On Wednesday, Traffic Scotland posted a most unusual tweet.
#M74 (N) J13-RTC due to dog taking control of tractor… nope, not joking. Farmer&police at scene,vehicle in central res. #maycausetailbacks
— Traffic Scotland (@trafficscotland) April 22, 2015
Say, what?
We’ve just noticed a Twitter account set up for the pooch responsible for yesterdays incident 🙂 He’s got a day off today! @Dondogdriver — Traffic Scotland (@trafficscotland) April 23, 2015
Sheep farmer Tom Hamilton was busy tending his lamb when his dog, Don, suddenly leapt into the mini tractor and sped off across the sloping field.
It seemed that the terrified pooch had inadvertently leant on the vehicle’s controls.
“I ran after it but I couldn’t catch up. I can’t really run very fast and I ended up falling over. I thought the fence would have stopped him but it didn’t,” the 77-year-old farmer said.
The mini farm tractor smashed through the fence and actually crossed the motorway. Miraculously, it didn’t hit any of the vehicles on the busy road.
It eventually crashed into the central reservation where it finally came to a stop.
Police were able to recover a very confused but thankfully unhurt Don and clear the area very quickly.
“I think Don must have been a bit confused by what was happening. He normally just sits in the back or on the floor next to me quite happy,” Tom said.
“I’ve had Don since he was a pup and he is a clever, loyal, dog, who loves my grandchildren when they come over to visit.”
But even he agrees that Don’s driving days are over.