In-pup sheepdog survives being run over by forager
An in-pup sheepdog has made a miraculous recovery after being accidentally run over by a 15-tonne forager on a farm in Dorset.
Having been let out of a tractor cab to go to the toilet moments before the forager finished cutting maize, Border Collie Winnie bolted to chase a rabbit underneath the machine.
See also: Two young sheep farmers on their first year in a tenancy
© LeeMcLean/BNPS
Three-year-old Winnie was briefly pinned beneath the machine’s rear wheel, but the soft ground meant that she narrowly avoided being killed instantly by the immense weight of the harvester.
Horrendous ordeal
© Girling and Bowditch Vets/BNPS
The dog’s owner, sheep farmer Josh Sibley, was working on his brother-in-law’s farm near Beaminster as he watched the horrendous ordeal unfold.
Mr Sibley attempted to warn the driver of the forager, but the operator could neither hear nor see him at that moment.
Once the machine moved, Winnie briefly got up before collapsing with a fractured pelvis and punctured lungs.
Fearing he was going to lose his beloved pet, Mr Sibley immediately took her to the vet.
Following nearly a week of treatment and ÂŁ3,000 in vet bills, Winnie has made a good recovery.Â
Amazingly, scans showed that her six unborn pups did not seem to be have been harmed during the accident.