Hatrack River Writers Workshop: My Trouble with Dogs

This is topic My Trouble with Dogs in forum Grist for the Mill at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

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Posted by philocinemas (Member # 8108) on :

I have documented some of the previous misadventures with my dogs here at Hatrack, from one eating part of my John Deere riding mower to almost losing a finger trying to break up a less than civil disagreement over a chew toy.

On Tuesday, I experienced yet another event to log into the annals of My Trouble with Dogs:

My wife likes to take our four dogs on a walk every night with exceptions during adverse weather conditions. I begrudgingly participate in this activity simply because they are constantly getting tangled and its a bit of a circus. However, there are four of them and my son likes to ride his scooter, so I usually walk the two youngest dogs and my wife walks the two oldest.

My son has recently been challenging me to races, which involves my running with the dogs while he pushes along on his scooter. On this particular occasion we were racing downhill when one of my dogs decided to dart behind me while the other one continued forward. I should have let go of the leash, but I didn't. If you've ever seen a toy top that is spun with a string, then that will give you somewhat of a visual of what happened next.

I spun around and my legs twisted, which is not ideal when one is running. This caused me to leave the ground and do what appeared to my wife and son as a somersault in the air. I then landed almost flat on my back with my head striking the pavement. I did not lose consciousness, but I was temporarily paralyzed. I could not move, talk, or even blink.

My son came and stood over me. He began shouting, "Daddy, are you okay? Daddy, are you okay?" I could see him, but I couldn't respond. Even one of the dogs came over and licked my face. After about forty-five seconds, I was able to move my arms and legs a little, and I told him I was okay. Of course, this was a lie, but I didn't want to unneccesarily alarm him.

Now I know that you're not supposed to move after a head or neck injury, but I wasn't thinking clearly, so I got up. By the time I got back home my head was pounding, so I called the ER and they suggested I come in for an examination. I had a CT scan and everything checked out okay according to the hospital staff. They told me to take it easy for a couple of days and prescribed me Lortabs and a muscle relaxer.

I have remained mostly on my couch for the past two days. The headache is now only dull pressure, but I have a bad bruise on the back of my head and I can't move my neck very much. Fortunately, I'm not missing any work due to a scheduled break, and I have been exonerated from walking the dogs in the near future.

[This message has been edited by philocinemas (edited August 25, 2011).]