Aberdeen star given time off after 'traumatic experience' in road crash and missing dog search

Aberdeen confirmed they have given defender Hayden Coulson time off this week after he was involved in a road traffic accident which resulted in his dog running away.

Last Friday, 17 cars were involved in the collision on the A92 between Newtonhill and Muchalls, south of Aberdeen. Police, fire and seven ambulance crews attended the scene with the road closed for around six hours. One car flipped on its side against a tree and four people taken to hospital.

Coulson and his family are “safe and well” but the on-loan defender’s German Shepherd Zola was spooked by the incident, escaped from the car and ran off in the Muchalls area. It has led to a week-long search with drivers advised to be alert while driving in the area.

“Hayden and his family were involved in the road accident last week and it was a traumatic experience for them all but they are all safe and well." manager Barry Robson said. “Hayden has been given some time with his family this week with the support of everyone at the club.”

Aberdeen midfielder Graeme Shinnie revealed the squad had rallied around their team-mate and urged anyone who sees the dog to get in touch with members of the public told to contact the admins of the Fubar News Lost and Founds Pets Facebook page. “I've spoken to him almost everyday since,” Shinnie said. “He's doing fine. It was obviously a shock for him and he was under a bit of stress. But he's okay and his family is okay. Naturally if anyone sees the dog and has any connections then we would love to know about it.”