The dog Aussie survives a collision with farm ute

FARM ute drivers beware - old dogs are slower getting away from potential danger.

Aussie survived a hit from the farm ute. Picture: Gerard Walsh

DRY AS A BONE column in Bush Telegraph by Gerard Walsh - A lighter look at rural life

I ALMOST learnt the hard way on Saturday that you have to make adjustments for the speed it will take for your dogs to avoid being run over.

Many farm dogs run in front of vehicles and most seem to keep out of trouble.

That was the case with our nine-year-old kelpie Aussie until Saturday morning when I heard a yelp and a bump.

I had no idea what dog it was and then Aussie seemed a little bit worse for wear.

We have a yard 1.5m high at our farm for the dogs and I decided I was going to check out Aussie to see he was okay and put his mate Max in the yard.

I stopped Aussie walking into the yard and went to put five bales of hay under the woolshed ramp for future use -and five minutes later Aussie was gone.

I checked under the house, around the yards, under the woolshed and even went to each waterhole and trough to see if he had gone for water on a hot day.

He was nowhere to be found and then I called the veterinary surgeon for a bit of an idea about dogs going missing after accidents and their chances of survival.

She gave me hope that dogs can feel a bit worse for wear and go to a quiet spot.

It seemed a bit like time out. I was still talking to the vet when Aussie turned up at the door of the house after being missing for what seemed like hours but was probably just under an hour.

I was more upset about taking my eyes off Aussie and letting him roam after the accident than I was for hitting him.

Many farmers, us included, have stories of the old dog who just went away to die and was never found.

Luckily our dog came home and the whole family was happy. Everyone loves Aussie.

We did get him checked by the vet within two hours and seems like both Aussie and I are lucky.

My main message to dog owners is, if the dog has been in an incident or seems a bit off colour, keep your eye on the dog. They might need a bit of treatment from a vet and you can't get it if the dog is on time-out.

Analysing the Aussie/ute collision, I had given him a fair run so he was tired, it was a hot day, and it is time to be more careful with our old dog.