I had a "first" experience as a service dog partner the other day. We were out on campus and I stopped to let Morey have a potty and sniff break in a landscaped area covered with some bushy vines. He "hurried" and sniffed and then without warning bolted away from me-with enough force that I was almost yanked out of my wheelchair. Thankfully I was holding the leash loosely, but even still it was the closest I have ever come to being pulled to the ground by a dog. I yelled Morey's name out of surprise, fear, shock, and astonishment at what he had just done. He slunk back to me looking apologetic and then instantly bolted away again, running in circles around me and acting rather insane/demented. I was still confused about what was happening and tried to get him back under control, but he kept twirling and biting himself to the point where I was getting really concerned about what had happened to my dog. Then I saw the ants.
Texas has fire ants that I have heard many people complain about. As a wheelchair user, I am spared this experience for the most part (I suppose ants could crawl up my chair and sting my feet-not that I'd even know-but that's rather unlikely) but other people suffer bites/sting that hurt, sting, and itch...as Morey now knows. I'm not sure if he actually got bitten, but his potty/sniff spot was crawling with ants that I hadn't noticed before. I think poor Morey had ants crawling on him and that's what made him act crazy as he tried to get away from them. Once I realized the problem I took him away from that area and tried to brush off any that I saw. He was kind of antsy (pun intended) the rest of the day.
I learned 3 things from that experience:
1) Never ever wrap the leash around your hand where it won't come off if pulled
2) Look for environmental reasons for a dog's strange behavior
3) Always look for ants before releasing your dog to hurry!
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