OMG - can it get any worse :(

Ravenwood

Ravenwood

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You won't believe what happened this evening :(

After Rosie going missing at the weekend whilst I was away - this happens!

I got home from work about 5ish and I immediately don wellies, coat, hat, whistle, leads etc and the three dogs and me jump in the car to go for a walk - in the pitch black by torch light, just as we do every evening.

When its raining (as it has done pretty much every single day since August) we generally go down to the river and do the circular walk - the same walk I have done thousands of times for the last 16 years!

So, we cross the bridge and Toby jumps off the last step into the river - which was high, rapid and gushing and disappears from view :(

OMG - I was frantic, I was desperately calling and searching for him with my torch but he had been swept downstream.

I climbed the fence and started running downstream, calling, crying, screaming - suddenly I catch his eyes in the torchlight so I know at that point he is still alive! But just as quick he disappears under again.

At this point I am hysterical, I race back up the field, across the bridge, shove the other two dogs in the car and race back down the other side of the river bank. For 10 minutes (which actually seemed like a lifetime) I am hystercially trying to find him, no sign, calling, whistling, willing him to still be alive.

I know he has joint problems but he is an incredibly strong swimmer but the river was too much for him - at the point of being almost numb, I was about to run back to the hotel (by the river) to ask for help and see if they had some search lights.

But at that moment Toby shows up trotting back down the path towards me, soaked, frightened but so happy to see me - again I cried buckets (thats twice now in two days!)

I rushed him home, the kids and I towelled and rubbed him down, put on his coat and lit the fire.

He seems absolutely fine, has eaten his dinner (no suprise there being a labrador ;) ) but I am guessing he is a bit battered and bruised :(

Honestly - I don't think I should be in charge of a dog, it seems to be one epic disaster after another :( I have four more days left of work, I am not going to walk them after work anymore - its too dangerous and I have told the children that they are forbidden to walk the dogs near the river whilst we are having this horrendous weather. Then I have 10 days off over the Xmas/NY and after that I am seriously considering getting a dog walker in - not that I can afford it :(

If only it would stop raining though - since August (its rained alot before then but the forager was broken, so missed the window for silaging until it was fixed in August hence the weather watch) we have had four consecutive dry days in September, four days in October and ten days in late October/early November - other than that it has rained (hard) every single day! Its just ridiculous and I am really struggling to cope with it :(

There must be thousands of single people who work full time and cope perfectly well with dogs and animals - why am I finding it such a struggle?
 
I assure you, you are not the only one!!! Our springer is a nightmere and has gone missing from the yard countless times and ended up in other peoples cars or miles away!! and all of this happens in winter, in the dark!!

we then got a dog walker for the busy days when everyone is at work and it seems to do the trick! she still gets more walks and comes to the yard everyday but it seems to take the edge off her!

hope that helps
 
MeganLindsx said:
I assure you, you are not the only one!!! Our springer is a nightmere and has gone missing from the yard countless times and ended up in other peoples cars or miles away!! and all of this happens in winter, in the dark!!
Click to expand...

Ooh, another recruit for the spangle massive, fab! Get some pictures up!

Ravenwood, you're a fab owner, stop putting yourself down. Zak pees off all the time and is currently not allowed off lead. He's lots worse in the dark and the only reason we still have him is because there's no river or motorway near the woods in which we walk him.
 
Thank you both for such kind words and being reassuring but twice now in just two days, two of my dogs have had their life in their hands :( And lets face it - the owner is the one with the responsibility.

Other than trying to find someone who would take them out during the day I don't know what else I can do - they are all very fit, active dogs with jobs and if I don't take them out in the evening they are literally climbing the walls and won't settle. Perhaps we should move to Spain ;)

Roll on Spring and daylight before and after work!

ETA - of course there is a solution - I could sell this house and move into OH's farm but its a toss up between keeping the dogs happy or keeping the children happy :eek:
 
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Oh 'eck RW, you are having quite the week! Glad everything has turned out ok. get Toby some water wings and Rosie a GPS tracker and you'll be reet:)
 
Haha spud that made me laugh. RW you are having a time of it- glad they are both ok tho I'm sure over the holidays things will improve. Sounds like Tobys was just a freak accident! Enjoy the holidays!! A dog walker maybe an idea-atleast it starts getting lighter from tomorrow!
 
That was a frightening experience, noting like an animal to overload the nervous system. Everything is so much worse in the dark and on your own.

To make you feel better it is the shortest day on 22nd December then it gets lighter every damm day 'til spring - whooop :)
 
I thought it was the shortest day today:o either way its not long to go until the nights start getting lighter:)

I bought my boys some flashing collars to wear when we are out on our walks at night - they are both essentially black so at least with them on i can keep track of where they are as well as having a torch - Sweep is always dawdling about behind me and Max is hooning on ahead:rolleyes: but at least with the flashing collars if either one starts to go off track I can get them back:)

I would deffo avoid the river for a bit - you have had all our rain:eek::rolleyes: we have had less than half the annual rainfall here:( - but maybe look at the collars as they need a walk:)
 
Because my lab is such a water baby and near enough all the open spaces in my area have the river going through in the winter mon-Fri she is kept on one of those extendable leads twice a day. Weekends day time she goes out for a good run off lead. I hate winter.
 
Oh thank God I was terrified I was going to read that you had tried to go in after him, so glad you got him back!
Our numpty girl (the same one that went missing for four days) went off after a woolly jumper across a swollen river a few years back, I was able to recall her off the bloody thing but she then decided that whilst she had crossed the river one way, she couldn't cross it back and I had to wade in halfway to encourage her back, not big or clever!!!

You've just had a bad couple of days, don't feel too bad, we're a bit stuck at the moment because of the snow still lying (can't get parked near the forest) and the dark mornings, I'm just chucking a ball for the pup in the morning (he will retrieve forever, never gets bored) and then hook up a lamp and let him tear arse around the back exercise pen (he has fallen in love with a traffic cone and likes to knock it over and carry it :p) or the field again and then lots of bits and bobs of training in the house to tire his brain out.
 
Oh God, how completely and utterly frightening for you. So pleased he's safe and well.:) Don't beat yourself up, these things happen, you have nothing to reproach yourself for. I've had dogs that have jumped into relatively slow moving water and have had to plough in there and hoik them out. Ruddy turnips. :o
 
Eeek RW - how frightening for you.:eek: It is just unlucky that you have had a couple of scary experiences so close together. But please don't blame yourself or beat yourself up - your dogs have a brilliant life thanks to you. Slinky's idea of a flashing collar is a good one - I meet quite a few people on my pitch black walks who have flashing dogs! And yes, avoid the river walk! I can't believe you have had SO much rain - we have the driest year for ages up here in the East Midlands (but I'm still jealous of you living in the most beautiful part of the UK! - even with all your rain!)
Remember - from tomorrow it gets lighter by 15mins every week - that's half an hour a fortnight:D:D
 
You are all far too nice! :D

I didn't get back until after 6 this evening as I stayed for the demonstrations at work (farming stuff that we are applying for a grant for) and so didn't walk the dogs. They were running around the house, demanding attention and racing to the back door constantly but actually once we had eaten and I had fed the dogs they got the message and they are all flaked out in front of me, perfectly settled - I am sure they will get used to only being walked in the morning and not in the evening as well very soon. :)

Flashing collars - what a brilliant idea! I absolutely loathe collars and none of my dogs never have and never do wear collars, far too dangerous - I don't even own any! But maybe I will have to bite the bullet and invest in some for this time of year.

And guess what? - yep, its raining right now :( You have no idea how jealous I am of all of you who have had it dry, here we are sodden and waterlogged, weighed down with waterproofs and mud :(

Right - I will stop whinging now and look foward to the days getting longer ;)
 
What a terrifying experience, I remember my terror when Buffy fell down a drain and I could see her all the time I was trying to get her out, must have been far worse for you when he disappeared:(. I'm with the others who say they will be fine with the change in routine. I always end up doing loads of extra hours in the run up to Christmas and as I daren't let Evie off in open country in the dark, and the roads round here are horrible to walk on, she gets a lot less walking. She is happy with plenty of ball throwing and once she is fed is happy to settle down in the evening with us.
 
Oh RW what a scary experience. If I recall correctly you live in/near a village beginning with W, if so I know that walk very well and as you were describing it all I had a vivid visual picture of where you were at all times. When I used to walk there in the dark I used the flashing collars mentioned above as it can get really really dark in that field.
 
goodness, you must have been terrified. can't believe that after the last escapade. You are doing a grand job despite your dogs being determined to give you a nervous breakdown. It would take more than a raging torrent sweeping them away to put a lab of his grub :D
ps wee Jack russell from the yard is still missing :(
 
FNF - I was searching for an update on this section earlier to see if she had been found or not :(

Poor little dog - fingers crossed she comes home soon xx
 
R that sounds awful! Glad Toby is ok.
Stupid Harry puppy (the sort of blind retarded one) did something similar when he was 5 months old.
OH walked all of them over the woods and Harry jumped in the lake. Swam under the jetty, and then the splashing stopped.....and OH paniced!
Off came wellies, jacket and in he went (it was about -3 that day) to find him. And there he was clinging to a ledge under the jetty.
I came home to find OH and Harry trying to defrost themselves in the bath!
 
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