Saturday morning I was up to my elbows in peaches when the phone rang.
"Mrs. Holstein, are you missing a black lab? A female?"
I could answer that quickly enough. "No, both of our dogs are male and they're right here."
Turns out the someone either dumped a young female lab at the community center down the road, or else she was lost and far, far from home. She'd been at the center for several days, the caller told me, and he and others had been feeding her.
"She's a real nice dog. It's just a shame for someone to leave her like that. Guess she'll have to go to the pound."
It was hard to get a photo of this hyperactive girl.
"Well...maybe we can take her." What was I saying? We had two dogs already, one from the shelter and one from one of my sons who could no longer keep the old dog. We had two cats too. We don't need more mouths to feed. But the old dog was getting older and Otis, the younger dog, could not get old Jeb to play any more. Maybe she could be company for Otis?
Off she goes...
Her name is Daisy, we decided. She has only dug up on flower bed, is not interested in chickens or turkeys (a key requirement for any pet we own) and loves to play. She and Clyde the cat are fast friends, spending hours chasing each other around.
..and here she comes again!
I think she might stay. We'll see. I am slow to commit to an animal; I need to see how they behave for at least a week before I decide they can stay. Living up here is rough, and there are requirements for all tenants. Like no chasing the poultry. No pooping in the yard (well, they forget that one sometimes); no getting on the porch; don't bark all night (unless there is good reason to, like all the other dogs are barking). No fighting with the other pets. No biting anyone. No growling without reason.
Sounds like the 10 Commandments, doesn't it? "Thou shalt not jump up on people." "Thou shalt not lick Granny's hand." I hate being licked--but they forget that one a lot too. Where's the doggie confessional?
Poor Otis--he stayed far, far way, with droopy ears and sad eyes.
Looks like we'll have a lot of 3-dog nights.
Well, she's beautiful Granny Sue! She sounds like she was meant to be a good farm dog at your house.
ReplyDeleteI hope so, Angela! She's a loving young thing.
ReplyDeleteThat dog SMILED for the picture! That's pretty funny. She's beautiful, I love dogs, but they tear up Rhiana, horribly. So, it's cats that take baths for us and no dogs. Daisy is a doozy, though! I love it that she's so happy with you, Suse!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure you should be advertising for stray dogs by announcing what a softy you are on your blog. Even with that list of rules it sounds like dog heaven.
ReplyDeleteWell, John, I'm pretty good at saying no too and have done so many times. People think, Oh you live in the country so that's a good place for dogs. But that's not always the case. Little house dogs, hunting dogs, mean dogs, BIG dogs, long-haired dogs, dogs that won't listen, etc, etc---those I have no problem saying no to. And it depends on the timing too--right now is a good time to train a new dog because gardens are winding down so if they get into them it's not as maddening as it is in spring or high summer. We've been talking about getting another one but I guess we were just waiting for this doofus to show up!
ReplyDeleteSome dogs smell so strong I can see why that set her off, Liz. Some of them do that to me too. And some cats. But some dogs and some cats I can handle easily. Strange how allergies work.
ReplyDeleteFun post, Susanna. I understand about getting in the gardens, we have a neighbor dog who liked getting into our newly planted garden and messing up the little plants and she also likes playing with baby birds, only thing is, she got a little too rough a few times. We like our baby birds. She looks like a good dog. What does Charley Marmalade think of her?
ReplyDeleteCharley does NOT like her! She likes to play with the cats but Charley prefers to sleep :) Clyde loves her, but Charley keeps her distance.
ReplyDelete