots? Just got a pair for my dog. It'll take some time getting used to, but if you're regulary trail riding with your dog, it's a good investment to protect them.

 

His paws are conditioned for trail running, but the problems seem to become an issue when he's made to run at full bore. I don't do that anymore, not for years. But the other nights situation brought it back.

 

Use the neosporin liberally and often until the paw is thoroughly healed. Otherwise you risk serious infection by the more durable bacteria.

 

Maybe you should consider something very visible and recognizable to him... like hanging a orange bandana off your camel back or something..
Glad he is ok... good story telling too!

 

I love a Happy Ending!!
Seriously, I could just imagine the terror and desperation you felt, fearing he took off to who-knows-where. I can also imagine the desperation Jagger felt, thinking his buddy was leaving him. Glad everything worked out well....I'm sure you both appreciate each other even more now.

 

This is a great idea. I'll tie a bright bandana on my camelbak. I think he'll condition to that well.

Jagger loves to run fast, often times leading me on descents. I intentionally slow down knowing it's not good his pads and mostly likely his joint either. I think the sudden appearance and passing of the other rider got his attention, got confused and it triggered an impulse to follow as there were no other people on the mountain. While doing so, the rush of running and the sound of the bike he was following just drowned out my shouts.

Im thinking training him to respond to a whistle will be good too.

 

Hey I hunt upland birds. On bird dogs around here they sometimes use paw booties for use in our southern deserts, cholla cactus, chunky granite etc... You may try some. Check bass pro or cabelas. Though you are not pushing it with him much on the DH they may be worth a look anyway. Peace of mind.

 

I always keep an ear for his panting. Also, wireless leash. My dog has crazy prey drive. Makes him a great trail dog. Also makes him unpredictable. Had him take off after a big buck one time. No amount of recall worked. Luckily i have my wireless leash on him. Snapped him out of the hunt and he came trotting back awful proud of himself. No one should kid themselves with high prey drive dogs that they can have reliable recall 100% of the time.

 

Mine doesnt have a prey drive, proven in many times. But I can see where a wireless leash will be usefull. Even just to get him to refocus his attention. Looking into it.

 

......maybe hanging a bear bell on your bike might be beneficial? I found it to be great at giving hikers a warning I was coming.

 

^^^^Agree

 

Glad it worked out for you.

Maybe keep your dog on it's leash....then they can't run off.

Seriously.....was on a ride a few weeks back and got bit by a dog....that the owner stated "my dog never bites anyone"....well it did. The dog was off leash and at least 50' ahead of the owners...there was nothing they could have done to stop it.

 

He probably sensed you were a mean person ... HAHAHA (I kid I kid - don't slug me next time I see you ).

I admit: I like seeing dogs off leash while out on the trails. Seeing an animal run free is enjoyable. Granted, there are risks (running after the wrong master, rattlesnakes, skunks, coyotes etc etc). Most dog owners do not have malicious intent w their dogs being off leash.

I was bitten, by all things, a Pit Bull, on a run. Did it change my point of view of Pittys?? Not in the least.

Shit happens ... The End!

 

I understand your point of view. Me and Jagger ride on what can be considered a dog trail. There are usually dozens of off leash dogs on this trail during the day. I wouldnt have him running off leash where he would pose a danger to others.