Friday, July 31, 2009

Just a-Looking for a Home, Idaho Version


Call it synchronicity, call it coincidence, or call it some random act in the cosmos—on Tuesday, Lizzy Frizzfrock featured a post about a Manx kitten that had turned up at her neighbors’ home, & which she was looking after while trying (successfully, it turns out) to find a home for the kitten.

How this pertains to us is that Wednesday morning Eberle & I got up to find a cattle dog (Autrain Shepherd/Border Collie mix by the looks) comfortably dozing on our front porch. She had no collar or any i.d., but was obviously trained—she knew commands like “down” & “stay,” & obeyed quite well, despite being pretty agitated when she actu
ally saw humans—of course those cattle dogs are really smart. She’s a young dog, & rambunctious.

We got a poster together & circulated a “found dog” notice; & we took it to the Indian Valley hot spots like the general store & the post office & the diner. Because this type of dog is almost always a “worker,” people tend to recognize the animals as belonging to a particular ranch, but no one could place her.

It really was tempting to
give her a home here. She was very friendly & fun. There were at least a couple of big problems, however—one, Eberle is allergic to dogs (she gets hives), & two our cats Manxine & Weenie were beside themselves, & with some good reason. The dog appears to be a cat chaser. Our llama & especially our alpaca also were on “high alert”—llamas see any creature in the dog family as an enemy & can be pretty aggressive toward dogs & coyotes (they are often used as watch animals for sheep because of their aggression towards coyotes).

The story has a happy end. An old & very kindly rancher in Indian Valley had recently lost his dog & offered to give her a home. When I brought the dog around to his place this morning, you could tell he was very happy, tho in a
laconic old rancher sort of way. I’m sure the dog should be quite happy in her new digs!

For those who don’t know, “just a-looking for a home” phrase comes from the song “The Boll Weevil Blues.” Blind Lemon Jefferson, Pete Seeger & Dave Van Ronk all sang this—I’m sure others have, too, but those are the versions I know—other than my own.

We’re having another fun & busy weekend. Our good friends Sue & Jay are coming to visit from Portland, & we’ll be away all day tomorrow. While I’m pretty sure I'll be posting tomorrow, I’m less certain about Sunday. If something is posted Sunday it’s likely to be in the afternoon.


Have a good one!

5 comments:

  1. Great story John, and one with a happy ending. Interesting what you say about llamas : I must avoid them when I take Amy (our soft-coated wheaten terrier) for a walk. Not that you get many llamas in Huddersfield!

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  2. Aww. Too bad you couldn't keep him yourselves. But nice to know he found a good home. I like happy endings.

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  3. Hi Alan & Willow

    Alan: So the British sheepherders haven't taken up the llama craze, eh? Glad you enjoyed the story.

    Willow: I'll admit I had a little pang as I drove her to her new home, but it all worked out for the best for all concerned.

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  4. My daughter got her dog the same way. She tried and tried to find the owners, praying all the while that they wouldn't turn up to claim the dog. This dog has been the sweetest animal! I hope your rancher will be as happy.

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  5. Hi Karen:

    Sorry to be so late in responding, but we've been away most of the weekend, & had house guests while at home. I'll bet that rancher will be happy, & the dog will too!

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