The Stray Dog, part 9
New buddies figuring it out…
once again, if you haven't been following along, the links to the earlier parts of this story are at the bottom of the article!
The irresistible big brown eyes of the Cocker Spaniel better known as Karl
(image by Krazy Uncle)
It took some pushing and shoving to establish where I slept and where Karl slept. He thought my pillow was his, and I made sure he understood that at my feet was where I wanted him. We compromised at below my waist when one of us spent part of the time on the floor by my bed. I finally went fully asleep about 5:30am when I let/put Karl outside for his morning potty break. (I never let Karl out at sunrise, sunset or night anymore, unless I'm with him -- we've had to many close encounters of the coyote kind -- for me to ever chance Karl being injured.)
I got up at about a quarter to eight, and in my need for coffee which I didn’t have, I headed to town sans Karl. About five minutes into my drive the Vet’s clinic called me. Seeing the number on the screen made my heart sink a little. It was the Vet’s technician asking some benign questions about Karl... whew... I'm still sweating if one of Karl's previous owners might not try to claim him.
When I got home I brought Karl in, I leave him outside when I am gone for any length of time, I feel it’s better for Karl and my landlord/boss really doesn’t want Karl inside at all – compromise? I put him inside because I wanted to mow the lawn before the approaching storm hit our area. Damn I hate lawn mowers, and they hate me as well. Like all lawn mowers I ALWAYS have to fix the Damn things before I can use them. This mower is a 1974 John Deere 140 riding lawn mower that literally has a cult following of owners because of their durability. I just think they are easy to work on and people are willing to keep the damn things going. This particular mower is supplied to the house by my landlord/boss and he loves the John Deere 140s so much he has two. One of which he is restoring with a brand new two thousand dollar engine – go figure. Anyway this time I had to put put the damn Deere on a battery charger, and so it was time for a walkabout with Karl, since the storm was still nowhere to be seen.
These walks are good for Karl and me, and that they are getting easier for me is a good sign. On these walks we utilize a field road where there is no traffic. The first part is a gradually increasing hill that peaks with an amazing view of the entire valley. From there it is all downhill at a steep angle into the canyon of “wildness.” I call it that because there is a lot of coyote spoor and deer track at the bottom. This morning there were a lot of yellow butter flies working over some little purple wild flowers. Karl likes to chase the butter flies, but this morning he was more interested in following a scent on the road. Once we got to the bottom I decided to continue walking along the field of green peas with plants that are about two to three inches tall. The hard packed dirt where the trucks and other equipment drive leave areas where the peas have a hard time breaking the surface, but a good place to walk. We managed to get out of the bottom of the canyon with only one poop rolling incident – good boy Karl, good boy! grr…
A nice quiet place for a walk in fields of green and skies of blue (image by Krazy Uncle)
When Karl and I got back from our excursion I was able to get the lawn mower started and the lawn done. Yea! I got showered and decided to get some food at the drive through in town, and I decided I would take Karl with me just to get him used to the car, and so he got to know that not every trip ended with him being left at the Vet’s. Not a bad idea in theory, but Karl trembled and panted with tongue lolling throughout our trip. And, the nice lady at the drive thru window remarked that Karl looked scared, and that she’d never seen a dog shake so much. I think she was kinda mad at me... I don’t think Karl was scared so much as nervous, but I do want to be able to take him anywhere at any time without worrying about it. He’s my buddy and we have a lot to do together, and car travel shouldn’t be a barrier if I can help it.
But then again, windshield wipers may be a bit of a barrier. That storm I wrote about earlier, broke just as we left the drive thru. When I first turned the wipers on they were dry and noisy, suddenly the dog that I thought was controlled by the leash attached to the armrest was on my lap and wrapped stiffly around my belly. I had to pull over to get his rigid little body off me, quite the task for a stiff tweny-five pound dog. I’d already turned off the wipers and I was able to use the wiper/washer function to get one wipe at a time done so we could keep driving. A couple miles down the road the wipers stopped making noise against the glass and I was able to turn them on normally without totally freaking Karl out. A good thing because now the thunder storm arrived in full fury. Thunder, lightning, rain and hail – loudly pounded the car. Maybe taking Karl to town wasn’t the best idea, this time? My feeling is that I want him to experience as much as he can now, because we have a lot of changes coming up before we can settle in. Karl is a tough little guy and a true champion as he demonstrates time and time again. Yes, he was trembling, but he never whine and he knows where to go when he needs safety, he turns to me. We’ll get through this journey together, and he will be my safe place too.
After, we got home we had some food and took a nap with Karl sleeping on me. I woke up and had to hurry to meet a lady that had been put in contact with me about a different lost dog. It seems she helped a friend in need placing a Shar Pei. The dog she placed, after very careful vetting of the new owners, escaped the very night it was placed. It had been spotted in an area about five miles in the country, from its supposed new home in town, and I saw it twice about a month ago. My co-worker contacted the lady that placed the dog and she called me desperate for any information. Being as she is from a town about fifty miles away and she has no idea about this area, I offered to meet her where I last saw the dog. So, we met and I tried to fill her in about the valley. She has access to a hired tracker with a drone used to search for missing animals. It is equipped with an infrared camera and a Geo-tracker if the dog had that type of collar. This Shar Pei does not. I really don’t hold out much hope for this dog as the last time it was spotted it was in an area that is fairly close to wolf sightings. There were a lot of tears and it was raining big fat drops, and she was getting wet struggling mightily for control. After a while of me trying to console her, we parted with her placing more signs up for the missing dog. It’s sad, and I hope it will end well for owner and dog, but… who knows? Karl survived for a long time on his own, maybe the Shar Pei can too?
I'm not sure there is a more peaceful image than a dog curled up at the feet of a dog's best friend (Image by Krazy Uncle)
I’m going to take Karl outside and play with him before the sun goes down and be -- oh so, grateful he is in my life. We can all hope the lady finds her dog and send a prayer her and the Shar Pei’s way.
After, our play I remembered something funny to lighten the mood. After our walkabout this morning I gave Karl a doggy treat the Doctor gave me to take home. The funny thing is he immediately took it from my hand and walked into the yard where I thought he’d eat it. But, no he dropped the treat on the ground and then started rolling on it, hmm… "okay, it’s your treat Karl." But, then stranger yet he picked up the treat in his mouth (how else?) and, he started searching for something. That something was a place to bury his new treat, huh? Yea, Karl buried the treat – well okay, maybe he really, really doesn’t like that brand. This evening Karl and I went out to the front porch for our play and he immediately searched out and dug up the treat and ate it. I don’t know what that was about, maybe it was too hard and he wanted to make it softer or it kicked in some kind of powerful dog instinct I don’t know about – what’d ya think?
Stay tuned
To see what you’ve missed so far here are the links to the previous installments.
The Stray Dog part 1: https://steemit.com/dogs/@krazyuncle/the-stray-dog
The Stray Dog part 2: https://steemit.com/dogs/@krazyuncle/the-stray-dog-part-2
The Stray Dog part 3: https://steemit.com/dogs/@krazyuncle/stray-dog-part-3
The Stray Dog part 4: https://steemit.com/dogs/@krazyuncle/the-stray-dog-part-4
The Stray Dog part 5: https://steemit.com/dogs/@krazyuncle/the-stray-dog-part-5
The Stray Dog part 6: https://steemit.com/dog/@krazyuncle/the-stray-dog-part-6
The Stray Dog part 7: https://steemit.com/dog/@krazyuncle/the-stray-dog-part-7
The Stray Dog part 8: https://steemit.com/dog/@krazyuncle/the-stray-dog-part-8
Yummy! Dogs have about 1,700 taste buds. Humans have approximately 9,000 and cats have around 473.
I appreciate your support -- thanks
My Max and I also compete for who is going to get the larger slice of the bed. I'm glad he listens when I tell him he has to move because he's 80lbs.
My boy weighs about half that, and I finally figured out that if he gets cold he just snuggles closer... this winter I started throwing a blanket on him, and he was much happier... and not such a bed hog...
Burying things to eat later, almost something from wild memory. I contemplated this as to whether it is a way of marinating (ants softening) food for them, many a time buried objects came out full of ants, then the antics of removing them to get to the food is another song and dance.
I never know what he's going to bury. I've given him strips of leather to chew and the moment its in his mouth, he runs off to bury it. I've even had him bury the balls we use to play fetch. One day the ball will be gone and a couple days later it reappears. I know he's burying them, as I once was walking around the house with him and he went to the foundation of the house and unburied his ball... he's since done that many times... I think sometimes he doesn't like sharing, he loves his ball and will roll around on top of it, moaning with pleasure...
ah... that's where I read the word ants. It got me to thinking, of all the bugs I've seen here at my place, I couldn't remember seeing an ant... hours later I found big black one on the edge of my sink... I guess he just wanted to put in an appearance?