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 | Chief
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 4297 Southwest MiddleTennessee 
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2003-07-23 60001
Saw this on the "other" tractor site.
July 23, 2003
Dog leads help to farmer
Tractor overturns, pinning operator
By STAN MADDUX
Tribune Correspondent
Robert Nicholson gets a big kiss from his dog, Ranger, at the Nicholson farm near Michigan City. Nicholson was injured last week when his tractor fell on top of him and Ranger played a part in the rescue effort.
Tribune Photo/MARK SHEPHARD
MICHIGAN CITY -- Robert Nicholson considers himself extremely lucky after spending more than one hour pinned underneath a farm tractor without anyone to help him except his dog, Ranger.
Thanks in part to the efforts of Ranger, Nicholson was rescued once his wife, Barbara, got home.
He may never regain full use of his crushed left hand, pieced back together in surgery, but Nicholson, 73, does expect to be able to tend to his 36-acre farm again.
"God was taking care of me. I could have easily been killed," said Nicholson from his bed Monday at St. Anthony Memorial Health Centers. Nicholson is at home recuperating now.
Late Friday morning, Nicholson was attempting to tow a pickup truck out of the mud with the full-sized tractor on his Coolspring Township farm in the 2100 block of North County Road 850 West, according to LaPorte County police.
Nicholson said he gave the farm machinery tied to the pickup too much gas, and the front wheels lifted off the ground.
"The tractor flipped up and went over backwards on me," Nicholson said.
With the one-ton, upside-down tractor resting on his hip, Nicholson had just enough reach to shut off the ignition.
Otherwise, he was helpless as Ranger took turns licking his wounds and running back to the driveway, anxiously waiting for Barbara Nicholson to come home.
When she returned, Barbara Nicholson, judging by the dog's frantic behavior and the fact her husband and Ranger are hardly ever apart, knew something was wrong.
The dog led her right to her husband, who was several hundred feet from their home next to the hay barn.
"He came and ran to me and, obviously, I followed him. So, we're very lucky people, and we're going to be fine," Barbara Nicholson said.
After a tow truck hoisted the tractor off Nicholson, paramedics fearing internal injuries called for a helicopter to airlift him to an outside hospital, police said.
Turbulent weather conditions, though, prohibited a flight and Nicholson was transported by ambulance to St. Anthony Memorial Health Centers, police said.
Nicholson said doctors found no internal injuries.
Besides his crushed left hand, put back together with a metal plate and screws, Nicholson was left with deep bruises over his entire body, he said.
"I was just talking to my dog and kept looking at my watch knowing my wife would be getting home soon," Nicholson said.
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 | Misenplace
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 875 Michigan 
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2003-07-24 60015
Give that pooch a porterhouse and a pint ! It truely is amazeing, the the things that can happen in a flash, both bad and good. ....
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 | Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2003-07-24 60022
For many generations our family has raised and trained working horses, Belgian draft horses mostly.
As a youngster one of the first things I was taught was to never work horses WITHOUT a dog. They are invaluable and can outwork any human I have ever seen. My Grandfather used to say his dog new more about horses that he did, it was probably true too. Well trained dogs tend to keep the horses calm since horses and dogs are both animals that live as groups and not singles, they tend to look to one another for support and reassurance. If the horse feels uneasy but sees that the dog is calm they are far less likely to spook. If the do spook, or wander off during a break the dog will readily retrieve them.
Most importantly if something were to happen to the teamster the dog was trained to summon help, or if need be to guide the team in helping the teamster help HIMSELF.
When my Grandfather was well into his 80's a tree branch knocked him off a sled drawing Maple sap out of the bush, luckily he was fine, the snow broke his fall. His dog ran from him to the team and had them stopped in only a few feet and held them there till he could regain control.
I don't see why they wouldn't do the same for tractor 'teamsters'.
Dogs are a very valuable but sadly, under-recognized member of our society and a wonderful gift from the Great Architect of the Universe.
Best of luck. ....
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