Here's the thing about dogs. Once an escaper, always an escaper. When we first got saddled with Charlie the bulldog, he gnawed his way through the space between the gates and somehow squeezed his enormous head through. Our other two boxers were right behind and above above him like "What the hey ...how'd ya do that ?" This was way back when we Ham and Rosie. Like dummies after Rosie died we got another boxer, Ziggy to replace her.
When Ham was younger and could still see, he was the jumper. At least he jumped up, not out.
This video was taken while Rosie was still alive and just beginning her rapid decline with hip problems. We eventually had to have her put down when her quality of life got too hard for us to make her suffer through. She was the best dog we ever had.
When we got Ziggy, was at a low point in our lives and think we just needed something to make our broke asses happy.
And he did.
But nobody had time to train him. Tim was working two minimum wage jobs, I was working seven days a week and both kids still at home were in high school.
In hindsight is totally our fault.
Ziggy chewed up four remote controls in under a month. Tore our Christmas tree down and to pieces his first year with us and I even came home one time to catch him gnawing away on a disposable razor he found in the bathroom. He pooped wherever he wanted and it was rarely outside.
Then he grew into a tall lanky boy who could run and jump like a deer and often did when seeing one over the back hogwire fence we had staked up in the woods across the back of the yard. I don't think Charlie and Ham even knew the fence was there before we got Ziggy.
Then there was time he escaped and we couldn't find him to save our lives. We looked everywhere .
Massey was living away from home at college in downtown Atlanta by then but after a frantic call from me found our goofball posted on a Facebook page. He had wandered a half mile away to an elementary school and was being held in the lobby of the office.
We put him on a cable run out back after that but as soon as I could afford to, took him to the cheap mobile vet and had him relieved of his two balls. The woman who returned him suggested neutering as help for an escaper.
Whacked he was. And it helped.
Then I got my job at the airport and started making money hand over fist. Once all the bills were caught up and even had money in savings I hired a guy to come replace the old fence.
Ziggy never escaped again and was happy as a lark running around the half acre newly fenced in backyard.
Then we moved to Orlando, living in a temp rental house for a year with a fifty by fifty foot backyard with all kind of huge birds living in a retention pond a hundred feet away over a four foot slatted fence.
I got home from work last night around midnight, let Zig and Charlie out back to poop before I crashed. I heard a ruckus out back. I knew it was the birds. I looked out back to check on the dogs.
Yep. Both still there, pacing back and forth.
Then I noticed the shadow of our back fence on both of them in the glow of the full moon.
I may (am) not the sharpest tool in the shed but knew they were outside the fence, not inside.
The birds were squawking like chickens being led to slaughter.
Seems Houdini and his fat sidekick had a late night meet and greet with the flamingos and egrets.
I went to the fridge and got the bone marrow I'd brought home from work off a table I'd waited on and baited them both back to the two broken slats of escape and tugged both back through.
It was well after two in the morning but as long as the birds were squawking so loud got a hammer and nailed the slats back too.
These dogs better be glad I love them. Every time they go out now, head right for their break out slats. It's like I have teenagers all over again.
They also better be glad that even crazier ... am beginning to make some serious money again and the escape route is quickly coming to a demise.
Doing the red neck fix on Sunday just to keep the idiots in the yard until I'm off on Tuesday. Tim's traveling out of town.
I can't really blame the dogs. I was kinda freaked too when saw all those birds living a hundred feet away from our back door.
Nobody likes bird poop.
Just ask your car's windshield.
It's now been a ten year journey for us. Feels like twenty.
It's had many low points but had more high points.
In the grand scheme of life, I'd call that a win.
Still miss my home. Still miss my sister. Still miss my Lost Boy. Still miss my friends.
Nobody said it would be easy and they were right... but if everybody you love, loves you... sure makes it easier.
May sound Hokey...but Love is all you need.
You get what you give.
It all comes down to Karma. It all comes down to The Golden Rule.
Religions are different, but the concept the same.
Love is all you need.
Til next time...COTTON
Make have typos but who cares as long as my point is made.
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