Run-aways

 This was bound to happen one day.

I didn't get the dogs walked until 5:50pm, 35 minutes before sunset yesterday.  I took Hansel, Gretel, Gretchen and Sweetie to the Maintenance Road to let them run of-leash for two miles, up and down the straight-away and a short section up north, before ending at the hidden stock pond.  This is the usual two-mile run for them, enough to get them exhausted.

But something went wrong from the start.  The younger dogs were all anxious to get out of the truck and pushed their way out the door.  Only Sweetie, with her arthritis, took her time as I unleashed her.  She never strays far from me.  However, as soon as I got Sweetie out of the truck, the other three dogs were no where to be seen until I saw Gretchen down the road jumping north into the desert.  Had the dogs taken chase to some rabbits, or a deer?

 I followed the usual route, first east and then north on the old ATV road, yelling out the dogs' names. I turned around at the wash to return to the truck, still calling their names. Only Gretel came back, panting and drooling from the mouth.  Where were the other two dogs?  It had now been over 30 minutes and they hadn't come back yet.  Sunlight was fading fast, too. A distant storm from the south flashed behind storm clouds.

I had to act fast.  I drove north on SR92 and turned east at the Rancho de San Pedro housing division, where now new and spacious homes are going up.  No sign of the dogs.  I drove home, hoping to see Hansel and Gretchen waiting by the gate.  Again, no sign of them.  I drove back to the maintenance road, driving now in the dark and yelling their names.  Still nothing.  It was now too dark to see anything and I drove back home, defeated.  I had lost two dogs in a flash.

As soon as I got back to the RV, Susan called.  "Have you lost two dogs?" she asked.  Yes, I replied.  She had seen a photo of Hansel and Gretchen in someone's car.  I got on Facebook and sure enough, their two panting faces were clearly visible.  Gretchen even drooled on the window's ledge.  A woman had picked up the dogs as they were running south on SR92, but added that she couldn't get the third dog, Gretel, who had run back to me.

I now knew that the dogs were at least safe and not hit by cars or attacked by coyotes. Another woman, with the same last name at the first woman, posted on another site that the dogs were taken to the Nancy J Brua shelter in town.   The photos were blurry, but it was clearly Hansel, Gretel and Gretchen in the photos, running south down the center of SR92! The fading sun light was visible, so these dogs were running down the highway shortly after they took off.   

The shelter closes at 5pm and it was now 7:30pm but I drove there anyway, just in case there was a night shift person on duty.

The shelter was dark, with only the front parking lot lighted. I called the dispatch and all I was told was to call tomorrow after 8am and come by the shelter at 10am when it opens.  Both are hard to do while at school.  There was nothing more I could do now.  The dogs were safe from dangers and I would pick them up on Tuesday after school.

Gretel and I were alone in bed that night.  It felt odd having only one dog with me, with Sweetie outside as she seems to prefer being out when it's in the 60s at night.  I didn't sleep well, though, getting only two hours of deep sleep before getting up for school again.  I was exhausted from the start.

Walking Gretel Tuesday morning by herself was also a breeze.  She didn't pull and she didn't seem so obsessed with hunting rabbits.  Even Sweetie did well with her own solo laps before I drove off to school.

The woman who picked up the dogs  called me as I was getting ready to leave for school to remind me to call the county animal control office right away to arrange for pick-up at the city shelter.  If county picks up the dogs they will go to the Douglas shelter 52 miles away, a dirty shelter where dogs are doomed to die if not claimed within 72 hours.  The Douglas shelter closes at 3pm; not very conducive for anyone driving from Sierra Vista 56 miles away. The daily kennel fee would be expensive, too.

I was on it.  I called the county Animal Control office at 8am and got a pleasant officer on the other end who told me she would talk to the city shelter to see if my dogs could stay there until I pick them up after work.  All that is contingent on space, as the city shelter is overcrowded with adoptable dogs. She called me thirty minutes later that the dogs will stay at the city shelter but that I must pick them up as soon as possible.

And I did. I was nervous about what I would be told about the dogs' behavior overnight, being kenneled in a strange place with odd smells and lots of dogs barking.  German Shepherd Dogs do not take to being kenneled in a shelter very well and quickly become stressed and then aggressive. The woman in charge told me that Hansel was snarling and growling at the workers there, and would get in front of Gretchen to protect her.  "He almost bit a few workers" she added.  Because of Hansel's behavior I was asked to drive around to the back of the shelter where the holding kennels were easily accessible and away from the front lobby and its employees. Both dogs were in a corner kennel and huddling closely with each other.  I was led to their cage with leashes in hand.

I saw Hansel's aggression.  He was clearly scared and protecting his daughter.  I was proud of that.  But I saw his demonic side, a side that quickly dispersed as soon as I called out their names. They immediately perked up.  Leaps of joy overcame both dogs. They were so excited to see me again, they were jumping on top of me and wouldn't calm down until I had both in the truck.  My little heathens!  But at least I had them back.  What a relief!  I didn't even have to post bond for my two felons.

Their good behavior was short-lived. Gretchen darted out of the truck as soon as I got back home and darted toward Prince's yard across the street.  Luckily Prince wasn't out, but she ran around looking for him to bark at.  He is her favorite fence-fighting partner.  That ungrateful dog!  I was in no mood to be chasing her around, still with her nylon shelter leash dangling from her neck.  With Prince no where to be seen, she began running toward Robbie's two GSDs around the corner.  By now I was wanting none of that behavior, so I got in the truck to take off after her.  The sound of the engine got her attention and she came right back.

I had all dogs in the yard, leashed up.  Only Sweetie was allowed to walk freely. By now I was very tired from lack of sleep and lay down to nap.  The local school board had its 6pm public meeting broadcast on a local Facebook page.  School board members were going to discuss, after their usual budget announcements, the current status of the teachers who have been alleged to have had sexual abuse complaints against them.  I was up to watch that meeting, but the audio was poor and I fell asleep during the broadcast.  I didn't wake up until a violent storm woke me up at 10:30pm, with my laptop right next to me.  The storm forecasted for Wednesday afternoon came early.

This was a vicious storm!  I heard the empty tin cans I recycle rattling on the cement driveway.  Both Gretel and Gretchen, still tied up, were whimpering in the pouring rain. They normally come inside for the night. I got them unleashed and they ran inside right away, leaving only Sweetie outside. She didn't want to come in, so I left her to fend for herself, seeking shelter under the RV. Normally I would put her in the truck for the night, but I was not about to brave the pouring rain.  The storm rattled against the RV for two hours.

For a few hours I had three wet dogs huddled next to me.  Hansel lay by my feet, Gretchen to my left and Gretel to my right.  I couldn't move! I finally fell asleep after the storm had ended and woke up Wednesday morning feeling refreshed.  It was then that I discovered that the front awning on the RV had blown off from the high winds.  One pole was bent and still attached to the RV, but the other one torn off and causing the rolled-up awning to hang at a 45-degree angle.