[Outdoor Lover]

Normally I don't like to do this, but I know that right now, this time of year, alot of you are on the Highways driving to somewhere cooler to hike.

A friend of mine fell asleep at the wheel this morning coming back from an Agility Competition in Texas. She hit a semi and her vehicle rolled twice. All 6 of her dogs were ejected from the vehicle. One died immediately, 3 were transported to a Veterinarian Hospital with injuries, her biggest "Heart" dog, Nika, was later found in a ditch, fatally hit by a vehicle on the highway. One of her dogs is still missing. I have posted the picture and the contact info here. This accident took place just out of Willcox on I-10 at Mile Marker 351. There have been dozens of people that immediately came to search and are still searching for the last dog at this late hour. My friend, and the owner of the dog, left the hospital with a punctured lung and is out there looking as well....This is a heartbreaking story. Elicia Calhoun is one of the premiere Dog Handling/Dog Training/Dog Agility Champions in the Country, but has never let competition get in the way of her love for her dogs, which can be rare at the level she competes at....I can't even imagine the shock and pain she is going through right now, but I do know that she will not stop until her last dog is found....

[chulavista]

OH, I'm so sorry to hear this. I hope the dog turns up OK.

Kate

[Outdoor Lover]

After searching the desert all night, a new crew of searchers was coming in to help and spotted Tobie on I-10 approximately 1 mile from the crash sight. Tobie was extremely traumatized, but apparently alive and with just minor injuries. She would not come to Elicia's friends, even though she probably would have in the past, so they had to get ahold of Elicia and have her come out to where Tobie was. I have posted the reunion picture. The gamut of emotions that Elicia must be experiencing is beyond belief, I am experiencing quite a few, just observing the drama from the computer and I'm so happy that she was able to find Tobie alive, after having lost Nika to the cars on the highway....Now Elicia can focus on her own recovery and the recovery of the other dogs that survived...

[big_load]

Wow, how long had she been out of the hospital? Does she have to go back?

[Outdoor Lover]

She promised to go see a doctor or go back to a hospital as soon as she knew all of her surviving dogs were being taken care of. She is in Tucson now, at a Vet's getting treatment for 4 dogs. They think at this point, Tobie was also hit by a car, but is just bruised. Probably the same car that killed Nika. The dogs were probably running together. Elicia was diagnosed with a punctured lung, which probably means that she's got at least one broken rib. ABC News 15 has been following the story. I can't find the link from the story that they did this morning, but here's the link from the one they did last night. The Dog community really came together in the last 24 hours. Elicia and her dogs are loved by many.....

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A ... 8vdfRviEYg

The video does show a little bit of Elicia and her dogs characters....

[chulavista]

Oh thank goodness!

I found a link...

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_ce ... z-accident

[desertgirl]

Glad to see Tobie was found.
This is such a sad story -

[Outdoor Lover]

@chulavista
Yep, but I think it's still the old one. I don't think they've updated their website yet with the story they did this morning after Tobie was found. Such a relief, but I know Elicia is going to seriously be hurting over Nika's loss especially. That dog was her life partner. She was a rescue with a missing right eye and her and Elicia were one of the most successful, beloved teams on the Agility circuit. Nika is the Blue Merle Aussie mix seen in the group photos....

[chulavista]

Oh well, I tried.I cannot get onto facebook, so I didn't know if it was the right article or not.

I'm a huge animal lover too, and my heart breaks for her losing her friend. It's one thing when God takes them because it's time. It's another thing entirely when they are taken in this manner. I'm sending her hugs and positive vibes. Tobie will probably be traumatized for a while, border collies are pretty sensitive animals. I know she's in good hands with Elicia.

[kevinweitzel75]

So glad that all dogs have been accounted for. That's to bad for the pup and Nika. Very hard to lose a dog that means that much to you.

[Outdoor Lover]

Everybody's resting comfortably tonight. Elicia and her dogs are staying with friends in Tucson for a couple of days to get some things squared away and then she will be coming home to Phoenix to finish her recovery. It's amazing that anyone survived. What's strange is that the pup that died instantly was the only one in a Crate. The rest of the dogs were loose in the car. The back Hatch flew open ejecting all of the dogs except the puppy. Just goes to show you that even Crating your dogs in the car for protection is not always a fail safe....Here is a picture of her vehicle...

[big_load]

Crating your dogs in the car for protection is not always a fail safe....

Oddly enough, this NJ law went into effect last week. It seems a little out of whack to me and I'm dubious about how effective it will be.

As part of New Jersey’s Click It or or Ticket campaign, drivers are getting a reminder about the potentially hefty fines they’ll face if they’re caught driving with an unrestrained pet. Under New Jersey Statute 4:22-18, having an unrestrained pet in a vehicle is considered animal cruelty, and drivers who don’t have them restrained will be subject to fines that range from $250 to $1,000 and as much as six months in jail. “That’s for each offense,” said Col. Frank Rizzo, police superintendent for the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. “So, if you have more than one animal loose in your car, just do the math…” ... Incidentally, a ticket for a person not wearing a seat belt is only $46. In regards to distracted driving, the fine for texting while driving is only $100, although lawmakers are trying to double it.

[Outdoor Lover]

@big_load
Wow, that's a pretty stiff law and I think it's going a little overboard. The above incident probably would be a great argument against that law. I think if all of Elicia's pets had been crated, she would have had more casualties in this case. I think the fact that they were actually thrown from the vehicle, probably immediately, saved all of their lives, at least initially. It was just terrible luck that her favorite dog was hit by a car later.

I have only confined my dogs in my car in one scenario. That's when we would take them in an opened up Jeep. It was the only way to keep them from perhaps jumping out or falling out in the event of a large bump or dip in the road. Or while we were rock crawling....

There are a couple of laws I do agree with and alot of states have them. Dogs cannot ride unconfined in the open bed of a pickup. I have personally had to deal with that aftermath....

Not allowing Dogs to ride in the Driver's Lap. This act is just plain stupid for a number of reasons.

1. The Driver has reduced control over the vehicle. I almost got sideswiped in the Dog Truck by a driver who almost didn't make a turn due to the dog in his lap.

2. Cars without Airbags: The Dog gets crushed between the Driver and the Steering Wheel, even if the Driver has a seat belt on.

3. Cars with Airbags: The Driver's Airbag will kill the Dog instantly, not only just from the force of the Airbag deploying, but also crushing the Dog up against the Driver, possibly injuring the Driver as well....

Personally, I don't see how that law in New Jersey is going to hold up. I think eventually it will be contested enough and overturned.....

[big_load]

Personally, I don't see how that law in New Jersey is going to hold up. I think eventually it will be contested enough and overturned....

NJ can't often rival AZ for unconventional legislation, but this seems a glaring exception. My team stumbled across the news when we were on business travel in Utah. We all thought it was a hoax, and spent a chunk of time trying to confirm it. It's for real, but they really did slip it in under the radar.

[Outdoor Lover]

@big_load
I've moved this conversation to Dogs-Dog Legislation. We'll keep this thread for the Missing Dog subjects.