Isnt he cute? That's Junior, aka, the one eyed bird dog.
He got into a discussion with a porcuppine when he was about a year old, resulting in the loss of his right eye. Doesnt hinder him much, he is still a hellova hunting dog and if he had thumbs, he would be deadly :-)
Anyway, Junior is just one half of my canine children. He is an 8 year old Irish Setter whose most favorite things to do are 1) lay in the sun and 2) lay in the house and 3) lay anywhere after chasing something.
He also thinks that he is freezing to death anytime he is outside and its below 40 degrees.
***Sidebar***
Junior didnt come into the house at all before I moved in with Shawn. He is more like a big moose then anything else....grace is NOT his strong point. This is also why he loves me more.
So a few weeks ago, I went to let the boys inside for the evening. Husker, the 2 year old cow-dog cannot be trusted to not chase the calves at night....he doesnt mean to be naughty, he just cant help it and it tends to result in mass hysteria, broken fences and wandering cattle. Those things tend to result in a crabby hubby. So its better for all involved to keep him inside. He is a "Have cows, will chase" kinda dog.
Anyhoo....I went to the door and to my suprise, Husker was there. Usually he is the one I have to call and call because he is off chasing something...deer, rabbits, coyotes....doesnt matter...he will chase anything that will run.
I kept calling and calling...no Junior.
It was cold too...about 5 out so I knew that he must be in some kind of trouble. He is usually sitting at the door, staring...willing it to open without any human help.
Upon stepping outside, I heared a low howl and wimper. It sounded like it came from behind the house, in the trees. So I did what any pet loving Mom would do when its 5 degrees out and 8pm at night.
I went and got my husband.
Upon explaining to him my concerns, and his attempting to blow it off with a "he will be fine. He is scrappy" and my resulting "look" he begrudingly got out of his chair and went looking for him.
10 minutes....no Junior.
20 minutes...no Junior.
30 minutes...Shawn (without Junior) gets into the pick up to go look around the side and back of the house.
By this time I have Husker in and am attempting to keep my mind from wandering by doing the dishes. Judging by how Husker he wont leave my side, I know he is just as worried about his big brother as I am.
No, he wasnt after the scraps.....he was genuinely concerned.
Try as I might my imagination starts to work overtime now.....straight to the coyotes. Specifically to a conversation Shawn and I recently had after Husker took off in the cow pasture after a coyote. It was then that my husband choose to inform me that "1 coyote he could take, but sometimes they will run over a hill and there is the rest of the pack. Neither of them would be in good shape if a pack got after them."
Junior is a scrappy hunting dog. He is incredibly strong and I have no doubt that if he came face to face with 1 coyote, he would initialize some swift, western style justice on his hairy hide.
However if there was more then 1, he would be screwed.
I thought about how we can hear to them (the pack) in the mornings when I start my car and in the evenings when we feed the dogs. I think about Shawn telling me on almost a daily basis that he said 2 to 3 of them in the meadow across the street and of course, I think about our late friend who wandered onto my roof.
I was just certain that Junior had met an unfortunate encounter with a pack of coyotes and he was now in major pain, unable to get back to the sound of my voice because with only 1 good eye he cant manuever that well in the dark.
Which is the farthest thing from accurate....he is crazy good in the dark.
After 20 minutes Shawn comes home, and I go outside to welcome him, hug Junior and ask where he found him....but sadly, Junior didnt jump out of the truck. Shawn gave me a look that was a combination of slight worry and more "dont even ask me to go looking for him again because its his own damn fault he wandered off and its now -5".
Then I heard him AGAIN. A slight wimper....close. Frightenly close.
As in, right in front of where Shawn just parked his truck.
"Did you check the garage?" He asked me.
"No. He sounded like he was behind the house....not in front of me."
To this Shawn turns and walks to the garage, opens the door and of course, Junior comes running out!!
I am so happy he is alive and happy and hasnt met an unfortunate fate with the local pack of coyotes or another porcuppine! I give him big hugs, love on him like he was missing for days, not a hour.
I turned to give Shawn to say THANK YOU and give him a hug and kiss and he is giving me a look that stops me before I get my arms around him. Typical boy...not my fault he is more rational then I am about these things.
His response "next time, check the garage first."
I nod, "I will." Because we both know, there will be a next time.
***Sidebar #2***
I was not the last person in the garage that day.
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