DOGS JUMPING OFF TAILGATE...BEWARE!!!!

[Bart Caudill]

The best all around rabbit dog on my place got injured while running. The vet took x-rays and said that she had slipped a disk.

The night it happened, we thought that we had a split race, because she was so far behind. After the dogs put it in the hole, we called them in, and she didn't come. She got a friendly reminder from Tri-tronics, and still didn't come. After about 10 minuites she came into the road pulling her self on her front legs, and dragging her whole back end. She was disabled from about half way back.

I knew this dog had about as much heart and stamina as I had ever seen in a Beagle before this happened, and that last race just reinforced my thoughts. She had not split off on another rabbit, because she run it all, the same way the others did. She was a little behind because she only had front legs pulling her whole body.

Since that night, I have been lifting my dogs off the tailgate. I figured if a dog can slip a disk running a rabbit, that jumping off a tailgate could also be a hazard.

You can let dogs jump off the tailgate for years without a problem. However, it only takes one accident to loose a great hunting companion. Why take the chance?

Let'em down easy,

Bart