Tailbacks ahead! Collie drives off in a tractor ... and brings motorway traffic to a standstill
To be fair, however, this probably wasn’t the first thought to strike rush-hour drivers as they watched him crash through a fence and come hurtling towards them.
Like a scene from Wallace and Gromit, the intrepid sheepdog was at the controls when he sent the farm utility vehicle down a steep bank, on to the busy carriageway and into the central reservation barrier.
Despite considerable damage, Don escaped unhurt – but left scores of motor-
‘I think his driving days are over’
ists wondering if they were imagining things. Traffic Scotland tweeted a bizarre warning that there may be hold-ups ‘due to a dog taking control of tractor,’ adding: ‘Nope, not joking.’ Appropriately, they couldn’t resist the hashtag: ‘#maycausetailbacks’.
Observers and Twitter commentators joined the pun fun by speculating: ‘Police investigating – so far no leads’; or the inevitable: ‘This is barking’. The incident happened at junction 13 of the M74, near Abington in South Lanarkshire.
Sheep farmer Tom Hamilton was travelling across a field in the John Deere Gator farm vehicle with his companion in the passenger seat during their morning rounds.
Moments after he got out of the vehicle, it took off with Don at the wheel. Safely back at nearby Kirk- ton Farm yesterday with Don at his side, Mr Hamilton explained: ‘I was sorting out one of the lambs and hadn’t put the brake on.
‘When I turned around I saw it racing towards the motorway. I ran after it but I couldn’t catch up.’ Remarkably, drivers managed to avoid the runaway vehicle before it came to crashing halt, and none was hurt. Nor did the black and white border collie (a breed noted for its intelligence and obedience) panic or flee in terror. ‘He didn’t even bark,’ Mr Hamilton said. Police said Don had set the vehicle in motion by inadvertently leaning on the controls.
‘So far people seem to find it amusing,’ Mr Hamilton said. ‘But I think Don’s driving days are over.’