Living in the boonies, it's important to have a good watch dog or two around, even if all they will do is lick a burglar to death. About four years ago after we lost our two old watch dogs to old age, an Australian Shepherd mix pup was in the tall grass across the road in the bar ditch. He was about half grown and was a little wary of me, with his head sticking above the tall grass.
I coaxed him to the house and he was letting me pet him before dark. About that time, my Dad went through all sorts of health problems and ended up in a veterans nursing home not far from us. I brought my Dad's travel trailer to the house, and my Mom was staying with us, but insisted on sleeping in the travel trailer.
The dog, which my wife named Hairy, was constantly jumping on my frail Mother and it became a huge and constant battle to keep him at bay. She didn't get the door on the trailer latched one day and the dog drug her clothes and stuff out. I was about ready to shoot the dog but my wife wouldn't hear of it. He was probably the most mischievous pup I've ever been around.
Fast forward a few years and the dog is a REALLY well behaved, well mannered and kind tempered animal. I had taught him to sit, shake hands and heel and in bad weather he has even worked his way into the house and behaves extremely well, being I suppose, naturally house broken.
When the pipeline construction started, he would go down there and spend time with the crews. THEN he started following them as they moved along the line. Friday night he didn't show up. Saturday morning, I stayed home from going to an Antique Airplane Association Fly In that I've looked forward to since the one last year. I stayed home to go look for the dog.
I was out at first light on my tractor so I could be up high to see well. I had a picture of the dog and went down the line showing the picture and asked if they had seen him. Most everyone said the last they had seen him was Friday morning. Since he had always been coming home at night, it was looking more and more bleak.
I asked everyone if he was giving anyone trouble, for fear that someone might have taken some drastic action, and everyone talked about how friendly he was. I also told everyone I talked to that my phone number was on a tag on his collar and to please call me if they found him.
After spending a good portion of the morning looking for him in all ways and in all places, my wife fixed lunch and we sat quietly, niether of us wanting to say to the other that he was gone for good.
After lunch I went out and drained the oil from the tractor for an oil change. I had no more than started it draining and walked back in the house and the phone rang with an unfamiliar area code. I don't answer such calls because it's always somebody wanting your vote or wanting you to buy something, but I decided to answer it. Sure enough it was someone telling us they had our dog. They told me where they were on the line and where the access point off the paved road could be found.
With the oil out of the tractor, all I could do was get in the car and go around the roads and hope I could get to their location. It was probably four miles along the pipeline away from the house and maybe more. I drove up and there was a HUGE crew working at that spot welding and all the things they do at that stage. It was a beehive. I told them I was coming for my dog and they pointed to him.
The boss man said that he had put him in the back of his truck and taken him back to the pipeline crossing at my road, but the dog beat him back to the construction site.
I called him and he ran over to me and I decided to let him show off. I told him to sit and then told him to shake hands. The boss man said that the guys all had named him Buddy. About half of the crew took turns breaking away from the job for a minute or so to come over and tell him bye. The boss man said that he thought the dog was going to miss the twelve meals a day he had been getting.
Ben Franklin said something to the effect that one doesn't know the value of water until the well runs dry. I now know how much I value Hairy Dog. Unfortunately we are having to lock him in the kennel any time we leave for work or anywhere else, until the pipeline is finished. I'm afraid that as the crew gets farther and farther away, there will be a point where he can't make it back or might end up staying overnight and falling prey to the coyotes.
Welcome home Hairy Dog!
