Ken,
our friend and Mike’s hunting buddy, was called out of town on a family
emergency, so he boarded his dog Zeda. (Or is it Zeta? I’m really not sure.)
Ken’s previous dog Pepper passed to the great dog park in the beyond some
months ago, and friends allowed him to take Zeda, one of their several German
Shorthairs, so that he could continue his bird-hunting adventures. She’s six
years old – a beautiful white dog with brown patches. She’s a good hunter, but
she’s nervous, skittish, and afraid of her own shadow, other dogs, and unfamiliar
surroundings.
When
Ken was called out of town due to a family emergency, he boarded Zeda at a
veterinary clinic, and Mike agreed to exercise her from time to time. We have helped
with Ken’s dogs for years while he traveled. Ken suggested a certain locale
along the river where he often exercises her, so on Monday, we checked Zeda out
of the facility and took her to that place. Before we had gone very far, she
bolted and ran back to the car. The point was that she should exercise, and she
clearly wasn’t having any of it.
 |
The arrow indicates Zeda's location (photo from 2016) |
So,
on Wednesday, we tried again. About 4:00, we picked up Zeda and went to the dog
park at Swallows Nest, which is bordered by a fence on one side and the river
on the other. We thought she would be safely confined. WRONG! She ran to the
other side of the park and then to a “pond” on the south side. Naturally, we
humans couldn’t keep up, and Bess just didn’t care. When we got to the pond,
Zeda had swum to the other side (Mike estimates 100 yards) and was seeking a
way to climb the bank. The only way to get to her was to leave the dog park and
go around the long way on dry land, which Mike did. He managed to retrieve her
and brought her back on leash. And that’s when the real excitement began.
Mike
had re-entered the park with Zeda on leash when another dog approached her and
she freaked out. She slipped her collar, ducked under the gate, and ran across
the highway (scary!). “I hate when they do that,” another dog owner remarked.
Mike caught sight of Zeda running up the hill, so we jumped in the car and drove
around that neighborhood looking for her. As it happens, Ken lives in that vicinity,
so we stopped at his house several times, thinking she might go there.
So,
we went back to the vet’s and reported Zeda as a runaway. Long story short, the
vet posted her on Facebook as a missing dog, and apparently a couple of girls saw
this and happened to spot her not far from the vet’s. Between the girls and the
vet, they nabbed her about 5:45. Mike and I were so relieved.
"All’s
well that ends well," we said, and then we added, "Never again!" Zeda can just do without exercise.
KW