We Gave Up our Dog for Dead

[Air&Road]

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!

[t walgamuth]

Nice story. Glad you found him.

[Simpler=Better]

Glad you found him

For the past three years my cat has gone adventuring from early September to mid November. Just one day he takes off, and shows up again a few months later a little skinnier. Hasn't booked it this year, hopefully he's calming down and enjoying the luxury of being a housecat instead of a wild tiger

[Can't Know]

I'm glad your Hairy Scary adventure had a happy ending.

Funny the way dogs know people, isn't it?

Hope the pipeline disruption subsides soon. Maybe at some point you can have the guys over for a cookout or something as a "final farewell" and Hairy can be the main attraction.

[Dudesky]

Did he go back for seconds?

[BAVBMW]

Geez Larry, just because you saw something on Fox News doesn't make it...

Wait. This is just regular old good news. I didn't know this sort of thing even happened anymore, at least, not on the internet. Not since that time we shipped a cat. Glad everything worked out well for you and Hairy, Larry. (That sentence is way more fun to read aloud, go ahead. I'll wait.) Also glad that we can all put aside our political differences that seem to dominate this forum this time every 2-4 years, and wish well to others.

Now, everyone copy and paste this and forward it to everyone in your email address book, amking sure to tack on some sort of flowery/flag waving animated GIF!

MV

[Jim B.]

forIn support of my feeling that you can paint pictures with words, this dog tale actually brought vivid pictures of the story alive with movng images to life in my mind.

I am attempting to say here that so far I am concerned, you are a gifted storyteller. As a voracious reader I have no higher praise for you than that..

~~~~~

I am about to start reading "Racing in the Rain" a story written by Garth Stein.

It's a story about the life of a dogand his owner.


As told by the dog!


~~~


As an aside: One of the most unlikely sources for recommendations of good or interesting books can, unbelievably, be found amongst the females' profiles on match.com ...

[SwampYankee]

Great story, Larry! Glad your pup is back home.

I can totally relate to your relationship with your dog. My retriever and I had a love/hate thing going for his first 4-5 years but the next 10 were great. I still miss the old boy!

[Air&Road]

Originally Posted by Jim B.

forIn support of my feeling that you can paint pictures with words, this dog tale actually brought vivid pictures of the story alive with movng images to life in my mind.

I am attempting to say here that so far I am concerned, you are a gifted storyteller. As a voracious reader I have no higher praise for you than that..

~~~~~

I am about to start reading "Racing in the Rain" a story written by Garth Stein.

It's a story about the life of a dogand his owner.


As told by the dog!


~~~


As an aside: One of the most unlikely sources for recommendations of good or interesting books can, unbelievably, be found amongst the females' profiles on match.com ...

That's fine! You can hate me because I'm not a left winger. Whatever your conscience allows, is fine with me.

Have a great day!

[t walgamuth]

We don't hate you larry. We may hate your attitude and your method of communicating your political ideas though.

[jplinville]

I'm glad your story had a happy ending, Larry. They say that there's no love greater than the love a boy has for his dog. It's good to see your inner boy is still alive.

[Air&Road]

The latest on Hairy.

I bought my Gator three days after the day we thought Hairy was gone for good. I had wanted one anyway, but it looked like I was going to be chasing the dog on the pipeline cut a LOT, not to mention all the running around keeping up with what the pipeliners are getting into. My intuition was correct.

My wife was not intent on cooperating about penning him up, so he ended up running the pipeline alot. As the different crews move farther down the line, he follows them to a point where it's a big trek for him to get back. Several times I went up the pipeline cut on the Gator to pick him up. He was so exhausted, he would be stopping to rest and panting like crazy. He would be pretty happy to ride home in the bed of the Gator.

He's gotten to be a legend on the pipeline. The crewmembers call to tell where he is. They call to tell us they are afraid he's going to get killed by the machinery..... Then YESTERDAY was a whole new call.

I had managed to get the kennel situated and my wife got him a bed, food and water dish and put him up yesterday. I got home and he was in the kennel and really being mature about it. I got buisy doing some stuff on the place and when my wife got home, she got him out and I thought he would run off since he could hear the machinery. He didn't run off, but took refuge on the porch.

My neighbor really loves the dog and is retired, with plenty of conversation with the crews. He said that most of the crew members he talks to, tell him how great the dog is. He also told me that he had observed that Hairy stays away from the machinery and concentrates on the areas where there are lots of boots on the ground. My neighbors fear is that since everyone brags about how good of a dog he is, that someone will take him home one weekend.

Here's where the most interesting phone call comes from: Since we successfully penned him up yesterday, there was a voice mail message from a crewmember. He said that he had not seen "Hairy Dog" (name on his phone number tag) all morning and wanted to call and make sure he was okay.

Hairy Dog evidently has now earned hero status among the Texas Keystone XL crews. I'm anxious now to find out if they have taught him to weld.

Hopefully my wife managed to pen him up again today.