Pet Central

Date: December 1, 2005
      Thursday, I came home from Fremont (having left on Tuesday) to find Ranger quietly greeting me.
     
      I needed to check on all fur children, although I have left them alone before this.
     
      Before I left, Little Bit was acting strange, not eating and letting me pet her. I had consulted with the vet office in Fremont and they said diabetes (put her down because after 4 1/2 years of medical hell I am not going there) or she was traumatized from being captured (after 13 months roaming free) and moved (in a 9 hour car ride on the passenger seat in her cage - Ranger in his below it. They looked like those wobble dolls - heads bouncing all the way.) She would get over it - or not. The or not worried me.
     
      I went out to check on Trim (my older red short-haired border collie) who I had left penned in the dog run beside the house. Its where Blackie and Nobbie had been kept (80-100 lb dogs from 15 years back). Trim is 32 lbs. This is causing problems since she can wiggle out the gates.
     
      Chuck brought a load of stumps, and I am going after more next week. We baracaded where she was getting out. He even stood up a charred (from the fire) railroad tie to block where the chain link fence and the block wall meet. We thought we had it covered. HA HA!
     
      Border Collies are clever, determined, intelligent, reasoning, cagey dogs.
     
      She wasn't visible when I first called her and I was scared that she had gotten out - my heart stopped I swear - she had moved the big storage chest away from her gate where I was standing (which I was using as a barricade against her crawling under) and I thought maybe she had bolted. There was space (Oh I will take care of that!!!! I will load the container with heavy tools.)
     
      I called and called, like you do. And then I saw - her head, low to ground, and she's wiggling --- out of the house??? Stucco? She went under a slab? HUH? I was calling and calling, tired and terrified. There she was, crawling out of the wall??? Good Lord.
     
      Trim (had torn up the bottom of the side garage door (side door was rotten - needed replacing) and made herself at home in the garage ----- on the drapes from the other house that were set out for dry cleaning. Guess I need a new garage door with a pet door in it for my next trip -- ha ha - she was so proud of herself once she had wiggled on her belly back out of the garage to come to me.
     
      She is now settled head buried in her bed in the family room).
     
      She has buried a bunch of bones in her yard last week ---- her nose is a mess (it's always dirty) --- vet needs to look at her - maybe she scraped it attacking the door. Looks like a bruise. Door looks critical.
     
      So I came back in. One more to check. And there she was.
     
      Little Bit was dead on the rug in the bathroom downstairs - not unexpected - she had been letting me pet her - was not behaving normally when I left - (normal is rip your face/hand or whatever off. So I had visions all the way home that she would be dead in the bathroom . She was. Laid out neatly on the rug.
     
      Ranger had been relatively quiet when I walked in - wanted to be petted - wasn't sure about going in the bathroom (littler pan).
      I cleaned up with Clorox and my shoe - enough for tonight - she wasn't a mess - just quietly stretched out, like she was asleep.
     
      Took a bit of screwing up of courage to pick that up and box it for disposal tomorrow (including the rug).
     
      Lovely end to a tiring trip (rain at the start - cold then hot - and now fog down here).
     
      As if that wasn't enough, while unloading the essentials from the car - Ranger bolted out the kitchen (he opens doors if they do not latch) then ran out the damaged side door of the garage as I screamed and ran around a bit until I was breathless and hysterical. With some doors barricaded, this is tricky. I got him back in after running around madly thru the house and yard, and screaming at him a lot, and then made myself a lemonade and bourbon drink. He laid down and insisted on being petted.
     
      Hola
     
      Where's my chocolate? ha ha I am sipping my drink - not! chug a lug!!!!

For those who do not know the animals:

      Trim is the dog (border collie) very smart and very determined
      Little Bit - aka Little Bitch - was a small feral cat who NEVER let anyone near her except me - and then only my feet. She ripped up Chuck's and the groomer's arms at one stage. I fed her anyway.
      Ranger is a yellow-eyed orange tabby who is a poof ball and a nut case.       If he had been dead I'd have lost it. (John's cat.)
     
      I have to wait for SDG&E to power up the furnace before running to the vet with the box - it was cold last night.