Highview Farm – December 10, 2005

Submitted by Michael McKay on December 10, 2005 - 8:46pm
Finn with a stick

Finn with a stick

I was out working in the barn and had placed Maggie and Finn, our two Border Collies, in a ‘down’ position so that they wouldn’t get into trouble. I was more worried about Finn than Maggie. She’s adventurous, but a little less so since her puppies were born a month ago. Finn, on the other hand, knows no fear and shows little sign of common sense. Just as I turned around to check on them I heard howling coming from the horse pasture. Running out of the barn, I saw Finn lying on his back in the pasture, twisted in an unnatural position and howling his head off. He’d obviously been kicked by one of the horses that he loved to charge whenever given the chance. I ran into the pasture and tried to pick him up but he whined so hard I worried that his back was broken. I finally decided to lift him anyway because all the evidence was that he wasn’t going to make it. He was still twisted, his eyes glazed and blood was pouring out of his mouth. I ran to the house with him, leaving a trail of blood, threw him into the back of Linda’s hatchback and started the long 10 mile drive to the vet’s office.

I couldn’t see Finn in the back of the car but I could hear awful gagging sounds that I assumed were his death rattle. Halfway to the vet I looked in the rearview mirror and – just like Michael Myers in one of the Halloween movies – I saw Finn leaning over the back seat with blood pouring out of his mouth. When I got there, I rushed in and they took Finn into the back right away, suggesting that I stay out front. It didn’t look good.

Ten long minutes later, the vet came out and told me that the only damage was that Finn had one of his teeth kicked out by the horse. Relieved, I took him home, realizing for the first time how attached I’d become to the crazy little bastard. The good news – I hoped – was that I wouldn’t have to worry about Finn harassing the horses any more. Wrong. As soon as he got past the gate leading to the pasture he immediately ran over and bit Lucky – the horse that kicked him – on the nose.