Avoid Painful Dog-Walking Accidents

By Rochelle Frank

Lacking the sports ability gene, I have never aspired to athletic excellence. If my name had been Grace, I would have been forced to legally change it. In fact, if I can walk the dog without hurting either of us, it is noteworthy.

I had begun to take this feat for granted until last week. While walking Fritz, I stepped in a hole, twisted my ankle badly, and took an ungraceful dive to the pavement. The knee closest to my uninjured ankle was severely scraped and banged, and the heels of both hands showed blood around tiny bits of imbedded gravel. Other parts of me hurt, but were eclipsed by the the ankle and knee pains.

At that moment my dog, without a trace of the empathy often attributed to canines, looked back at me as if to say "Why are we stopping?" If his leash had not been attached to my belt, he probably would have continued without me. Fortunately, he is not strong enough to drag anything weighing over 50 lbs.., which is five times his own weight.

On the other side of the ditch a pair of quail followed by eight tiny fuzzball chicks scrambled over uneven terrain with extraordinary ease, never tripping once. Being flat on the ground was an excellent position for observing them.

If anyone else had been around, I would have tried to avoid total embarrassment by explaining that I was only bird watching. I was alone, and would have to help myself.

The first challenge was to get on my feet, since it seemed inadvisable to lie in the traffic lane. Though lightly traveled, this stretch of road is occasionally used by vehicles.

I detached the cotton scarf from my straw sun hat, to bind my ankle. I painfully managed to struggle to an upright position, and took a few tentative hobbling steps.

My walking stick, which I usually carry as an anti-carnivorous animal deterrent, became a walking stick again. Fritz and I took a slow, deliberate shortcut through neighboring property.

As I came through the door I knew I should probably get an ice pack on my throbbing ankle. A bag of frozen peas supposedly makes a good emergency ice pack, but as I searched the freezer, I knew there was little chance of finding peas. I hate peas. I can't even imagine there might be something remotely therapeutic about them. I did find a freezer bag full of frozen Margaritas, probably left over from Cinco de Mayo. Since some of the ingredients are spirituous, the bag was just barely slushy and made a nice ice pack which conformed well to the swollen outlines of my ankle.

Being forced to sit still with my foot chilled and elevated gave me time to ponder. I began to develop a sympathetic understanding of others who have been injured in dog-walking accidents. I now know what they have been through, and no longer take dog walking for granted.

Perhaps I should buy protective dog-walking gear similar to that used by stunt skateboarders. Kneepads, elbow protectors, crash helmet, and ski boots could prevent senseless tragedies such as this. But no, that would look silly... unless I also carried a skateboard. Surely many grandmothers are seen skateboarding the foothill county roads with a small dog tied to them.

Perhaps, when I'm back on my feet, I can at least replace that hat scarf with an elastic bandage, and perhaps upgrade the walking stick to a crutch.

In the meantime, I'm keeping my ankle elevated with a bag of frozen Margarita wrapped around it. Now that I have finally found a long drinking straw, I can wish you all a happy Cinco de Mayo. I'm feeling better already, and will soon be on the road to recovery.

About the Author:

Writer Rochelle Frank and photographer Linda Gast formed a small publishing company to produce their children's books. Their first title,"So What, Saw Whet?, is based on a series of photos of a tiny Saw-Whet owl.

ROCHELLE FRANK may be contacted at hummingbirdmountain.com or email hummingbirdmountain@sti.net.