When I walk I have my big, huge, doggie on the leash! He got away from me a few times, so I bought a horse's halter, and I use it for a harness for him, and it works great, and he doesn't mind it at all. It fits him just perfectly. He is so big that I was not able to find a dog harness large enough to fit him. He is so strong that when he wants to go, it takes me about 10 steps to slow him down, or stop him, and when he wants to go, he takes me running! I have had a few wrecks with him because of his strength and desire to go! I have had him come running from behind me when it was slick from snow and ice on the ground, and he has jerked me off my feet, and I have landed on my back. I hurt my back just a little that way a couple of years ago. I have had two serious wrecks with him. One was about a year ago. When we are walking he wants me to love him periodically so he jumps up on me. He is so large that even though I am 6 feet tall, his front paws are on my shoulders, and his back feet are on the ground. He wants me to rub his face and tell him that I love him, which I do, but it makes the smaller dog jealous. So while I am loving my big doggie, rubbing his face, and telling him that I love him, the my smaller doggie is biting him in the butt!!!!
After a few minutes of biting my big doggie decides to go after him. He is not mean, and it is more of a game than anything else, but I have been hurt twice now because of that, and I decided the last time, before this time, and I was not going to let that happen again. What was happening before was that they were going in circles with the big doggie after the smaller one, and I was going flying in circles with them. Last early winter late fall, when going in circles the smaller doggie ran in front of me, and my big doggie pulled me over the top of him, and I sent flying horzontally landing out in front of both doggies, and they were in amazement about what happened. That time that accident sprained my right hand/wrist, and I was afraid that maybe I had a broken bone, but no it was just fairly badly sprained. I managed to play the piano anyway, and that was what I was worried about. I lost some flexibility, and it hurt me, but I have recovered from it by now. Since that time I have never allowed my doggies to chase in circles that way again because I really don't like to, and can not afford to get hurt. I still let them do the chase as long as they were going straight down the road. But, I found out the hard way tonight that even that is not safe. My big doggie was chasing the smaller one straight down the road, and the smaller one turned and ran between me and the bigger doggie, and I went flying over the smaller doggie, and I landed on the bigger doggie, and I think it scared him to death to have me crash on him! Anyway I was still going forward after crashing on him because we were moving so fast, at a fast run actually. I crashed on the ground then, and landed on both hands/wrists. I didn't hurt the right hand/wrist, but I bruised a bone in my left hand. I was afraid again of breaking a bone, but no, I just bruised it! When I got back to the house I was very happy that my hands still worked, and were agile enough to play the piano! From now on I will not allow my doggies to chase each other even straight down the road, because I have learned that, that is not safe either!
