NEAR Tragedy (NOT involving Halas) At Flyball This Weekend

[Leslie and Halas]

We were in Amana, Iowa, for a flyball tournament this weekend.  We had 6 races on Saturday, and between our 2nd and 3rd races, we were just sitting around relaxing.  I was facing the ring, but I was reading, not paying attention to the races.  All of a sudden, the person who runs the team that puts on this tournament came running by us, towards the ring.  I glanced up to see why she was in such a hurry, and I saw a bunch of people gathered near the start line of one lane.  I said to my teammates, "Uh oh. Something just happened."  

We quickly realized that there had been a collision between 2 dogs.  With so many people gathered around, it was hard to see, but then we could hear a person loudly crying, and we could see a dog on the ground.  The people right by the ring, who were able to see it happen, were also crying, which was definitely a sign that this wasn't a case of dogs simply bumping shoulders as they go by.  Luckily, there are usually at least a couple of vets at flyball tournaments, and I think one of them was judging races at this point, so she was right there.  I believe at least one other vet ran over, too.  At some point, it hit us that the dog wasn't moving.  Not because they were keeping her still, but because she couldn't.  

The people that saw it happen said they hit head on, and then one of the dogs immediately went down, convulsed, and then went still.  As we were watching the vet check her out, we could see that the dog was breathing, but was completely still other than that.  She was laying on her left side, and her front legs were both sticking straight out.  Her right leg wasn't even resting on her left leg or on the ground; it was just sticking straight out.  The initial thoughts were that it was a neck injury. At this point, pretty much everyone in the building had tears in their eyes. The poor dog's owner was just sitting on the floor by her dog, while the vets tended to the dog. 

The vets had someone bring a board over, and they gently moved her onto a board.  When they did this, the dog moved her back legs a little bit, so at least that was some movement.  Up until that point, we all thought she was paralyzed.  Her front half still seemed to be paralyzed, but the movement in the back legs at least gave us hope that it was only temporary.  They got her some blankets to keep her warm, and then loaded her into a car to get to the ER.

Within a couple of hours, we got word that the dog was up and walking on her own, so that was great news!  And some time after that, a picture was posted on Facebook of the owner smiling with the dog, as they hung out in the ER.  The dog was sitting up.  Last we heard, she's going to be fine, but we never did hear exactly what had happened.  Based on the description of the collision, and the temporary paralysis, I guess it was some kind of neck/nerve injury. 

It was eerily quiet in the building this entire time.  There were a lot of dogs crated in the building, and flyball dogs tend to bark quite a bit.  But we only heard about 2 barks the entire time.  I think that even the dogs knew something was wrong.  After a few minutes, racing resumed as normal, although that team didn't race the rest of the day.  The other dog didn't seem to be seriously injured in the collision, but I'm sure he was banged up at least a little bit.  So they may not have had enough dogs to keep racing, but I think the handlers and the dogs were just too upset to run.  I think all of us were very frightened by the whole thing, and that was after we found out she was walking on her own.  We all play this sport for fun, but there's always a chance, however slim, that something like this could happen.  And these dogs are both about 30 lbs.  It made me so thankful that Halas' collision with the lab a few years ago wasn't head-on.  That could have been devastating.  I don't worry too much about him being in a collision any more, because he doesn't even start running until the other dog is almost by him, and even then, he ducks way out to his right, just to make sure he gives the other dog several feet of room to get by him.  That's not great for a racing dog, but he can do that all he wants as far as I'm concerned, especially after this weekend.

In our next race after the injury, Halas didn't do so well.  He ran very slowly, and got distracted.  He did his 4 jumps, but then stopped when the got to the box, and just started sniffing around.  This went on for several seconds, and then he finally turned around and came back over his jumps to me, but he never did get his ball.  He shouldn't have been very tired yet, so I think he was a little sensitive about what had happened.  I don't know if he could really see that anything was going on, but I'm sure he could tell from how all of the people were acting.  The races after that were better, and he did well on Sunday, too.  The team that had the collision did race on Sunday, but neither of the dogs that collided were running.  I'm not sure if the seriously injured dog will ever run again, whether it's her choice or the handler's choice.  The other dog may have been sore or apprehensive, or it could have been injured too, just less severely.  We were all just so relieved that the first dog wasn't permanently paralyzed.  It would just be so tragic for something like that to happen.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Leslie, This sounds very scary. I am so glad both dogs seem to now be ok. I am also glad Halas was not involved and did not get hurt.

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

Wow!  So glad to hear that the dog seems to be okay.  I can only imagine what her owner must have been feeling at the time.  And I think you're right about Halas - he must have known something was up!!

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

Leslie, I am very happy everything turned out ok for both dogs, but what a very scary moment for everyone!  I definitely feel dogs can sense there when something wrong. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

What a scare. It's true that any sport involves some risk and this is even with dogs not trying to run at each other. I am glad both dogs and Halas are OK. This puts things in perspective.

[Bonnie and Kona]

Wow Leslie, That sounds like a traumatic event for everyone present... including Halas. It is another reminder that even when we do not see how our dogs could know what is happening they sense trauma and react to it. Halas' caution just reaffirms he is aware and sensitive to events and others around him. What a sweet dog he is. 

I hope both dogs involved in the collision heal completely. Thank you for sharing your experience with us.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Goodness me what a scary event. Glad to hear the dog that got hit is up but if I were the owner I would still be extremely worried.  This reminds me of when my middle daughter used to compete in cross country eventing on horse-back.  Twice she had very serious falls which ended up in her being stretchered off and put in an ambulance. If her father had been there and seen what happened and how desperately dangerous the sport was he would have sold the horse immediately.  I used to feel the fear and let her carry on. There is a risk in all sports, you just have to weigh it up, take as much precaution as possible and  carry on.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Oh Leslie...this must have scared you to death!  Thank heavens that both dogs are going to be okay. 

[Camilla and Darwin]

That sounds terrifying, I'm glad that everything turned out okay. Oh gosh!

[Pat and Traveler]

How scary!  So glad the dogs seem to be recovering.  It is terrifying to see an accident in your sport.  My daughter missed a hold on the bar one time when she was at a gymnastics meet, and I swear I don't even remember getting to her from the stands.  She was fine, aside from some bruises. 

[Doris, Knox & Flash]

OMD!  How scary!  I am so glad you put "NEAR" in the title of your discussion.  It got halfway through it and went back to the title to re-read it.  Glad both dogs seem to be OK.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

What a story, Leslie. Very disturbing.  I am sure the dogs picked up on the vibes from their humans.  Flyball takes a lot of concentration  for dogs.   Mastering the focus on the game and the humans partaking is a must... and I know, poor Halas, and the other dogs,  felt it all.

Bless you and the dogs involved. If you ever hear any follow-ups about the two dogs injured please let us know. 

[Donna K & Quincy]

This does sound very scary, glad there were no lasting injuries.