[I left for convention of the Idaho State Chapter P.E.O. at Fort Hall (Blackfoot) on Thursday, May 14, and returned Monday the 18th. And now Mike and I are preparing for Hallie and Nick's visit over Memorial Day weekend. My time has been committed to activities other than writing, but here's a little essay I wrote on our last visit to the farm.]
Mike
took off for one of his pavement rides, so as is customary and expected, the
dogs and I went for a walk. We stayed together pretty well down the lane, but
soon Nellie was dilly-dallying again and Bess was way ahead. No need to worry in
this quiet place – not much anyway. 
Bess danced ahead of me all the way to the mailbox, but Nellie didn’t come. That's okay. I was fairly certain I would find her at Pete’s Pond. That's about as far as she goes these days. On the return trip, Bess
headed for the pond lickety-split, which confirmed my suspicion that I would
find Nellie there. Yes, I saw both dogs, and Mr. and Mrs. Redgie (short for
Redwing) Blackbird were having fits because their tranquil household had been
disturbed. I called to the dogs and insisted they join me for the return to the
farmhouse. Bess eagerly complied, but Nellie, ever the slowpoke, didn't catch me until the top of Plank’s Pitch. I immediately noticed that
she was naked.
“Oh!
You’ve lost your collar,” I scolded in frustration. (That’s the second lost
collar this season.)
I
paused briefly to consider the options before me. The collar had undoubtedly
come loose as Nellie was “shaking off” at the pond -- and that's where I could expect to find it. I could:
a)
Go
back and look for it now – since I would never be closer, or
b)
I
could wait for Mike to return and send him to look for it. She’s his dog, after
all. But -- he probably wouldn’t find it, and I’d still have to return to look
for it.
“Come
on, Girls,” I called. “We have to go back and look for Nellie’s collar.”
They understood my command because they put their tails up and their
snouts to the ground. I retraced Nellie’s route as nearly as I could estimate
it, but I was sure it was at the pond. And I was
right. KW
2 comments:
Does it slide off because her fur is slick when wet? Glad you found it--what a responsible person you are!
Have a great weekend with Hallie and Nick!
I suspect her collar wasn't securely fastened and with her repeated shaking, it just came loose. I thought I had heard her name tag clink against the ring, so I was fairly certain that she had just lost it as she exited the pond. That must have been the case because that's where it was.
It's not so much the cost of the collar as it is the inconvenience of searching out a new one and then ordering new tags, so I was motivated to find it.
And I know you have exciting plans, too, Chris. Have a great time with your extended family.
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